The State of Digital Sustainability in 2026

The State of Digital Sustainability in 2026

As 2025 comes to a close, businesses are paying closer attention to digital sustainability. This is no longer a side topic. Every online action a company depends on uses electricity somewhere in the world. That energy turns into emissions, and those emissions fall under a company’s Scope 3 footprint.

This includes cloud tools, emails, streaming, data storage, digital advertising, AI queries, and even day-to-day website use. Most companies have far more digital emissions than they realise, and something as simple as a large, heavy website can become a measurable liability in their sustainability report.

The Growing Digital Carbon Problem

For starters, the internet produces 1.5 to 4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. That puts it on the same level as the aviation industry. Data centers used up to 340 TWh of electricity in 2022, and US data centers alone used 183 TWh in 2024. These numbers continue to rise, and the energy behind them is still not fully renewable.

Most companies have far more digital emissions than they realise, and something as simple as a large, heavy website can become a measurable liability once sustainability reporting is required. Working with a sustainable website development company can help reduce this part of the footprint without major operational changes.

While websites are still the largest contributors to the overall “weight” of the internet, the growing usage of these internet features add additional layers of data processing and energy consumption.

AI and Energy Use

AI has become a major driver of digital emissions. Training and running large models requires huge amounts of electricity, and by 2030, AI is expected to push data center demand to 945 TWh.

Businesses using AI tools, automation, or personalization features often increase their digital footprint without even realizing it. This doesn’t mean companies should avoid AI. It simply means one should understand that every digital task uses energy and use it intentionally.

The Hidden Impact of Daily Digital Habits

Streaming makes up most of the world’s internet traffic. One hour of video streaming can produce 55 grams of CO₂ in Europe, and more when streamed in higher resolutions.

Email is another hidden contributor. With 300 billion emails sent each day, the total impact adds up to more than 2 million tons of CO₂ per year.

Device manufacturing and use also play a major role. For many people, digital devices and the networks that support them add up to around 850 kilograms of CO₂ annually.

Even digital products like websites and apps influence these numbers. A lighter, more efficient digital experience requires less energy to load and run, which reduces emissions across data centers, networks, and user devices. This is digital sustainability in action, without needing to talk about “web development” as a discipline.

A lighter digital experience uses less energy across data centers, networks, and devices. This is why many organisations now work with a sustainable website development company to improve efficiency and reduce unnecessary data transfer.

Why Digital Sustainability Matters to Businesses

Managing digital emissions leads to faster digital performance, and better user experience. It also builds trust with customers and investors who are becoming more aware of environmental impact.

Digital emissions could technically come under Scope 3 liabilities in your sustainability report. And regulatory bodies might soon catch this. So, the companies that understand their digital footprint early will face fewer surprises when rules tighten.

The New Regulatory Landscape

The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive now requires large companies to report their full environmental impact, including digital operations. Listed SMEs must follow in 2026, and large non-EU companies in 2028.

And as global attention on overall emissions continues to rise, other regions are likely to follow the EU’s lead and tighten their own regulatory frameworks—potentially extending these requirements to include digital emissions as well.

Innovation in Clean Digital Infrastructure

The tech industry is moving toward cleaner energy. Data centers are signing major renewable energy agreements, and more efficient chips and servers are reducing the energy cost of digital tasks.

For businesses, choosing greener cloud providers, efficient platforms, or low-carbon hosting can cut emissions without changing day-to-day operations. Infrastructure choices matter as much as internal behaviour.

The Circular Economy

Digital sustainability also connects to the circular economy. Cloud systems, efficient software, and lightweight digital services help extend the life of devices. When services run smoothly on older hardware, fewer devices end up replaced, and e-waste goes down.

This is another example of how digital decisions have physical consequences.

What Businesses Can Do Now

Use tools like AWS CloudWatch, Azure Sustainability Manager, Google Cloud Footprint, Website Carbon, and Ecograder to track cloud usage and website emissions and identify the biggest inefficiencies.

Remove unused cloud resources, shorten data and log retention, switch off unnecessary automations, and reduce large files, excessive CCs, and automated emails.

Optimize images, scripts, and trackers, adopt lightweight design principles, and choose hosting providers that use transparent renewable energy backed by real PPAs.

Set defaults that lower impact such as smaller attachments, fewer meeting recordings, clearer folder structures, and video-off options for low-value calls. Provide a short annual training on how digital actions influence emissions.

Include digital operations in ESG reporting, set one or two annual reduction targets, review progress quarterly, and ask vendors for clearer emissions and energy sourcing data.

If websites or digital platforms are large contributors to emissions, partnering with a sustainable website development company can help optimise performance, cut energy use, and support long-term reporting goals.

Looking Ahead

Digital sustainability is now part of how companies operate. Energy prices, regulations, and customer expectations are all moving in the same direction. Businesses that treat digital operations as part of their environmental footprint will be better prepared, more efficient, and more resilient.

A cleaner digital future is possible with the tools we already have. The companies that start early will lead the way.