Policy Briefing – The Impact of Green Policies on the Internet Infrastructure Industry

According to Commission calculations, digital technologies currently account for 8-10% of the energy consumption in the EU, and 2-4% of greenhouse gas emissions. The Commission aims to reduce at minimum the environmental impact of this area through various initiatives. For example, according to a study by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), extending the lifetime of all smartphones by just 1 year would save 2.1 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030, equivalent to taking 1 million cars off the road. Switching from 4G to 5G would help save large amounts of energy, as according to test pilots by Ericsson and Telefonica, 5G technology is up to 90% more efficient than 4G in terms of energy consumption per traffic unit (W/Mbps). 

In this vein, the European Commission published a communication on the European Growth Model in March 2022. The Communication states that there is broad consensus among the Member States on the inclusion of the green and digital transition among the priorities for the European economic growth model: Green Deal on the one hand, Path to the Digital Decade on the other.  

The European Commission is convinced that digital technologies can and should help reduce carbon footprint. eco strongly shares this believe and would like to present its members an overview of the current EU initiatives regarding sustainability. We will present a new internal paper on the current legislative, on proposals put on the table and in discussion as well as giving a brief outlook on what to come. 

We therefore invite you to a breakfast discussion on 

Thursday, 17 November, 9h00 at eco’s Brussels office at Rue de la Loi 38, 1000 Brussels 

In the process of developing the paper interviews have been conducted. We’re happy to welcome Mr Ilias Iakovidis (in presence) as well as Ms Laura Balke and Mr Juan Arregui (online) from DG CNECT, who have been an important source and are available for questions.