Studies show that 90% of stored data (photos, documents, emails and so on) is already sitting unused after three months. Digital waste is not merely a nuisance; it has a significant financial and productivity impact on companies, not to mention wasted energy. For World Digital Cleanup Day we break down why so much digital waste accumulates and how to get rid of it.
Digital Cleanup Day is held this year on 16 March. Where World Cleanup Day collects plastic bottles from the beach or car tyres from the forest, the aim of Digital Cleanup Day is to keep the online environment just as consciously clean, since these days people often spend even more time there than in nature. Europeans, for example, spend an average of 35% of their waking hours in front of screens, nearly six hours a day.
Katerina Chantzi, digital waste expert at the NGO Let's Do It World. Photo: Piret Räni
Every email received costs 16 minutes of valuable time
"Digital waste is all data created on the internet that is no longer used or serves no purpose," explains Katerina Chantzi, digital waste trainer at the NGO Let's Do It World, which organises Digital Cleanup Day. It can be outdated calendar invitations, unnecessary copies of documents, superfluous emails and so on.
Everyone has probably noticed how awkward it is to find the right file or piece of information at the necessary moment among a seemingly endless pile of digital waste. From a company's perspective that time and inefficiency can be converted into money. Per employee, 1,800 dollars (1,646 euros) a year goes on unnecessary emails, plus 1,250 dollars (1,143 euros) on managing spam. "The average employee receives 304 emails a week, and after each email it takes an average of 16 minutes to refocus on work. Such distractions reduce productivity and cause employees stress and dissatisfaction," Chantzi explains.
Keeping unnecessary information consumes electricity
Dealing with digital waste does not mean only cleaning out inboxes; according to Chantzi it requires reshaping the working environment. Data cleaning should be standard. "By optimising digital processes and reducing unnecessary data, companies can increase productivity and reduce operating costs and security risks," says Chantzi.
Getting rid of digital clutter also helps protect the environment, which is increasingly in focus today. "By reducing the volume of unnecessary data, companies can significantly reduce their carbon footprint. Cleanfox estimates, for example, that the average internet user receives 2,850 emails a year they do not actually want, and unfortunately that comes with 28.5 kilos of CO2 emissions," Chantzi explains. Every email, exactly like every other move on the internet, has to physically be somewhere; all of it uses server space, which in turn takes electricity and burdens the environment.
Do not fall victim to greenwashing
So what to do to prevent digital waste? According to Chantzi, to optimise data creation and management companies need to focus on prevention. "That means identifying and eliminating digital waste through smooth email management, efficient file organisation systems and workflow practices. It is also extremely important to promote a culture that values efficient data storage and responsibility for the environment," she explains.
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Lauri Anton, head of the scientific computing center at Tallinn University of Technology:
In the world of science and technology, especially in giant projects such as CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC), data management and optimisation have become a central topic. In the LHC example, the detectors produce enormous amounts of data, most of which is unnecessary and discarded immediately, keeping only a fraction of the "interesting" results.
That approach of filtering data at the moment it is created is an important step in reducing digital waste. Ordinary people could use the same trick: when photographing and filming with a smart device, keep only the video clips where something exciting happens, or only the pictures that are of good quality.
Data optimisation is not only the concern of large scientific projects, though. Each of us produces digital waste daily, be it unnecessary emails, duplicate photos or unused files. To cope with that challenge, it is important to understand how to store data more energy-efficiently and make conscious choices that help reduce its environmental impact.
One option is to reduce media formats. Instead of text we often use pictures (memes, for example), instead of a picture a video, which increases data volume considerably. If text is enough to convey the message, replacing a voice message with an ordinary email can reduce the data volume tens of times over. It is a simple but effective way to limit the amount of data. Likewise it is worth remembering that "less is more": shorter videos, fewer pictures in galleries, or simply write shorter messages, because nobody these days really has time to read long forum posts, letters or other notices either.
Another important aspect is the choice of storage media. The data density of hard disks keeps growing without energy consumption growing at the same rate. That means the energy cost of storage per unit decreases over time. So investing in storage that is energy-efficient and whose capacity matches the need without a large surplus is also an important step towards a more environmentally friendly digital world. Put more simply: do not buy storage capacity with too much headroom; next year it may be cheaper.
Nor should older technology be written off. Keeping large volumes of rarely used data on magnetic tape, for example, or storing pictures and videos at home on CD/DVD, can be a sensible choice. The advantage of external storage devices that are not constantly running is that when they are not in use their energy consumption is zero, which helps reduce overall energy use.
In the digital age, data optimisation and waste reduction have become important both for environmental sustainability and for the efficient use of resources. By making conscious choices in managing data, we can all help reduce digital waste and create a more sustainable digital world for the future.
Chantzi recommends that companies establish an email policy that limits unnecessary communication and bulky email signatures (such as adding image files, logos and the like beneath an email). "In addition, every company should review its data storage practices and, to reduce environmental impact, choose data centers with the lowest possible CO2 emissions," she adds. Here it is important not to fall into the greenwashing trap but to find a genuinely sustainable partner for data management.
Data can also be stored energy-efficiently
According to Tõnu Grünberg, CEO of Greenergy Data Centers, the most energy-efficient data center in the Baltics, it is inevitable that some businesses have large data volumes or that a company needs large computing power, for example. "In that case it is important to understand that storing and using data every day is directly linked to energy cost, because servers, storage and network equipment require electricity. The more data there is, the more an organisation should bear in mind where and with what ecological footprint it is stored," he explains.
Take the opportunity and take part in Digital Cleanup Day. Photo: NGO Let's Do It World
One of the simplest ways is to ask the service provider, or measure in the office, how much energy goes directly into running IT equipment and how much into cooling and securing that equipment and servicing it day to day. "That creates an objective basis for comparing different service providers or technical solutions," Grünberg adds. "It is also worth finding out whether the external service provider uses certified green energy."
Naturally a company's data footprint also depends on the equipment used. Newer equipment is as a rule considerably more energy-efficient. That means more work gets done for the same volume, and the ecological footprint of the business is therefore lower.
"The European Union is also paying ever more attention to the energy efficiency of data storage, and various regulations have been developed that member states must weave into their legislation. Major changes are to be expected here in the coming years, including a tightening of the rules at the level of law. Fortunately our data center was built with the higher energy-efficiency requirements already in mind," Grünberg describes the future.
In summary, by putting data efficiency first, every company can save costs, increase productivity and reduce its environmental footprint. Embracing a culture of digital responsibility and efficiency is not only beneficial but essential for long-term success in an increasingly digital world.