CSC provides new tool for understanding the climate impact of digital services

Digital services are increasing, leading to higher energy consumption. A model developed by CSC provides a new tool for understanding the climate impact of digital services. Originally designed to calculate the carbon dioxide emissions of digital preservation, the model can also be applied to other digital services. The model has received international recognition and is attracting interest across Europe.

The climate impact of digital services may not be visible in everyday life, but the data centers and hardware that enable them require raw materials and energy. CSC’s Digital Preservation Services ensure that Finland’s cultural heritage and research data are preserved for future generations in digital form – and in the most sustainable way possible.

“There’s no point in preserving cultural heritage for the next generation if that generation doesn’t have the conditions to live on this planet,” says Mikko Tiainen, Development Manager at CSC, who leads carbon footprint modeling for the Digital Preservation Services.

How calculating the carbon footprint works

CSC’s model combines data on

• emissions from the raw materials used in IT device manufacturing,
• the energy consumed during their production, and
• the emissions generated during data center operations.

The results make it possible to estimate the carbon footprint of a single server as well as the entire storage infrastructure. Some emissions also come from logistics and end-of-life recycling, but their overall share is very small.

One key finding is that hardware manufacturing has a much greater impact than usage if the electricity used for the service comes from renewable sources.

“More than 70 percent of digital preservation’s carbon emissions come from device manufacturing, and over 85 percent of that is from producing spinning hard drives. Operational emissions in Finland are very low because our electricity production is so clean,” explains Tiainen. CSC uses only certified renewable electricity.

Striving for as sustainable choices as possible

The findings have not remained theoretical. They guide real decisions in CSC’s Digital Preservation Services, for example in equipment procurement and extending the lifespan of hardware.

“Our goal is to extend the lifecycle of our storage hardware to seven years or even longer. Extending the lifecycle spreads the manufacturing emissions over several years, reducing the annual carbon footprint,” says Tiainen.

CSC extends lifecycles by negotiating as long-term support contracts as possible with vendors. In addition, Digital Preservation Services reuse decommissioned equipment from other CSC operations as spare parts.

Manufacturers are also responding to demand: major hard drive producers have already switched to using green electricity in their production, cutting the emissions from hard drive manufacturing in half.

At the same time, the amount of material to be preserved keeps growing as more cultural heritage is added to storage. CSC needs more capacity, and storage technologies continue to evolve.

“At some point, it simply becomes much more carbon-efficient to replace the entire storage infrastructure with newer technology. It’s always a balancing act between increasing storage density and operational emissions,” says Tiainen.

Interest from customers and across Europe

CSC’s Digital Preservation Services started calculating emissions in 2022, with the first results in 2023. Since 2023, the carbon balance of the services has been included in the annually updated Digital Preservation Services’ quality report, which customers follow closely.

“Our customers have been very interested in the results,” says Tiainen.

CSC’s work has also drawn wide attention in the international digital preservation community. The carbon footprint model was awarded as best poster among 51 entries at the iPRES 2024 conference.

“When people in the international community talk about the carbon emissions of digital preservation, they’re essentially referring to our papers. Finland is at the forefront of this development,” says Tiainen.

EU sustainability goals and upcoming regulation will make carbon footprint reporting increasingly important for digital services in the coming years.

“Finland’s strengths include the wide availability of green electricity, the cool climate in Northern Finland, and an advanced recycling infrastructure. These factors come up in global discussions.”

Tools for the international community

CSC is part of the international Digital Preservation Coalition, which will publish a guide on calculating the carbon footprint of digital preservation at the end of 2025. The guide is being developed based on CSC’s model, with Mikko Tiainen contributing to the work.

“The guide will be openly available to everyone. This means other organizations can also benefit from the methodology we’ve developed,” says Tiainen.

In addition, CSC’s Digital Preservation Services’ experts will host a workshop at the iPRES 2025 conference in November to give hands-on training for digital preservation experts from other countries on how to calculate the emissions of their storage infrastructure.

Emission calculation as part of strategic development

CSC’s model shows that the emissions of digital services can be measured and managed – and that choices truly make a difference. In Finland, clean electricity and a developed recycling system provide an excellent foundation for this work.

This is CSC’s first carbon emission calculation for its digital services.

“The model can now be used not only for other digital services at CSC but also by other organizations,” summarizes Tiainen.

“Emission calculation is not just about reporting – it’s an essential part of strategic development, as the Digital Preservation Services’ example shows,” says Maari Alanko, Development Manager, responsible for sustainability at CSC.

CSC calculates its organization-wide greenhouse gas emissions annually in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. The calculation is continuously developed and covers direct emissions, emissions from purchased energy, and indirect emissions from the value chain. The data is published each year in CSC’s Sustainability Report.

“Digital services play an important role in advancing sustainability. CSC’s goal is to create as much societal value as possible while keeping our environmental footprint as small as possible. That’s why measuring and managing emissions is so important,” says Alanko.