Digital solutions for sustainability
Encouraging digital tools that help monitor, manage and reduce the use of energy, water and materials.
Focus area
Innovation & Digital Transformation
Supporting digital transformation that is purposeful, inclusive and aligned with environmental and social goals.
Why it matters
Digital technologies are reshaping how societies produce energy, manage resources, deliver public services and share knowledge. Used well, they can make systems more efficient, transparent and responsive. Used without care, they can add to resource consumption, deepen inequalities and create new dependencies.
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The Foundation believes that digital transformation should be judged by the value it creates for people and the environment, not by the adoption of technology for its own sake. This means asking early what problem a solution addresses, who benefits, what resources it requires over its lifetime and how it can be maintained and improved over time.
The Foundation therefore seeks to encourage innovation that is purposeful, interoperable and inclusive, and that takes environmental impact into account from the outset.
Priority themes
Open data and interoperability
Promoting open standards and well-governed data sharing so that solutions can work together and be reused.
Sustainable-by-design digital services
Advocating software and services designed to be efficient, durable and proportionate to the needs they serve.
Digital inclusion
Supporting access to digital skills and services so that the benefits of transformation are widely shared.
Our objectives
- Encourage innovation that addresses clearly defined environmental and social needs.
- Promote open standards, interoperability and responsible data governance.
- Raise awareness of the environmental footprint of digital products and services across their life cycle.
- Support the exchange of practical knowledge between innovators, researchers and public bodies.
- Contribute to digital inclusion by helping to make skills and resources more widely accessible.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Foundation mean by purposeful digital transformation?
Purposeful digital transformation starts from a clearly identified need rather than from a technology. It considers who will benefit, what resources a solution will consume and how it will be maintained over time. The Foundation encourages this approach so that digital investment delivers lasting value.
Why does the Foundation emphasise open standards and interoperability?
Open standards allow different systems to work together, reduce duplication and make it easier to reuse and improve existing solutions. They also lower barriers for smaller organisations and help avoid unnecessary lock-in. For these reasons, the Foundation sees interoperability as an important condition for sustainable innovation.
Can digital technology itself have an environmental impact?
Yes. Devices, networks and data centers all require energy and materials to manufacture, operate and dispose of. The Foundation encourages designers and decision-makers to consider this footprint across the whole life cycle and to favour efficient, durable solutions.
Collaborate on responsible innovation
The Foundation welcomes partners who wish to explore how digital innovation can better serve sustainable development.
In practice
Projects in this area
Projects in this area are being prepared
Projects and initiatives will be published here as they are launched.
Insights
News & articles in this area
News for this area will appear here
Updates, announcements and articles will appear here as they are released.
Focus areas
Explore the other focus areas
- Renewable Energy & Energy EfficiencyThe Foundation works to accelerate the shift to renewable energy and to advance energy efficiency, storage, flexibility and smart, digitally enabled energy systems.
- Sustainability & Climate ActionThe Foundation works to support credible climate action, from emissions reduction and resilience to circular resource use and transparent measurement.
- Sustainable Data Centers & Digital InfrastructureThe Foundation works to advance data centers and digital infrastructure that use energy efficiently, run on renewable power, reuse heat, conserve water and extend hardware life.
- AI & Emerging TechnologiesThe Foundation works to promote responsible, trustworthy AI, its use for climate and energy optimisation, awareness of its energy footprint, and the skills to use it well.
- Education, Research & TrainingThe Foundation works to support applied research, training and open learning resources that build skills in sustainable energy, digital infrastructure and responsible technology.
