An opportunity to explore and discuss the relationship between environmental sustainability and digital technologies, with the aim of understanding how to reduce their environmental impact and identify more responsible practices for organisations. This was the focus of a joint meeting of Torino Social Impact’s Circular Economy and Communication Communities of Practice.

The meeting, hosted at Torino Urban Lab, brought together 18 participants to share experiences, tools and possible concrete actions for integrating sustainability into everyday working practices.

Opening the discussion, Mirella Iacono and Luca Marasco Belcastro from the City of Turin provided an in-depth overview of Turin’s pathway towards climate neutrality.

Within this framework, the Climate City Contract plays a central role. The strategic document supports the city’s participation in the European Mission 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030 and is structured around three components: the Climate Neutrality Commitments, the Climate Neutrality Action Plan and the Climate Neutrality Investment Plan. It provides a tool for translating climate targets into concrete actions and investments.

Digital sustainability, explored through a contribution from Sloweb, was presented as an integrated approach to the responsible design and use of technologies, taking environmental, social and economic dimensions into account at the same time. The aim is to promote IT that is “good, clean and fair”, reducing the ecological impact of digital infrastructure, protecting people’s rights and encouraging a responsible use of resources.

Digital sustainability should therefore be addressed through its three dimensions — Planet, People and Prosperity — involving institutions, businesses, developers and citizens. Key issues include ecodesign and device repairability, more efficient software, sustainable data management, the protection of rights and privacy, and the use of infrastructure powered by renewable energy.

The discussion then moved from theory to practice through a workshop activity. Participants first completed an individual self-assessment questionnaire on the digital sustainability of their own organisations, before working in groups to discuss shared needs and exchange good practices.

Positive experiences included repairing and reusing devices, sharing communication materials, optimising video calls and paying greater attention to the size of emails and digital content. Participants also shared examples of reorganising internal communications and using artificial intelligence more consciously.

The discussion also highlighted a number of challenges. The choice of technology providers and tools is often driven by price, efficiency and speed, while environmental impact remains a secondary consideration. The accessibility of digital services also requires greater expertise and attention in order to reconcile sustainability with inclusion.

Artificial intelligence was one of the most widely discussed topics, with concerns about energy consumption and environmental impacts balanced against recognition of its usefulness for specific tasks, such as reviewing texts and processing data. The need emerged to promote a conscious use of AI that supports, rather than replaces, human skills and creativity.

The group discussions ultimately highlighted the importance of strengthening awareness and introducing internal policies and shared criteria for technology choices, supplier selection and the use of digital tools.

In closing, Mizzi Filippi from Sloweb emphasised that digital sustainability is a gradual process of building awareness, starting with recognising practices that are already in place and identifying opportunities for improvement by questioning the impact of individual choices. Measuring practices is, in fact, the first step towards changing them.