Environment OK – Environmentally Sustainable Software Criteria for ICT Procurement

We develop sustainable procurement practices for ICT-services

Duration of the project

1.4.2024 – 31.3.2027

Source of funding

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

Total funding

716 063 €

As digitalization and the use of software increase, the carbon footprint of digital services has also grown. At the same time, optimization related to the resource efficiency of software – such as the use of energy and computing power – has received little attention, even though it could clearly improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions.

To correct the situation, it is essential that procurement organizations receive tools to consider environmental impacts in software procurement. At the same time, it is important for software companies to know how to take these impacts into account in the software solutions they develop.

The Environment OK project addresses this need by providing concrete solutions and support to both procurers and developers.

Environmental Impacts of Software Requires Attention

The goal of the Environment OK project is to reduce the negative environmental impacts of the software industry by developing and implementing environmentally friendly software procurement criteria. The main objective of the project is to ensure the adoption of these criteria in both public and private software procurements.

The goal is pursued by updating the software procurement criteria developed in the previous MitViDi project, found in Motiva’s criteria bank, and expanding them to cover new areas, such as artificial intelligence, data-intensive systems and positive handprint impacts. The result will be a comprehensive and practical set of criteria that supports environmentally responsible software procurement in Finland in both the public and private sectors. All development work in this project is done in close cooperation with software companies and procurement experts.

The project supports organizations by offering training, webinars, self-study materials and assistance in the preparation and implementation of sustainable software procurements. With these, more and more organizations can utilize the criteria in their own procurements. In Southwest Finland, the training is marketed especially to public procurement units and companies in the health technology, marine, food and pharmaceutical industries.

Energy Efficiency and Environmental Responsibility in the Software Market

The project promotes energy efficiency and environmental consideration in software procurement and development. The measures target both private and public sector software procurements, particularly in the regions of Southwest Finland, Päijät-Häme, Kanta-Häme and South Karelia.

The primary target group of the project are companies that develop and offer software and want to respond to their customers’ growing environmental requirements. The project particularly benefits companies that are just starting on the path of sustainable software development and want to develop competitive but more environmentally friendly solutions. Additionally, the project supports organizations that procure software – such as municipalities, state authorities, and private sector actors – where considering environmental impacts is a key part of decision-making. For example, the project

• will develop artificial intelligence and data-based sustainability criteria suitable for the procurement of software systems
• will organize training sessions on the use of sustainability criteria for public and private procurers
• supports public and private procurers in the preparation and implementation of sustainable software procurement

The Environment OK project is implemented as a joint project coordinated by the University of Turku, with Turku University of Applied Sciences, LUT University and TIEKE The Finnish Information Society Development Centre involved. The project is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The funding has been granted through the Regional Council of Päijät-Häme, Southwest Finland, Häme and South Karelia.

Join the project!

We are looking for enthusiastic organizational and corporate partners who want to be part of this impressive entity.

If you are interested, contact Niina Elo, (niina.elo@turkuamk.fi)