Sustainable IT is about how an organisation handles its own IT: efficient devices, using them longer and reusing them. Sustainable real estate is about the building: insulation, installations and smart energy use. The two meet in one place: the digital foundation of the building.
In short:
- Sustainable IT, or green IT, is about the IT of an organisation.
- Sustainable real estate is about the building itself.
- Smart building systems connect the two. They save energy, but they run on the network.
- The IT-Label shows how good that digital foundation is.
What is sustainable IT?
Sustainable IT means that an organisation handles its IT consciously. Think of:
- using laptops and screens for longer;
- repairing or reusing devices instead of throwing them away;
- choosing efficient servers and cloud services;
- software that asks no more than it needs.
There is also a French label for this: the Sustainable IT Label (Label Numérique Responsable). That label has two levels and is meant for organisations, not for buildings.
What is sustainable real estate?
Sustainable real estate is about the building. How much energy does it use? How healthy is the indoor climate? How long do the materials last?
There are well-known labels for this, such as the energy label, BREEAM, GPR and WELL. Each label looks at a different part. Our overview of sustainability labels shows the differences.
Where do they meet?
A modern building is also an IT system. Climate control, lighting, meters and access gates are connected to the network. They send data and are controlled remotely.
That is where sustainable IT and sustainable real estate come together:
- Smart systems save energy. A sensor sees that a room is empty, and the heating goes down.
- Those systems need a good network. Is the network weak or insecure? Then they do not work well.
- A well-installed network lasts a long time. You need to recable less often. That saves materials.
Read more on our page about IoT and energy saving.
Where does the IT-Label fit in?
The IT-Label measures the digital quality of a building. It looks at the connection, the cabling, the WiFi and the smart building systems. The result is a level from IT1+ to IT5.
So the IT-Label is not a label for the sustainable IT of an organisation. It is also not a replacement for, or a competitor of, the French Sustainable IT Label. It looks at something else: whether the building has the digital foundation for smart and sustainable systems. Read more on our page about the Sustainable IT-Label.
What does this mean for you?
- Are you an IT manager? Look not only at your own devices, but also at the building network.
- Are you an owner or investor? A strong digital foundation makes your building ready for sustainability.
- Are you a tenant? Ask about the IT-Label. Then you know whether the building fits your own sustainability goals.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between sustainable IT and green IT?
In practice people mean the same thing: handling IT consciously and efficiently, from devices to software and data centres.
Is the IT-Label a sustainable IT label?
No. The IT-Label is about the digital quality of a building, not about the IT of an organisation. But a good digital foundation does help to make a building more sustainable.
Can an organisation have both labels?
Yes. An organisation can hold the French Sustainable IT Label, and its building an IT-Label. The labels complement each other.
How is your building doing?
Take the free sustainability scan. In 15 questions you see how smart and sustainable your building is.
