Over the past five years, sustainability in software has moved from a niche interest into the mainstream – and for some, it has started to feel like an exhausting obligation. The field is now at a turning point: the initial excitement is fading, but the actual impact is just starting to show.
Finland’s Green ICT projects, such as MitViDi, Visiiri, and Victis, have developed ways to measure and reduce the environmental footprint of digital solutions. They’ve also raised awareness of the sector’s impact – especially in the business world.
No one is questioning sustainability efforts anymore, but companies are now asking what they actually mean in terms of business results. The central lesson has been simple but difficult: measuring is only the first step. Now, we’re also starting to understand that measurement without decisions that follow doesn’t change anything.
Data centre projects raise new questions
In many companies, sustainability is no longer a new competitive edge – it's simply a compulsory part of doing business. Reporting requirements, data collection, and standards that keep changing have added to the workload, and in many IT companies, you can see fatigue setting in. Meanwhile, the external pressure hasn't let up.
For example, the public debate over data centres’ energy consumption has shown that technical efficiency on its own is no longer a convincing rationale. Instead, people are increasingly asking what the capacity is being built for and who ultimately benefits.
One of the central problems in sustainability work is the gap in perspectives between research and business. In academia, the conversation revolves around system-level change and long-term effects. In companies, the question is what any of this means for the next quarter's results. Also, the terminology is inconsistent. People don't always talk about the same things using the same terms, which makes collaboration more difficult. Organisations are at very different stages of maturity, and some are still in the early phases of digitalisation. In some cases, one party may use “sustainability” only for financial viability, while another uses it to refer only to environmental issues.
The European Union's regulation – including the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, and the Digital Product Passport – is making the requirements even stricter. Necessity can trigger change but won’t lead to lasting impact. For that, you also need commitment, understanding, and the ability to see the bigger picture.
The Curious People newsletter shares our solutions for helping build resilient communities, industry, and businesses while promoting the energy transition and the regenerative use of natural resources.
A handprint is a competitive edge you can rely on
Credibility requires transparent methods and independent verification. That’s what separates real outcomes from greenwashing. This is where handprint research comes in – work that’s being carried out widely at LUT. A digital solution's handprint shows how ICT can create measurable positive outcomes for customers and for society as a whole.
The ICT sector's role is double-edged: many of the same innovations that help tackle sustainability challenges also generate considerable emissions. A footprint tells you about harm to the environment, whereas a handprint tells you about benefit.
A handprint is a strategic tool that can help companies stand out from their competitors. Company leadership should treat investment in it as a strategic investment in the future, not a cost. The winners in the next phase will be the ones who build products and services with a positive impact and who can prove it.
Sustainability and growth
The greatest threat to sustainability efforts isn't resistance – it's routine. That’s where the danger lies: sustainability is no longer treated as a strategic priority.
More reporting isn’t the answer. Real impact is created when responsible technology is embedded in business as tangible products and services. When sustainability is tied to value, it can become the next source of growth. Sustainability and growth aren't at odds. At their best, they fuel each other.
Multidisciplinarity adds clarity
We, the undersigned, represent a research community that looks at sustainability and what it achieves from three different angles. First, we examine impact and its ties to business. Second, we look at the handprint of digital solutions as a strategic tool. Third, we study what it really takes to embed change in organisations and their structures, processes, and daily decision-making.
It's important to ask what actually happens – or fails to happen – in an organisation when sustainability goals collide with everyday choices. This is also connected to the AI-driven transformation of the professional world and what leadership and collaboration approaches the new situation demands. If we ignore the fact that digital work environments are increasingly replacing human interaction, we’re not building a sustainable world of work.
If the first phase for ICT companies was to understand and measure sustainability, the next phase is to change how work is done. That requires both a technological and a human perspective. Sustainability isn’t a standalone theme. It's a cross-cutting change that affects business, technology, and everyday work.
Laura Lakanen
