How can the environmental impacts of software systems be measured? As part of a research project at adesso, a software prototype is being developed to measure environmental aspects such as Global Warming Potential (GWP), water consumption, cumulative energy demand (CED), resource depletion (ADP), toxicity (TOX), and electronic waste (WEEE). The development team provides practical insights into which approaches are already working, the challenges they face, and the next steps planned.
The research is being directly applied in practice: In an industrial context, the COâ‚‚e footprint of IT landscapes is being transparently measured. This includes emissions from hyperscalers (e.g., Azure, AWS), data centers (including private clouds), and end-user devices such as laptops and printers.
Data collection is carried out via APIs with a high degree of automation, integrated into a data lake, and validated by external partners. Transparent reporting highlights discrepancies and uncertainties, laying the foundation for sustainable IT governance that systematically combines ecological and economic aspects – fully aligned with the principle of “From FinOps to GreenOps.“