Voice assistants do our shopping, smart thermostats heat our homes, robots vacuum and mow the lawn. What sounded like a thing of the future a few years ago is now becoming part of everyday life in an increasing number of households. However, making everyday work easier comes at a price. The need for data centers is growing worldwide, and with it, electricity consumption. In Germany alone, data centers consumed around 18 terawatt hours of electricity in 2022. That is significantly more than the electricity consumption of the whole of Berlin in the same year. In parallel with the increasing electricity consumption, resource consumption is also growing. The production of electronic devices requires a large amount of raw materials such as metals, plastics and rare earths. We use 3 examples to illustrate the problems and possible solutions.

Around the world – How sustainable is a smartphone?

How sustainable are streaming services?

How sustainable is online shopping?