As we’re increasingly making the shift from hardware to software solutions, we’ve developed a methodology to internally label software products as sustainable, much like we do with hardware.
80%
of Barco products are eco-labeled by 2030
Feb 11, 2025
Ever thought about the environmental impact of software?
2024 stories · Corporate · Innovation · Sustainability · 9 min read
A staggering 10% of global power consumption is used for digital services – and that number is rising exponentially. Since at Barco, we aim to keep raising the bar on sustainability, we’ve taken our first steps toward sustainable software development and deployment. To shed light on this emerging topic, we spoke to Jan Daem, Product Compliance Manager, and Neil D’Souza, CEO and founder of Makersite.
“Sustainability is at the core of our product designs, at Barco,” Jan starts. “Besides creating our own ecoscoring methodology, we also conduct Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) to map the environmental impact of our products across their entire life cycle. Since 2023, Makersite’s advanced software tool helps us automate that process.”
Understand a product across its lifecycle
“I founded Makersite in 2018 with a genuine commitment to change the way the world makes, uses, and wastes material,” says Neil. “The key first step to enable that change is understanding a product’s lifecycle, from raw material to end-of-life. Since that process is complex and time-consuming, we built a tool to simplify it.”
“Barco approached us because they struggled to efficiently report SKU-level environmental data. Their data was siloed and scattered across the supply chain. Our software uses AI to automate data collection, consolidate the data in one place, and fill gaps with our own data sources. What’s more, AI can then identify patterns and highlight opportunities for improvement. That’s how we’re helping Barco accelerate their ecodesign efforts.”
Ecolabel for sustainable software
Until now, Barco’s sustainability efforts didn’t factor in the impact of software – but that’s about to change. By 2027, 80% of our revenue will come from Barco eco-labeled products. The ecoscore will take into account sustainable stand-alone software development.
“Barco is increasingly making the shift from hardware to software solutions, and we’ll be launching more AI-driven solutions,” says Jan. “Moreover, our products also help our customers manage growing amounts of data. That’s why we’ve developed a methodology to internally score software products as more sustainable, much like we do with hardware. While we don’t conduct LCAs for software yet, we’re planning to include them in our sustainability program.”
The explosive rise of software
Neil is impressed with Barco’s efforts and stresses the importance of sustainable software: “Of course, software itself doesn’t consume energy or release carbon emissions. But software runs on machines, which consume energy and produce CO2 emissions. There’s also water usage, for cooling data centers, and waste.”
“Software has been touching all aspects of our lives for a long time, but its use has exploded in recent years, especially with AI. Between 2012 and 2024, energy usage in ICT grew by 300,000 times. Nothing in the world is growing that fast.“
X 300,000
energy used in ICT between 2012 and 2024
4%
of global GHGEs caused by digital in 2024 (a similar amount as the aviation industry) – expected to grow to 14% by 2040
A standard to measure and tips to improve
Neil shares 5 best practices to raise the efficiency of software and, as a result, reduce energy consumption, the use of resources and the carbon footprint.
Boost efficiency through better algorithms
Write clean, optimized code, minimize unnecessary features and optimize data structures and algorithms. In this way, you’ll enhance software performance and optimize the way data is stored – to reduce processing power, memory usage, energy consumption and even the number of servers and devices needed.
Choose energy-efficient programming languages
Some languages are more energy-efficient than others. Python and JavaScript, for example, are energy-consuming, while C or Rust are more energy-efficient. When choosing a programming language, it’s key to balance factors like talent availability, development speed, and maintainability with the energy implications.
Move to the cloud – but choose climate-neutral solutions
The cloud contributes significantly to energy consumption but less than on-premise systems. Moreover, large cloud providers offer sustainable data center options.
Monitor and optimize
Monitor the software, collect data, and make changes when needed to improve software efficiency. Regular software updates and maintenance ensure that the software stays efficient, reducing the need for hardware upgrades.
Manage the data lifecycle
Archive data in time, install automated deletion policies, avoid data redundancy and ensure efficient cloud storage to save on storage space and processing power – and on the number of servers needed.
Boost efficiency through better algorithms
Write clean, optimized code, minimize unnecessary features and optimize data structures and algorithms. In this way, you’ll enhance software performance and optimize the way data is stored – to reduce processing power, memory usage, energy consumption and even the number of servers and devices needed.
Choose energy-efficient programming languages
Some languages are more energy-efficient than others. Python and JavaScript, for example, are energy-consuming, while C or Rust are more energy-efficient. When choosing a programming language, it’s key to balance factors like talent availability, development speed, and maintainability with the energy implications.
Move to the cloud – but choose climate-neutral solutions
The cloud contributes significantly to energy consumption but less than on-premise systems. Moreover, large cloud providers offer sustainable data center options.
Monitor and optimize
Monitor the software, collect data, and make changes when needed to improve software efficiency. Regular software updates and maintenance ensure that the software stays efficient, reducing the need for hardware upgrades.
Manage the data lifecycle
Archive data in time, install automated deletion policies, avoid data redundancy and ensure efficient cloud storage to save on storage space and processing power – and on the number of servers needed.
It’s a pleasure to collaborate with such a smart, forward-looking team of visioneers who embrace innovation in every possible way.
Artificial Intelligence and automation: inspiring use cases
The good news? While Artificial Intelligence (AI) drives energy consumption, it also helps optimize energy efficiency and resource management. Neil illustrates his claim with 3 use cases:
A large industrial player in aviation reduced downtime by 50% and saved over USD 1 billion by predicting maintenance needs for jet engines and other aircraft components.
AI-driven inventory management helped a car manufacturer reduce excess inventory, cutting inventory costs by 20%. In addition, AI lowered scrap for battery components and emissions from inefficient logistics.
A major search engine uses AI algorithms to uncover energy-saving opportunities and efficiency improvements. Their cooling systems, for example, use machine learning to reduce energy consumption by up to 40%.
“There are countless examples of applications that enhance sustainability,” Jan adds. “Automation enables continuous monitoring of energy consumption, predicts energy usage patterns, and even optimizes energy use by scheduling tasks during off-peak hours. Predictive maintenance extends the lifetime of solutions, AI driven lifecycle assessment. At Barco, we plan to embed these applications in our hardware to help customers achieve their sustainability goals.”
Big challenges, huge opportunities
“The challenges are significant, but so are opportunities,” Neil concludes. “Sustainable software is a new and growing field, and we need to raise awareness about it. I’m happy to see Barco taking action. It’s a pleasure to collaborate with such a smart, forward-looking team of visioneers who embrace innovation in every possible way.”
About Neil D’Souza
• Founder and CEO at Makersite
• 15+ years of experience building and refining industry-leading products across industries
Neil’s advice
"I believe there needs to be a pivotal transformation in how we approach innovation and sustainability in business–a concept I refer to as “The Age of the Engineer.” By reinstating engineers into the boardroom, we leverage their unique expertise to drive not just technological advancements but strategic decisions that prioritize long-term value over short-term gains."
