Whether its emails reducing paper consumption, digitalisation reducing the need for physical products or services, or AI models predicting extreme weather patterns, digital technology is often branded as a fundamental tool to reach net zero emissions and deliver the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
But, hidden behind the screens, our increasing dependence on the digital world is having a very real impact on our planet. From the raw materials mined to create electronic devices to increasing energy demand for data centres, digital technology’s impact on climate change and biodiversity loss is becoming hard to avoid.
To change this, and to raise awareness of digital pollution, Digital Cleanup Day is held every year to encourage both people and organisations to clean up their digital lives.
Why do we need a ‘digital cleanup’?
With internet access having reached over 6 billion people and two thirds of the global population using social media, the world is more online than ever before. As a result, there are now over 33 billion electronic devices in the world, powering an ever growing demand for data and energy.
But, with this digital transformation comes a very real cost to our planet. To manufacture our electronic devices (and the infrastructure needed to run them) we require raw materials like cobalt, lithium and nickel. These energy-intensive processes and their consumption of natural resources, which are only projected to increase as we become more reliant on technology, have serious impacts on ecosystem collapse, water stress, biodiversity loss, and carbon emissions.
Plus, to power our digital lives, we’re now producing and storing an unprecedented amount of data. In 2025 alone, the world was projected to generate over 180 zettabytes of data (for those who, like me, have never heard of a zettabyte, one zettabyte alone is equivalent to storing 250 billion DVDs). As this demand for data has increased, data centres (the facilities that house the servers and computing equipment powering everything from cloud storage to artificial intelligence) have also expanded rapidly. This doesn’t just cause an increase in emissions, which are soon expected to exceed those of the whole of New York City, but also consumption of water needed to cool the technology and of biodiversity loss as land is cleared to make way for new infrastructure.
By having a ‘digital cleanup’, we can easily reduce the environmental impact of running our devices. By using devices intentionally and only storing what we really need, we also increase their lifespan, reducing our need for new devices and e-waste ending in landfill.
Ways we can minimise our digital footprint
So, if you feel motivated to make a difference, why not take part in Digital Cleanup Day on 21 March (or find some time whenever is convenient to you) to declutter and restructure your online presence, whether it’s your work files or your personal devices.
Here are some simple ways you can reduce the impact of your digital footprint:
- Delete unneeded apps and files on your devices - start with duplicate files or items stored in multiple places.
- Delete unnecessary files from your cloud storage - this could be your SharePoint or Google Drive files, or it could be across other cloud-based services, such as Zoom, Adobe or Mural.
- Clear your email inbox of unnecessary emails, and unsubscribe from content you no longer want to receive.
- Use digital technology intentionally - consider whether you need to ask ChatGPT that question, or if you need to send that email.
While it might seem like you deleting a few photos and unsubscribing from newsletters might not have much impact - when we all come together and commit to action, our impact is much bigger! Last year on Digital Clean Up Day, an incredible 2.3 million gigabytes of unnecessary data were deleted, saving 575 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.
Join Oppla this Digital Clean Up Day
To continue our commitment to action for nature and to mark Digital Clean Up Day, at Oppla we’re organising a team day where we can come together to clean up some of our digital clutter and reflect on ways that we can make our digital lives less harmful.
Want to organise something similar with your colleagues? Join us by checking out the resources on the Digital Clean Up Day website and let us know in the comments what you achieve!