Addressing the issue of information system-related “ Procurement ” today requires looking beyond mere economic or functional performance. What does the concept of responsible “Procurement ” actually entail in the context of IT departments, and how can we define its scope?
Contents
1. Issues Related to Responsible Use of the Web ( Procurement ) in Information Systems
Information systems (IS) have a significant environmental and social impact. Contrary to what one might think, “digital” technology is far from being intangible. Equipment (PCs, servers, routers, smartphones, etc.) requires scarce resources that are polluting to extract (rare earth elements, lithium, cobalt). The production conditions for certain technological components raise questions about fair compensation for workers and compliance with international labor standards.
In addition, technology products (software, apps, etc.) consume a significant amount of energy, a fact that is often unknown to the general public.
Addressing the “ Procurement ” associated with information systems today requires looking beyond mere economic or functional performance. This entails taking a comprehensive view of the principles, objectives, and areas of application of responsible procurement in the digital sector.
This framework makes it possible to understand the diversity of impacts—whether environmental, social, or strategic—and to examine the tools organizations have at their disposal to respond to them effectively.
The success of this initiative therefore depends on a governance framework capable of encompassing all components of information systems, including intangible services and software, which are too often overlooked in traditional approaches.
2. What is responsible procurement in IT?
Responsible " Procurement " in information systems is an approach aimed at achieving a virtuous cycle.
- Minimize the negative impacts (environmental and social) associated with the purchase, use, and end of life of IT solutions.
- Choose the right partners: those who adhere to credible social and environmental standards.
- Optimizing the life cycle: buying better, consuming less, extending the useful life, and reusing.
3. Environmental Issues: At the Heart of Scope 3
Often considered intangible or invisible, information systems actually have a major environmental impact that is largely underestimated in organizations’ carbon footprint assessments. According to The Shift Project (2019), the digital sector accounts for 3.5 to 4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions—a share equivalent to that of commercial aviation—and this figure is steadily increasing.
A laptop’s environmental footprint isn’t limited to its use: 80% of the emissions associated with a laptop are generated during its manufacturing, as noted by ADEME (2022).
The materials required—which are often extracted through intensive mining—and the industrial processes, which are generally energy-intensive, significantly increase the environmental impact upstream of use. Furthermore, data processing and storage infrastructure—particularly data centers—are major consumers of electricity. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), their global electricity consumption could more than double by 2030, driven in particular by the growth of cloud computing and artificial intelligence applications.
Scope 3 is currently the largest contributor to companies’ digital carbon footprints, and also the most difficult to manage, as it often falls outside their direct control.
Within organizations, these impacts fall primarily under Scope 3, that is, indirect emissions generated by the activities of suppliers and service providers. This includes the entire lifecycle of equipment (manufacturing, transportation, use, end of life), as well as the digital services used, such as SaaS solutions, cloud services, and business applications.
Scope 3 is currently the largest contributor to companies’ digital carbon footprints, and also the most difficult to manage, as it often falls outside their direct control. However, every purchase of IT equipment, every software subscription, and every IT outsourcing arrangement has a measurable impact, even when delegated to a third party. That is why a responsible procurement strategy for information systems cannot ignore this aspect: it must aim to make these externalities visible, quantify them, and systematically incorporate them into selection and decision-making criteria.
4. Social Issues: Complex and Often Opaque Chains
Procurement s in information systems—particularly when they involve offshore hardware or services—are often carried out remotely. This distance makes it difficult to monitor the working conditions under which products and services are designed, manufactured, or delivered. Yet the stakes are high. Reports such as the one by SOMO (2016) have highlighted poor working conditions in factories manufacturing electronic components, where workers are exposed to toxic substances without adequate protection and are forced to work at a sustained, high pace.
Upstream in the supply chain
Further up the supply chain, the extraction of resources such as cobalt—which is essential for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries—remains, in several mining areas, associated with poor working conditions, a lack of strict regulations, and the exploitation of child laborers.
These social risks are not limited to products and raw materials alone; they also extend to outsourced intellectual services. For example, low-cost application development is often the subject of criticism.
Uncontrolled subcontracting practices, which often occur in a chain of subcontracts, can lead to a loss of control over quality, data security, and respect for fundamental rights.
Downstream from the mountain range
Downstream, the social impact is likely to manifest itself in how the software is used: software that is sometimes inaccessible or poorly designed can exclude certain users, particularly vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities or those facing a digital divide.
In this context, a responsible procurement policy must include heightened vigilance regarding suppliers’ social practices, whether they are equipment manufacturers, system integrators, or development service providers. This vigilance cannot be limited to mere statements: it requires in-depth knowledge of value chains, binding contractual clauses, and monitoring tools such as social audits, supplier charters, or recognized certifications. The goal is to ensure that technological performance does not come at the expense of fundamental human rights.
5. Cybersecurity and Sovereignty Issues
The purchase of digital solutions also raises questions about data sovereignty and cybersecurity. Subscribing to a poorly managed cloud service can expose sensitive data to foreign jurisdictions or significant technical risks.
Therefore, a responsible purchase must include guarantees regarding data location, GDPR compliance, and the security of the infrastructure used.
Responsible " Procurement " therefore meet the following requirements:
- Data sovereignty (hosting in France/the EU, GDPR compliance),
- Verified cybersecurity (ISO 27001, regular audits),
- Technical transparency (open source, auditability).
6. Governance: What Purchasing Says About the Organization
An organization’s maturity is often reflected in the trade-offs it makes when making IT purchasing decisions. Incorporating digital restraint into decision-making, prioritizing solutions tailored to actual needs over the most high-profile technologies, and fostering dialogue between Procurement management, the IT department, and CSR functions are all elements that demonstrate responsible governance.
This also involves having monitoring tools in place and developing a map of IT procurement positions that incorporates ESG performance indicators.
Managing procurement performance—whether financial or non-financial—is a key driver for the continuous optimization of information systems. To achieve this, it is essential to rely on reliable measurement tools that enable the tracking of key indicators such as Scope 3 emissions, supplier concentration, and total cost of ownership. However, this monitoring is not solely the responsibility of the Procurement s department; the IT department also plays a pivotal role.
By refocusing decisions on real, clearly defined needs—rather than on systematic or excessive requests—the IT Department promotes a more meaningful assessment of the efforts undertaken and the value actually created. This collaborative approach fosters a pragmatic, impact-driven management style, rather than one focused solely on compliance.
7. Intellectual Services and Software: The Overlooked Aspects of Green IT
Although often overlooked in digital sobriety initiatives, services related to intellectual work have a considerable impact. Software development, application maintenance, infrastructure management, cloud-related projects, and the integration of software solutions are all services that require significant resources. These activities result in substantial energy consumption, particularly due to testing phases, development environments, and the use of cloud services. Furthermore, they contribute to the accumulation of technical debt, which complicates maintenance and accelerates the obsolescence process. However, if left unchecked, this debt becomes a source of long-term inefficiency, both in terms of performance and environmental impact.
A responsible procurement strategy for information systems must therefore include software eco-design criteria—that is, it must encourage development practices that are resource-efficient, scalable, and efficient.
This also involves selecting service providers capable of committing to measurable digital restraint goals, by incorporating these criteria into the request for proposals from the outset.
In addition, it is essential to promote an approach based on actual usage, by limiting unnecessary features, encouraging modular solutions, and reducing the use of energy-intensive technologies when their usefulness has not been demonstrated. New ways of working—such as agility at scale and a product-centric approach rather than the traditional service catalog—foster these initiatives. This refocus on frugality and practical value helps better align digital services with the company’s environmental and economic goals.
8. What concrete steps should be taken to ensure responsible use of the " Procurement " in information systems?
To take concrete action, it is important to train decision-makers in digital moderation, to incorporate social and environmental requirements into specifications, and to demand measurable commitments from suppliers.
It is not uncommon for Procurement to incorporate the principles of co-innovation, which help align suppliers’ product development roadmaps with the needs of key customers.
When participating in competitive bidding processes, it is important to look beyond the immediate purchase price and consider the total cost, including the environmental impact, lifespan, maintenance, and end-of-life disposal of the equipment.
Finally, the monitoring of commitments must be structured, with indicators that make it possible to assess the actual effectiveness of the initiative over time.
In conclusion
Responsible Procurement s applied to information systems represent a strategic driver of performance.
At a time when leaders are calling for greater restraint and accountability from businesses, the preferred response often remains digital transformation. Yet companies frequently overlook the actual impacts of information systems.
For some organizations, where the purchasing function is still in its early stages, balancing the performance of the “ Procurement ” with that of the information system may seem complex. However, it is precisely by getting to the root of the problems that sustainable solutions can emerge.
Some key questions to ask yourself:
- Why is the environmental impact of information systems—particularly in terms of Scope 3 indirect emissions—higher per full-time equivalent (FTE) in certain entities?
- What structural factors prevent the efficient management of IT resources?
- How can we ensure that the technology choices we make actually meet the real needs of the business units?
Root cause analysis often reveals:
- An IT organization that is so out of step with business expectations;
- Mismatched skills;
- An operating model that is not aligned with the company’s overall operations. A lack of coordination between the IT department and the business units, particularly in product definition and management.
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