ONEEN - Neuchâtel Observatory of the Digital Environmental Footprint
Business, Management and Services
There is a lack of alignment between the current macro-level ecological transition targets (for the canton of Neuchâtel, a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035) and the local initiatives undertaken at the municipal and organizational levels. Furthermore, businesses are not taking sufficient action, due to a lack of simple methods and practical tools at their disposal. Finally, municipalities and businesses also lack monitoring tools that provide them with a clear overview and indicators of their starting point and progress over time.
Due to its significant and exponential environmental impact, digital technology is not sustainable and must be integrated into the ecological transition. It has two roles to play: on the one hand, minimizing its footprint (Green IT) and, on the other hand, exploiting the opportunities it offers to reduce the footprint of human activities (Green by IT).
The vast majority of companies are unaware of their digital footprint and the opportunities that digitization can offer for the transition. Nor do they have a simple and easy-to-implement solution that allows them to compare themselves with others. Municipalities, for their part, are unaware of the digital footprint of companies operating in their territory and are therefore unable to plan targeted actions.
The project, which is financially supported by the Swiss Confederation and the Canton of Neuchâtel as part of the new regional policy (NPR), aims to create the Neuchâtel Observatory of the Digital Environmental Footprint (ONEEN). In concrete terms, it will take the form of a software platform enabling public and private organizations to have their own dashboard and municipalities to have an overview of the digital footprint of organizations operating in their territory.
The platform will include the two pillars of responsible digital technology, Green IT and Green by IT, thus offering a comprehensive overview of the digital impact of a company or organization.