Sustainable IT

IT has a range of environmental impacts and has a large carbon footprint, with digital infrastructure estimated to account for approximately 3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Impacts including the use of energy and water, and extraction of raw materials, including rare earth minerals, arise from the manufacture of equipment and systems. During operation, IT uses significant amounts of energy and water to perform online searches, store information on cloud systems, and power devices, while the increasing use of AI is intensifying this use of resources. At end-of-life, IT equipment generates electronic waste which needs to be managed properly so materials can be captured and to minimise risk of pollution.

What we’re doing

Ecosia

Ecosia is a non-profit organisation that dedicates 100% of their profits to the environment by planting and protecting trees worldwide. They work with local communities to ensure the right trees for the area are selected, helping to restore ecosystems, sequester carbon, and support regenerative farming. Ecosia have also built solar farms generating double the energy required to operate their systems.

Want to find out more? Visit Ecosia to see their impact.

On 15 June, we’re making the switch to Ecosia as our standard search engine. This means that when you open Google Chrome, Edge, or Safari and make a search this will use Ecosia to perform the search and will direct you to the Ecosia search results page.

Equipment upgrade cycles

One way we have reduced the carbon impact of our digital infrastructure is by reducing the turnover of our equipment. In 2024/25 we took the decision to switch from a three to a four year upgrade cycle for staff and student laptops, meaning our community keep their equipment for longer, we purchase equipment less frequently, and the environmental impact is reduced.

Managing waste

Once our IT equipment, including PCs, laptops, monitors, and server and switch equipment, has reached the end of its life, we manage this is several ways with different partners.

Reuse

We work with partners who collect our equipment, remove all LJMU data, and make small clean-ups to equipment so they can be passed on for reuse.

Remanufacture

As well as removing data and making small external clean ups, some of our equipment needs refurbishments to extend their life, which our partners carry out for us. These refurbishments might include software updates, such as upgrading systems, or hardware updates such as installing a new battery. Once items have been refurbished, they can then be passed on for reuse.

Recycling

For our items which can’t be refurbished, our partners recycle our equipment, ensuring critical raw materials, such as copper, lithium and rare earth elements, are recovered.

Our impact

In 2024/25, we partnered with UK-based social enterprise FRC who collected, data wiped and refurbished our old equipment. This was then passed on for reuse:

• 211 laptops and PCs were provided to LJMU students free of charge.
• 284 items, including PCs, laptops and monitors, were donated to charities, not-for-profit organisations, and digitally excluded local residents.
• 526 items, including PCs, laptops and monitors, were sold at below market rates to local primary and secondary schools.