Systematic literature review on solutions to the negative environmental impacts of ICT

Abstract

In the realm of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and environmental sustainability research, the prevailing emphasis often leans towards ICT’s role in promoting sustainable development, while the adverse environmental consequences of ICT remain understudied. The objective of this paper is to address this research gap by performing a systematic analysis of the impacts of ICT and the measures, solutions and policies aimed at mitigating them. The analysis is based on a systematic literature review of a total of 70 papers addressing or proposing solutions to the negative impacts of ICT sourced from the meta-libraries Scopus and Web of Science. Firstly, a descriptive analysis is performed to uncover prevailing trends in related literature. Subsequently, the most commonly used methods for assessing ICT’s environmental impact and the typical mechanisms underlying these impacts are identified. Further comprehensive categorization of the literature provided eight main classes of solutions to the identified impacts. We combine these results into a comprehensive framework. Additionally, an assessment of how the proposed solutions align with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals is provided. The conclusions of this research highlight existing research gaps and propose new research directions while also identifying a set of policy implications.

Keywords

• ICT
• Environmental impacts
• Sustainable Development Goals
• E-waste
• Sustainable ICT