DIGITALEUROPE awarded new European Green Digital Coalition project alongside other top associations

DIGITALEUROPE is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the European Parliament Pilot Project by the European Commission, along with several other leading associations, who will work with the European Green Digital Coalition (EGDC) to lay the foundational work for the digital and green twin transitions.

The goals of the project will be based on the objectives of the EGDC founding members’ Declaration, including developing an agreed methodology to measure the net impact of green digital technologies, along with promoting their uptake across sectors of the economy and society. This Declaration is now signed by 76 companies active in Europe, 31 current EGDC members and additional 45 SMEs applying for membership.

“The EU’s goal is to lead globally in deploying data and digital solutions for a more sustainable and circular economy” said Gerard de Graaf, Director of Digital Transformation, DG CONNECT. “This European Pilot project, supported by leading associations and experts, is an important contribution towards achieving this ambitious goal. I thank all members of the consortium for their pioneering role and, together with colleagues, will give it and the European Green Digital Coalition, our full support.”

DIGITALEUROPE’s involvement builds on last year’s Digital Action = Climate Action report, where we outlined 8 ideas to accelerate the twin transition, as well as 22 success stories from the industry. As well as DIGITALEUROPE, the associations involved are the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), European DIGITAL SME Alliance, ETNO and GSMA.

While the need for a twin transition is a top political priority for the European Union, there is still no common framework for assessing the environmental benefits and net impacts of digitally enabled  solutions. This European Parliament Pilot Project will set up governance and cooperation mechanisms that will bring together current and future members of the EGDC as well as top experts and EU institutions to agree on a science-based approach to maximise the benefits of green digital twin transition. This will form the foundation of Europe’s twin transition towards climate neutrality and digital leadership.

“The selection of leading federations to work with the European Green Digital Coalition is a key step towards a green digital revolution in Europe” said MEP Valérie Hayer (Renew Europe), co-President of the French delegation. “I am thrilled to see this project, which I have initiated together with the European Commission, move forward as it will help policymakers, the industry and civil society make the green and digital transitions a reality. The European Parliament wholeheartedly supports this initiative.”

The Pilot Project will take place over two years and aims at delivering the first results already in 2022. The project will address a crucial shortcoming in the current landscape: it will provide science-based methods to estimate the net environmental impact of real-life digital solutions – that is both the positive contribution (e.g. carbon reduction) and the direct footprint of a given digital solution. The Consortium will engage in extensive consultations with industry verticals, with a focus on the smart energy, connected mobility, energy efficient builds and construction, precision farming and smart manufacturing. Based on the developed methods to estimate the environmental benefits of digitalisation, the EP Pilot project will create recommendations for green digital transformation across and promote a widespread take-up by industry players, including SMEs.

To achieve our objectives, the consortium led by GeSI will work together with expert organisations Carbon Trust, Deloitte, and Sustainable ICT Consulting.

“The associations in the consortium are proud of having been awarded this important project” said Luis Neves, CEO of GeSI. “The ambition is high, as we now need to deliver a common European framework for measuring the environmental benefits of digital uptake. We will contribute to the realisation of the commitments of the European Green Digital Coalition corporate members, to deliver concrete climate actions. I’m convinced that this project will harness the benefits of the green digital twin transitions across industries and societies in Europe and beyond.”