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Sustainability has become a critical issue for the software industry as the environmental impact of software development and use increases. To address this issue, organizations need a framework for developing and accessing sustainable software practices. In this study, we reviewed the existing literature, models, and practices in this domain as well as carried out surveys and interviews to understand the reality, practices, and challenges on the ground. We identified a set of research questions to discover why sustainability is important, what actions can be taken to improve it, and how and when they can be implemented. This study highlighted the limitations of existing models and the need to address the research gaps. Existing research is limited by a narrow focus on specific domains such as the environment and energy or a specific phase of software development. We aim to address these through the proposed comprehensive software sustainability capability framework (SSCF), which provides a "ready reckoner", allowing any organization to assess their current software sustainability and the capabilities and metrics they could focus on to improve sustainable software maturity. This paper also provides detailed assessment criteria, metrics, and a roadmap that can be used by any software organization to enhance their sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The negative effects of the global climate disruption are becoming increasingly severe, and they are putting pressure on companies to behave in a more environmentally friendly manner. Although some have started to (ecologically) innovate and acquire sustainable resources and capabilities, some seem to be only reluctantly adopting sustainability. In this paper, we report on two consecutive qualitative studies in which we investigated this divergence. In the first—which involved 25 interviewed sustainability managers from a diverse set of German companies—we found that: (i) sustainability was perceived as unattractive and not innovative; (ii) the benefits of sustainable technologies only seemed to be beneficial in the long term, and in non-traditional dimensions; (iii) Green IT/IS usage often only focuses on end-of-the-pipe measures. In the second study, we discussed these findings with four representatives from two very large German companies, and we concluded that—to become sustainable and make meaningful use of sustainable (IT/IS) technologies—they require external incentives from core interest groups, such as legislators and investors. This study contributes to the current body of knowledge regarding corporate environmental responsibility, and it may be of assistance to practitioners, as it highlights the drivers and potential hindrances of sustainable innovation adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green IT has been gaining relevance in organizations that seek to mature their IT projects, processes and strategies in a sustainable way, encompassing the set of strategies, practices and policies related to Information Systems, IT infrastructure, acquisition, use and disposal with a focus on economic and socio-environmental performance. Thus, this article aims to propose a Green IT Maturity framework. A systematic literature review led to the development of a Green IT practice checklist, which was qualitatively analyzed and categorized into six dimensions, culminating in a Green IT maturity framework proposal. The results provide a structured instrument to facilitate the Green IT identification and implementation of practices in organizations. The findings can guide the Green IT implementation and sustainable initiatives across the organization from six dimensions: organizational, technological, economic, environmental, social and marketing. The framework enables the development diagnosis and assessment of Green IT practices present in the organization. It also works as a guide in the search and monitoring of Green IT practices that can be used, improving the sustainability levels of organizational operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020 has significantly impacted businesses, regardless of size or industry. The hybrid and remote working models have moved all meetings with potential and existing suppliers to an online environment. This also applies to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which have had to adapt themselves to the new situation and implement the solutions necessary to survive on the market. On the other hand, clients have become more aware of the environment and its changes. Customers are trying to be more eco-friendly, by choosing and moving towards Green IT. Thus, this needs to be considered. The acquisition of management information systems (MIS) in the pandemic era is based only on virtual meetings. The main goals of this paper were the identification of the changes in the negotiations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the transformation of this process into virtual environment, discussion of the possibility of using Green IT in addition to Management Information Systems, and the changes caused by the pandemic. The article was prepared based on the results of qualitative research using the case study method. The comparative analysis includes purposely selected cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems' acquisition processes, presented from the clients' perspective. The research was conducted in 2021, based on the authors' practical experience, and presents four cases. This research illustrates the negotiations concerning an acquisition transaction pre-pandemic and during the pandemic. Finally, the conclusions and main differences caused by the pandemic in the acquisition transaction process of management information systems (MIS) are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communication technology is currently developing rapidly. It has created a great number of opportunities for governments worldwide to meet the demands of the public in providing services including environmentally friendly public services for the community and citizens. This study aims to present a case study on public services of South Sumatra government programs in order to develop a green smart city concept by combining smart city and green IT concepts which aim to align and incorporate green IT components, including pollution prevention, product stewardship, and clean technology into conceptual variants, essential elements, and strategic principles. A smart city is an innovative and modern concept utilising technology to facilitate and provide public information and to improve environmentally friendly public services through smart applications. South Sumatera is one of the provinces in Indonesia that has been implementing a smart city to provide environmentally friendly public services through the command centre. It is used to monitor an entire government agency's activities and communicates with the public. To fulfil the aims of the study, this study identifies the comprehensive environmentally friendly public services through Natural Resource-Based View Theory perspectives. In addition, this study deploys in-depth interviews with sources or informants as a form of data search and direct observation. The number of informants used as research respondents consisted of several elements of the government, including the executive, legislative, and implementing agencies. The study reveals that the South Sumatera Government has several environmentally friendly public services that could be deployed to prevent pollution and reduce the emission in their activities. Further, the government in South Sumatra has product and service stewardships and invests in clean technology to minimise the adverse impacts of their activities on the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, Green Information Technology (IT) has grown enormously, and has become an increasingly important and essential area, providing multiple benefits to the organizations that focus on it. It is for this reason that there is an increasing number of organizations embracing the idea of Green IT. However, Green IT is a very young field and each organization implements it according to its own criteria. That is why it is extremely important to develop the bases or best practices of governance and management that allow organizations to implement Green IT practices correctly and standardize them. In this article, we propose the "Governance and Management Framework for Green IT", establishing the characteristics needed to carry out the governance and management of Green IT in an organization, and perform audits in this area. This framework is based on COBIT 5, which is a general framework for the control and audit of different areas related to IT. The results obtained through different validations demonstrate the validity and usefulness of the framework developed in the field of Green IT, providing a complete guide to the organizations in their efforts to implement, control and/or improve the practices of Green IT in their processes and day-to-day operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South Korean government is providing full support for green IT as one of the growth engines of Korea. The purpose of this study is to derive policy issues needed for the sustainable development of Korea through utilizing Big Data by applying green IT. The analysis is done using a Delphi technique. Results show that the establishment of computing platforms that can easily share data and generate value is prioritized for the effective use of Big Data from the environment. In addition, the government-led publication of genetic information and electronic medical records for research purposes has been derived as an important policy issue for the use of bio-Big Data. Besides, a guideline concerning the standardization of machine to machine and Internet of Things communication and data security is needed to effectively use Big Data from machines/things. Moreover, a review of legislation related to the utilization of Big Data from digital media has been derived as an important policy issue. The results of this study propose the direction in which the Korean government should move for green growth through effective utilization of Big Data. The results can be also useful resources for establishing relevant policies for various countries that are accelerating sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immaterial aspect of digital technology tends to make us forget its growing impact on the environment. Today, the situation has changed: we are becoming aware of the material aspect of digital technology, especially with the recent datacenter fires. The topic is now on the political agenda, and for good reason: digital accounts for nearly 4% of global emissions, and emissions from the sector are growing exponentially. Digital impact analysis is crucial to increase the visibility and consequently the diffusion and democratization of responsible digital. This article offers a detailed study and solutions on the environmental impact of IT with a detailed assessment of the gray literature of the last years and accompanying elements such as LCA or ISO standards. Thus, we have a view of the main green IT tools, the environmental impact of digital on datacenters, user equipment and networks, recent forecasts, and a look at the future challenges of digital technologies (such as AI or Blockchain),and finally a conclusion with the limitations of our research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digitalization can increase resource and energy productivities. However, the production and usage of information and communication technologies (ICTs) require materials and energy, and the application of ICTs fosters economic growth. This paper examines whether digitalization helps or hinders an absolute decoupling of environmental throughput from economic growth. The paper combines the literature on "green IT" and "ICT for green" with studies on decoupling, i.e., the relationship between economic growth, technological change, and environmental throughput. The paper identifies several strains of the decoupling debate and connects them to the environmental implications of digitalization. We focus on the relation between digitalization and (1) the question of finite non-renewable energies, (2) the environmental Kuznets curve, (3) the role of energy consumption for economic growth, (4) efficiency improvements vis-à-vis rebound effects, and (5) the role of general purpose technologies for resource and energy demand. We find that the empirical basis regarding digitalization's relation to these four aspects is still weak and hence, further research is needed. Comparing the mitigating and the aggravating impacts of digitalization, we conclude that a more active political and societal shaping of the process of digitalization is needed to make ICT work for global environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable entrepreneurship has recently been identified as a promising force to push a sustainable business paradigm shift. A key challenge for researchers and practitioners is thus to understand and promote such practices. However, critics have argued that sustainable entrepreneurship research is heavily reductionist, in the sense that it assumes an independent and rational entrepreneur, with an exclusive focus on entrepreneurial individuals and opportunities. In this paper, we problematize these assumptions and offer an alternative theory of sustainable entrepreneurship based on ethics of care. We introduce the individual-care nexus, where individuals are assumed to be dependent, emotional, and relationally connected. This theoretical development leads to new ways to more accurately grasp the nature of motivations, emotions, traits, and practices in sustainable entrepreneurship. We illustrate our theory with an empirical case of a sustainable entrepreneur within the Green IT movement in Sweden between 2012 and 2017. We argue that our theoretical take on entrepreneurship can both advance research in sustainable entrepreneurship and provide sustainable entrepreneurs with a better understanding of their practices and a new vocabulary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Businesses and technology play an important role in the global economy, where the achievement of sustainability goals has a positive impact on society and companies. In this regard, there is a need to integrate information technology and sustainability to enable companies to act in a greener manner. Knowing that the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is one of the most powerful business solutions for companies, it is crucial to align its use with sustainability elements through the use of green information technology (IT). We explored the relationship between ERP systems and green IT practices to assess how green IT provides an opportunity for organizations to improve ERP systems in more environmentally responsible initiatives. For that purpose, we empirically analyzed four Romanian economic sectors based on an online survey that contained criteria to explore organizational awareness about developing green ERP systems. The findings indicate that companies are generally focused on the key benefits of ERP systems related to operational aspects and less on the sustainability benefits. Based on these results, the main conclusion highlights the strong need to embed IT in business sustainability initiatives by adopting green IT solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, research related to Sustainable Information and Communication Technology (Sustainable ICT) has focused on the technological aspects, but there is an emerging stream of research, which looks at Sustainable ICT from the viewpoint of the social sciences. In this paper, we build on and contribute to this research by emphasizing the role of history in the shaping of Sustainable ICT. Rather than seeing the importance of history as pure technological determinism or path dependency, we draw on the historical turn in organizational studies to highlight the idea that history is malleable. This implies that organizational actors can reshape their past from the present, thus creating new conditions for the future. To highlight the importance of this theoretical conceptualization of history, we present a case study of the Nordic ICT company Tieto, where the heat recovery system of the Älvsjö data center (finished in 1978) was reconceptualized as “green” following the Green Information Technology (Green IT) trend in 2007. This way of theorizing organizational history could be used more widely within research into Sustainable ICT in order to understand why Sustainable ICT has become what it is, which also implies that we can re-interpret this history to shape the future of Sustainable ICT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]