Energy guzzler Internet: Almost a third of Germans would like more transparency: Four out of five Germans save energy when using digital technology and thus reduce CO2 emissions. However: So far there has been little awareness of green electricity.
Hardly every tenth person is most likely to trust politicians with solutions for reducing CO2 emissions. This was the result of a representative survey commissioned by the e-mail providers WEB.DE and GMX.
Many Germans would like more transparency about the CO2 consumption of the Internet. Almost a third (31%) of those surveyed are in favor of a CO2 seal for energy-saving technical devices such as laptops, PCs or smartphones. 30 percent want transparency in the carbon footprint of Internet services.
80 percent already save energy when using the Internet
80 percent of Germans are already saving energy when using the Internet, thereby reducing CO2 emissions. Half of them only order goods that they want to keep in order to avoid returns. 49 percent do not print e-mails and documents in order to use less paper, and 46 percent attach importance to receiving invoices and documents electronically if possible and not by post.
According to the initiators, the survey results show that many people are willing to save energy and thus CO2 in their everyday lives. However, reliable and, above all, comparable information on the consumption of digital services is scarcely available.
“A standardized CO2 survey would create transparency for consumers and companies to further reduce their footprint. In addition to the goal of making digitization as environmentally friendly as possible, it is even more important to push digitization forward. Because this is where the greatest levers for savings are to be found,” says Jan Oetjen, CEO of WEB.DE and GMX.
GreenIT: Greatest lever for savings effects
The environmentally friendly handling of hardware is common for half of the respondents. 54 percent use devices such as computers, televisions or smartphones for as long as possible to avoid unnecessary electronic waste.
48 percent want a binding legal regulation for manufacturers to ensure the supply of software updates in the long term.
So far, green electricity has played a subordinate role: Only 19 percent of those surveyed use electricity exclusively from renewable energies at home, and only 8 percent pay attention to whether the respective provider uses green electricity when using Internet services.
And there is still room for improvement when it comes to online shopping: Only 17 percent of those surveyed rely on CO2-neutral shipping options for delivery.
ClimateTech: Energiefresser Internet
It was also asked who the Germans would most likely trust to take measures to reduce CO2 emissions on the Internet. Most (27%) rely on solutions from IT experts from business. International organizations such as the United Nations and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change enjoy the trust of 19 percent of those surveyed.
non-governmental
About the method:
The data used is based on an online survey by YouGov Deutschland GmbH, in which 2050 people took part between April 12th and 14th, 2023. The results were weighted and are representative of the German population aged 18 and over.