24 June 2025
Digital tools, such as the intranet and the digital workplace, are essential for internal collaboration and communication. strategic. According to 2025 Intranet Observatory, 94 % of professionals consider the intranet to be indispensable or required. These platforms are thus establishing themselves as a key lever to initiate a company-wide approach to digital sobriety.
But how to integrate these issues in practice in the design, management and development of internal digital tools? From environmental awareness to the implementation of sustainable governance, via concrete practices in the intranet or the digital workplace and the reasoned use of AI, let's explore the levers for combining performance, efficiency and responsibility.
Responsible digital refers to all practices aimed at voluntarily reducing our environmental footprint, economic and social impact of information and communication technologies. This footprint is not limited to the day-to-day use of these tools, but covers their entire life cycle: from design to the end of the equipment's life.
While the subject of responsible digital technology is gaining in visibility, it remains still not fully integrated into the thinking on intranets and the digital workplaceYet it is at the heart of employees' daily digital lives.
Today, the greenhouse gas emissions from the digital sector are comparable to those ofcivil aviation. And this weight is increasing all the time, not least because of the proliferation of equipment.
There are almost 34 billion terminals for 4.1 billion usersor an average of 8 digital devices per person. It is precisely this equipment that poses the greatest challenge: between 59 % and 84 % of the environmental footprint of digital technology more than data centres or networks.
In this context, intranets, digital workplaces and other collaborative platforms must evolve. Their design, governance and use must now incorporate the principles of digital responsibility, at the risk of contradicting companies' CSR commitments.
The intranet and the digital workplace are important strategic entry points to initiate or reinforce a digital sobriety approach within the company. As hubs for information, collaboration and services, they account for a significant proportion of everyday digital usage - so they offer considerable potential for optimisation.
Here are a few practical best practices to incorporate into the design or development of these environments:
These practices, which are often perceived as incidental, are in fact the building blocks of a more responsible, more fluid - and therefore more efficient - digital workplace.
TheArtificial Intelligence gradually making its presence felt in intranets and digital workplace environments (consult our dedicated article on this subject). Intelligent search, virtual assistants, content recommendations: these functionalities promise efficiency gains, but they are not enough. their deployment is not without environmental consequences.
Integrating AI into a digital sobriety approach involves a trade-off between added value and carbon footprint.
This responsible approach can be guided by a number of factors:
In an eco-responsible digital workplace, AI should be seen as a means to an end, not as an end in itself.
Without appropriate governancedigital sobriety initiatives supported by the intranet or the digital workplace risk remaining isolated and isolated. To ensure that these initiatives are sustainable, it is essential to structure a cross-functional approach that is managed and aligned with the company's CSR priorities.
A number of levers can be used to build this sustainable governance:
This governance is not simply a framework: it is the foundation that enables the intranet and the digital workplace to become concrete levers for responsible transformation.
Adopting an eco-responsible approach to managing the intranet and the digital workplace is not just about not just reduce our carbon footprint of the organisation. It also means boosting performance, consistency of use and employee commitment on a daily basis.
From technological choices to governance and day-to-day practices, every action counts to build a digital environment that is more sober, more useful, and fully aligned with the company's CSR challenges.
Contrary to popular belief, digital sobriety is not holding back digital transformation. She redefines the contoursby making it more sustainablemore resilient - and above all, more human.
At Arctus, we support organisations in this process by integrating these issues into their intranet or digital workplace from the outset.
What if now was the right time to get the ball rolling in your company?
Sources :
Consultant
Anies is an internal digital transformation consultant. She is experienced in change management and the use of digital tools, and is passionate about digital responsibility.
© Arctus 2022 – All rights reserved
