Digitalization of the economy and society can aggravate current environmental issues through its consumption of energy and resources, but it can also be an ‘enabler’ for sustainable management. Companies should therefore bear in mind the environmental effects associated with the use of these technologies and consistently exploit the opportunities for corporate environmental and climate protection.

The new Environmental Management and Digitalization – Practical Approaches to Improving Environmental Performance brochure from the German Environment Agency (UBA) shows how current digitalization trends, from blockchain and artificial intelligence, big data and cloud computing through the Internet of Things (IoT), can be leveraged in environmental management. The brochure is explicitly aimed not only at companies that already implement an environmental management system such as the international environmental management standard ISO 14001 or European Eco Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) , but also at companies and organizations dealing with the topic for the very first time. In addition to concrete use cases, it also includes practical examples and implementation tips.