Sustainable software products—Towards assessment criteria for resource and energy efficiency

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Eva Kern
  • Lorenz M. Hilty
  • Achim Guldner
  • Yuliyan V. Maksimov
  • Andreas Filler
  • Jens Gröger
  • Stefan Naumann

Many authors have proposed criteria to assess the “environmental friendliness” or “sustainability” of software products. However, a causal model that links observable properties of a software product to conditions of it being green or (more general) sustainable is still missing. Such a causal model is necessary because software products are intangible goods and, as such, only have indirect effects on the physical world. In particular, software products are not subject to any wear and tear, they can be copied without great effort, and generate no waste or emissions when being disposed of. Viewed in isolation, software seems to be a perfectly sustainable type of product. In real life, however, software products with the same or similar functionality can differ substantially in the burden they place on natural resources, especially if the sequence of released versions and resulting hardware obsolescence is taken into account. In this article, we present a model describing the causal chains from software products to their impacts on natural resources, including energy sources, from a life-cycle perspective. We focus on (i) the demands of software for hardware capacities (local, remote, and in the connecting network) and the resulting hardware energy demand, (ii) the expectations of users regarding such demands and how these affect hardware operating life, and (iii) the autonomy of users in managing their software use with regard to resource efficiency. We propose a hierarchical set of criteria and indicators to assess these impacts. We demonstrate the application of this set of criteria, including the definition of standard usage scenarios for chosen categories of software products. We further discuss the practicability of this type of assessment, its acceptability for several stakeholders and potential consequences for the eco-labeling of software products and sustainable software design.

Original languageEnglish
JournalFuture Generation Computer Systems
Volume86
Pages (from-to)199-210
Number of pages12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.09.2018

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
There have been many contributors to shape the set of criteria. The authors are thankful to each of them. We specifically would like to thank Marina Köhn, Dr. Hans-Jürgen Baumeister (both German Environment Agency), and Prof. Dr. Benno Schmidt from Bochum University of Applied Sciences. This work was supported by the German Environment Agency under project number 3715 37 601 0 . Appendix A

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018

    Research areas

  • Energy-aware software, Environmental criteria for software, Green software, Model of software impacts, Resource efficiency, Sustainability indicators
  • Informatics

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Forest history as a base for dynamic naturalness
  2. An empirical note on wages in an internal labour market
  3. Europe’s Governance in Crises: Politicization and Adaptation
  4. Commentary on Wildmalm
  5. Be fearful
  6. Alcohol myopia and goal commitment
  7. Existential insecurity and trust during the COVID-19 pandemic
  8. A call for statistical editors in ecology
  9. Contractualisation of Civil Litigation
  10. Hot deformation mechanisms in AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Extruded at different temperatures
  11. Qu'est-ce que la "stakeholder value"?
  12. Hello
  13. Microstructure and mechanical properties of high pressure die cast AM50 magnesium alloy containing Ce
  14. § 25 Klärgas
  15. Freiheit in Liebe. Eine Einführung
  16. Friede den Völkern
  17. An overview of biofuel policies across the world
  18. Studierende können lernen, sich selbst zum Lernen zu motivieren
  19. §41 Deponiegas
  20. Handbuch Integrated Reporting
  21. Biomass Composition of Blue Mussels, Mytilus edulis, is Affected by Living Site and Species of Ingested Microalgae
  22. Bridging Restoration Science and Practice
  23. Freedom Rising
  24. Moorfinger
  25. Klassentestheft Teil 2 (10 Ex.) - 2. Schuljahr
  26. Transmitting Culture within Linguistic Alterity
  27. Berufstätigkeit in unsicheren Ländern
  28. Funktionsbereich Krankenhäuser
  29. What drives the development of community energy in Europe?
  30. Cost containment and managed care: Evidence from German macro data
  31. Kennedy - Nixon
  32. Die Balanced Scorecard: Chancen und Gefahren - oder: wie falsch darf eine Balanced Scorecard sein?
  33. Wasch mir den Pelz, aber mach' mich nicht nass!
  34. Die schwache Gewalt?
  35. Mexican school students’ perceptions of inclusion
  36. Works Councils in the Production Process
  37. The changing nature of work
  38. Dynamics of organic acid occurrence under flooding stress in the rhizosphere of three plant species from the water fluctuation zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir, P.R. China
  39. Use your power for good: plural valuation of nature – the Oaxaca statement
  40. Exploring teachers' mental health literacy: An exploratory study on teachers' experiences, cooperation partners, self-efficacy, and knowledge related to students' mental health problems
  41. Tourist Behavior and weather - Understanding the role of preferences, expectations and in-situ adaptation
  42. Unterrichtsklima, Partizipation und soziale Interaktion