Digital carbon background

Greenpixie is a London-based cleantech startup on a mission to reduce digital carbon emissions. The IT sector is currently estimated to emit as much as 3.9% of the world’s GHGs. In Ireland, a European data hub, data centres are said to account for as much as 10% of all energy demand and EirGrid has estimated this could reach 29% by 2028.

We work in two ways:

• Making coding efficiencies for websites, without changing their design.
• Producing in-depth reports for clients who are looking to accurately calculate their website’s impact on the environment.

Data centres and user devices are estimated to be responsible for the largest proportion of emissions. A September 2021 study from the University of Lancaster found that by 2050, the IT sector could represent as much as 35% of global emissions. This is almost double the GHG share of agriculture, land use and forestry emissions in 2016.

Greenpixie’s services reduce the energy consumption of both the server sending the data, and the end user viewing it. Increased data efficiency also reduces demand for resources, as data centres currently adapt to increased demand by increasing the amount of hardware it operates. This requires resources, manufacture and energy, even if using recycled options. What’s more, even renewable energy is yet to have a zero-carbon footprint, and many data centres that currently run on renewable energy have to rely on diesel backup generators at peak times. 

The team behind Greenpixie

Greenpixie is a group from a variety of professional backgrounds. We’re developers, marketers, NGO workers and actors. We came together with our varied skills to research, innovate, and communicate this issue with one single aim: to reduce digital carbon. We believe that technology and innovation is the answer to reaching net zero. We also think that all sectors need to refocus their efforts; sustainability should unquestionably be at the centre of every new business.

This is why we looked to build links with Cambridge Judge Business School, the Cambridge Entrepreneurship Centre, and the Centre for Sustainability Leadership, as well as the Carbon13 accelerator programme closely linked to the University. We didn’t let our non-environmental backgrounds dissuade us from tackling environmental problems. We also wanted to help someone else on this journey so we sought an intern for the summer to truly be one of the team. We were lucky enough to meet the ineffable Cambridge MBA student, Boris Paul.

We were also lucky enough to receive support from Santander Universities for this internship. This allowed us to spend extra time working specifically to develop both Boris’ skills and the business’ direction. Santander’s support also helped to facilitate weekly trips and in-person meetings from Cambridge down to London. An absolute luxury after the last 18 months!

We wanted this internship to help with the transition of someone from the traditional business world into the field of sustainability. Here is Boris to explain his journey from Heineken in Chile to Greenpixie in Hackney.

Boris’s journey to sustainable business

In my previous job, I participated in an innovation contest which allowed me to lead a sustainability-related project for several months, in parallel with my work responsibilities. This experience was far more rewarding than I expected, because of the purpose of my work and the impact I was able to generate. This motivated me to plan for a career shift to place sustainability at the heart of my work.

I decided to pursue an MBA at the University of Cambridge to support my professional transition. The programme not only helped me build some academic knowledge and develop my network, but I also explored new opportunities that I would never have considered otherwise. One of these transforming experiences was my internship with Greenpixie, which was facilitated by the university. I gained experience working with start-ups after several years in the corporate world, and some knowledge about a new topic that is bound to have a substantial relevance in the future.”

Greenpixie

Visit our website to use our carbon calculator >

For a full report and data which can feed into Scope 2 and 3 carbon footprinting, book a call with us through our Calendly.

Sources

• https://www.eirgridgroup.com
• https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patter.2021.100340
• https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-sector