GeSI, the Global e-Sustainability Initiative, aims to further sustainable development in the ICT sector. GeSI brings together leading ICT companies – including telecommunications service providers and manufacturers as well as industry associations – and non-governmental organisations committed to achieving sustainability objectives through innovative technology. Since June 2008, GeSI is an international non-profit association with an office near the EU institutions in Brussels.
In June 2008, GeSI published the report ‘Smart 2020: Enabling the low carbon economy in the information age’, which quantifies the direct emissions from ICT products and services based on expected growth in the sector. It also looks at where ICT could enable significant reductions of emissions in other sectors of the economy such as smart motor systems, smart logistics, smart buildings and smart grids, and quantified these in terms of CO2e emission savings and cost savings. The report makes commitments on behalf of GeSI member companies for reducing the carbon footprint of the ICT sector and realising the opportunities identified to enable emissions reductions in other sectors.