Integrating an ICT carbon calculator tool into procurement processes at De Montfort University: lessons learned

This paper presents lessons learnt from a Jisc funded research project that developed and implemented an information communication technology (ICT) tool enabling staff to understand the environmental impact of their activities and support sustainable procurement across De Montfort University. An environmentally-extended input-output (EE-IO) calculation approach was adopted to calculate the emissions and a ‘dashboard style’ approach was used to present the information. Whilst the tool was developed successfully, its institutional impact was limited by numerous barriers. These challenges provided several key learning points: cost remains the main priority in procurement teams much higher than environmental aspects ; committed ‘Champions’ are key to organisational change; and ICT carbon/sustainability tools need to be an integral part of an organisation’s existing procurement systems.