'Digital Confidence and Sustainability: a responsibility to citizens'
2' min read
2' min read
According to IDC research, by 2026 with 20 million active pec mailboxes and 3 billion messages sent every day, 107,000 tonnes of CO₂, the felling of more than 70,000 trees and 348 million kilometres of travel will be avoided.
By using digital signatures, similarly, CO₂ emissions, tree felling and water consumption can be avoided, as each digital signature has a measured and traceable environmental impact.
Data certainty and security are fundamental elements of digital trust, as they enable digital activities to be carried out with full reliability and legal value. It is not just about protecting identity, but ensuring that every digital interaction - from signing a contract to accessing a service - is secure and transparent. In this context, digital trust is intertwined with sustainability, becoming both a technological and ethical requirement.
What I have mentioned so far serves me to contextualise the issue of sustainability in the qtsp- qualified trust service provider (certification authority) environment, where, at a superficial glance, a dualism between digitisation and sustainability might remain.
Instead, it is appropriate to ask 'how sustainable' the digital solutions implemented really are. While digital helps reduce the use of paper, avoids unnecessary or frictional travel and makes processes more efficient, it also involves the use of resources, resulting in servers and connectivity devices that consume energy and produce CO₂.
