Digital product decisions directly impact sustainability, both through the technology itself and the behaviours it shapes.

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Use this page:

• At the start of a project or sprint, share with your team first
• When introducing the kit, have someone read the key points aloud
• To get buy-in from decision makers - ask what this means for your process

You'll get:

• A shared understanding of why product decisions affect environmental and social impact
• A clear link between digital choices and real‑world effects
• Team buy‑in for using the rest of the kit </aside>

Key points

Product teams have a unique opportunity to influence both the digital product and the behaviours it produces:

Digital Efficiency:

• The global digital sector creates 2-4% of global greenhouse gas emissions
• Every image, line of code, or API call consumes energy - small improvements add up at scale
• Much impact comes from defaults that are heavier than needed, not technical limits

Behaviour Design:

• Digital products shape how people move, consume, and live in the physical world
• Features can create positive ripple effects that outweigh the product's own footprint
• Well-designed nudges often represent the bigger opportunity for carbon reduction

This kit provides you with nudges, prompts and tools to support better questions and outcomes throughout the product process.

Example

A resourcing platform added an opt‑in commute sharing feature. When two people selected the same route and day, the platform suggested car‑sharing. This small change made lift‑sharing easy without forcing behaviour change.