Establishing CO2 Emission Calculation Rules for the Entire Software Lifecycle to Promote Low-Carbon Software-Related Business Creation

NTT TechnoCross Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Atsuko Oka; hereinafter "NTT TechnoCross") has participated in discussions held by the Japan Environment Club (*1) Decarbonization Study Group for the Software Sector as part of its efforts toward decarbonizing the software industry, and has jointly established CO2 emission calculation rules covering the entire lifecycle of software products together with other companies participating in the study group. (*2)

Going forward, the company will continue to develop these calculation rules for practical use in actual development sites, and contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society through their application to software development.

■ Background and Achievements

Power consumption and CO2 emissions in the ICT industry are increasing, and are predicted to account for more than 20% of global electricity consumption by 2030. (*3) While software does not directly consume physical resources, it is an indirect factor that increases energy consumption. As the importance of Scope 3 disclosure grows, presenting CO2 emission assessments has become increasingly important as a basis for procurement decisions.

In March 2024, calculation rules for the development phase (Cradle-to-Gate (*4)) were established, but comprehensive evaluation including the operation and disposal of long-term software remained a challenge. In response, the Japan Environment Club's Decarbonization Study Group for the Software Sector formulated a "Cradle-to-Grave (*5)" version of the calculation rules, expanding the scope to cover the entire lifecycle.

These rules comply with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry guidelines (*6) and enable calculation of CO2 emissions across procurement, development, operation, and disposal. This has established the foundation for developing effective reduction strategies and promoting the greening of entire supply chains.

■ NTT TechnoCross's Role

Since 2021, NTT TechnoCross has participated in green software development and operational technology research conducted by NTT Software Innovation Center, focusing primarily on measuring CO2 emissions in software development processes as well as data collection, visualization, and analysis. In this initiative, the electricity consumption data related to software development collected thus far was referenced, contributing to improving the reliability of the CO2 emission calculation rules.

■ Future Plans

Based on the CO2 emission calculation rules established through this initiative, the company will expand them for practical use at actual development sites, calculate and visualize CO2 emissions from software developed by NTT TechnoCross, and advance CO2 emission reduction efforts.

□ Glossary and Notes

*1: Japan Environment Club (Specified Nonprofit Organization) — An organization engaged in exchange, research, and policy support activities for addressing economic and social issues centered on global environmental problems. It establishes study groups on specific themes related to environment, economy, and society to conduct discussions.

*2: The established rules are published by the LCA Japan Forum (Secretariat: Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry)