Our hackathon's marathon sprint of data crunching and innovative thinking unearthed some crucial insights. One key takeaway? Pinpointing the carbon footprint of digital services is no walk in the park.

Complex calculations and the lack of standardised methodology make it a tricky puzzle. Throw in the added lack of transparency of cloud-hosted services regarding server locations, energy consumption and provider practices and the challenge can seem almost impossible.

Developing an effective standardised methodology requires collaboration between government industry experts, industry experts and academic institutions which is an ongoing process.

The sustainability hackathon yielded not only impactful carbon footprint calculations, but also sparked imaginative solutions for a greener future. One exciting insight resonated throughout the day: eliminating paper-based communication holds important environmental potential. While this might seem like a simple tweak, this shift is entwined with outdated legacy systems.

This highlights the crucial need for Opencast and others to continue our exploration and modernise paper-based processes, unlocking a cascade of environmental benefits.

Eliminating paper often has environmental benefits – but it can also be hard to measure the environmental impact of going digital. And, if you're not inclusive in creating your digital service and leave people outside who still need to be supported, say by call centres, you may not realise the advantage of cutting out paper.

This shows that sustainability is not just about carbon reduction – it’s also about being inclusive.

The DWP Digital hackathon didn't just spark new ideas, it also served as a valuable validation of ongoing work within the cold weather payments team. Many of the proposed solutions have already been implemented by the team. While their primary focus had been on streamlining the user experience and reducing operational costs, it was heartening to discover so many of the solutions also held the key to slashing carbon costs.

This paints a hopeful picture for the future of cold weather payment – a future where serving user needs and protecting the environment goes hand in hand. It is a great reminder to us that solutions for people can often be solutions for the planet as well.

We’re excited to continue to support DWP Digital to implement these greener solution and make cold weather payment a shining example of sustainable service. Stay tuned for updates on our progress – and we’d welcome further thoughts on the challenges and opportunities of greening digital services. So, please do get in touch.