2025-09-27
CSRD and IT: How to Stay Compliant Today and Future-Proof for Tomorrow
CSRD IT Compliance: From Energy Reporting to Circular IT | SAVE DCS
SAVE DCS
Most companies preparing their first CSRD report start with the obvious: energy use. Servers, storage and workplace devices consume electricity, so that data flows straight into scope 2. It is measurable, comparable and easy to audit. But here’s the blind spot: the majority of the footprint of IT hardware doesn’t come from electricity at all. For servers, around half of the emissions are created during production. For laptops, that figure can be as high as 80 to 90 percent. These embedded emissions are rarely included in CSRD reporting today.
What CSRD Requires Today
CSRD and the ESRS standards don’t mention IT infrastructure as a separate topic.
Energy use: clearly in scope, reported under ESRS E1 (climate).
Embedded emissions: hidden in scope 3.1 (“purchased goods and services”), but rarely broken down into IT.
That means most companies will stay compliant by reporting energy use, while skipping a huge share of their actual IT impact.
The Blind Spot: Embedded Emissions in IT
Why does this happen?
Energy is easy to meter and audit.
Embedded emissions require complex supply chain data and lifecycle assessments.
Regulations have been designed to keep reporting manageable.
The result: companies miss out on half (or more) of the footprint of their servers, and nearly all of the footprint of their laptops.
And there’s more: if you don’t see embedded emissions, you also don’t see the potential of making IT more circular. Extending hardware lifecycles, buying second-life equipment or reducing e-waste directly cuts emissions and costs, but it doesn’t show up in today’s reporting frameworks.
Why This Matters for Compliance and Strategy
Today, companies only need to be compliant. Tomorrow, expectations will rise.
Sector-specific standards will push for more detail.
Assurance teams will ask harder questions.
Stakeholders will demand proof that companies look beyond “tick-the-box” energy reporting.
Companies that already include IT’s hidden footprint will be future-proof. They’ll also be able to show cost savings and reduced risks alongside compliance.
Circular IT as the Missing Link
This is where circular IT comes in. By making IT infrastructure more circular, companies can:
Save costs by extending hardware lifecycles.
Reduce CO₂ emissions hidden in production.
Cut e-waste and strengthen sustainability reporting.
At SAVE DCS, we help companies bring IT into their CSRD reporting: first making impacts visible, then building a roadmap, applying circular solutions and finally translating results into assurance-ready reporting.
How to Act Now
Start with what’s required: energy and scope 2.
Add insights into IT hardware footprints to prepare for the next wave of CSRD.
Use circular IT not just for compliance, but to combine cost reduction and sustainability in one strategy.
Key Takeaways
CSRD today = mainly energy use of IT.
Embedded emissions = 50–90% of the real footprint, but overlooked.
Circular IT = chance to save costs, reduce CO₂ and get ahead of future reporting.
👉 Curious where your IT stands? Request a free CSRD IT Lifecycle Quickscan and see how you can save costs, cut CO₂ and strengthen your CSRD reporting.
Read more
Why second-life hardware is often the smartest choice (and how to stay fully covered)
Second-life hardware is more affordable, immediately available, and often more sustainable than new. In this article, you’ll learn why more and more companies are making the switch — and how to stay fully covered with professional support.
SAVE
ESG rules and IT: what do they mean for your organization?
More and more ESG regulations are influencing how companies manage their IT. In this article, you’ll learn what ESG means for your IT infrastructure and how you can become both compliant and efficient starting today.
SAVE
Sustainable AI for businesses: how to approach it smartly
More and more companies are adopting AI in their operations. Sustainability in those AI decisions is crucial. In this blog, you’ll discover how to use AI smartly for both results and impact.
SAVE
2025-09-27
CSRD and IT: How to Stay Compliant Today and Future-Proof for Tomorrow
CSRD IT Compliance: From Energy Reporting to Circular IT | SAVE DCS
SAVE DCS
Most companies preparing their first CSRD report start with the obvious: energy use. Servers, storage and workplace devices consume electricity, so that data flows straight into scope 2. It is measurable, comparable and easy to audit. But here’s the blind spot: the majority of the footprint of IT hardware doesn’t come from electricity at all. For servers, around half of the emissions are created during production. For laptops, that figure can be as high as 80 to 90 percent. These embedded emissions are rarely included in CSRD reporting today.
What CSRD Requires Today
CSRD and the ESRS standards don’t mention IT infrastructure as a separate topic.
Energy use: clearly in scope, reported under ESRS E1 (climate).
Embedded emissions: hidden in scope 3.1 (“purchased goods and services”), but rarely broken down into IT.
That means most companies will stay compliant by reporting energy use, while skipping a huge share of their actual IT impact.
The Blind Spot: Embedded Emissions in IT
Why does this happen?
Energy is easy to meter and audit.
Embedded emissions require complex supply chain data and lifecycle assessments.
Regulations have been designed to keep reporting manageable.
The result: companies miss out on half (or more) of the footprint of their servers, and nearly all of the footprint of their laptops.
And there’s more: if you don’t see embedded emissions, you also don’t see the potential of making IT more circular. Extending hardware lifecycles, buying second-life equipment or reducing e-waste directly cuts emissions and costs, but it doesn’t show up in today’s reporting frameworks.
Why This Matters for Compliance and Strategy
Today, companies only need to be compliant. Tomorrow, expectations will rise.
Sector-specific standards will push for more detail.
Assurance teams will ask harder questions.
Stakeholders will demand proof that companies look beyond “tick-the-box” energy reporting.
Companies that already include IT’s hidden footprint will be future-proof. They’ll also be able to show cost savings and reduced risks alongside compliance.
Circular IT as the Missing Link
This is where circular IT comes in. By making IT infrastructure more circular, companies can:
Save costs by extending hardware lifecycles.
Reduce CO₂ emissions hidden in production.
Cut e-waste and strengthen sustainability reporting.
At SAVE DCS, we help companies bring IT into their CSRD reporting: first making impacts visible, then building a roadmap, applying circular solutions and finally translating results into assurance-ready reporting.
How to Act Now
Start with what’s required: energy and scope 2.
Add insights into IT hardware footprints to prepare for the next wave of CSRD.
Use circular IT not just for compliance, but to combine cost reduction and sustainability in one strategy.
Key Takeaways
CSRD today = mainly energy use of IT.
Embedded emissions = 50–90% of the real footprint, but overlooked.
Circular IT = chance to save costs, reduce CO₂ and get ahead of future reporting.
👉 Curious where your IT stands? Request a free CSRD IT Lifecycle Quickscan and see how you can save costs, cut CO₂ and strengthen your CSRD reporting.
Read more
Why second-life hardware is often the smartest choice (and how to stay fully covered)
Second-life hardware is more affordable, immediately available, and often more sustainable than new. In this article, you’ll learn why more and more companies are making the switch — and how to stay fully covered with professional support.
SAVE
ESG rules and IT: what do they mean for your organization?
More and more ESG regulations are influencing how companies manage their IT. In this article, you’ll learn what ESG means for your IT infrastructure and how you can become both compliant and efficient starting today.
SAVE
Sustainable AI for businesses: how to approach it smartly
More and more companies are adopting AI in their operations. Sustainability in those AI decisions is crucial. In this blog, you’ll discover how to use AI smartly for both results and impact.
SAVE
ESG and IT: what your organization really needs to know
More and more companies are being judged on their IT impact. This article breaks down how ESG regulations translate into IT decisions, and what you can already do today to stay ahead.
SAVE
2025-09-27
CSRD and IT: How to Stay Compliant Today and Future-Proof for Tomorrow
CSRD IT Compliance: From Energy Reporting to Circular IT | SAVE DCS
SAVE DCS
Most companies preparing their first CSRD report start with the obvious: energy use. Servers, storage and workplace devices consume electricity, so that data flows straight into scope 2. It is measurable, comparable and easy to audit. But here’s the blind spot: the majority of the footprint of IT hardware doesn’t come from electricity at all. For servers, around half of the emissions are created during production. For laptops, that figure can be as high as 80 to 90 percent. These embedded emissions are rarely included in CSRD reporting today.
What CSRD Requires Today
CSRD and the ESRS standards don’t mention IT infrastructure as a separate topic.
Energy use: clearly in scope, reported under ESRS E1 (climate).
Embedded emissions: hidden in scope 3.1 (“purchased goods and services”), but rarely broken down into IT.
That means most companies will stay compliant by reporting energy use, while skipping a huge share of their actual IT impact.
The Blind Spot: Embedded Emissions in IT
Why does this happen?
Energy is easy to meter and audit.
Embedded emissions require complex supply chain data and lifecycle assessments.
Regulations have been designed to keep reporting manageable.
The result: companies miss out on half (or more) of the footprint of their servers, and nearly all of the footprint of their laptops.
And there’s more: if you don’t see embedded emissions, you also don’t see the potential of making IT more circular. Extending hardware lifecycles, buying second-life equipment or reducing e-waste directly cuts emissions and costs, but it doesn’t show up in today’s reporting frameworks.
Why This Matters for Compliance and Strategy
Today, companies only need to be compliant. Tomorrow, expectations will rise.
Sector-specific standards will push for more detail.
Assurance teams will ask harder questions.
Stakeholders will demand proof that companies look beyond “tick-the-box” energy reporting.
Companies that already include IT’s hidden footprint will be future-proof. They’ll also be able to show cost savings and reduced risks alongside compliance.
Circular IT as the Missing Link
This is where circular IT comes in. By making IT infrastructure more circular, companies can:
Save costs by extending hardware lifecycles.
Reduce CO₂ emissions hidden in production.
Cut e-waste and strengthen sustainability reporting.
At SAVE DCS, we help companies bring IT into their CSRD reporting: first making impacts visible, then building a roadmap, applying circular solutions and finally translating results into assurance-ready reporting.
How to Act Now
Start with what’s required: energy and scope 2.
Add insights into IT hardware footprints to prepare for the next wave of CSRD.
Use circular IT not just for compliance, but to combine cost reduction and sustainability in one strategy.
Key Takeaways
CSRD today = mainly energy use of IT.
Embedded emissions = 50–90% of the real footprint, but overlooked.
Circular IT = chance to save costs, reduce CO₂ and get ahead of future reporting.
👉 Curious where your IT stands? Request a free CSRD IT Lifecycle Quickscan and see how you can save costs, cut CO₂ and strengthen your CSRD reporting.
Read more
Why second-life hardware is often the smartest choice (and how to stay fully covered)
Second-life hardware is more affordable, immediately available, and often more sustainable than new. In this article, you’ll learn why more and more companies are making the switch — and how to stay fully covered with professional support.
SAVE
ESG rules and IT: what do they mean for your organization?
More and more ESG regulations are influencing how companies manage their IT. In this article, you’ll learn what ESG means for your IT infrastructure and how you can become both compliant and efficient starting today.
SAVE
Sustainable AI for businesses: how to approach it smartly
More and more companies are adopting AI in their operations. Sustainability in those AI decisions is crucial. In this blog, you’ll discover how to use AI smartly for both results and impact.
SAVE
Take the first step toward sustainable IT
It started with one simple question: isn’t there a smarter, cheaper, and more sustainable way to do this?
Today, we help other organizations answer that same question, with a scan that shows you within 24 hours where the hidden potential is in your IT.
Take the first step toward sustainable IT
It started with one simple question: isn’t there a smarter, cheaper, and more sustainable way to do this?
Today, we help other organizations answer that same question, with a scan that shows you within 24 hours where the hidden potential is in your IT.
Take the first step toward sustainable IT
It started with one simple question: isn’t there a smarter, cheaper, and more sustainable way to do this?
Today, we help other organizations answer that same question, with a scan that shows you within 24 hours where the hidden potential is in your IT.