Towards sustainable ICT procurement : impacting data based decision-making in B2B green ICT adoption

Abstract

The rapid growth of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, with its expanding economic output and escalating environmental and social impacts, including significant energy usage and waste production, necessitates a shift towards sustainable procurement practices within the business-to-business (B2B) context. This study addresses this challenge by developing and validating the Sustainable ICT Device Acquisition (SIDA) framework and tool, integrating a Supplier Selection Questionnaire (SSQ) and Sustainability Guidelines offers a structured approach for integrating sustainability criteria into ICT procurement decisions. Through the utilization of design science research methodology and a mixed-methods approach, which includes a systematic literature review, interviews, and a survey, this study identifies the key barriers and enablers to sustainable ICT procurement within the European landscape. An application operationalizing the SIDA framework was proposed including features such as a sustainability assessment dashboard, supplier evaluation module (integrating the SSQ), and total cost of ownership (TCO) calculator, empower decision-makers with comprehensive information and data-driven insights. Workshops on the proposed tool’s design and functionality with industry practitioners and academic experts indicate its potential to raise awareness, streamline supplier evaluation, and enhance decision-making in alignment with sustainability goals. It is firmly believed that this research contributes to the field by providing a theoretically grounded and empirically validated framework and tool, promoting responsible ICT procurement decisions that benefit both businesses and the environment.