IOP Publishing (IOPP) has joined DIMPACT, a collaborative project that helps participants from the digital media and publishing industries to map and manage their digital carbon footprints.
Developed by computer scientists at the University of Bristol, and facilitated by sustainability experts Carnstone, DIMPACT is backed by some of the world's most innovative media companies. The DIMPACT tool enables the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) associated with serving digital content - downstream from the point of content production right through to the end user.
Calculating the carbon emissions associated with digital content has historically been a difficult undertaking due to the constantly changing nature of the industry. Having access to DIMPACT's innovative tool will take the complexity out of measuring the carbon emissions of IOPP's digital products and services.
Liz Martin, head of production, and sustainability lead at IOP Publishing said: "We're determined to do everything we can to reduce the carbon impact of our activities which means having a comprehensive understanding of the size of our footprint and the key contributors. DIMPACT's innovative tool will make a significant difference to the accuracy of our calculations and focus our efforts towards reducing the environmental impact of the content we publish."
Glynn Roberts, director at Carnstone and convener of DIMPACT said: "The energy that it takes to run digital services is often overlooked - it's not as obvious as, say, travelling by car or plane. So, our ambition when we launched DIMPACT was to raise awareness and deliver a solution that could map and track the amount of GHG that comes from the production of digital content. We're delighted that organisations such as IOP Publishing take their responsibility towards reducing their carbon footprint so seriously, and we look forward to hearing more about the difference they will make using our tool."
Signing up to DIMPACT is part of IOPP's commitment to developing sustainable practices. In May this year, it joined the SDG Publishers Compact - a pledge which sees publishers work together to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. IOPP also recently launched its Sustainability Collection, an easy-to-navigate online site which brings together peer reviewed published research that addresses some of the world's most critical issues.
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About DIMPACT
DIMPACT is a pioneering initiative by Carnstone Partners, convening leading media companies along with researchers from the University of Bristol, to help the digital media industry map and manage its carbon impacts. Together, partners developed a robust methodology and measurement tool that helps to better understand 'downstream' carbon impacts, right through to the end-user.