By Thaddée Leblond · Published · Updated: July 2026
You only manage what you measure — but for an SME, a coherent estimate is enough to launch action. Start with hardware (which concentrates most of the footprint), then storage, usage and your website. What matters is not perfect precision, but regularity and the ability to prioritise.
Perfect measurement is the enemy of action
Many initiatives get stuck trying to measure everything to the gram. Pointless: an imperfect but methodical estimate already shows where to act. Better a reliable, usable order of magnitude than an exhaustive calculation that is never finished.
Start with hardware
Since hardware concentrates most of the footprint, that is where to count: how many computers, screens, phones, servers? Of what age? This inventory, simple to build, already gives the dominant share of your footprint and reveals the levers (lifespan extension, reuse).
Extend to usage and storage
Then comes the rest: volume of stored data, backups, office usage, hosting. Again, orders of magnitude are enough to spot excesses — storage that swells, services left running, recurring heavy transfers.
Measure your website
For online services, tools estimate a page's footprint (weight, requests, energy). It is a good entry point toward eco-design, and an easy indicator to track over time, with a positive side effect on speed and ranking.
Rely on public frameworks
Public bodies provide methods, calculators and reference data. Relying on them avoids reinventing measurement and lends credibility to your figures — useful when a customer asks.
From measurement to action
Once a starting point is established, set two or three simple objectives, act on the priority levers, then measure again. It is this loop — measure, act, re-measure — that turns intention into a managed, communicable approach.
Frequently asked questions
No. An imperfect but coherent estimate is enough to launch action and prioritise. Seeking perfect measurement before acting is the surest way never to start.
Hardware first (number, type, age of devices), as it concentrates most of the footprint. Then storage, usage, and possibly your website's footprint.
Yes: public calculators and frameworks, and website-footprint analysis tools, allow a first estimate without heavy investment. What matters is the regularity of measurement, not its sophistication.
To prioritise actions, set objectives, track progress and communicate it credibly to your customers, partners and within your CSR approach.
Sources
- Public observatories and frameworks for measuring digital impact
- Footprint calculators and tools