EdTech’s Green Responsibility: Why Environmental Impact Is Everyone’s Business
Being an ethical edtech company today means carrying an ever-expanding set of responsibilities. Founders are expected not only to deliver products that enhance learning experiences for students and teachers, but also to build financially sustainable businesses, to keep pace with fast-evolving technologies like AI, and meet the expectations of a diverse group of stakeholders (parents, funders, and policymakers alike). Now, a new responsibility is rising to the top of the agenda: Edtech’s environmental impact.
As highlighted in our recent webinar on sustainability in edtech, companies that embrace environmental responsibility early and meaningfully are positioning themselves as the true leaders of the sector. In a world increasingly shaped by climate concerns, the future of edtech will belong to those who innovate not just for learning, but for the planet.
The recent webinar hosted by the International Centre for EdTech Impact brought together leading voices to explore a topic gaining urgency in the edtech sector: environmental sustainability. The session opened with a powerful keynote by Mark West, Education Specialist at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Widely respected for his critical insights and influence on both policy-makers and practitioners, West set the tone for the discussion with four compelling points that challenge edtech companies to think beyond learning outcomes and profitability.
1. Intersecting Crises: Education, Digital Transformation and Sustainability
Mark West opened his keynote by emphasizing the need to understand the intersection between digital transformation, the environmental crisis, and education. He noted that while digital transformation in education is rapidly advancing (evident in the widespread use of AI, mobile technologies, and digital platforms), there has been far less meaningful progress in achieving environmental sustainability. He proposed a reframing of terms: rather than a “green transition,” which suggests incremental change, he advocated for a “green transformation” that reflects the urgent, systemic shifts needed to address climate change. Meanwhile, he suggested that the term “digital transition” might be more appropriate for the relatively smooth and incremental digital changes we are witnessing in education.
2. Environmental Threats to Learning: Pollution, Heat and Flooding
West presented sobering data on how environmental degradation, particularly air pollution, heat and flooding, directly impairs educational outcomes. For instance, air pollution, now the second leading global cause of death, has been shown to lower student test scores and increase absenteeism. Similarly, extreme heat negatively affects cognitive performance, with even slight temperature increases on test days correlating with significantly reduced pass rates. Many schools, especially in low-resource settings, lack adequate infrastructure to mitigate these effects. Flooding, another byproduct of climate instability, frequently disrupts education by damaging facilities and making schools inaccessible, as witnessed in countries like Tanzania and Pakistan.
3. The Role of Education and Urgency of Action
To counteract these threats, West highlighted the importance of integrating climate education into curricula, helping students understand the scope and impact of climate change, and empowering them to become agents of change. He stressed that while the digital education sector has moved swiftly, often driven by market forces, there is a parallel need for the education community to lead in environmental awareness and sustainable practices.
4. Leveraging Technology for Climate Education and Action
Digital technologies offer powerful tools to enhance awareness of climate change, particularly through personalized content. Interactive platforms now allow individuals to input their geographic location and visualize temperature changes and projections over time, deepening their understanding of climate situation most relevant to them. However, education must also help learners critically evaluate the environmental costs of digital tools themselves, including their energy use and role in unsustainable industries like fossil fuels and online advertising. As technology becomes more integral to both the climate crisis and its solutions, education should empower students to ask: What do we want to accelerate with this technology?
Other speakers included Maria Wagner from the Sustainable Games Alliance, who shared insights on how the Alliance works with game providers to develop a framework and standards to evaluate and improve their environmental impact. Professor Natalia I. Kucirkova, Director of the webinar-hosting Centre, explained how the Centre collaborates with the certification body EduEvidence to develop research-based benchmarks for evaluating environmental impact specifically relevant to EdTech. These benchmarks focus not only on awareness-raising through the content that EdTech provides (ranked at the Bronze level in the EduEvidence certification scheme), but also on behavior-influencing criteria—such as what the EdTech organization does to protect its immediate environment (Silver) and contribute to broader planetary health, while inspiring others (Gold).
Parker van Nostrand (Digital Promise) and Dr Sofije Shengjergji (former intern at the Centre) shared insights from the report on the environmental impact of EdTech, highlighting the importance of rigorous, research-based standards in building shared frameworks. These frameworks aim not only to hold EdTech companies accountable but also to provide aspirational criteria that can guide and inspire others.
As an EdTech company, are you just going digital — or are you going green too?