GreenDIGIT Deliverable D8.2 First Policy Recommendations

Research Infrastructures (RIs) are increasingly expected to demonstrate environmental responsibility alongside scientific excellence. This deliverable provides a first set of policy recommendations for greening digital RIs, based on regulatory review, sectoral analysis, and the intermediate results of the GreenDIGIT project.

Current Policy Landscape and Gaps

Digital RIs operate within a complex policy environment shaped by EU sustainability directives, global climate goals, and industry standards. Key regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), and Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE Directive provide a strong foundation for energy efficiency, circularity, and emissions reporting. However, policy gaps remain: most regulations do not fully address RI-specific needs, especially around tailored metrics, procurement, e-waste, renewable energy obligations, and lifecycle integration.

Survey Insights from the RI Community

GreenDIGIT surveyed digital RIs to assess their current sustainability practices and needs. While most are aware of environmental challenges, they remain in early stages of internal policy development. The survey identified a strong need for guidance, practical tools, policy templates, and harmonized evaluation metrics. A lack of dedicated roles and structured governance was also observed, as well as interest in sharing best practices and aligning with EU policy frameworks.

Tools and Frameworks for Internal RI Policy

To meet these needs, GreenDIGIT developed both an Environmental Impact Assessment Methodology and a Self-Assessment Questionnaire. These tools enable RIs to benchmark their environmental maturity, define improvement targets, and develop action plans aligned with EU frameworks such as the CSRD, EED, and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The questionnaire also supports traceability and audit readiness, helping RIs align internal policies with broader policy expectations.

Recommendations Across Governance Levels

The deliverable outlines detailed policy recommendations across three complementary levels:

• Digital RIs, who need support in designing internal sustainability policies and embedding environmental governance;
• European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructure (ESFRI) and Horizon Europe, who play a strategic role in shaping funding frameworks, sector benchmarks, and cross-infrastructure learning;
• Policymakers, who are positioned to enable structural change through targeted regulation, harmonization, and incentives.

Each actor has a unique role to play in supporting sustainability goals through actions such as assessing current practices, defining policy objectives, monitoring progress, creating incentives, and sharing knowledge.

The matrix on the next page (Table 1) provides a high-level synthesis of these stakeholder roles and action areas across five categories—Assess, Define, Incentivize, Monitor, and Share.

It was developed based on the findings and needs identified in each category of the analysis, in order to provide a comprehensive view. The matrix shows that while the actions to be taken are similar in nature across all stakeholder groups, they must be addressed at different levels depending on each actor's responsibility, influence, and operational scope. Each topic introduced in the matrix is further developed and substantiated in the deliverable.

These preliminary recommendations will now be tested and discussed with key stakeholder groups in the next phase of the project - WP9 “Policy recommendations, roadmap and assessment guide for green digital RIs” - which will run over the next 18 months and result in the final policy recommendations.

[This deliverable is pending approval from the European Commission]