By modernizing our technology stack, we have reduced our GHG emissions significantly. One of the key changes was transitioning from virtual machines (VMs) to Linux containers, which allows us to scale more efficiently and only use the resources we need based on real-time website traffic. 

Anna Moser, SRE Team Lead, e-conomic, explains: “In the past, we ran up to 300 VMs to handle traffic, even when demand was low. With containers, we scale down to only a few, reducing our energy consumption.” This transition has led to impressive emission savings, especially by cutting unnecessary energy use during periods of low traffic.

Moreover, we eliminated a CO₂-heavy process by switching our vulnerability scanning from the U.S. to Europe. Emmanuel Opio, Sr. Site Reliability Manager, e-conomic, highlights: “Previously our code was scanned in the U.S. where the electricity grid relies heavily on coal and oil, resulting in a much higher carbon footprint. Now the scanning happens within the EU, which helps us reduce emissions drastically.” This change alone has halved our GHG emissions related to security scanning.

In 2024, our GHG emissions were 67 percent lower than the previous year. As Emmanuel notes: “The effort was minimal – a simple switch – but the impact has been huge.” By optimizing our infrastructure, we not only reduce environmental harm, but also improve operational efficiency, benefiting both the company and society. This is a clear example of how small responsible actions can have a significant impact. As Anna puts it: “We all want a world with rainfall but without weather extremes. It’s not about debating the impact – it’s about taking responsibility. If we don’t act, we risk the worst outcomes.”

When it comes to Cloud emissions, the geographical location of our data centers also plays an important role, and we are positioned well in the Nordic countries. For example, data centers located in hot climates require significantly more energy to maintain optimal temperatures, whereas locations in colder regions benefit from natural cooling, which reduces energy consumption. By selecting data centers in regions with energy-efficient or green energy sources, we not only reduce our carbon footprint but also bring our infrastructure closer to customers, improving both efficiency and service levels. Currently, there are no additional costs associated with choosing greener options in Nordic regions. 

Looking ahead, we expect ongoing GHG emission reductions as we continue to modernize our systems and move workloads to more climate-friendly regions. Scaling infrastructure based on demand and using energy-efficient data centers helps us meet sustainability targets while delivering faster services.