Climate
When we created Smash, we wanted to make life easier for thousands of people, in France and all around the world, by offering them a simple, secure and (super) efficient solution. Very quickly, we realized that Smash was not only useful as a French file transfer service, but also that it had a role to play. And of its impact.
Yes, let's say it, let's face it. Smash, as a file transfer service, exclusively digital, is a problem for the climate crisis we are facing.
Digital technology accounts for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a figure that could double by 2025.
We deposit our carbon footprint here!
A study to measure our environmental impact
Then the day came when we decided to put numbers to the problem. To do this, we joined forces with Utopies. Founded in 1993 by Elisabeth Laville, Utopies is the first independent French consulting agency for sustainable development strategies, recognized for its expertise in socio-economic and environmental impact studies.
Through this study in collaboration with Utopies, our objectives and commitments are:
- identify the different emissions of the Smash service- evaluate the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the Smash service- compare the use of file transfer via Smash with sending files by e-mail
The different emission items identified are, among others, the emissions linked to the storage of data in data centers and those linked to the sending and receiving of data at the level of the network infrastructures as well as at the level of the computer servers.
Using a calculation tool, Utopies was able to measure the greenhouse gas emissionsof the Smash solution. The result: in 2021, Smash file transfers generated 188 tons of CO2e. 188 tons, you read that right. This is not negligible...
The Utopies study compared the emissions from ephemerally stored file transfers on Smash to email attachments.
If all transfers smaller than 25 MB had been done via email with attachments, this would have generated 10.7 tons of CO2e. In comparison, Smash emitted 1.7 tons of CO2e for these transfers, a 90% reduction in emissions.
What does this mean in practical terms?
These avoided emissions are equivalent to 622,000 hours (about 71 years) of video streaming or the manufacturing of 113 iPhones Xs. 622,000 hours of video streaming is a lot of binge-watching. All of Smash's users helped avoid all those CO2e emissions in 2021.
It's not a victory, but it's something. Using Smash means reducing CO2 emissions compared to an email with an attachment, if all French companies adopt the Smash reflex to send their files. A collective effort to reduce the environmental impact of digital technology.
Proof that, despite the impact of digital technology, there are digital alternatives that offer the possibility of reducing this impact daily. Using Smash to send files is one of them.
Our commitment to reduce our CO2 emissions
From now on, it's time for action. In order to reduce these emissions, we are committed to putting 4 new features online very soon, allowing us to reduce data storage on our servers:
1
The automatic deletion of a transfer according to a number of downloads.
2
The reduction of the validity period of a transfer by default.
3
The possibility to deactivate the sending of emails related to the transfer activity.
4
The dark mode to reduce the energy consumed by the colors of the website.
