In the history of digital environmental activism, one story is often overlooked: the pioneering role of Telia Estonia in creating the world’s first Digital Cleanup Day. Telia Estonia initiated the idea in 2018 and became the originator of what would later develop into a global movement to address digital pollution.
Much like World Cleanup Day itself — which began as a national action in Estonia before the Let’s Do It World (LDIW) network took it to the global level from 2018 — Digital Cleanup Day followed a similar journey: starting nationally, then growing through partnership into a worldwide movement.
Telia Estonia is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the Baltic States. In 2018, Telia recognised a growing environmental concern that others had largely overlooked: digital waste. As the world became increasingly digitalised, the energy consumption and carbon footprint of storing unused data, redundant files, and forgotten emails were creating an invisible yet significant environmental impact. The company highlighted that each year, the internet and its supporting systems generate approximately 900 million tonnes of CO₂, exceeding the annual emissions of Germany.
In 2019, Telia took action, organising the first national Digital Cleanup Day in Estonia and inviting individuals, organisations, schools, and businesses to clean their digital environments.
On 25 January 2019, Telia launched the first nationwide Digital Cleanup Day — a significant milestone in environmental activism. Participants were encouraged to delete unnecessary files from their devices, unsubscribe from unwanted newsletters, clear out old emails, and remove unused applications. The concept was simple but powerful: environmental action accessible from anywhere, requiring no physical clean-up equipment, only awareness and commitment.
Estonian organisations and individual citizens responded enthusiastically. On the first cleanup day alone, more than 70 companies and several thousand people joined the movement. About one million gigabytes (approximately 1.5 million CDs’ worth of digital information) were deleted during this single event. Participation continued to grow nationally over the following years — by 2023, around 400 organisations and more than 10,000 people were taking part.
By deleting digital waste, participants improved device performance and reduced their carbon footprint, supported by Telia’s educational resources and practical tools.
Telia’s decision to launch Digital Cleanup Day in Estonia was no coincidence.
Estonia has long stood among the world’s most digitally advanced societies, a small Baltic nation that has transformed itself into a global digital leader. In 2024, Estonia became the first country to offer 100% of government services online, from voting and healthcare to business registration.
This digitally advanced environment provided ideal conditions for understanding — and addressing — the environmental impact of digital life.
After a successful first year of running digital cleanup events in Estonia, Telia recognised that digital pollution was a challenge requiring global attention. In 2019, the company approached Let’s Do It World, the Estonian-based organisation behind the global World Cleanup Day movement, with a proposal to expand Digital Cleanup Day internationally.
The partnership brought together LDIW’s proven ability to mobilise millions worldwide with Telia’s technical expertise and experience in digital cleanup campaigns. When COVID-19 confined people to their homes in 2020, Telia’s digital cleanup concept offered LDIW a timely way to continue environmental action. LDIW used its global reach to organise the first worldwide Digital Cleanup Day on Earth Day, 22 April 2020, building directly on Telia’s work from 2018–2019.
As the campaign launched, countries across the LDIW network began shaping Digital Cleanup Day in their own contexts. France’s CyberCleanUp campaign and Japan’s digital cleanup movement were frontrunners as two of the strongest national initiatives, with others in the network helping to establish Digital Cleanup Day as a truly global action.
Since 2020, Digital Cleanup Day has reached 175 countries and territories. Over 1.7 million people have participated, collectively deleting more than 16.8 million gigabytes of data. This digital waste removal has prevented the annual production of approximately 4,200 tonnes of CO₂.
Today, Digital Cleanup Day stands alongside World Cleanup Day as a core global campaign of Let’s Do It World, extending environmental action into the digital world.
Reflecting on this journey, Heidi Solba, CEO and President of Let’s Do It World, says:
“Telia Estonia demonstrated true leadership when they launched the world’s first national Digital Cleanup Day on 25 January 2019. What began as Telia’s initiative has grown into a global movement with Let’s Do It World bringing together individuals, organisations, and institutions across the world each 21 March.”
“But the real power of Digital Cleanup Day lies not just in one day of action — it’s about changing our daily digital habits. When everyone acts together, regularly and intentionally, we create meaningful environmental impact while improving how we work and live digitally. We’re grateful to Telia for pioneering this concept with us and showing that addressing digital waste is both necessary and achievable.”
Developed in one of the world’s most advanced digital societies, Digital Cleanup Day created a model that has inspired millions to address digital pollution. As the environmental impact of digital technology continues to grow, Telia’s early leadership remains highly relevant.
Telia continues to organise Digital Cleanup Day annually at the end of January in Estonia, while the LDIW network carries the movement forward globally.
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Find out more about the global Digital Cleanup Day campaign and Telia’s national initiative in Estonia.
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