Digitalisation is now part of everyday business for almost every small and medium-sized enterprise in Europe. Companies rely on digital tools for communication, sales, administration, logistics, marketing, and customer management.
At the same time, the environmental and social impacts of digital technologies are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Increasing energy consumption, short device lifecycles, electronic waste, unnecessary cloud storage, cybersecurity risks, and the rapid expansion of AI all raise important questions about how digitalisation can be managed more responsibly.
Through the Erasmus+ project D-Green, organisations across Europe are working to better understand how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can adopt more sustainable digital practices in realistic and practical ways. Let’s Do It World plays a key role in the project by coordinating the development of the D-Green Handbook, one of the project’s main educational resources for SMEs and trainers.
During the first phase of the project, work has focused on gathering practical insights from stakeholders across Europe. Workshops organised in partner countries brought together trainers, SME representatives, sustainability experts, and educators to discuss the everyday realities businesses face when trying to implement more sustainable digital practices.
One of the clearest messages emerging from these discussions is that many SMEs want to improve their sustainability practices, but often do not know where to begin. Sustainability reporting requirements, rising operational costs, increasing customer expectations, and rapidly changing technologies are creating growing pressure for businesses already operating with limited time and resources.
Participants also highlighted that digital sustainability can feel overly technical or difficult to translate into everyday business decisions.
A recurring theme throughout the workshops was the need for simple, practical, and modular tools that can be adapted to different industries and varying levels of digital maturity.
Trainers also stressed that businesses need support that explains not only what sustainable digital practices are, but also why they matter from both business and environmental perspectives.
These early findings are now directly shaping Let’s Do It World’s development of the D-Green Handbook.
The handbook is being developed as a practical resource for vocational education and training professionals, consultants, trainers, and organisations working with SMEs.
Rather than focusing solely on theory, the handbook is built around practical implementation. It explores how companies can reduce digital waste, improve energy efficiency, make more sustainable technology choices, manage data more responsibly, and integrate sustainability thinking into digital business development.
The material will also address broader themes such as circular economy principles in digital business, responsible procurement, cybersecurity, and the ethical aspects of digital technologies. The content is designed to support real-life learning situations through case studies, training methodologies, facilitation guidance, workshop structures, and ready-to-use educational materials.
In addition to the handbook, the project will also create an online learning platform and a self-assessment tool to help SMEs evaluate their current digital sustainability practices and identify areas for improvement.
The D-Green partnership brings together organisations from Italy, Estonia, Sweden, Spain, and Austria, combining expertise in vocational education, sustainability, digital transformation, and SME development.
For Let’s Do It World, participating in the project represents a natural continuation of its broader mission to support environmental awareness, systems thinking, and sustainable action on a global scale. By contributing to practical educational resources, the organisation helps bring sustainability discussions closer to everyday business decisions and supports the transition towards more responsible digital practices across Europe.
As digital technologies continue to expand into every aspect of society, the need for sustainable digital competence will only increase. The D-Green project aims to help trainers and SMEs navigate this transition in a practical and meaningful way.
The project is funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Programme.
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