How can digital products fight the climate crisis? The scale and urgency of the transformation required to fight climate change has never been more clear. In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Silicon Valley Bank (a Division of First Citizens Bank) Climate Tech SVP Maggie Wong, Climate Product Leaders Co-Founder François Burra speaks on fighting climate change through digital product development and decarbonization education. François shares his experience teaching courses on reducing the digital industry’s emissions and emphasizes product managers’ important role in sustainability. The conversation covers opportunities for more sustainable product development, the benefits of climate-conscious practices, and becoming better equipped to tackle the climate crisis through education and action.
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Show Notes
- Digital industry accounts for 3.8% of global emissions currently, projected to rise to 14% by 2040.
- Product managers have a crucial role to play in transitioning companies to more sustainable practices.
- François teaches digital product decarbonization courses to raise awareness of the industry’s climate impact.
- The Climate Product Leaders Playbook provides 33 best practices to help PMs incorporate climate considerations into their work.
- The Climate Product Leaders aims to make climate part of discussions in startups and digital companies.
- Measuring digital footprint is important to understand emissions sources and reduce impact.
- Usage accounts for 1/3 of digital emissions while physical asset lifecycles account for 2/3.
- Diversity and inclusivity are important considerations for sustainable product development.
- Accessibility helps reduce need for new devices and prevent manufacturing emissions.
- Sustainable practices like optimizing files can improve user experience and SEO.
- Climate change presents lack of awareness and opportunities for competitive differentiation.
- Benefits of sustainable practices include improved products, talent retention, and risk mitigation.
- Every job is a climate job and PMs must champion sustainability transitions.
- Networking and gradual changes are recommended over reinventing roles overnight.
- Leverage non-climate experience for climate industry through transferable PM skills.
- Start with education on climate solutions before pursuing new opportunities.
- Understand global context and look beyond one’s industry or company.
- Case studies can illustrate playbook best practices and increase adoption.
- Translating resources increases accessibility and cultural relevance.
- Small, incremental changes are most effective for incorporating sustainability.