Energy Saving Practices in the IT Area as a Factor of Sustainable Development of the Organization: A Case Study of Poland

Abstract

Today’s company has to operate in a turbulent market environment, where the policy of sustainable development is still gaining importance. Therefore, it has been forced to look for a strategic orientation that would allow it to face the growing demands of the changing reality. Each organization must therefore adapt to the changes in the environment. These changes include the need to implement sustainable energy usage practices. This article presents determinants that build such an attitude in a company and thus contribute to the sustainable development of the organization. This article is based on the results of an empirical study conducted in December 2021 on a sample of 690 respondents (later, due to the purpose of the study, the sample was narrowed to 578 working people) using a survey questionnaire. A structural model was estimated using the maximum likelihood method. It allowed us to determine the variables that influence the degree to which companies use energy saving practices, as well as to illustrate the strength of influence between endogenous variables. Establishing these relationships will allow us to determine the factors that are determinants of the implementation of the idea of sustainable development in the company.

1. Introduction

The modern enterprise operates in a turbulent and unpredictable market environment. Rapidly growing digitization and digitalization have caused the use of digital technologies to become an integral feature defining the economic environment of any organization. Market conditions, however, force modern companies to look for new methods that protect the environment and contribute to sustainable development. IT sustainability is becoming a necessity for organizations, with many realizing the need to develop sustainable solutions as sustainability is now recognized as a competitive business advantage.

This article outlines the problem of sustainable IT usage in Polish companies. It explains in depth this phenomenon, emphasizing that the basis of Green IT means sustainable development in the process of production and use. The aim of this article is to define the determinants that build Green IT usage attitude in the enterprise and thus contribute to the sustainable development of the organization.

Sustainability is a broadly used term, and the literature provides several definitions of it. The term sustainability was first introduced by Hans Carl von Carlowitz [1]. Initially, it referred to the management of forests, but nowadays, the concept of sustainable development is associated with the necessity of introducing the highest quality economic, social and ecological standards within the limits of ecosystem capacity [2].

Nowadays, the priority has become the simultaneous protection of the utility and quality of natural resources in the long term [3,4]. Many researchers equate sustainable development with eco-development, stressing that the assumption is that all economic activity is carried out in harmony with nature, so as not to cause irreversible changes in it [5]. The term eco-development, first proposed at the Stockholm Conference in 1972, represents a hierarchy of goals: first social, then environmental and, finally, economic objectives, while the most known concept of sustainable development, introduced in Rio in 1992, divides them into interrelated, intertwining levels, recognizing demand as a social factor, supply as an economic factor and the environmental quality [6]. Therefore, each management should be ecologically acceptable, economically justified and socially desirable [7]. This requires the harmonization of economic activities while maintaining the principle of respect for the natural environment [8,9,10].

The idea of sustainable development of the company is, therefore, sustainable development that is carried out in accordance with the requirements of environmental protection, as well as widely understood greening of all operational processes, while striving to meet the expectations of each of the stakeholders, including the financial expectations of owners and shareholders, the need for stabilization of employees and the need for security [11,12].

Unpredictable market conditions make modern companies face new requirements, and it becomes very important to implement the principle of sustainable development in three areas: economic, social and environmental [13,14,15].

1.1. The Idea of Green IT as a Tool for Implementing Sustainable Development

In the scientific literature, the term IT has a variety of definitions. Therefore, the most common definition of IT is the technology used to store, transmit and process all kinds of electronic data, information, knowledge and, ultimately, wisdom [16,17].

IT refers to the resources used by an enterprise to manage the information necessary to fulfill its mission. IT also refers to the collection of users, information systems and management methods [18]. Information technology can be called a separate part of an information system that is computerized. IT refers to technologies related to computers and software. IT includes hardware and computers, computer networks together with software (system and application software) and the methods of using them. In practice, information technology is often abbreviated to IT [19].

An important part of the idea of sustainable development of a company has become the introduction of Green IT, also referred to as Green IT, Green ICT or GIT. Green Information Technology was created to make users more aware of the consequences of the indiscriminate use of technology on the planet and to increase the interest in how this indiscriminate use of technology affects the environment [20]. It includes a set of concepts that propose a more conscious use of technology from a sustainability perspective, with not only hardware but also software being targeted. In other words, the GIT concept denotes ecological solutions in the field of information technologies and includes designing; manufacturing; using and disposing of computers; servers; subsystems and devices such as monitors, printers, drives, communication and network systems in an ecologically effective and efficient way, limiting or reducing to zero the impact on the environment [21,22]. Organizations can implement Green Information Systems (IS) to ensure that they are aware of the ecological impact of information technology (IT) [23,24].

Green IT in its essence means taking into account economic, social and environmental criteria in the production and use process [25]. Thus, it can be considered a pro-ecological method of managing hardware and ICT networks. These activities are aimed at minimizing the energy consumption of computer equipment, as well as using it in an environmentally friendly way [26]. As a result, this leads to a significant reduction in the carbon footprint, i.e., reduction of greenhouse gas emissions [27,28]. The transition from an energy-intensive economy to a model that has environmental protection at its core is becoming extremely important [29]. The result is an increase in energy efficiency through the monitoring of energy use, innovations in reducing energy use in buildings, accounts for energy interconnections between consumers and suppliers and an integrated approach to energy management across systems [30,31,32]. The role and importance of innovations and currently used eco-innovations for the development of enterprises results from their direct or indirect impact on the results of the enterprise [33,34].

The introduction of green solutions in the IT field makes it possible to reduce the use of hazardous materials in the manufacture of IT equipment and to introduce recyclable IT products, to design energy-efficient and environmentally friendly equipment and devices and to improve energy efficiency in the production life cycle [27,28].

The use of renewable energy sources (RES) has been steadily increasing worldwide over the past few decades. Clean energy production and conservation is one of the key issues for all developing and developed economies around the world. These measures are being taken not only from the point of view of resource availability but also the ongoing effects of global climate change [35,36,37]. The current geopolitical situation of the war in Ukraine is also not insignificant, which has created an urgent need to diversify the existing supply of energy resources and accelerate interest in alternative energy sources.

1.2. Added Value and Constraints of the Article

Today’s company must operate in an unprecedentedly volatile and turbulent market environment, where sustainability trends intersect with the need to optimize operating costs. As a result, companies are forced to seek a strategic orientation to meet the growing demands of the changing reality. This problem becomes even more important in the context of the hostilities in Ukraine and the related energy crisis and the subsequent global economic crisis. The authors of this study recognize a knowledge gap related to the search for measures by companies to optimize electricity consumption in a geopolitical crisis that has led to energy resource shortages. Thus, this calls for the search for and analysis of practices that would fit into the trends of sustainable energy use. The empirical studies that have been carried out so far do not sufficiently cover the problem under analysis. There are a number of publications that focus mainly on domestic energy use [38,39,40,41,42,43]. The authors decided then to focus in this article only on the issue of energy saving practices in the IT area as a factor of sustainable development of the organization. At the same time, the authors recognized the far-reaching limitations of such a formulated research problem, which should be explored in a much broader micro- and macroeconomic context of companies’ activities that are an inspiration for further exploration and research areas.

In addition, it is worth considering what impact the development of digitization and Industry 4.0 has had on the change in the approach to the innovation strategy and agile management methodology being pursued. In addition, what impact this has had on the economic effects achieved, as well as the effects on sustainability and environmental impact [44].

2. Materials and Methods

The research problem in this article is to determine the extent to which practices of Green IT are used in Polish companies and thus to take into account the idea of sustainable development in their strategy. In order to detail the adopted research problem, the following research questions were posed:

• Is basis of Green IT an element of business strategy? What actions are practiced within this strategy?
• Is there a sustainable development policy in Polish companies?
• To what extent do the surveyed companies take actions aimed at the optimization of paper consumption?
• To what extent are the surveyed companies taking actions aimed at the optimization of electricity consumption?
• In case of which IT devices, is it possible to achieve the highest energy savings, and is the energy efficiency factor taken into account while purchasing IT equipment?
• Do investments in Green IT give the company a marketing advantage?

In order to provide evidence to support the research questions, research hypotheses were formulated:

H1: 

A sustainability policy is commonly implemented in Polish companies.

H2: 

In Polish companies, the idea of Green IT is just beginning to develop.

H3: 

The rational use of IT equipment can lead to energy savings, which is in line with the current market trends.

The research process consisted of two phases: analysis of the literature and the empirical research, which was divided into stages of preparing research questions, gathering, statistical analysis and drawing conclusions. The empirical research was based on the use of a questionnaire that, in December 2021, was distributed among Polish adults chosen by means of non-random sampling (purposive sampling). The survey was aimed specifically at people working in management positions and related to the IT industry, for whom the degree of professional activity measured in another survey indicated a level of 95%. In doing so, it should be noted that the results of the study were influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic prevailing at the time and the use of a remote work model.

The survey questionnaire included 20 questions on the sociodemographic profile of the respondents, the essence of sustainability and the practice of energy conservation in the IT area as a factor in the sustainability of the organization. The results of the survey were statistically analyzed and are discussed later in the article. To examine attitudes toward specific problems, the classic Likert Scale with answers from “Definitely not” to “Definitely yes” or simplified with answers of “Yes”, “No” and “I do not know” was used.

Thanks to SPSS Statistic, it was possible to analyze the data in-depth, which allowed us to learn the statistically significant correlations between particular groups of respondents, as well as to verify the hypotheses that had been formulated earlier. The questionnaire was completed over the Internet in accordance with the CAWI standards. In the conducted study, n = 690 respondents took part. In further parts of the study, only the working people took part (n = 578). The sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents are presented in

Table 1. Sociodemographic variables of the research sample.

Variables		N	%
Gender	Male	300	43.48
	Female	390	56.52
	Total	690	100
Age	21–30	159	23.04
	31–40	351	50.87
	41–50	96	13.91
	51–60	69	10.00
	61 and above	15	2.17
	Total	690	100
Place of residence	Rural area	93	13.48
	Town up to 20 thousand inhabitants	70	10.14
	City of 21–50 thousand inhabitants	67	9.71
	City of 51–200 thousand inhabitants	46	6.67
	City over 200 thousand inhabitants	414	60.00
	Total	690	100
Place of employment	Microenterprise up to 10 employees	131	18.99
	Small company 10–50 employees	106	15.36
	Medium company 51–250 employees	145	21.01
	Big company over 250 employees	196	28.41
	Unemployed	112	16.23
	Total	690	100
Scope of the company’s operations	Local	109	18.86
	Regional	56	9.69
	National	174	30.10
	International	239	41.35
	Total	578 1	100
Industry	Sector 1	19	3.29
	Sector 2	38	6.57
	Sector 3	205	35.47
	Sector 4	163	28.20
	Sector 5	153	26.47
	Total	578 1	100
Company’s financial situation	Very good	221	38.24
	Good	258	44.64
	Average	74	12.80
	Bad	25	4.33
	Total	578 1	100

¹ The total of the last 3 positions is 578. This is the group of working people selected from the 690 group of people who originally took the survey.

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Sector 1 included agriculture, forestry and fishing. Sector 2 included extractive, mining and processing industry and construction. Sector 3 included transport, communications, utilities, housing and trade. Sector 4 included finance, insurance, marketing and advertising and real estate, and Sector 5 included health, welfare, education, research, tourism and recreation, public administration, justice, police and military.

3. Results

The analysis of the findings presented below is based on the authors’ interpretation of the survey questionnaire collected and processed using SPSS Statistic.

Working respondents taking part in the survey (n = 578) were asked whether they think about protecting the environment when using digital devices, and 51.7% (n = 299) responded that the issue of environmental protection in conjunction with the use of electronics is of interest to them. Unfortunately, at the same time, as many as 30.4% (n = 176) of respondents do not pay attention to environmental issues, and 17.8% (n = 103) of respondents are not able to clearly indicate whether the use of electronic devices is connected to environmental changes and whether this problem concerns them. This clearly shows that the problem of harmfulness of the use of electronic devices for the environment is noticeable only for a little more than half of the respondents, while among the rest, the awareness of such dependence is very low.

In exploring the issues raised, respondents were asked the question for whether their work has a sustainability policy, and 47.6%, n = 275 of the survey participants said that their organization has a clearly defined corporate sustainability policy, while the rest strongly disagreed, including 23.7%, n = 137 people, and 168 clearly stated that there was no such policy, while 28.7%, n = 166 people were not able to answer this question.

The following issues were also subject to verification, taking place in the company where the respondent was employed:

• successive replacement of IT equipment with new ones;
• implementation of innovations in the field of IT equipment;
• care for the natural environment through the use of energy-efficient IT equipment;
• treating Green IT as an important factor in selecting a particular supplier;
• taking care of low energy consumption;
• implementing elements of Green IT solutions as part of a business strategy.

Analyzing the respondents’ answers to issues 1, 2, 3 and 5, we observed a similar distribution of answers with a predominance of “Rather yes” (about 200) and “Definitely yes” (about 100) ratings, which indicated a positive attitude of respondents towards the implementation of these areas. In particular, the widespread implementation of innovations in IT hardware seems to be a positive development. On the other hand, the responses of respondents to issues 4 and 6 clearly showed less positive attitudes, with a predominant number of “I have no opinion” responses (about 165) and a significantly higher number of negative responses. Details of the issues addressed are shown in Figure 1.

An important element of the survey was to obtain information on the extent to which the company where the respondent is employed has taken measures to optimize paper consumption. In virtually every area surveyed and presented in Figure 2, a positive response of “Yes” dominates (over 300 responses), with significantly lower responses of “No” (between 135 and 200) and a small number of “I do not know” responses (about 50). Only in the case of the question about limiting the number of printed documents provided to customers did we have a dramatic decrease (by approximately 100) in “Yes” responses in favor of “No” responses.

Another issue to be analyzed was whether measures are taken in the company to optimize electricity consumption. For this question, respondents again had a choice of 3 responses—yes, no and I don’t know/I don’t recall. In this area, the respondents noticed more problems. It turned out that, in a large number of companies, automatic switching on of lights is not used. The exact distribution of answers is presented in Figure 3.

Despite the problems outlined above, the vast majority of respondents (n = 479) believe that the energy efficiency factor should be taken into account when purchasing IT equipment. Twenty-four respondents are of the opposite opinion, while the remaining 78 respondents cannot express their clear opinion about it. On the one hand, it is satisfying that 82.87% see the importance of the energy-saving factor, but one would expect that, in this day and age, when the environmental issue is discussed in both economic and political forums, this indicator would reach almost 100%.

Taking the issue of energy savings further, it turns out that—according to the respondents—the biggest savings in this respect are personal computers, printers and scanners. A detailed specification of IT devices that can generate energy savings is shown in

Table 2. IT devices that give the greatest energy savings.

	N	%
Mobile devices	188	12.14
Personal computers	332	21.45
Network equipment	277	17.89
Mass storage systems	194	12.53
Multimedia equipment	261	16.86
Printers and scanners	296	19.12
Total	1548	100.00

. The final number of indications does not equal the number of respondents to the survey, because the question was multi-choice.

The respondents’ answers also highlighted their companies’ plans for the near future. Thus, 67 companies plan to increase spending on IT equipment, 32 plan to reduce spending and 152 are thinking about leaving such spending unchanged.

It is also interesting to notice that as many as 266 respondents consider the sustainability and Green IT phenomena as an economic necessity, and 188 people equate them with the dominant trend in the market. There were also opinions that both sustainability and Green IT are a marketing ploy to increase sales (n = 76) and a temporary business trend (n = 48). At the same time, many people surveyed were unable to indicate whether investments in sustainability and Green IT could give their company a marketing advantage. Such an opinion was expressed by nearly 40% of respondents.

The respondents also defined the factors influencing the choice of a specific IT investment. Here, too, the economic factor proved to be dominant, as shown in

Table 3. Factors influencing the choice of IT investment.

	N	%
Economic factor	268	29.68
Ecological factor	194	21.48
A specific dedicated solution	176	19.49
Environmental friendliness	109	12.07
Deal with the supplier	51	5.65
Only the price matters	105	11.63
Total	903	100

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The respondents also indicated the activities that their company undertakes in order to care for the environment. Their summary is listed in

Table 4. Actions taken to protect the environment.

	N	%
Rational materials management	301	38.94
Monitoring of water, energy and fuel consumption	216	27.94
Introducing pro-ecological solutions in the area of administration and infrastructure	131	16.95
Carrying out educational campaigns	125	16.17
Total	773	100

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4. Discussion

On the basis of the conducted research, we tried to find out what factors, related to the use of IT equipment, contribute to the sustainable development of the organization. For this purpose, and in reference to the adopted assumptions and the main objective, which was to analyze the degree of use of sustainable solutions and principles of Green IT in Polish enterprises and to analyze the use of the idea of sustainable development in business strategies, a structural equation model SEM was developed, taking into account the highest reliability method. In order to study the practice of energy savings in the IT area for the sustainability of the organization, it was first necessary to perform a statistical analysis of the obtained research material, which allowed only a partial answer to the research questions posed. This turned out to be insufficient to unequivocally substantiate Hypotheses H1, H2 and H3. Therefore, a more advanced method of the structural model using the method of highest reliability was used. This model made it possible to determine the variables influencing the ways of energy savings in the IT area, as well as to illustrate the strength of influence between observable endogenous variables and unobservable endogenous variables. Determining these relationships will highlight factors that can contribute to the sustainability of the organization.

SEM was estimated using the maximum likelihood method. There was no basis to reject the null hypothesis that the residual values of the empirical and theoretical matrices are equal to zero (χ2 = 1064.23; p = 0.001). The root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) value = 0.096 indicates that the model is a good fit to the data.

An analytical–deductive process was carried out to verify Hypotheses H1, H2 and H3. The analyses required listing the observable and unobservable endogenous variables first. Evaluation of the model fit—model fit is acceptable. Measures of absolute fit such as GFI and AGFI are at decent levels (above 0.9). SRMR = 0.0384 low, below the value of 0.08 taken as a benchmark. Measures of relative fit are above or close to 0.95. The parameter estimates turned out to be significant, while the signs were in line with the expected ones. The linear R-squared coefficients of determination for construct dimensions Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4 are high (above 0.72), indicating that much of their variability is explained by a common factor, which directly indicates the confirmation of research Hypotheses H1, H2 and H3 in the constructed model. The SEM estimated by the maximum likelihood method (Figure 4) includes the following:

• observe variables: X1—IT equipment is gradually replaced with new equipment, X2—Innovations in the area of IT equipment are implemented, X3—by using energy-efficient IT equipment, we care for the environment, X4—Green IT is an important factor in the selection of a specific supplier, X5—low energy consumption is taken care of in general, X6—implementation of sustainable and Green IT solutions is an element of business strategy, X7—paper consumption is reduced, X8—default setting of double-sided printing, X9—automatic shutdown of devices after working hours, X10—remote management of installed printers, X11—limitation of the number of printed documents sent to customers, X12—online statements, X13—electronic document circulation, X14—replacement of lighting with energy-efficient LED, X15—automatic system of switching off lights, X16—current control of utilities consumption, X17—rational management of energy consumption, X18—mobile devices, X19—personal computers, X20—network equipment, X21—storage systems, X22—multimedia equipment and X23—printers and scanners;
• unobservable endogenous variables included: Z1—in your company: (IT equipment is successively replaced with new equipment), Z2—there are actions taken in your company to optimize paper consumption (reduction of paper consumption), Z3—there are measures taken in your company to optimize electricity consumption: (replacement of lighting with energy-efficient LED) and Z4—in which IT devices are the greatest energy savings possible?
• model measurement errors: e1, e2, e3, e4, e5, e6, e7, e8, e9, e10 e11, e12, e13, e14, e15, e16, e17, e18, e19, e20, e21, e22 and e23.

There was no random component to the structural model.

The SEM estimated by the maximum likelihood method containing observable and unobservable endogenous variables is shown in Figure 4.

Further, in the process of analyzing the results, the unstandardized and standardized coefficients of the SEM were counted, which are summarized in

Table 5. Unstandardized and standardized model coefficients.

Variables	Estimated Parameter Value	Error of Esteem	Critical Value	p Value	Standardized Model Coefficients
X1	1.588	0.085	18.587	***	0.875
X2	1.231	0.084	14.326	***	0.945
X3	1.428	0.057	15.587	***	0.921
X4	1.586	0.068	15.987	***	0.725
X5	1.637	0.085	18.861	***	0.821
X6	1.655	0.086	18.874	***	0.698
X7	1.467	0.075	16.874	***	0.865
X8	1.285	0.098	16.587	***	0.735
X9	1.321	0.087	15.985	***	0.887
X10	1.468	0.082	16.521	***	0.712
X11	1.627	0.541	15.388	***	0.689
X12	1.654	0.548	15.457	***	0.907
X13	1.427	0.598	15.872	***	0.954
X14	1.271	0.084	13.524	***	0.954
X15	1.275	0.305	12.894	***	0.754
X16	1.548	0.088	14.784	***	0.685
X17	1.478	0.064	14.856	***	0.826
X18	1.624	0.071	14.876	***	0.688
X19	1.448	0.088	14.784	***	0.965
X20	1.578	0.078	14.796	***	0.854
X21	1.624	0.068	14.854	***	0.784
X22	1.546	0.098	14.784	***	0.801
X23	1.678	0.087	14.856	***	0.925

Note: *** means p < 0.001.

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The above interpretations are valid only if the values of the other variables do not change. The values of the coefficients therefore describe the direction (positive/negative) and strength of the effect on the explanatory variable. The strength of the effect on the explanatory variable can be compared between explanatory variables using standardized coefficients. This is because the values of the non-standardized coefficients depend on the units in which the variables are measured [45,46,47].

Based on the standardized coefficients of the model, it was found that:

• variable Z1—is your company (IT equipment is successively replaced with new ones) most strongly influenced by the variables X2—innovations in IT equipment are implemented, X3—by using energy-efficient IT equipment, we take care of the environment, while the weakest influence is the variable X6—implementation of Green IT solutions is an element of business strategy;
• variable Z2—are actions taken in your company to optimize paper consumption (paper consumption reduction) is most strongly influenced by variables X13—electronic document circulation, X12—online statements, while the weakest influence is found in variable X11—limitation of the number of printed documents given to customers;
• variable Z3—Are actions taken in your company to optimize electricity consumption (replacement of lighting with energy-efficient LED) is most strongly influenced by the variables X14—replacement of lighting with energy-efficient LED, while the variable X16—ongoing control of utility consumption has the weakest impact;
• variable Z4—which IT devices are most likely to save energy? is most strongly influenced by X19—personal computers, X23—printers and scanners, while the weakest influence is found in X18—mobile devices.

5. Conclusions

Therefore, it can be concluded that the sustainable development of a company is conditioned by a whole group of factors, which would confirm Hypothesis H1, which states that a sustainable development policy is often implemented in Polish companies. A major limitation of the study is the fact that only the Polish market was taken into account. It would be necessary to conduct another in-depth research comparing the results obtained in the European environment.

The factors that influence the sustainable development of a company give an assumption to build the concept of sustainability and Green IT in Polish companies, contributing to the implementation of the idea of sustainable development. These considerations are presented in the authors’ theoretical model of the determinants of sustainable activities and Green IT operations, treated as determinants of the idea of sustainable development, which are shown in Figure 5.

Referring to H2, which assumed that the ideas of sustainability, as well as Green IT in Polish companies, is just beginning to develop can be assumed to be partially confirmed. Although it occupies an important place in the activities of the surveyed companies, it is difficult to give it a strategic dimension. It is expressed in actions, mainly of an operational dimension, aimed at the optimization of paper and electric energy consumption.

In addition to key activities related to the implementation of innovations in the field of IT equipment, one should also indicate cost optimization activities, which can include: the use of energy-efficient IT devices, introduction of electronic document circulation, practicing online statements, replacing lighting with energy-efficient LED and generating energy savings when using personal computers, as well as printers and scanners.

Thus, the above arguments support the correctness of the assumptions in H3, which talked about the rationality of using IT devices by saving energy.

To sum up the research, it can be assumed that putting emphasis on the listed groups of factors building the sustainability and Green IT model can contribute to the implementation of the idea of sustainable development and harmonious functioning of the organization. It is also worth noting that the presented statistical relationships allow for highlighting significant correlations of activities related to the functioning of IT equipment and the strength of their impact on the implementation of both sustainability and Green IT policy in the company. Thanks to that, it is possible to determine universal actions, which will certainly allow to sanitize pro-ecological behaviors realized in the company. Such valuable information can contribute to building a sustainable development strategy for the company.

Further Research

Highlighting the key results of the research and analysis conducted, it is important to emphasize the dynamic variability of the microeconomic environment and the unpredictability of the macroeconomic environment in which all organizations today have to operate. The young generation is fascinated by information and communication technologies. ICT has a huge impact on economic, social, political and administrative development. However, very clear trends regarding sustainable development should also be noted, commonly referred to as Green IT. They become even more important when we note that the modern world is struggling with geopolitical challenges related to armed conflicts, competition for world domination between superpowers, humanitarian crises in poor parts of the world and problems of climate warming and availability of energy sources. All this leads to the conclusion that the problem of saving energy consumption and the measures taken for this purpose, which are the key conclusions of the research, are becoming an absolute priority for modern organizations.

The research conducted certainly did not reveal all the determinants that build a company’s attitude toward green IT and sustainability. The selected factors are only the basic dependencies conditioning the implementation of the idea of sustainable development. Therefore, it would be worthwhile to continue research into this area in the future, especially the idea of sustainability in the SME sector. The first study in this regard has already appeared [48]. Further research work should be concerned with detailing the discussed determinants depending on the size and industry of the company and then comparing the obtained results among themselves.