Supporting a leading North American financial institution in reducing its IT carbon footprint

The push for Green IT comes at a critical moment: as technology accelerates through innovations such as artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing, costs and environmental impacts are rising. In 2023, digital technology accounted for approximately 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions - more than double Canada's total¹. Sustainable IT addresses both environmental impacts, including energy use and carbon emissions, and social aspects, such as digital accessibility.

For financial institutions, these technologies are essential to operations. Insights from the 2025 CGI Voice of Our Clients program (Retail Banking, Corporate & Transaction Banking Asset/Wealth Management Capital Markets & ) reveal that cloud, AI, and automation are top investment priorities, positioning the sector at the forefront of the shift toward more responsible digital practices.

Defining a responsible digital strategy

The challenge for the financial institution was to combine an exemplary sustainable IT approach with an ambitious digital transformation agenda. Developing a strategy first required establishing a baseline by identifying existing actions aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of IT, along with initiatives supporting digital accessibility.

The strategy also had to factor in future investments, such as cloud migration and the use of artificial intelligence. Success depended not only on IT leadership but also on engaging employees, stakeholders, suppliers, and partners. A key consideration was the environmental impact of user devices, which account for 54% of global IT-related greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from manufacturing¹.

Measuring impact and building a roadmap

CGI's Business Consulting experts worked closely with the client's IT team to define a sustainable IT strategy grounded in data and industry best practices. This included:

• Assessing the institution's sustainable IT maturity and benchmarking it against peers in the financial sector.
• Measuring the IT environmental footprint using 16 environmental impact indicators.
• Calculating the IT carbon footprint in accordance with the GHG Protocol, with year-on-year tracking starting in 2023.
• Running simulations of decarbonization initiatives such as cloud migration and improvements to IT asset management.

The carbon footprint assessment was carried out in collaboration with Resilio, whose cutting-edge SaaS platforms (Resilio Tech and ResilioDB) provide lifecycle assessment in compliance with ISO 14040/44. This partnership brought together Resilio's environmental expertise and CGI's consulting and technology capabilities, providing the institution with both precise measurement and actionable insights.

“Thanks to CGI's support, we were able to quickly develop our skills in sustainable IT. The expertise of their teams greatly facilitated the launch of our approach.” - Sustainable IT Lead, North American financial institution

From analysis to action

The collaboration enabled the client to move beyond measurement and begin implementing practical actions to reduce its IT carbon footprint. By identifying its main sources of emissions - user equipment, cloud computing, and data centers - the institution was able to design concrete decarbonization initiatives.

Engagement was also a key outcome. Surveys and collaborative workshops involved stakeholders in the process, ensuring both buy-in and shared responsibility. Leveraging Resilio's technology, the institution was able to simulate future developments, inform IT project decisions, and integrate sustainability KPIs into technology choices.

“Our partnership with CGI enables us to combine Resilio's environmental expertise with CGI's technology leadership. Together, we deliver innovative solutions that move organizations from measuring impact to designing and implementing eco-responsible digital services.” - Rosendo Mañas Faura, Partner, Resilio

Through this initiative, the financial institution not only measured its digital footprint but also laid the foundation for a long-term sustainable IT strategy. With CGI's guidance, the organization is emerging as a North American leader in responsible digital transformation.