Computing is an essential component of modern research, and it comes with significant, but not always well-understood, environmental impacts. The climate crisis is urgent, and it is becoming increasingly apparent to scientists using computing that the resulting environmental effects should be taken into account and mitigated where possible.
The global carbon footprint of data centres is estimated at ~126 MT CO2e per year (mega tonnes of CO2-equivalent), equivalent to that of the entire US commercial aviation. It is not uncommon to have scientific computations reaching (hundreds of) tonnes of CO2e (e.g. Large Language Models over 500 T CO2e). For context, the IPCC target to keep global warming under 1.5C is around 2 tonnes per year and per person.
Green DiSC is an attempt at providing computational researchers and research-performing organisations with a roadmap on how to tackle the environmental impacts of their work, while giving recognition for all the good work done in this space!
| Next application deadline: November 19th, 2026 |
Who’s it for?
Green DiSC can be completed by anyone working in research, across any domain. There are criteria aimed at research groups and separate criteria for central teams (e.g. a sustainability team or an IT team).
Ideally, research groups and the central team in the same organisation will work together to complete the certification, with the central team addressing shared infrastructures and policies, and research groups focusing on their own activities. But of course, it can also be completed independently (just as a group or just as a central team).
If you’re unsure about which applies to your team, our general rule of thumb is this: “research group” is the default level of Green DiSC and applies to any team running compute. But if your team has more of a facilitator role, enabling and supporting groups doing research and/or computation, you should apply as a central team. If in doubt, just email us.
What about the private sector and industry? Currently we are focusing our resources for certification on academia/non-profit, but working towards including these teams in future rollouts. If you would like more information or would like to express interest in joining the certification from the private sector, please email info@greendisc.org. Besides, the criteria are open access so you are very welcome to follow the roadmap already!
Research group
This category includes groups or laboratories of any size, including for example computational groups, research software engineering teams, groups doing both wet lab and dry lab research. Check the FAQ section for more guidance.
Enrol here
Central team
This category includes central sustainability teams within an organisation, a department’s sustainability representative, or an IT team. Check the FAQ section for more guidance.
Enrol hereHow does it work, and what are the criteria?
Three levels of certifications will be available: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Bronze is available now and the pilot for Silver is closing this 30 September 2025. Stay tuned for the launch of Silver in October!
The criteria were selected following some key principles:
- Evidence-based, to ensure that the criteria included have the maximum impact on research sustainability while favouring engagement with the framework.
- Open access, so that all scientists can engage with this framework.
- Iterative, so that the criteria developed evolve as institutions’ policies change and our understanding of environmental impacts progresses.
- Community-based, to leverage the great resources being designed internally by different institutions.
Interested? Here is what to do next:
- Sign up to the newsletter to receive important updates about Green DiSC.
- If you have questions, check out the recording and slides of our latest information webinar. Or reach out at info@greendisc.org.
- Enrol your group and/or central team. For groups it’s this form and for central teams this one here.
- Have you thought of joining the ECSC community for Environmentally Sustainable Computational Science? You can do that here.
We will create a Google Drive space for you (we aim to do that within 48h of you completing the form, but it may take longer). All guidelines on how to complete Green DiSC are on GitHub anyway. In this drive space, you will also find the submission template to fill in when you’re ready to apply for certification.
You will also be given access to a closed group on the ESCS Forum to ask questions and connect with other groups taking part, and you will have a point of contact for any question you may have.
Once you’re part of the scheme, it depends slightly on whether you are representing a research group or a central team at your institution. Either way, you will then have the time you need to make your way through the criteria before submitting an application to be certified.
There are three application deadlines each year: mid-March, mid-July, and mid-November. The next deadlines will be:
- Wednesday 19 November 2025
- Wednesday 18 March 2026
To get the latest updates on the next deadlines:
- Sign up to the newsletter.
- Follow our LinkedIn and Bluesky accounts.
Each group or central team taking part will be audited by outside auditors to receive the certification. This will be achieved through peer audit: each group or central team taking part will commit to audit another group or central team. Why?
- Because this is a great opportunity to learn what is being done in other organisations.
- Because the certification scheme is free to enrol, but not free to run, and community-based auditing is a good way to keep a low barrier to entry.
The audit will involve reviewing the written application for the Bronze criteria, followed by a virtual meeting between the team applying and the reviewer to discuss it.
Is Green DiSC for me?
The Green DiSC certification can help any group that uses computation in their research as well as central sustainability teams. For example:
Groups:
- A fully “dry lab” or computing research group (e.g. computational biology, astrophysics, statistics, machine learning, engineering, chemistry etc.).
- A research software engineering team.
- A group doing both wet lab and dry lab research.
Central teams:
- Organisation’s central sustainability team.
- Department’s sustainability representative.
- IT team.
If you’re unsure about which applies to your group, our general rule of thumb is this: if you run compute or do research yourself/within your team, then you should be certified as a research group (this is the default level for Green DiSC). On the other hand, if your team has more of a facilitator role, enabling and supporting groups doing research and/or computation, you should apply as a central team.
We understand that many institutions can have grey areas so if you are still unsure about this, you can email us at info@greendisc.org and we can help.
What about the private sector and industry? Currently we are focusing our resources for certification on academia/non-profit, but working towards including these teams in future rollouts. If you would like more information or would like to express interest in joining the certification from the private sector, please email info@greendisc.org. Besides, the criteria are open access so you are very welcome to follow the roadmap already!
Is there a cost to joining?
No, there is no joining fee for the scheme or certification. The criteria themselves are open-access (no paywall!).
As a central team or head of sustainability, can I award Green DiSC certification to groups in my organisation?
No, Green DiSC certifications are awarded by us (the Green DiSC team) after external auditing of the applications. To receive the certification, you need to enrol and apply as described above.
Why are there no criteria about sustainability outside of computing?
Green DiSC is a sustainability scheme dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of computing research and can be completed alongside other sustainability schemes. Please consult your organisation for other sustainability schemes related to wet lab activities or institute practice.
Where can I find more info?
Interested in learning more information about sustainability in computer research? You can find that on the Green Algorithms homepage for example. Green Algorithms is a project that aims to promote sustainable practice in computing. You can find useful tips and tools as well as links to publications on sustainability in computer research through the homepage. If you’re an RSE, join the Green RSE Special Interest Group.
Any other questions?
Check out the recording and slides of our latest information webinar.
The best place to ask questions about this scheme is the dedicated space on the ESCS community forum, but if you’d rather message privately, you can email us at info@greendisc.org.
How to contact us:
You can email us at info@greendisc.org or ask your questions on the dedicated space on the ESCS community forum.
You can also open issues on the Green DiSC GitHub repository.
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What is the licence on the criteria?
All the material related to Green DiSC is covered by a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0.
The team behind it and credits
Green DiSC has been made possible with support from the Software Sustainability Institute, the University of Cambridge and UKRI.
The scheme is led by Loïc Lannelongue at the University of Cambridge (who also leads the Green Algorithms project) and day-to-day coordination by Anica Araneta also at the University of Cambridge, with essential support from Kirsty Pringle, Denis Barclay, Shoaib Sufi and Oscar Seip at the SSI.
Other credits:
- The logo was designed by Denis Barclay.
- The name “Green DiSC” for the certification was based on suggestions by Alex Carroll, Santiago Madera and Michael Inouye.