From enter key to saving energy: making GenAI sustainable

There’s no doubt that Generative AI (GenAI) has streamlined tasks and made everyday work easier, but behind the scenes, this water-guzzling monster is having a huge impact on the environment. GenAI relies on infrastructure that consumes large amounts of water and electricity and contributes to CO₂ emissions. For businesses aiming to reduce their environmental footprint, this impact is concerning.

Every prompt has a footprint.

With GenAI embedded in everyday workplace processes, avoiding it isn’t realistic. So, how do you balance the upsides with the downsides? In this article, we explore GenAI’s environmental impact and outline practical steps your business can take to use GenAI more responsibly.

The hidden cost of every prompt

When we use GenAI, we don’t see what happens after we hit ‘enter’. Behind the scenes, GenAI chatbots rely on massive data centres to process requests. You don’t see the servers, but they’re working hard.

These data centres:

• Require large volumes of water to cool servers.
• Use significant amounts of electricity to power operations.
• Contribute indirectly to greenhouse gas emissions, depending on the energy source.

According to estimates from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR), GenAI data centres currently represent around 1–1.5 per cent of global electricity use. A single large data centre can consume as much energy as 50,000 homes in one year.

Training GenAI models also carries a substantial energy demand. Australia’s former Chief Scientist, Dr Catherine Foley, said that training a model like ChatGPT-3 uses around 1.5 thousand megawatt hours of electricity – the equivalent of streaming roughly 1.5 million hours of Netflix. That’s a lot of TV time! Efficiency isn’t just about time – it’s about energy too.

While these figures may seem confronting, they don’t mean businesses should abandon GenAI altogether. Instead, they highlight the importance of using it intentionally and efficiently.

For organisations reporting under ESG frameworks, digital energy consumption is an increasing consideration. It’s worth considering  how widespread GenAI use could flow through to ESG reporting  – especially where emissions and supplier sustainability are under scrutiny.

So, how can businesses use GenAI more sustainably?

1. Be rude to your GenAI

Yes, be rude to your GenAI tool. Skip the pleasantries. Save the processing.

Saying “please” and “thank you” can lead to longer or less precise responses, which may require further prompts and re-generations. Instead, include clear, direct instructions that simply state what you want it to do.

Be as specific as possible. The clearer the instruction, the fewer follow-up prompts required. That means:

• Fewer server interactions.
• Less processing power.
• Reduced electricity use.
• Lower demand for water cooling.

It may seem small, but when used over time and at scale, it can make a big difference. Don’t waste prompts like you wouldn’t waste water.

2. Reduce and recycle

Reduce:

Reduce how much you rely on GenAI. It’s useful, but it doesn’t need to be used for everything. Write an email the old-fashioned way. Have a brainstorm with pen and paper. Use GenAI where it adds value – not by default – by focusing on high-impact work. Use GenAI with purpose, not out of habit.

Recycle:

Recycle any old technology instead of sending it to landfill. Responsible recycling of laptops, servers, and devices helps reduce e-waste and lowers your overall environmental footprint.

3. One big batch

Combine multiple related requests into one structured prompt instead of sending several smaller ones. One good prompt beats five average ones.

Every time you hit enter, your request is sent to a remote data centre where computers process your prompts, generate a response, and send it back to you.

So, if you send five separate prompts, the system repeats that process five times. Resulting in higher water and energy use.

From good intentions to real control

Beyond individual behaviour changes, formal frameworks can help organisations manage the impact of GenAI at a systematic level.

There are third-party certifications your company can pursue to ensure you’re using GenAI responsibly and managing environmental impact effectively. The two most relevant are:

• ISO 42001 Artificial Intelligence Management Systems
• ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems

These standards help businesses formalise responsible practices and embed them into business processes. In other words: fewer “random prompts”, more governance.

How ISO 42001 can help protect the environment

While it isn’t an environmental standard like ISO 14001, it can still help reduce GenAI’s environmental impact by ensuring GenAI use is controlled, intentional, and properly managed.

ISO 42001 helps businesses:

• Identify and assess risks linked to GenAI use (including energy consumption and resource use).
• Put governance controls in place so GenAI isn’t used unnecessarily or inefficiently.
• Monitor GenAI performance and usage over time.
• Improve transparency and accountability across teams and suppliers.

It also supports smarter procurement decisions by encouraging organisations to evaluate GenAI providers and third-party systems – which creates an opportunity to prioritise suppliers using renewable energy, efficient infrastructure, or lower-impact data centres.

For organisations developing their own GenAI models, the standard encourages oversight during design and training, creating an opportunity to consider energy efficiency, infrastructure choices, and resource use from the outset.

In simple terms, ISO 42001 helps ensure your GenAI use is purposeful and well-governed, reducing wasteful or unmanaged GenAI activity that can contribute to unnecessary energy consumption.

It’s how you move from “we use GenAI” to “we manage GenAI”

How ISO 14001 can help protect the environment

ISO 14001 focuses specifically on environmental management. It helps organisations identify, monitor, and reduce their environmental impacts in a systematic and measurable way.

For businesses using GenAI, ISO 14001 can help:

• Measure electricity consumption linked to digital operations.
• Set objectives for reducing energy use.
• Track carbon emissions.
• Improve supplier and data centre sustainability decisions.
• Embed environmental responsibility into everyday processes.

Instead of guessing whether your GenAI use is sustainable, ISO 14001 provides a structured framework to measure, monitor, and improve performance over time.

Less guesswork. More proof.

Use it – but use it wisely

The goal isn’t to eliminate GenAI from your business. It’s to use it intentionally.

GenAI can support innovation and efficiency – but only when governed deliberately. With the right structure and mindset, businesses don’t have to choose between progress and environmental responsibility. They can, and should, do both.

If you’d like to further discuss becoming ISO certified, we’re here to help. Contact us today.

About our author 

Georgia Theocharous is a Copywriter and Content Specialist for Citation Group. She is responsible for crafting content across multiple channels such as blogs, social media, landing pages and email campaigns. In her spare time, you can find her jamming to her favourite music.