5.13 Establish if a digital product or service is necessary

Materials: High
Energy: High
Water: High
Emissions: High

Determine whether a project is necessary, eliminating obstacles for users, and aligning with SDGs and sustainability principles.

Sustainable Development Goals:
Identify where the product or service aligns with one of the UN (SDGs) and its appropriate targets within a sustainability statement.
Creation evaluation:
Determine that the product or service is necessary based upon desirability, feasibility, and viability factors.
Obstacle consideration:
Remove or alleviate any obstacles to using a product or service, such as accessibility, equality, technical, or territorial.

Accessibility
Preventing unnecessary digital products or services from being created can make it easier to find and access existing information, provided an accessible replacement is available.
Economic
Reducing unnecessary research and development allows organizations to cut costs.
Environment
Determining that a digital product or service is not necessary means the potential environmental impacts associated with its creation and use can be avoided.
Operations
Avoiding creating unnecessary products or services prevents organizations from wasting time or resources on their creation and maintenance.