Vision an mission
As the demand for digital services grows, so does the environmental and social impact of the technologies we build and maintain. The CoDig Competence Center, run under the Software Center umbrella, is dedicated to integrating sustainability into software engineering through awareness-building, research, and collaboration with industry. The sustainability strategy is considering relevant aspects of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), ensuring relevance to both global and regulatory frameworks. The center recognizes the dual role of digitalization—as both an enabler of sustainable transformation and a potential source of unintended consequences.
Project description
Besides creating and maintaining the CoDig sustainability plan (see below), the project contains two research activities.
Comparing frameworks for sustainable software engineering
We have developed the foundation for a comparison and mapping of sustainability frameworks that include both academic and industry frameworks. There is a plethora of frameworks out there on sustainability Sustainable Software Engineering based on existing frameworks, including SuSAF (Sustainability Awareness Framework), Siemens DEGREE (Decarbonization, Ethics, Governance, Resource Efficiency/Circularity, Equity, Employability), the Four Cornerstones framework by Groen, the IREB sustainability tool suite, the Green Software Foundation tool suite, the SAF framework, and the SUX network. A delivery of the comparison is submitted and under review.
For Software Center companies it is possible to organize short workshops about the frameworks spanning one to a few hours each. Please contact Birgit Penzenstadler to book a workshop at your company.
Defining aspects of mental harm in system security risk management
Rating the risk of physical harm to stakeholders of a system is common in system security risk management. However, little is known about how to handle/mitigate risks of mental harm amongst stakeholders, including the own workforce. We are working on extending current standard and practices in this area, for instance, in automated driving. Please contact Barbara Gallina for more information.
Involved researchers
- Birgit Penzenstadler, Chalmers (researcher)
- Barbara Gallina, MdU (researcher)
- Kristian Sandahl, LiU (coordinator)
- Mikael Sjödin, MdU (competence center management)
- Malin Rosqvist, SC (Software center coordinator)
Participating companies
- Siemens
- Axis
- Volvo AB
- Ericsson
Media
Slides from the workshop 2025-12-10
The CoDig sustainability plan
A systematic approach to sustainability
A systematic sustainability management of projects and processes connects dots from strategy to design and technical choices. The goal is to improve positive potential and minimize sustainability risks related to the outcome of the competence centers. Sustainability management is documented in a Sustainability plan. The method includes five steps:
- Screen to identify relevant sustainability topics for the competence center
- Set sustainability goals
- Define how to measure accomplishment of the goals
- Identify supporting actions needed to reach goals
- Evaluate and follow-up
The Sustainability screening and the Sustainability plan are integrated with The UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as the CSRD & ESRS. The European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) are the standards which have been adopted by the European Commission for the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
CoDig has selected relevant sustainability topics and set goals
To identify the most significant sustainability topics, CoDig has employed a structured Sustainability screening process. This method helps determine which environmental and social topics are most relevant to the center’s activities. For each topic CoDig has specified long-term goals:
Climate Change
- Make sure that all participants know about frameworks for sustainable software engineering.
- Research in energy efficient methods.
Pollution
- Research in system safety.
Resource Use and Circular Economy
- Research data-driven techniques for product maintenance and repair.
- Research in cyber-physical product simulation.
- Research in solutions demanding less physical material.
- Research in digital business models.
Own Workforce
- Introduce the concept of mental harm in risk analysis for co-workers, using tools.
- Research in human-centered testing.
- Support re-skill activities.
- Research in safety and security.
- Research in new tools include practical implications.
- Equal opportunities.
Workers in the Value Chain
- Introduce the concept of mental harm in risk analysis for users of IT or high-level automation.
- Research in human-centered testing.
- Support re-skill activities.
- Research in safety and security.
- Research in new tools include practical implications.
Consumers and End-Users
- Introduce the concept of mental harm in risk analysis for users of IT or high-level automation.
- Support re-skill activities.
- Research in safety and security.
- Research in new tools include practical implications.
Quality education
- Educating students in ethics and fostering ethical reflection in engineering work.
- Using AI-models in education, with a focus on moving to smaller models.
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
- Support companies to automate compliance with regulations.
CoDig’s sustainability work has a strong emphasis on awareness, education, and methodological innovation. The use of Sustainability screening, guided by both the SDGs and CSRD, ensures that the center’s efforts are focused on the most impactful areas. In the work ahead, CoDig will actively be seeking funding and partnerships to expand its capabilities and deepen its impact.
The Sustainability plan specifies monitoring and evaluation of targets and risks, including:
- Annual and event-driven reviews of the plan’s effectiveness.
- Tracking of KPIs and supporting actions for each sustainability target.
- Internal and external feedback loops to refine strategies.
- Benchmarking against industry standards and regulatory compliance checks.