EcoInfo

What EcoInfo does

EcoInfo is a non-commercial research and service group (GDRS - Groupement de Recherche et de Service) operating under CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), France's largest public research organization. Founded in 2006 as a working group within the RESINFO network by Françoise Berthoud and Eric Drezet (with Joël Marchand), it received formal GDS recognition in July 2012 and was elevated to GDRS status in January 2025. The group's mission is to reduce the environmental and societal impacts of information and communication technologies (ICT), with primary focus on serving France's higher education and research (ESR) sector: teachers, researchers, IT managers, sustainability officers, and logistics personnel.

Its portfolio is a knowledge ecosystem rather than a unified software product. Core technical offerings include the EcoDiag online carbon calculator for IT equipment and digital services, the BGES_DC spreadsheet-based carbon balance service for server-room IT equipment (launched March 2026), and a knowledge referential for teaching responsible digital practices in higher education. Content assets include the 'Je code' eco-design best-practices guide for software developers (currently in its sixth version), an annually updated DEEE e-waste management guide, the first French-language book on ICT environmental impacts (EDP Sciences, 2012), and a MOOC co-produced with Association Class'Code and Inria on the FUN platform. Scientific output includes research on AI environmental footprints covering training and inference energy, hardware lifecycle impacts, and assessment frameworks.

EcoInfo operates as a publicly funded public good rather than a commercial enterprise. All services, tools, guides, and training are provided at no cost to ESR personnel, with CNRS covering operational costs. Distribution relies on institutional channels: the ecoinfo.cnrs.fr website, the HAL open archive, the FUN MOOC platform, CNRS national training programs (ANF), and academic conferences such as JRES. The group maintains a small core of 7 listed employees, mobilizing a broader distributed community of CNRS engineers, university researchers, and IT professionals across France as a GDRS. Recent milestones include the CNRS Collective Crystal Award to ten EcoInfo engineers in July 2023, the GDRS transformation in January 2025, and the launch of BGES_DC in March 2026.

Name

EcoInfo

Legal name

EcoInfo - CNRS Research Group

Website

https://ecoinfo.cnrs.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

EcoInfo is a CNRS research group (GDRS) that helps French higher education and research institutions measure and reduce the environmental and societal impacts of digital technology through free tools, training, and publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable IT Research and Education Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Emissions Factors, LCA & Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) Platforms (EUABAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

ESG/Sustainability Reporting & Disclosure Platforms (EUABAEAB)

Keywords

• Green IT consulting
• Carbon footprint calculators
• Eco-design guidance
• IT e-waste management
• Sustainable digital training

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EcoInfo is a CNRS research and service group that provides free tools, guides, training, and publications to help French higher education and research institutions measure and reduce the environmental footprint of their digital infrastructure, software, and services. Its offerings include carbon calculation tools (EcoDiag, BGES_DC), eco-design guides for developers, end-of-life IT equipment guides, residential training programs (ANF), and a public MOOC on digital environmental impacts.

Product overview

EcoInfo is an information and education service (GDRS - Groupement de Recherche et de Service) under CNRS focused on reducing the environmental and societal impacts of digital technologies. Rather than offering a unified software product, EcoInfo provides an ecosystem of educational resources including carbon calculation tools (EcoDiag, BGES_DC), publications (books, guides on eco-conception and DEEE management), training programs (ANF sessions), and online courses (MOOC). Their portfolio centers on awareness, education, and practical guidance for sustainable IT practices across datacenters, software development, and digital services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EcoDiag Carbon Calculator Online carbon calculation tool that enables organizations to estimate the carbon footprint of their IT equipment and digital services.
• BGES_DC Carbon Balance Service Spreadsheet-based service supporting organizations in creating an annual carbon balance for IT equipment in a server room, using an inventory-based methodology.
• MOOC Impacts environnementaux du numérique Free online course (MOOC) co-produced with Association Class'Code and Inria, covering the environmental impacts of digital technology, available on the FUN platform.
• Knowledge Referential for Eco-Responsible Digital Structured knowledge referential for teaching responsible digital practices in higher education, covering impacts of digital technology and methods to reduce them, available on HAL.
• EcoDiag Brochure and Eco-Design Guides (Plaquette « Je code ») Sixth-version guide on eco-design best practices for software developers creating sustainable digital services, published on HAL.
• DEEE Practical Guide (End-of-Life IT Equipment) Annual guide providing organizations with best practices for the proper end-of-life management of IT equipment, helping handle electronic waste responsibly.
• Les Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication (Book) Book published by EDP Sciences presenting all environmental impacts caused by information and communication technologies, covering lifecycle stages from production to end-of-life.
• ANF Sobriété Numérique Training Program Intensive residential training program (Action Nationale de Formation) for CNRS personnel and partner institutions on digital environmental impacts, eco-design, and digital sobriety.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ADEME (Agence de la transition écologique): France's national agency for ecological transition, which publishes guidance and supports programs on digital environmental impacts, eco-design, and datacenter efficiency. Comparable as a larger, government-funded authority that overlaps with EcoInfo's subject matter, but operates at national policy scale across all environmental domains.
• INRIA: France's national computer science research institute, co-producer of EcoInfo's MOOC and partner in digital environmental research. Comparable as a French public-research body involved in digital-environmental-impact work, though with a much broader computer-science mandate.
• Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Alliance (SDIA): European alliance working to make digital infrastructure (datacentres, networks, devices) more sustainable. Comparable in scope — covering datacentres, devices, and software — but pan-European and industry-led rather than French public-research-led.
• Green Software Foundation: International consortium building standards, tooling, and specifications for green software engineering. Comparable in promoting eco-design of digital services and reducing software/hardware carbon footprint, but operates globally and as an industry consortium rather than a French public-research body.

Direct peers

• Institut du Numérique Responsable (INR): French organization promoting responsible digital practices across public and private organizations, including certification and training on digital eco-responsibility. Comparable to EcoInfo in addressing the same French ESR-and-beyond audience with guidance and training on sustainable digital practices.
• GreenIT.fr: French community and reference site promoting green IT practices, including digital sobriety, eco-design, and awareness of ICT environmental impacts. Directly comparable in mission to EcoInfo's awareness and best-practices work, though organized as an association rather than a CNRS research group.
• The Shift Project: French think tank producing influential reports on the environmental and societal impacts of digital technologies (notably the 'Lean ICT' report). Like EcoInfo, it operates as a French non-profit/public-interest research body focused on digital sobriety and carbon impacts of ICT.

Emerging players

• NegaOctet (now part of Resilio): French consultancy created to operationalize the 'NegaOctet' methodology for measuring the environmental impact of digital services. Comparable methodology base to EcoInfo's LCA tools but delivered through a commercial consulting model rather than free public resources.
• Boavizta: French open-source collective producing environmental impact assessment data and tools for digital services and hardware. Directly comparable methodology (LCA-based ICT impact assessment) and tool philosophy (open/public), though younger and more developer-focused than EcoInfo.

Regional players

• Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact: European industry self-regulation pact for datacenter climate neutrality by 2030. Comparable to EcoInfo's datacentre-focused work (BGES_DC, COC Code of Conduct) but operator-led rather than researcher-led, and EU-wide in scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecoinfo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EcoInfo