What Is a Green IT Certification? 5 Options to Consider for You and Your Business

Key takeaways

• Green IT certification validates that you or your business have the skills to follow sustainability practices within your information technology (IT) department and data practices.

• Green IT certification programs include the IFGICT Green IT Professional and the IFGICT Sustainable Development Goals Manager, among others.

• Green IT technology focuses on sustainably managing, manufacturing, and disposing of computing products.

Job roles that can benefit from green IT certification include network engineer, data center manager, and sustainability manager. Learn more about green IT, why it's important to introduce sustainability into IT, and some certifications you can earn to develop new skills in sustainable practices. Then, expand your skills by earning the Google IT Support Professional Certificate and gain the skills required to succeed in an entry-level IT job.

What is green IT technology?

Green information technology (IT), sometimes called green computing, is a practice of IT that focuses on the sustainable management, manufacture, and disposal of computing products. Computers, servers, and chips use large amounts of energy and require many raw materials to produce, so green IT practices look to minimize energy usage while maximizing a product’s life span.

Why is green IT important?

The estimated global share of carbon emissions from the internet and communication technology (ICT) sector ranges from 1.5 to 4 percent [1]. Fortunately, you can help combat climate change while working in information technology (IT) with a green IT certification.

Artificial intelligence (AI) currently uses 15 to 25 percent of data center electricity, and with the expected increase in AI use as well as non-AI data, the strain on the energy grid is growing [2]. By earning a green IT certification, you can become part of the solution by learning how to create energy-efficient hardware, infrastructure, and energy production for the IT sector.

Read more: Sustainable AI: How AI Can Help with Sustainability

What are green IT standards?

One of the first green IT standards was the Energy Star certification program created by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help businesses protect the environment while remaining profitable [3]. While a formal list of green IT standards doesn’t exist, some principles that businesses are developing include:

• Creating monitoring and sustainability tools to measure power consumption, power usage effectiveness (PUE), and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

• Examining the entire logistics chain to learn about the carbon emissions of their providers and opting for eco-friendly partners

• Setting a series of sustainable goals and protocols, meaning IT companies need to monitor, partner with an environmental agency or group, and set aggressive PUE goals

• Recycling, reusing, or refurbishing old electronics to prevent e-waste and using a certified vendor from the EPA when it’s necessary to dispose of used electronics

What is a green IT certification?

Green IT certification gives you formal training in sustainability practices when it comes to computers, technology, and data centers. It’s important to note that you can encourage sustainability practices in your business or data center without certification, but it can give you the skills to understand its importance, the complex processes in place, and how you can make an impact.

Green technology example: LEED certification

While not directly a green IT certification, one certification to consider is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) credential. These certifications showcase your skills and understanding of green building practices, energy use, and design. A popular first choice is the LEED Green Associate, which measures your basic knowledge of green building principles. The exam has 100 multiple-choice questions and costs $250 [4].

Tonex's Green Computing Training—Developing Energy-Efficient Algorithms and Hardware

Cost: Contact the provider for more information [5].

Requirements: No prerequisites

The Green Computing Training from Tonex helps you gain skills in developing energy-efficient software and hardware, and minimizing energy use while maintaining computing performance. Topics covered include green computing principles, techniques for developing energy-efficient hardware and software, and how to assess the environmental impact of information technology.

IFGICT Green IT Professional Certification

Cost: $250 [6]

Requirements: No prerequisites

The Green IT Professional certification from the International Federation of Global and Green Information Communication Technology (IFGICT) demonstrates your skills in green IT. It focuses on reducing the environmental impact of IT while driving sustainable building practices. The course helps you learn skills in strategies, lifecycle management, environmental management systems auditing, greenhouse gas emissions, and green IT standards.

Green Software Foundation's Green Software Practitioner

Cost: $0 [7]

Requirements: No prerequisites

The Green Software Practitioner course from the Green Software Foundation can help you learn green software principles to create more efficient applications. It starts by defining green principles and shows you how to apply them to software development. It explores terms like carbon efficiency, energy efficiency, carbon awareness, hardware efficiency, and climate commitment.

IFGICT Sustainable Development Goals Manager Certification (SDGM)

Cost: $250 covers course materials, exam, and certification [8]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree recommended

The Sustainable Development Goals Manager Certification demonstrates your skills in developing and implementing sustainable development goals (SDGs) for businesses. You can learn the SDG principles that the United Nations (UN) uses to help organizations meet these goals. Some principles you’ll explore include:

• The effects of climate change

• The current UN 2030 Agenda

• All 17 SDGs and their 169 targets

• How to monitor SDGs using key metrics

• How to implement strategies to meet these goals

IFGICT Green ICT Standard Certification

The Green ICT Standard [9] is a certification that businesses can earn from IFGICT to demonstrate their organization’s commitment to sustainability. To earn certification, a committee at IFGICT will audit your ICT sustainability principles. The audit process is as follows:

1. Determine the scope of the audit with IFGICT professionals.

2. The auditors will examine company procedures, reviews, and policies, and perform inspections.

3. They compare their review to the IFGICT Standard practices and identify areas of improvement.

4. You’ll receive a list of improvements that your organization should create a plan to address.

Some of the IFGICT Standards include proper waste management, energy efficiency, sustainable supply chains, and green data center principles. After passing the audit, you’ll receive your certification.

Jobs that can benefit from a green IT certification

Formal certification in green IT can help you advance your career, gain new skills, and put sustainability principles into practice. Explore three IT careers that may require green IT certification, their total median annual pay, and the estimated job outlook.

Network engineer

Total median pay: $124,000 [10]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): 12 percent [11]

Network engineers create, plan, and maintain computer networks. They configure the network, install equipment, and manage the network after its installation. They can impact sustainability by choosing energy-efficient equipment, examining infrastructure, and reducing waste.

Data center manager

Total median pay: $183,000 [12]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): 15 percent [13]

Data center managers direct the entire IT staff within a data center and purchase, monitor, and repair existing equipment. Data center systems and storage are key areas where GHGs and energy can be cut.

Sustainability manager

Total median pay: $133,000 [14]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): 4 percent [15]

Sustainability managers work with other members of the management team and stakeholders to create policies and procedures and monitor goal metrics. They manage the intersection of environmental sustainability, reducing emissions, and economic goals.

*All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of August 2026. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

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