Driving environmental performance across a nationwide IT system
U Tech is the IT division of Coopérative U - the 4th larget supermarket retail chain in France -, supporting 1,790 stores and 175,000 employees across France. With over 320,000 devices deployed across warehouses, headquarters and points of sale, the infrastructure is both dense and highly distributed. In 2022, the leadership team launched a Green IT initiative with a clear ambition: turn carbon data into a concrete lever for action.
“We didn’t measure just for the sake of it. The point was to act — to focus our efforts where the footprint was highest, and launch targeted initiatives accordingly.”
About
U TECH is the IT department of the Coopérative U, a major French retail cooperative. Created in 2011, U TECH is an IT company with around 600 employees, based near Nantes in the Pays de la Loire region.
Challenge
At the outset, U Tech had no structured method for calculating its IT carbon footprint. While sustainability goals were clear, translating them into operational actions proved difficult — especially with limited internal expertise on carbon accounting, and a fragmented view of emissions across a vast, multi-site infrastructure.
The team needed a way to consolidate its data, surface priority areas, and steer efforts using facts — not assumptions.
Solution
Aguaro was selected following a market review, notably for its native integration with ServiceNow and its ability to scale across a complex IT ecosystem. Within two months, the platform was deployed and running on U Tech’s asset base. Two additional months were dedicated to refining the CMDB, correcting anomalies, and completing the first footprint.
The platform provided detailed carbon emissions data by device type and location, revealed unexpected emission hotspots — such as the environmental weight of checkout systems — and allowed for dynamic recalculations through the rebaselining feauture in the Aguaro solution. A first consolidated report was shared with the executive committee after just four months, helping anchor the topic at leadership level.
Results
Complete visibility over 320,000 devices and their CO2 emissions
Carbon data now integrated into IT lifecycle decisions
Extension of device lifespan: from 6 to 8 years for servers, and from 6 to 7 years for checkout systems
Annual environmental footprint questionnaire implemented to involve suppliers in the process.
A scenario-based 2030 carbon trajectory built collaboratively with internal teams
Today, Aguaro has become a cornerstone of Green IT at U Tech.
