Committed to connecting the world

Executive Summary

Executive Summary of the ITU-T Study Group 5 Meeting
“Environment, climate action, circular economy and electromagnetic fields”

(Geneva, 3-12 June 2025)

The first meeting of ITU-T Study Group 5 “EMF, environment, climate action, sustainable digitalization and circular economy” in the 2025–2028 study period, convened by TSB Collective letter 1, took place in Geneva, from 3 to 12 June 2025.

The ITU-T Study Group 5 meeting was chaired by Mr Dominique Würges (France), Chair of ITU-T Study Group 5, and supported by the following Vice-Chairs: Shuguang Qi (China), Neha Upadhyay (India), Byung Chan Kim (Korea (Rep. of)), Derrick Khamali (Kenya), William Daniel Mnyippembe (Tanzania), Helen Nakiguli (Uganda), Beniamino Gorini (Finland), Daniel Dianat (Sweden), Rafia Barkat (Algeria), Khaled Alsaleem (Kuwait), Fatima Alouane (Morocco).

Remote participation was provided for all sessions.

Statistics

Participants: 228 (TD47-R1)
Contributions: 187 (198 were received but seven were withdrawn due to duplication and four were withdrawn as the numbers had been skipped by the system)
TDs (not counting the revisions): 483
Incoming/ Outgoing Liaison Statements: 62 incoming liaison statements and 31 outgoing liaison statements TD43-R5. See also LS database.

Main discussions and results

At its meeting held in Geneva from 3 to 12 June 2025, ITU-T Study Group 5 achieved the following outcomes:

Consented Recommendations: 24 (of which 8 are revised Recommendations)
Recommendations Approved: none at this meeting;
Other texts agreed: 2 at this meeting;
New work items: 28 at this meeting.

Major accomplishments
Main decisions taken by WTSA

The Study Group 5 Chair provided a brief overview of the highlights of WTSA-24. The following TDs and Documents were presented and noted:

TD40-R1 - Highlights of WTSA-24 relevant to ITU-T Study Group 5
Resolution 2 (Rev. New Delhi, 2024) “Scope and mandate of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector study groups”. See section related to “Mandate of Study Group 5: Area of responsibility, Lead Study Group, Points of Guidance, Recommendations under its responsibility”
C1 - Title, mandate, lead roles, points of guidance and Questions for ITU-T Study Group 5 in the study period 2025–2028
TD41-R1 - WTSA-24 Resolutions of interest to Study Group 5
TD261 - Draft Action plans for implementation of WTSA-24 Resolutions 72, 73 and 79 (Rev. New Delhi, 2024) (Environment, climate action, circular economy and electromagnetic fields)
WTSA-24 Proceedings - Review of new/revised Resolutions and A-series Recommendations

Organization of the work of ITU-T Study Group 5

During the WTSA-24 (New Delhi, 15–24 October 2024), the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of ITU-T Study Group 5 were appointed as contained in TD3-R1. This document was presented and noted.

ITU-T Study Group 5 Structure

The structure of Study Group 5 was presented and approved as contained in TD42-R1.

The designation of Working Party Chair and Working Party Vice-Chairs was presented and approved as contained in TD3-R1.

The designation of Rapporteurs and Associate Rapporteurs was presented and approved as contained TD4-R3.

TD33-R1 contains the list of existing work items assigned to the new structure (ITU-T Study Group 5 Work programme)

Approved Recommendations by ITU-T Study Group 5 (according to A.5 §5)

ITU-T Rec. Number	Title	Question	TD
None

Recommendations Consented by SG5 for Last Call (AAP - Recommendation A.8)

Revised Recommendations

Work item or provisional name	Title	Q	TD	A.5 justification	Recommendation number
K.147	Protection of digital ports connected to balanced pairs of conductors	2/5	TD348	N/A	K.147
K.113	Generation of radiofrequency electromagnetic field level maps	3/5	TD321-R4	N/A	K.113
K.61	Guidance on measurement and numerical prediction of electromagnetic fields for compliance with human exposure limits for telecommunication installations	3/5	TD382	N/A	K.61
K.49	Test requirements and performance criteria for voice terminal telephones subject to disturbance from digital mobile telecommunications systems	4/5	TD307-R1	N/A	K.49
K.54	Conducted immunity test method and level at fundamental power frequencies	4/5	TD311	N/A	K.54
L.1206	Impact on information and communication technology equipment architecture of multiple AC, −48 VDC or up to 400 VDC power inputs	6/5	TD289	TD295	L.1206
L.1007Cor.1	Test suites for assessment of the external universal power adapter solutions for portable information and Communication technology devices	7/5	TD455-R1	N/A	L.1007
L.1480rev	Enabling the Net Zero transition: Assessing how the use of information and communication technology solutions impacts greenhouse gas emissions of other sectors	9/5	TD368	N/A	L.1480

New Recommendations

Work item or provisional name	Title	Q	TD	A.5 justification	Recommendation number
K.pids	Practical guidance for protection of the indoor distribution system for mobile communication in large-scale physical buildings	1/5	TD297-R3		K.158
L.EE_sgpu	Energy Efficiency measurement methodology and metrics for heterogeneous servers	6/5	TD287	TD292	L.1311
L.MCI_Gen	Monitoring and Control Interface for Infrastructure Equipment (Power, Cooling and Building Environment Systems used in Telecommunication Networks) - Generic Interface	6/5	TD374	TD372	L.1395
L.MCI_MIM	Monitoring and Control Interface for Infrastructure Equipment (Power, Cooling and Building Environment Systems used in Telecommunication Networks) - ICT equipment power, energy and environmental parameters monitoring information model	6/5	TD338-R1	TD323	L.1396
L.MCI_Bat	Monitoring and control interface for infrastructure equipment (Power, Cooling and environment systems used in telecommunication networks) - Battery system with integrated control and monitoring information model	6/5	TD294-R1	TD293	L.1397
L. ME_DD	Assessment of material efficiency of ICT network infrastructure goods (circular economy); Part 2: Server and data storage product secure data deletion functionality	7/5	TD326	TD440	L.1025
L.ME_AF	Assessment of material efficiency of ICT network infrastructure goods (circular economy); Part 3 Server and data storage product availability of firmware and of security updates to firmware	7/5	TD325	N/A	L.1080
L.DMTT	Specification for the durability assessment of mobile telecommunication terminals	7/5	TD302-R2	TD441-R1	L1018
L.UFCS	Universal Fast Charging Solution for mobile terminals	7/5	TD310-R2	TD475	L.1004
L.DLB	Guidelines for the durability assessment of Lithium-ion Batteries	7/5	TD298-R2	TD305-R1	L.1011
L.GPSIM	Good practices for the sanitization of the information media in end-of-life ICT user devices	7/5	TD303	N/A	L.1081
L.e-waste-collection	Guidelines on the collection, pre-treatment, dismantling, valorization and final disposal of WEEE	7/5	TD397	N/A	L.1037
L.CircularCityKPIs	Key Performance Indicators for circular cities	7/5	TD327-R1	N/A	L.1621
L.WHR	Specification for waste heat reuse in telecommunication rooms and data centers	11/5	TD304-R4	N/A	L.1328
L.MM&BP_IP	Measurement methodology and best practices for decarbonization of industrial park in support of net zero	11/5	TD314-R4	N/A	L.1491
L.KPIs_Infratructure	Environmental Key Performance Indicators for Digital Infrastructure Adapting to Climate Change	12/5	TD337-R3	N/A	L.1510

Agreed informative texts

Work item or provisional name	Title	Question	TD	Document number
L.TR-CONF-to-L.1071	Guidance on conformity assessment of ICT goods/products to standards for ITU-T L.1071/ETSI ES 204 082	7/5	TD354	Technical Report to L.1071
L.supAiter	Standardized glossary of terms of AI and other Emerging Technologies to Ensure Environmental Efficiency	8/5	TD270-R1	L.Suppl.61

New Work Items

Work item	Title	Question	TD
K.Actual_Max	Guidance on implementation of Actual Maximum Approach for assessment, evaluation, compliance and monitoring of RF EMF	3/5	TD394-R1 (A.1)
K.83	Monitoring of electromagnetic field levels	3/5	TD386
K.Suppl.32	Case studies of radio frequency-electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) assessment	3/5	TD417
K.61	Guidance on measurement and numerical prediction of electromagnetic fields for compliance with human exposure limits for telecommunication installations	3/5	TD382
Revision of K.49	Test requirements and performance criteria for voice terminal telephones subject to disturbance from digital mobile telecommunications systems	4/5	TD313
Revision of K.54	Conducted immunity test method and level at fundamental power frequencies	4/5	TD312
L.Testing_LCR	Testing Guidelines for Cold-plate Liquid Cooled Cabinet in Data Centre	6/5	TD430-R2
L.DSEC	Requirements for energy efficiency management of data storage in data centres	6/5	TD450-R2
L.Water_DC	Guidance on Water Conservation Strategies in Data Centres	6/5	TD395-R1
L.Suppl_SBS	Solutions and Practices for Sustainable Base Station Sites in Off-grid Remote Area	6/5	TD406-R2
L.TR_750VDC	750 V DC power feeding systems for data centre	6/5	TD410-R1
L.MF_ACinDC	Monitoring framework for low-voltage AC power feeding system in data centre	6/5	TD456-R1
L.1022rev	Circular economy: Definitions and concepts for circular economy for information and communication technology	7/5	TD339
L.SPV_EOL	Framework and Requirements for Sustainable End-of-Life Management of Solar Photovoltaic Panels	7/5	TD460
L.EW_INT_ACT	E-Waste Lifecycle Integrity and Accountability	7/5	TD340
L.GDSR	Guidelines for Data Sanitization and Resource Recovery of End-of-Life Storage Devices	7/5	TD341-R1
L.TR-CONF-to-L.1071	Guidance on conformity assessment of ICT goods/products to standards for ITU-T L.1071/ETSI ES 204 082	7/5	TD355-R1
L.DPIS	Guidelines for a modular and scalable data system design of Digital Product Information Systems (DPIS) for ICT products	7/5	TD352-R2
L.ITservices_footprint	Methodology to assess the environmental Footprint of data centre IT hosting services and cloud services	9/5	TD403 (baseline) TD404-R1 (A.1)
L.1470rev	Greenhouse gas emissions trajectories for the information and communication technology sector compatible with the UNFCCC Paris Agreement	9/5	TD389-R1
L.Transition Plans	Guidance on Transition Plans in the ICT sector at the national and industry level	9/5	TD479-R1 (A.1)
L.ESS-adapt	Management system architecture for container-type ESS to support environment-adaptive operation	11/5	TD331-R4 (A.1)
L.ups_framework	Management system framework of UPS with Li-ion batteries for infrastructure	11/5	TD334-R4
L.MMOC	Multi microgrid scheduling architecture and scenario requirements aiming for reduction of GHG emissions	11/5	TD332-R4 (A.1)
L.TLB	Full time immersion liquid temperature-controlled Lithium Iron Phosphate battery systems	11/5	TD329-R2 (A.1)
L.TR_GHG_DR	Mechanism and framework of power grid demand response based on GHG emission factor	11/5	TD333-R4 (A.13)
L.Carbon_SLP	Guidelines for the Construction of Smart Low-Carbon Power Supply Facilities Adapted to Island Biodiversity	12/5	TD385-R3 (A.1)
L.ICT4LGTL	Guidelines of Using ICTs for Low Carbon Transition of Logistics	12/5	TD393-R2 (A.1)

Contributions
The full list of Contributions can be found in TD257-R1.

Reports of Working Parties

Working Parties Meeting

The draft Report of Working Party 1/5 can be found in TD20-R1.

The draft Report of Working Party 2/5 can be found in TD25-R3.

The draft Report of Working Party 3/5 can be found in TD29-R6.

Report of Q8/5 Guides and terminology on environment

The draft Report of Q8/5 can be found in TD28-R1.

Highlights of the first meeting of TSAG (26-30 May 2025)

The highlights of the first TSAG meeting held in Geneva from 26 to 30 May 2025 was provided during the opening plenary. Additionally, ITU-T Study Group 5 was informed of the following incoming liaison statements received from TSAG:

TD274 - LS/i on lead study group concept

TD275 - LS/i on the development of ITU-T Standards Success Stories

TD276 - LS/i on the activities and studies on sustainable digital transformation

TD277 - LS/i on streamlining JCA operations

TD278 - LS/i on the Terms of reference ITU-T SGs at the New work item opening

Action plans for implementation of WTSA-24 Resolutions 72, 73 and 79 (Rev. New Delhi, 2024) (Human exposure to EMF, environment, climate change and circular economy, and e-waste)

TD261 - contains the Draft Action Plan for the implementation of WTSA-24 Resolutions 72, 73 and 79 (Rev. New Delhi, 2024) (Human exposure to EMF, environment, climate change and circular economy, and e-waste). This document was presented during the meeting.

ITU-T Study Group 5 Regional Groups

ITU-T Study Group 5 Regional Group for Latin America

Since June 2024, the SG5RG-LATAM has held two meetings:

Lima, Peru, 5 September 2024. This meetings was preceded by a Session on Environmental Sustainable Tech in Latin America: Standards for E-Waste Management, Circular Economy and GHG Emissions Reduction (English | Spanish). These events were organized jointly with the ITU Policy and Economics Colloquium for the Americas (IPEC 24).
The meeting was attended by 13 participants from five countries.
The report of this meeting is available as SG5RG-LATAM Report 1.
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 6–8 May 2025. This meeting was kindly hosted by the Instituto Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones (INDOTEL) Dominican Republic.
The meeting was a joint meeting with ITU-T SG20RG-LATAM.
These meetings were organized in conjunction with the following events:
The meeting was attended by 38 participants from 14 countries.
Additionally, the SG5RG-LATAM agreed to the revised Terms of Reference as contained in TD254.
The report of the SG5RG-LATAM is available as TD253 and SG5RG-LATAM Report 1.

List of stale work items

TSB provided information on the list of stale work items as contained in TD37-R1. The Rapporteurs of the concerned Questions were encouraged to discuss these work items during their respective sessions. The following actions were taken:

Q	Work item	Title	Action taken
Q1/5	K.5G-Lightning	Practical guide for lightning protection, earthing and bonding, and safety consideration of 5G radio base station	Discontinued
Q2/5	K.20_Revision	Resistibility of telecommunication equipment installed in a telecommunication centre to overvoltages and overcurrents	Updated - TD350
Q2/5	K.21_Revison	Resistibility of telecommunication equipment installed in customer premises to overvoltages and overcurrents	Updated - TD351
Q2/5	K.117	Primary protector parameters for the surge protection of equipment Ethernet ports	Discontinued
Q2/5	K.147	Protection of digital ports connected to balanced pairs of conductors	Updated - TD348
Q2/5	K.ecl	Surge protective component application guide - Electronic Current Limiters	Updated - TD383
Q2/5	K.gm	Performance Parameters and Test Methods for Hybrid Integrated Circuits Containing a Gas Discharge Tube (GDT) and a Metal-Oxide Varistor (MOV)	Updated - TD383
Q2/5	K.isolators	Integrated circuit isolators for telecommunications use	Updated - TD383
Q2/5	K.supple_tov	Protection of ICT Equipment with DC Power Supply against Transient Overvoltage (TOV)	Updated - TD380
Q3/5	K.Small	Small base stations - impact on the overall exposure level	Updated - TD461
Q6/5	L.1206	Impact on information and communication technology equipment architecture of multiple AC, ?48 VDC or up to 400 VDC power inputs	Consented
Q6/5	L.EE_dse	Energy efficiency metrics and measurement methods for data storage equipment	Updated - TD283
Q6/5	L.EE_serv	Energy Efficiency measurement methodology and metrics for servers	Updated - TD262
Q6/5	L.EEIoT	Energy Efficiency for Intelligent Internet of Things Platform	Updated - TD358
Q6/5	L.Energy_sav_Cloud & Edge	Energy saving design for Data Centre considering harmonization of Cloud and Edge	Updated - TD290-R1
Q6/5	L.FCC	Energy consumption management and optimization platform Framework for cloud computing	Discontinued
Q6/5	L.MM&BP_BS	Measurement methodology and Best Practices for decarbonization of Base Station sites in support of Net Zero	Updated - TD299
Q6/5	L.MM&BP_DC	Measurement methodology and Best Practices for decarbonization of Data Center and Telecommunication Room in support of Net Zero	Updated - TD359
Q6/5	L.MM_DC	Energy Efficiency Metric and Measurement Methodology for Data Centres and Telecommunication Rooms	Updated - TD360-R1
Q6/5	L.thermal_DC	Multi-level metrics for thermal environment and thermal performance of Data Centre	Updated - TD449
Q6/5	L.TR_CR_BS	Energy Efficiency Classification Criteria of Base Station Sites	Updated - TD301-R1
Q7/5	L.FrameworkCcArchitecture	Architecture Development Framework for circular city	Updated - TD426
Q7/5	L.ME_AF	Assessment of material efficiency of ICT network infrastructure goods (circular economy). Part 3: server and data storage product availability of firmware and of security updates to firmware	Updated - TD325
Q7/5	L.ME_DD	Assessment of material efficiency of ICT network infrastructure goods (circular economy). Part 2: server and data storage product secure data deletion functionality	Updated - TD326
Q7/5	L.SCCA	Supply chain-based carbon accounting information guidelines for ICT manufacturing industries	Discontinued
Q8/5	L.supAiter	Standardized glossary of terms of AI and other Emerging Technologies to Ensure Environmental Efficiency	Agreed - TD270-R1
Q9/5	L.1450rev	Methodologies for the assessment of the environmental impact of the information and communication technology sector	Updated - TD373
Q9/5	L. database EF	Criteria for the development and maintenance of an ITU database on emission factors	Updated - TD399
Q9/5	L.Biodiversity_opportunities	Development of guidance on how to assess the second order effects of ICT solutions on biodiversity, including positive effects	Updated - TD391
Q9/5	L.database countries	Criteria for the development and maintenance of databases on national ICT sector GHG emissions	Updated - TD463
Q9/5	L.Env_DC	Guidelines on Multi-Dimensional Environmental Metrics and Management for Data Centres	Updated - TD367
Q9/5	L.GHGemissions_DC	Methodologies for accounting Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Data Centers and Telecommunication Rooms	Updated - TD362
Q9/5	L.GHGemissions_IP	Methodologies for accounting Greenhouse Gas Emissions of using ICT in Industrial Parks	Updated - TD365
Q9/5	L.GHGintensities	GHG emissions intensity indicators for telecom network operators	Updated - TD448
Q9/5	L.SDT	Definition of Sustainable Digital Transformation	Contributions were encouraged
Q9/5	L.Suppl.Administrations	Guidance for Administrations on the application of L.Enablement	Discontinued
Q9/5	L.Suppl.Examples	Examples related to applying methodology to assess ICT solution GHG impacts	Updated - TD366
Q9/5	L.Suppl.Scope3_DC	Scope 3 guidance for data center operators	Updated - TD465
Q9/5	L.TCFD	Application of the activities of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures in the ICT sector	Discontinued
Q9/5	Suppl.L.Decarbonisation (ex L.Sup.Decarbonisation)	Decarbonisation strategies to implement Recommendation ITU-T L.1470 trajectories	Discontinued
Q11/5	L.BP_SC	Best Practices for decarbonization of Smart City in support of Net Zero	Updated - TD436
Q11/5	L.MM&BP_IP	Measurement methodology and Best Practices for decarbonization of Industrial Park in support of Net Zero	Updated - TD314-R4
Q11/5	L.SE_MI	Smart Energy Solutions for Manufacturing Industry	Updated - TD335
Q12/5	L.SMART	Impact assessment framework for evaluating how ICT-based subsea infrastructure could support climate, environmental and biodiversity monitoring in the oceans	Updated - TD349

Collaboration matters and Information Sharing

During the opening plenary, the following information was provided:

ITU Activities at COP29 and preparation for COP30:
Highlights of COP29 (11–24 November 2024), GDA Summit (23 May 2025) and Preparation for CO30 (10–21 November 2025) as contained in TD271 was delivered by Study Group 5 Secretariat.
Reports and activities
Reports and activities related to Environment, EMF, Climate Action and Circular Economy

AI and the Environment - 2024 Report
Standardization for AI Environmental Sustainability
White Paper on Lithium Batteries for Telecom Sites
White Paper on the Safety of Lithium-ion Battery Applications in Data Centres
Pilot project on draft Recommendation ITU-T L.1472

Collaboration with ITU-D
ITU-D activities: Collaboration with BDT; upcoming WTDC (17–28 November 2025)

The following TDs were noted during the ITU-T Study Group 5 opening plenary:

TD38 - (Newcomers' Pack)
TD210-R1 – (Introductory ITU-T Study Group 5 presentation)
TD244 (Bridging the Standardization Gap (BSG) training on Contributions, 20 May 2025)
TD263 Template for A.1 justification information.
TD264 Template for A.13 justification information.
TD265 Template for A.25 justification information.
TD36 – (A.2 – Guidelines for Contributions)

Promotion activities and bridging the standardizaion gap

Information was provided on the events organized as of June 2024 related to the activities on Environment, EMF and Circular Economy:

ITU-ETSI Symposium on ICT Sustainability: Standards Driving Environmental Innovation, (Geneva, 11–21 December 2024)
IEEE-ITU Symposium on Achieving Climate Resilience - Towards a Technology Roadmap: Leveraging Policy, Standards, Skills and Finance, (Geneva, 12–13 December 2024)
Side Event to 2025 BRS COPs: Towards a Global Framework for Digital Product Information Systems: Enhancing Sustainability and Traceability for the ICT sector, (Geneva, 30 April 2025)
Forum on Sustainable Digital Transformation in Latin America,
(Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 8 May 2025)

Additionally, the following events were announced:

WSIS+20, (Geneva, 7–11 July 2025). The following sessions are being organized related to ITU-T Study Group 5 activities:

Environment special track: Digital Solutions for Sustainability: ICT's Role in GHG Reduction and Biodiversity Protection, Tuesday, 8 July 2025, (1500–1545 CEST)
Reshaping the environmental dimensions of global digital governance: Digital Product Information Systems, Tuesday, 8 July 2025, (1545–1645 CEST)

AI for Good Summit (Geneva, 8–11 July 2025):

Navigating the Intersect of AI, Environment and Energy for a Sustainable Future: Thursday, 10 July 2025, Geneva, Switzerland
International AI Standards Exchange: 11 July 2025, Geneva, Switzerland

Study Group 5 Management Team, Rapporteurs and Associate Rapporteurs and Liaison Rapporteurs

Click here for the complete list of Study Group 5 Rapporteurs and Associate Rapporteurs.
Click here for the complete list of Study Group 5 Liaison Rapporteurs and other representative roles. Designation of Liaison Rapporteurs to the collaborating organizations TD5-R5-List of ITU-T Study Group 5 Representatives and other roles
Click here for the complete list of Study Group 5 management team.

Dates of the next ITU-T Study Group 5 meeting

The next ITU-T Study Group 5 is planned to be held from 29 October – 6 November 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland. It was mentioned that the date and venue might change and the status of the meeting is to be confirmed.

Executive Summary from previous meetings: 2025-06 | 2024-06 | 2023-11 | 2023-06 | 2023-02 | 2022-12 | 2022-10 | 2022-07 | 2021-12 | 2021-05 I 2020-10 I 2020-05 I 2019-09 | 2019-05 | 2018-09 | 2018-05 | 2018-03 | 2017-11 | 2017-05 | 2016-04 | 2015-10 | 2014-12 | 2014-07 | 2014-05 | 2013-12 | 2013-01 | 2012-04 | 2011-09 | 2011-04 | 2010-11 | 2010-04 | 2010-01 | 2009-10 | 2009-05 | 2008-11 | 2008-02

Committed to connecting the world

Executive Summary

(Geneva, 3-12 June 2025)​​

Statistics​​

Major accomplishments​Main decisions taken by WTSA

The Study Group 5 Chair provided a brief overview of the highlights of WTSA-24. The following TDs and Documents were presented and noted:​

Organization of the work of ITU-T Study Group 5​​