Trash Panda

Long description

The problem

Digital waste has a huge energy impact, but because we don’t see it, it’s easy to ignore. But the impact is real.

Online data uses more than 1% of the world’s electricity; data centres could use one-fifth of global energy by 2030. They use billions of gallons of water too.

The opportunity

90% of data is never accessed again 3 months after it’s stored. If we can help people identify this data (and make it fun to delete), we can reduce the environmental costs.

With the rise of flexible working, reducing data waste at work is the obvious place to begin.

The concept

Initially available for Slack, ‘Trash Panda’ is an app that helps you delete files you no longer need. You can set how often you’d like Sebastien (the Trash Panda assistant) to check in, and he’ll deliver impact reports so you can see what difference your whole workspace is making.

The name of the app is a nod to Internet slang for urban raccoons, who often scavenge in dumpsters – a playful metaphor for ‘eating digital scraps’.

By establishing Sebastien as the cute, slightly offbeat driving character, we’re making the app memorable. We’ve taken inspiration from nostalgic tech like Tamagotchi – how might we playfully tap into people’s nurturing instincts to solve a serious problem? We believe this character will have cross-cultural cut-through and appeal to many different age groups.

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