EDITORIAL Exploring Environmental Applications and Benefits of Information and Communication Technology Introduction to the Special Issue Eric Masanet and H. Scott Matthews “Because of its emphasis on the use of system perspectives, industrial ecology is well suited to analysis of both the benefits and impacts of ICT. ... this collection of articles brings these topics into sharper focus, highlights future di- rections for ICT applications and their potential positive implications, and re- inforces the importance of future re- search work...” When the first commercialized transistor ushered in the solid-state era nearly 60 years ago, few could have imagined the many ways that information and communication tech- nology (ICT) would permeate and trans- form our lives in the 21st century. Today, ICT is a critical com- ponent of nearly ev- ery sector of the global economy, and has led to considerable trans- formations in the way that humans interact with each other and with the world around them. Information and communication technology can be broadly defined as systems whose funda- mental functions are anchored in the generation, processing, storage, communication, and/or pre- sentation of digital information. Many ICT sys- tems employ most or all of these elements, and the vast majority of these systems are based en- tirely on solid-state technologies. Arguably the most prominent example of a transformative ICT system is the Internet, which serves as the global c  2010 by Yale University DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-9290.2010.00285.x Volume 14, Number 5 backbone of the information age and whose reach extends into most modern ICT applications in every sector. Increasingly, ICT systems are being rec- ognized and promoted for their benefits to productivity, cost effe- ctiveness, energy and resource efficiency, and environmental burden reduction in many applications. A few interesting ex- amples of such appli- cations are featured on this issue’s cover. A state-of-the-art earth mover may rely on machine sensors, global positioning system (GPS) communications, and sophisticated com- puter controls to allow an operator to maximize the productivity and fuel efficiency of construc- tion operations in real time. Smart utility meters can record and upload building energy use data in near real-time fashion. These systems markedly improve energy data access – from any networked device – for both utility companies and cus- tomers, which can lead to more energy-conscious behaviors. Data centers and the Internet have ushered in exciting new opportunities for replacing physical media with digital services (e.g., e-commerce, digital music, and digital www.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jie Journal of Industrial Ecology 687