At Sustainable Places 2024, the 6G4Society initiative presented a workshop titled “Towards Sustainable 6G Mobile Networks” to address the environmental impacts of next-generation connectivity. The session highlighted the urgent need to redesign how networks are engineered, utilized, and disposed of, noting that virtualization can obscure significant negative consequences observed during the transition from 4G to 5G. Key projects including 6G-TWIN, BeGREEN, CENTRIC, and 6Green collaborated with industry and policy stakeholders to explore integrating sustainability directly into the core of 6G development. This multidisciplinary effort aims to ensure that future 6G networks are not only resilient and intelligent but also aligned with global ecological goals and social inclusivity.
Keywords: sustainable 6G, environmental responsibility, green networks, cross-sector collaboration, EU sustainability goals