Socioecological Perspectives on Green Internet Implementation: A Qualitative Study of Awareness, Sustainable Practices, and Challenges

Abstract

This research presents a systems-thinking analysis of Green Internet implementation in Zimbabwe, integrating the Socioecological Model and Life Cycle Model to provide a multi-faceted understanding of the challenges involved. This study analytically investigates the multilevel socioecological factors and dynamics of the technology life cycle that influence the adoption of sustainable IT principles among institutional actors. Utilizing a hermeneutic phenomenographic approach and data from 102 in-depth interviews, this study reveals a significant lack of awareness, inconsistent implementation, and systemic constraints. A key analytical finding is the dominance of cost-driven procurement and a widespread “technological fetish”, which, combined with the absence of a national e-waste regulation, constitutes a permissive constraint that enables unsustainable practices in the country. The study identifies the lack of a formal e-waste recycling infrastructure and a “fear of disposal” as critical inhibitors in the end-of-life phase of the technology life cycle. Rather than viewing these issues in isolation, this research uses a systems lens to identify the establishment of a national e-waste law with mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as a crucial leverage point. This intervention is a strategic measure to overcome structural impediments and promote sustainable urban development in policy-fragile, low-resource contexts, providing valuable insights for policymakers and contributing to the broader discourse on sustainable ICT adoption in education.

1. Introduction

The world’s digital infrastructure is rapidly expanding, causing environmental impacts through e-waste, carbon emissions, and energy consumption. With over 15 billion Internet-connected devices expected by 2025 and doubling by 2030, eco-friendly infrastructure is urgently required [1]. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is responsible for emissions amounting to 568 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e) in 2020, 589 million tCO₂e in 2021, and 567 million tCO₂e in 2022. [2]. Platform usage increased during COVID-19, raising server demand [3]. This created an ‘overlooked environmental footprint’ [4]. Another overlooked concern is the management of electronic waste (e-waste). For instance, only seventy-eight countries across the globe have legislation on e-waste, yet its implementation remains ineffective [5]. As developing nations in the Global South increase Internet access, they receive ICTs from Western countries. Imported electronics often contain indiscriminately disposed unusable equipment, threatening the environment and health [6]. A typical example is Zimbabwe, which lacks e-waste policies [7]. This is not a unique experience, as has been seen in other parts of the world, such as Southeast Asia and other parts of Africa, where enforcement is weak [5]. For example, Southern Africa’s e-waste collection reached 0.02 Mt in 2019 [5]. Without policies, entities lack the environmental motivation to manage e-waste. Limited expertise, insufficient training, and scarce resources impede the impact mitigation.

Green Internet has emerged to reduce environmental impact through sustainable IT practices [8]. While Zimbabwe has undergone digital transformation, awareness of Green Internet principles remains limited [7]. These principles include energy-efficient ICT use, sustainable digital practices, and e-waste management [7]. Research has indicated that Zimbabwean institutions lack structured sustainability practices. Students at state universities are aware of e-waste sources but lack knowledge of their environmental and health impacts [9]. This knowledge gap impedes effective e-waste management because e-waste is among the fastest-growing hazardous waste streams globally. For instance, studies conducted at higher education institutions have observed a lack of formal e-waste management policies. In another context, Mutsau et al. [10] raised concerns over the risk of exposure to hazardous e-waste materials in Zimbabwean communities, highlighting a pressing public health concern. There is a need for solutions that require institutional development, civic education, and the establishment of the best e-waste management practices. Furthermore, research must focus on developing models to track electronic waste in low-resource settings, such as Zimbabwe, to urge governments to implement national legislation for electronic stewardship. This is because poor e-waste disposal stems primarily from insufficient environmental knowledge and institutional support [10].

Research addressing Zimbabwean institutions’ engagement with green ICT frameworks is limited. One Zimbabwean study [9] emphasized the need for government policies on e-waste management to enable institutional green initiatives. However, Zimbabwe lacks national e-waste laws and a Green ICT strategy, with government reports noting the absence of a framework for sustainable digital infrastructure. Despite the recommendations for sustainability awareness, no national assessment exists.

Despite the global imperative for sustainable digital practices, Zimbabwe presents a particularly critical, yet under-researched context due to its rapid digital expansion amidst a notable absence of national e-waste laws and comprehensive green ICT strategies. While previous research has touched upon e-waste awareness among university students and policy support for renewable technologies in the ICT sector [9], there remains a significant gap in understanding how institutions interpret, implement, and are challenged by Green Internet principles at the organizational and policy levels of the ICT sector. This study specifically addresses this gap by aiming to theorize and explain the multi-level socioecological factors and technology life cycle dynamics that shape how institutional actors in Zimbabwe interpret, understand, and operationalize Green Internet principles.

Guided by the Socioecological Model (SEM), which examines individual, organizational, and societal influences; the Life Cycle Model (LCM), which analyzes environmental impact across a gadget’s stages from design to disposal; and System Thinking (which looks at the interconnectedness of multiple actors and their resultant actions), this qualitative investigation seeks to answer the following research questions:

• To what extent are institutional actors in Zimbabwe aware of Green Internet principles?
• How do their perceptions and misconceptions shape the conceptualization of Green Internet principles?
• How are Green Internet practices applied across the technology life cycle?
• What gaps are evident in critical phases such as procurement and e-waste management?

By systematically exploring these questions, this study aims to move beyond descriptive findings to provide a deeper theoretical understanding of the underlying reasons for the observed phenomena, such as the pronounced lack of awareness and inconsistent implementation of eco-friendly practices at the institutional level. Ultimately, this research will not only inform the development of comprehensive policy frameworks and capacity-building efforts in Zimbabwe but will also contribute to a broader theoretical understanding of sustainable ICT adoption in diverse cultural and economic contexts.

2. Literature Review

The Internet and its related services—such as the World Wide Web, email, messaging, Internet telephony, and file sharing—are essential to the digital economy and contemporary life. With billions of devices currently connected, this number is expected to increase significantly in the coming years [11]. These connections rely on global communication infrastructures that employ TCP/IP protocols and energy-intensive data centers for storage and processing. Although this infrastructure enables digital transformation, it also significantly contributes to the ecological footprint of human activity [12]. In this context, the concept of a “Green Internet” has emerged, aiming to mitigate the environmental impacts of ICT infrastructure through energy-efficient design, sustainable data management, and responsible e-waste handling [13].

The literature on sustainable ICT and the Green Internet can be categorized into four thematic strands: (i) institutional frameworks, (ii) technical optimization strategies, (iii) macro-level policy and econometric studies, and (iv) country-specific e-waste awareness and practices. Reviewing these strands reveals important insights but also highlights critical gaps that this study addresses.

2.1. Related Work

• Institutional Frameworks

Uddin, Okai, and Sabba [14] examined the carbon footprints of ICT devices in universities across the United Kingdom and Malaysia and proposed a green ICT framework. This framework highlights practices such as cloud computing, green data centers, green printing, and the use of energy-efficient desktops. Beyond potential cost savings, the authors advocate for adopting green ICT as a catalyst for innovation in teaching and research, enhancing institutional reputation, and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. While the study offers practical strategies, its applicability is limited to high-capacity institutions in developed or emerging economies. Moreover, it does not incorporate broader theoretical frameworks like the socio-ecological model (SEM), the life cycle model (LCM) and Systems Thinking, nor does it address systemic policy issues such as e-waste regulation or urban mining, which are particularly relevant in the context of low-resource settings such as Zimbabwe.

• Technical Optimization Strategies

Rusdan [15] analyzed green networking implementation strategies at Bandung Technology University (BTU) and identified challenges such as high costs, staff resistance, and technical skill requirements. This study offers practical recommendations for institutions to effectively implement green networking. These include enhancing awareness and education regarding green networking, investing in environmentally sustainable technologies, and formulating policies and procedures that promote sustainability. This study highlighted several effective technologies and methodologies that support green networking. These include virtualization, energy-efficient Ethernet (EEE), power management, and cooling system optimization. While it touches upon energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions, it does not delve into the complexities of institutional e-waste management policies, recycling infrastructure development, urban mining technologies, or the reasons for the failure of voluntary standards (such as ISO 14001 [16]) to fill policy vacuums, which are crucial issues in low-resource settings such as the Zimbabwean context. The BTU study does not engage with broader, more abstract theoretical frameworks, nor does it provide guidance on integrating models to understand sociocultural perspectives behind the Green Internet concept. The scope of the BTU study is how to implement green networking rather than the underlying theoretical drivers or barriers from a socio-ecological perspective.

Although the BTU study identifies challenges like high costs and resistance, it does not explore the deeper systemic incentives, cultural disparities, or policy voids that hinder green practices at a national level, nor does it address issues like “technological fetish” (i.e., an unexplainable obsession with buying the latest technological devices) or the lack of national e-waste laws prevalent in Zimbabwe.

• Macro-Level Policy and Econometric Studies

Ibrahim and Waziri [17] conducted a regional econometric analysis of 45 sub-Saharan countries from 2008 to 2016, demonstrating that an increase in ICT penetration, in conjunction with renewable energy, contributes to reducing CO₂ emissions in the long run. Their study identified specific thresholds beyond which ICT penetration effectively mitigates emissions, thereby providing insights relevant to policy formulation. However, the study is primarily quantitative and macro-level in nature and does not capture the lived experiences, organizational practices, or motivations of institutional actors that influence the practical implementation of sustainability measures.

• Country-Specific Awareness and Practices

In proximity to Zimbabwe, scholarly investigations have focused on the awareness of electronic waste (e-waste). Maphosa et al. [9] evaluated the comprehension of e-waste among Zimbabwean university students, revealing that although students could define e-waste, the majority were unaware of its environmental and health implications, and this awareness did not translate into responsible disposal practices. Mutsau et al. [10] corroborated these findings by demonstrating that Zimbabwe lacks a national e-waste strategy, heavily depends on the informal sector for recycling, and has no formally established companies engaged in e-waste recycling. Both studies underscore the absence of legislation, civic education, and institutional frameworks; however, they remain predominantly descriptive and do not address broader Green Internet concepts such as energy-efficient networking or sustainable data centers.

2.2. Zimbabwe Context

Zimbabwe offers a particularly relevant context for exploring institutional awareness of the Green Internet. The Environmental Management Act (20:27) broadly addresses hazardous substances but lacks specific regulations for electronic waste, creating a significant policy gap [18]. To address this shortcoming, the authors submitted a draft policy document on governing the Green Internet ecosystem in Zimbabwe, a comprehensive management framework, although it is still under consultation [19,20]. Previous research has shown that many Zimbabwean companies are unaware of the impact of ICT End of Line (EoL), with little evidence of formal disposal policies or infrastructure [21]. Recent evaluations confirm this situation, with e-waste management largely handled by informal actors and a scarcity of formal recycling enterprises [19,20]. The National ICT Policy (2022–2027) emphasizes the use of green energy for ICT infrastructure but does not explicitly regulate e-waste or establish institutional accountability mechanisms [22]. At the institutional level, evidence from Zimbabwean public universities indicates a partial adoption of sustainable ICT practices, such as server virtualization and database consolidation. However, these practices are applied inconsistently, reflecting the absence of national and institutional frameworks [23]. Public awareness also remains low, with surveys showing superficial recognition of e-waste as a concept but limited understanding of its health and environmental consequences, along with a continued reliance on unsafe disposal methods [18]. Collectively, these findings underscore the urgent need for qualitative, institutionally grounded research. Zimbabwe exemplifies a setting where digital reliance is rapidly increasing in education, health, and public services, yet national policy gaps, limited recycling infrastructure, and cultural practices, such as a “technological fetish” for new devices, exacerbate sustainability challenges.

2.3. Synthesis and Research Gap

Across these strands, several discernible patterns emerge. Institutional studies provide actionable frameworks; however, they frequently overlook socio-ecological and policy contexts [14]. Technical studies prioritize energy efficiency but often neglect organizational behavior and broader sustainability dynamics [15,24]. Regional econometric analyses illustrate the potential of ICT to reduce emissions; however, they remain disconnected from the lived realities of institutions [17]. Research from Zimbabwe underscores knowledge gaps and policy deficiencies concerning e-waste; however, these studies are often narrow, descriptive, and disconnected from comprehensive Green Internet perspectives [18].

What remains insufficiently explored is the manner in which institutions in contexts such as Zimbabwe interpret and implement Green Internet principles throughout the entire technology life cycle—from design and usage to disposal and recycling. Notably, there is a paucity of qualitative, actor-focused studies that examine the motivations, perceptions, and systemic barriers encountered by organizations in adopting sustainable ICT practices. This study addresses this gap by employing a hermeneutic phenomenographic approach to capture institutional experiences, thereby contributing both empirically and theoretically to the understanding of Green Internet adoption in low-resource, policy-fragile environments.

3. The Theoretical Framework

This study employed a comprehensive theoretical framework that integrates the Social Ecological Model (SEM), Life Cycle Model (LCM) into a matrix table. This integration merged behavioral and structural insights with life cycle analysis through an interpretive matrix in which the qualitative interviews and sociodemographic characteristics of the participants were assessed. The theoretical framework identifies areas for policy intervention, innovation, and behavioral change. This integration synthesised micro- and macro-level insights, ensuring that Internet sustainability efforts consider both human and material dimensions.

3.1. The Socioecological Model (SEM)

The Socioecological Model (SEM), developed by Bronfenbrenner in the 1970s, explains how environmental and social systems influence human development and behavior through interconnected systems [25]. The SEM illustrates the influences across individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy dimensions [25]. SEM was used to analyze the influences on Green Internet practices in Zimbabwe, emphasising individual, organizational, and societal factors.

The model examines multiple environments that are part of the same reality [26]. The model views human development through reciprocal interactions between individuals and their environments. The ecological system comprises socially organized subsystems: microsystems (immediate environments), mesosystems (interactions between microsystems), exosystems (indirect external settings), macrosystems (cultural norms), and chronosystems (changes over time) [27].

This study applied SEM to examine Green Internet practices in Zimbabwe, investigating multilevel influences on adoption. The model identified factors affecting Green Internet by combining individual, community, and national influences [28]. SEM guides intervention strategies by examining individual, social, and policy-level factors and incorporating international policies to understand the effects of global systems on local decision-making.

3.2. Life Cycle Model of Gadgets in the Green Internet

The Life Cycle Model (LCM) in the Green Internet framework examines the environmental impact of electronic devices from production to disposal. The model comprises the production, distribution, use, maintenance, and disposal stages [29]. LCM ensures sustainability throughout the gadget life cycle and helps plan mitigation measures for e-waste and energy consumption.

Raw material extraction and manufacturing are energy-intensive processes, necessitating eco-friendly alternatives [30]. Device distribution creates greenhouse gas emissions through transportation and packaging [30,31]. The Green Internet promotes logistics optimization and package recycling.

With increasing global Internet usage, device energy efficiency is crucial because data centres and smartphones consume substantial amounts of electricity from fossil fuels. Green Internet principles promote renewable energy and energy-saving software. Rapid device turnover leads to excessive waste. Solutions include extending device lifespans and implementing circular economy models [29]. Extending the life of a gadget by one year can reduce its carbon footprint [32].

The Life Cycle Model has the potential to help policymakers minimise environmental impacts while promoting circular economy principles. The country needs energy-efficient devices and recycling programmes but lacks proper e-waste infrastructure. The implementation of this model will reduce hazardous waste and encourage greener designs.

3.3. Systems Thinking

The interrelationship of all the subsystems within the LCM-SEM framework can be interpreted closely using Systems Thinking [33]. This is because our approach to understanding the Green Internet concept treats it as an ecosystem with various interconnected components in the digital environment, including infrastructure, user behavior, and policy. The authors frame internet usage as an ecosystem, emphasizing holistic strategies that integrate stakeholders and practices to address environmental challenges through the “Iceberg” metaphor comprising events (daily issues that are visible on the surface), patterns (a collection of similar events that are visible low the surface) and systemic structures (the interconnections, policies, processes, rules, and deep mental structures that cause the events). The researchers carefully noted feedback loops (points in the LCM–SEM matrix that become input for the next stages), leverage points (critical LCM–SEM matrix points in which interventions can be initiated to change system-wide positive results instead of overhauling the whole system), and contextual constraints that make ICT sustainability particularly challenging in developing economies like Zimbabwe [33].

4. Methodology

Qualitative methods provide deep insights into complex phenomena by exploring human experiences and enabling researchers to connect them with subjects’ experiences. Understanding Green Internet awareness requires insight into each person’s perception. Qualitative research has revealed how institutional actors interpret greening practices and shape green ICT implementation [34]. This approach uncovers the behavioral dimensions that are missed by statistical studies [35]. Therefore, this study, which is part of a larger study on greening the Internet, used a hermeneutic phenomenographic approach to understand how individuals view the Internet. This approach was chosen because it looks for variations in interrelated conceptions of meaning or experience from different groups. It adopts a second-order perspective, concentrating on how people experience, perceive, or interpret others’ experiences [36]. This approach is also uniquely suited to the study’s goal of theorizing and explaining multi-level socioecological factors and technology life cycle dynamics related to the Green Internet. It aims to understand how diverse institutional actors in Zimbabwe interpret, understand, and operationalize Green Internet principles. The goal of phenomenography is to develop what is called an outcome space (i.e., matrix table showing the integration of the SEM, LCM and Systems Thinking using qualitative data), which is a summarised version of variations of experiences as they are interpreted among multiple individuals. In this case, the outcome matrix is interpreted vis-à-vis the lens of the theoretical framework, for example:

• SEM levels (Individual, IT personnel, Company, Government);
• Life Cycle Model (LCM) stages (Design, Manufacturing, Procurement, Usage, Disposal/e-waste, Urban mining);
• Systems Thinking (Events, Patterns, Systemic Structures, Feedback Loops, Leverage Points and Contextual Constraints).

4.1. Data Collection

We started off with both the LCM and SEM in designing the instruments and framing the data collection data which was initiated at a stakeholder meeting in which IT managers, directors, various ministries, and heads of industry were introduced to our research and how we planned to go about it. The Environmental Management Agency was instrumental in identifying data collection sites using the registries of companies engaged in different economic activities to ensure the variability of the respondents. Various companies and people from different organizations participated in this study.

Data collection took about six months, and 102 in-depth interviews were conducted across ten provinces of Zimbabwe; each interview lasted for about 30 min. The interviews included open-ended questions designed to elicit detailed responses about Green Internet, design, procurement, usage, and disposal of e-waste. The interviews were conducted in two phases: face-to-face, follow-up discussions, and peer debriefings. The following is a list of the economic sectors represented in the interviews: Non-Governmental Organizations, education, healthcare, religious institutions, retail, manufacturing, information and communication technology (ICT), government/public sector, environmental services/waste management, tourism and hospitality, logistics and transport, industrial associations, media, and general business.

4.2. Data Analysis

Categories of meanings were developed by analysing data on how the Green Internet is experienced in various institutions and what different actors do in terms of Green Internet. Transcripts were imported into MaxQDA 24 (a qualitative data analysis software package). The transcripts were read by each coder for more than one familiarity (commitment). The coders then agreed on a standardized coding book based on the elements of the LCM-SEM Systems Thinking framework. Each coder read an average of ten transcripts that they had collected during the fieldwork and then ten other transcripts from other team members as a peer debriefing method. The individual projects from each coder and peer debriefing were then integrated into one project in the MaxQDA 24.

The coding process was hybrid (known as abductive logic and reasoning which is deductive-inductive in nature) [37]. When coding we kept an open mind and the actual names of concepts named by the participants (in vivo coding) rather than following a theoretical structure (inductive—this allowed us to get insights and notice unexpected patterns from the data). Both LCM and SEM were then used to build a thematic analysis from the codes while revising our theoretical assumptions using Systems Thinking to build the outcome space (matrix table). Codes were then integrated for uniformity or given main headings (categorisation according to their main concepts), while new codes were discussed with coders for clarity. The codes were then arranged according to the main concepts of the LCM-SEM Systems Thinking and thematic analysis. The interrelation (if present) between each theme was investigated. Discussions were made with each coder regarding the presentation of the outcome space and how it pigeon-holed the interviews and coding that they had performed. Each cell in the matrix provides a unique meaning or theme to the outcome space. In building the matrix, we sought to explain and visualize the best relationship between the research questions and the findings and how other scholars have interpreted the phenomena of Green Internet. This methodological approach ensured that the theoretical frameworks guided the final thematic categorization while remaining robustly grounded in the lived experiences captured in the qualitative data. Figure 1 shows a flowchart of this phenomenography [38].

VOSviewer Approach

VOSviewer (version 1.6.20) software programme was used to supplement the phenomenographic evaluation by imagining theoretical connections in the qualitative data. This device mapped term co-occurrence patterns in interview transcripts, recognising key relationships to understand “variations of experiences”.

The process for creating the VOSviewer map entailed the following steps.

Data Prep Work and Keyword Identification: The 102 recorded interview records were given as Research Information Systems (.ris) data input to VOSviewer’s natural language processing (NLP) algorithms instantly determine pertinent terms. This process consists of the following steps:

• Sentence discovery to break down the text into individual sentences.
• Part-of-speech labelling to appoint grammatical categories (e.g., nouns and adjectives) to each word.
• Noun expression identification, defining a noun expression as a series of one or more consecutive words where the closest thing is a noun and preceding words are nouns or adjectives (e.g., “Environment-friendly Web”, “e-waste administration”).
• Noun expression unification, which standardizes terms by removing non-alphanumeric personalities, accents, converting uppercase to lowercase, and changing plural nouns to particular forms to guarantee consistent counting (e.g., “computer systems” merged to ‘computer’).

Term Selection: From the identified terms, a frequency-based threshold was applied, and only terms showing a minimum of 10 times in the dataset were included in the analysis. Furthermore, VOSviewer’s importance racking up system was made use of to filter out overly basic terms (e.g., “conclusion”, “approach”) that supply limited logical understanding, thereby concentrating on more particular and useful ideas connected to the research’s styles.

Network Construction and Clustering: A co-occurrence network was constructed, where terms represent products, with web links between frequently co-occurring terms in the interview transcripts. Link durability suggests the co-occurrence frequency. VOS clustering organizes the related terms into color-coded, non-overlapping clusters.

Visualisation Specifications: A co-occurrence network linked frequently co-occurring terms from meetings, with link stamina showing regularity. VOS clustering groups the associated terms into collections.

4.3. Rigor and Trustworthiness of the Findings

Rigorous design: The Environmental Management Agency was instrumental in identifying data collection sites using the registry of companies engaged in different economic activities to ensure respondent variability.

Prolonged engagement: Data collection took about six months, and each interview lasted about 30 min.

Triangulation: Various companies and people from different organizational levels participated in this study.

In-depth and contextual insights about Green Internet from a low-resource setting: Zimbabwe.

Commitment: Thorough engagement of coders with the transcripts, including reading them multiple times for familiarity, to ensure a deep understanding of the data, as described above.

Debriefing: Regular peer debriefing meetings with coders ensured that the analysis did not deviate from the findings.

Thick and rich descriptions of the findings: The “sandwich” approach was used to present the findings. This comprised a background on what the code/theme means, detailing how it was answered by the respondents (looking for trends, similarities, or differences among groups), presenting the relevant quotations, and then making hermeneutic, interpretive inferences.

The slight imbalance in analytical depth across the SEM levels stems from the sampling frame and focus. The study was designed to explore how companies are greening the Internet; therefore, the organizational and governmental levels naturally became the primary units of analysis, while the individual and societal levels served as secondary contexts. This design choice explains why the latter appears to be less developed. Metaphorically, this can be likened to adjusting a camera lens to bring the main subject into sharp focus, while other elements remain intentionally softer in the background.

5. Findings

This section presents the study’s findings, organized thematically, to provide a coherent analytical narrative. The findings are interpreted through the integrated lens of the Socioecological Model (SEM) and the Life Cycle Model (LCM), highlighting variations in experiences across individual, IT personnel, companies, and government levels (see

Table 1. Outcome space of the findings of the study.

	Design	Manufacturing	Procurement	Usage	Disposal/E-Waste	Urban Mining
Individual (non-IT personnel)—knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices)	Not directly involved in the design process.	Not directly involved in manufacturing.	Generally, not involved in organizational procurement. Personal gadget choices are often guided by factors other than the environment, such as model or specification.	Use devices connecting to the internet daily. Have a low awareness of Green Internet concepts. May have some conscious of protecting the environment through their usage habits. However, some can abuse the Internet at work.	Only responsible for disposing personal gadgets. Lack awareness of safe e-waste disposal methods. They can mix e-waste with general trash, burn it or dispose of it in water sources. May have a technological fetish for new gadgets.	Not explicitly stated in the sources.
IT personnel– knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices)	Involved in designing systems, networks, and software. Some may incorporate eco-friendliness into the design of systems. Use standard operating procedures (SOPs) and rely on algorithms to reduce energy consumption. Manage space storage space and can maintain or prolong the lifespan of devices.	The interviews did not show any involvement in the manufacturing process except defining procurement specification for ICTs devices.	IT personnel define specifications for gadgets that are procured, price, and durability. However, they are unaware of Green Star Rated devices.	IT personnel oversee and manage the ICT infrastructure, including servers, computing devices, mobile devices, and user support. They implement strategies like monitoring work gadgets to ensure strict work-related use and manage data usage and storage space.	Handle the disposal of ICTs equipment according to company SOPs and government regulations. May at times collaborate with recycling companies or may facilitate auctions. However, they are not trained in the disposal of e-waste.	Not explicitly mentioned.
Government level—knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices) Government level/Regulators/ Commissions—knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices)	Policy Development: Government ministries, including ICT, Primary Secondary Education, Energy and Power Development, and Justice Legal and Parliamentary Offices, are involved in or targeted by the policy framework development.	National procurement systems, such as the Public Management Act and PRAZ systems, are relevant to government procurement.	Administer the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe’s e-procurement system that handles central purchases within government departments.	Monitoring carbon emissions, cybersecurity, energy usage, within the Internet ecosystem and governing shared ICTs infrastructure.	Government procedures are in place for disposing of old gadgets.	government lacks policy regarding e-waste disposal, circular economy, incentives for recyclers, and potentially developing local industries that use recovered e-waste would be relevant to facilitating urban mining activities.

).

The VosViewer map below shows keywords that have been organized into color-coded clusters, illustrating related themes based on the concept appearing at least 10 times in the dataset of the 102 interview transcripts. The closer the concepts are to each other, the stronger the relationship. It can be observed that some concepts have no relationship to each other. In addition, the lines connecting the bubbles show the interconnections between the concepts. The most prominent themes are clustered around “Green Internet”, “energy”, “computer”, “company” and “green policy” (green color), “ewaste” (purple color), “data” (yellow color), and “iot”, “waste” “climate change” (blue color) (see Figure 2).

5.1. Analysis of the VOSviewer Map with Regard to the LCM-SEM Systems Thinking Structure

Cluster 1 (e.g., “Green Internet,” “solar energy,” “computer,” “company,” “policy”): This cluster shows the connection between Green Internet concepts and organizational and governmental levels. The co-occurrence of “energy” and “computer” relates to the usage phase of the Life Cycle model, focusing on computing device efficiency. Links to “company” and “policy” indicate that institutional and national frameworks are vital for addressing ICT energy consumption. This cluster suggests that decreasing ICT power consumption requires a mix of company campaigns and policy support, particularly during the life process model usage stage. The frequent reference of “Green Internet” suggests a standard understanding of the principle; however, it likewise emphasizes the requirement for a more comprehensive technique.

Cluster 2 (e.g., “technology,” “student,” “climate change”): This cluster reflects individual (SEM: individual level) and community-level (SEM: community level) awareness in educational settings. The connection between “student” and “technology” is clear, while “climate change” links technological practices to environmental impacts. While there is a clear connection between “innovation use” and “ecological effect”, the network’s weak links suggest a disconnect between specific individual awareness (SEM: Individual level) and systemic societal remedies (SEM: Societal level), posturing challenges in the development of a widespread Green Internetculture. This cluster’s analytical insight is that, despite rising individual concern (“climate change”), the lack of connection to practical implementation concepts implies a gap in formal education and awareness initiatives.

Other Clusters (e.g., “infrastructure”, “recycling”, “e-waste”).

5.2. Understanding Green Internet: Awareness, Definitions, and Misconceptions

There is a pronounced lack of awareness and understanding of Green Internet principles among participants from various sectors in Zimbabwe in contrast to the growing global emphasis. Although Green Computing is more widely recognized, awareness of the specific environmental footprint of Internet usage remains low. While Figure 3 shows the main clusters related to the definitions of Green Internet, any additional clusters would be interpreted through the LCM-SEM Systems Thinking framework.

5.2.1. Awareness Levels and Information Sources

General Awareness: A significant number of participants (24 out of 102) were unaware of the term “Green Internet”, with only one having recently heard of it. This indicates a substantial barrier to the pre-adoption phase of Green IT initiatives.

Information Sources for Students: University students, a key segment of ICT users, primarily obtained their basic knowledge of e-waste from the Internet (60%), followed by formal lectures (14.1%). This suggests that formal curricula may not adequately address these issues.

Specific Knowledge Gaps: Most university students, despite having basic e-waste knowledge (80.7%), were unaware of their specific environmental (60.8%) and public health effects (70%). This lack of advanced knowledge is attributed to the absence of a dedicated e-waste management curriculum in the universities. Similarly, employees in some companies have limited access to ICT policies, preventing the understanding of Green Internet issues, with policies often focusing on Internet addiction rather than environmental aspects. One ICT professional showed uneven knowledge of Green Internet concepts.

Awareness of Regulatory Presence: Individuals outside public sector employment, including non-IT personnel, demonstrated a lack of awareness regarding existing national ICT policies, security, and data protection policies in Zimbabwe, suggesting a need for greater public and private sector emphasis, particularly in critical sectors such as banking and insurance.

5.2.2. Perceptions and Misconceptions of “Green Internet”

Dominant Interpretations: The dominant views linked the Green Internet to energy efficiency, renewable energy use, and electronic waste management. These interpretations sometimes extend to broader concepts, such as environmental protection and the smart use of ICT resources (networks, servers, computers) (see Figure 3).

Link with Green Computing: Some participants, particularly those with ICT backgrounds from the education sector, equated “Green Internet” with “Green Computing” and its associated principles of smart ICT resource use and disposal.

Misconceptions: Various misconceptions were noted. Some associated “green” with general Internet gadget use or perceived it as making the Internet “safe” or related to physical effects such as radiation. Organizations have been found to implement Green Internet principles without explicitly recognising or naming the concept.

Analytical Insight: The varied definitions highlight the urgent need for standardized terminology and educational initiatives to foster a cohesive understanding of Green Internet concepts across different stakeholder groups. The application of SEM reveals that factors at individual, social, and national levels influence adoption, necessitating multi-level interventions. The significant knowledge gaps, even among university students, underscore a fundamental barrier (SEM: Individual level) that hinders engagement with the deeper implications of digital environmental impact.

5.3. Green Internet Practices Across the Technology Life Cycle

This section details the current Green Internet practices observed across various stages of the technology Life Cycle Model (LCM), distinguishing experiences at the individual (non-IT personnel), IT personnel, and company levels. Government-level practices are integrated and relevant to life-cycle stages.

5.3.1. Design and Manufacturing for Sustainability (LCM: Design, Manufacturing)

Individual/Non-IT Personnel: Generally, non-IT personnel are not directly involved in the design or manufacturing processes of ICT equipment.

IT Personnel: IT professionals are involved in designing systems, networks, and software. While some incorporate eco-friendly features, others prioritize user needs such as speed and cost. They consider energy savings and storage space in software design and aim to prolong gadget lifespans through remote troubleshooting and enforcing sleep/hibernation policies.

Company Level: Organizations are crucial in developing networks, hardware, and software, with a growing trend of incorporating eco-friendly features into designs, although these are not always a primary focus. The manufacturing of ICT equipment is not a significant local activity in Zimbabwe as most gadgets are imported. Local manufacturers tend to focus on sustainability efforts based on the operational efficiency of their factories rather than on the product. Some manufacturing companies monitor emissions and engage in carbon offsetting to achieve “green zone” status, facing penalties for higher emission categories. However, not all manufacturers have consistently monitored their emissions, indicating varied practices.

5.3.2. Sustainable Procurement Decisions (LCM: Procurement)

Individual/Non-IT Personnel: Non-IT employees are largely excluded from company procurement processes and receive centrally acquired devices. Personal gadget choices are often guided by features and costs, rather than environmental considerations.

IT Personnel: IT staff play a key role in technology acquisition by defining technical specifications, costs, and durability. However, energy efficiency and environmental sustainability are often overlooked in these decisions, and many IT professionals lack awareness of eco-friendly alternatives, such as Green Star Rated devices. For government units, IT personnel’s role in procurement is limited to writing specifications, with actual purchasing handled by centralized procurement units, thus hindering their influence on green procurement.

Company Level: Companies predominantly prioritize specifications, price, and durability over environmental issues when procuring ICT devices. The “lowest price wins” approach is standard, with minimal focus on brand quality, energy efficiency, sustainability, or product lifespans. This practice also affects institutions following national purchasing systems, such as the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ), which faces challenges in implementing its Electronic Government Procurement (EGP) system, often relying on paper-based methods and prioritizing quick, price-based decisions through Requests for Quotation (RFQ) for low-value goods. This can lead to purchase of inferior or counterfeit products.

Government Level: National procurement systems (Public Management Act, PRAZ) are central to government buying, with rules for disposing of old gadgets. However, policies that encourage eco-friendly procurement are also required.

Analytical Insight: The predominant cost-driven procurement (LCM: Procurement) across all levels highlights a significant economic barrier (SEM: Organizational and societal levels) that overrides environmental considerations. This is particularly critical given the influx of ICTs from Western countries, which often contain obsolete equipment. There is a clear opportunity for policy reforms and education to shift towards value-for-money and multi-criterion evaluations in procurement.

5.3.3. Energy-Efficient Usage and Operations (LCM: Usage)

Individual/Non-IT Personnel: Daily Internet usage is common, but employees often lack knowledge of eco-efficient Internet use. Workplace restrictions on network access are common, but inconsistent enforcement leads to inefficiency.

IT Personnel: IT staff manage the ICT infrastructure (servers, devices, and user support) and implement strategies such as monitoring work gadgets to ensure strict work-related use and manage data usage/storage. They play a role in promoting energy-saving and green policies.

Company Level: Organizations promote green usage and energy efficiency through various initiatives.

Solarization: Many sectors use solar energy owing to unreliable grid power, with server rooms and ICT labs utilizing it to reduce pollution and costs. Some institutions generate more power than they consume. However, high equipment costs, battery replacement, low-quality products, and pollution from the disposed components are significant disadvantages.

Generators: Despite their polluting, noisy, and inefficient nature, generators are still used when solar power is unavailable. Some employees even mistaken the generator backup for clean energy.

Energy-Efficient Gadgets: Institutions prioritize energy-efficient gadgets driven by cost savings, although formal green strategies are often absent.

Power Management: Equipment often hibernates after inactivity, but awareness of power consumption in these modes is limited. Staff members often fail to shut down computers after hours because of weak enforcement. Some organizations use Power Factor Correction to improve efficiency.

Monitoring and Campaigns: Some organizations monitor energy usage (e.g., in solarized schools). Radio campaigns are conducted to promote energy efficiency and sustainable usage practices among consumers.

Software and Hardware Strategies: Companies implement energy-saving hardware deployments and software optimization. This includes Active Directory group policies to control user machines, restricting privileges, and forcing sleep/hibernation to prevent overnight power wastage.

Surge Protection: Proper lightning protection is emphasized in network design, with fibre-optic cables offering the advantage of preventing power surge propagation.

Government Level: ICT usage in government departments is regulated through certifications and assessments encompassing carbon offsetting. ESG compliance, and energy regulations by bodies such as the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA), in effect since 2017, regulates energy consumption (e.g., requiring high-energy light to be scrapped) and conducts inspections.

Analytical Insight: Reliance on solar power owing to unreliable grid power, while reducing carbon emissions, introduces new e-waste challenges from low-quality panels and batteries (LCM: Usage, Disposal). The inconsistent enforcement of power management policies (SEM: Organizational level) undermines efforts to achieve energy efficiency, despite awareness of some methods. This highlights a gap in the effective operationalization of Green Internet principles.

5.3.4. E-Waste Management and Disposal Realities (LCM: Disposal/E-Waste)

Individual/Non-IT Personnel: Employees often improperly dispose of old gadgets by mixing them with regular trash or discarding them in water sources due to a lack of e-waste management policies and awareness. There is a “technological fetish” for new gadgets, contributing to premature disposal.

IT Personnel: IT departments usually handle the disposal of old technological equipment, following company SOPs or government regulations. However, IT staff may not be aware of the best methods for safe e-waste handling and data management, suggesting the need for specialized training in this area. They can collaborate with recycling companies or facilitate auctions.

Companies acknowledge the need for a national policy for eco-friendly ICT disposal but currently face issues due to a lack of recycling procedures and knowledge. Some use compliant third parties or auction old computers, whereas others stockpile e-waste without a clear solution. There is a debate about whether e-waste should be classified as hazardous, with some arguing that harmful components are separated during the harvesting of parts.

Government Level: While government procedures exist for the disposal of old gadgets, they often lack proper authorization, leading to civil servants fearing disposal due to audit concerns and equipment remaining unused, causing clutter and environmental risks. There is an urgent need for the government to develop a national e-waste law that includes clear disposal and hazardous waste management guidelines.

Analytical Insight: A critical finding is the notable absence of a national e-waste law in Zimbabwe. This policy vacuum (SEM: Government/Societal level) leads to irregular e-waste management among companies and individuals, as well as a fragile interest in the issue due to ignorance and lack of interest among stakeholders. The “technological fetish” at the individual level (SEM: Individual level) exacerbates the e-waste burden in a country ill-equipped with recycling infrastructure (LCM: Disposal).

5.3.5. Urban Mining Realities (LCM: Urban Mining)

Lack of Practices and Infrastructure: Urban mining is not explicitly practiced by individuals or IT personnel. At the company level, recycling companies primarily deal with scrap metal and do not receive e-waste from their scrap containers. They cite licencing issues and a lack of component separation technology as barriers. Smelting companies find e-waste unsuitable for their operations because of its minimal metal content.

Perceptions and Potential: Despite current limitations, there is interest in e-waste component harvesting, if profitable, with suggestions for establishing collective e-waste processing plants. A culture of waste segregation is deemed crucial for successful e-waste management, as local councils currently send all the waste to landfills without separation.

Government Role: Government policies regarding e-waste disposal, circular economy principles, and incentives for recyclers are relevant for facilitating urban mining activities.

Analytical Insight: The absence of a formal e-waste recycling industry and infrastructure, coupled with a lack of technology and expertise in e-waste processing (SEM: Company and Government levels; LCM: Disposal), presents a significant challenge in realizing the economic and environmental potential of urban mining. This underscores the need for substantial investments and policy frameworks to realize these opportunities.

5.4. Systemic Challenges and Policy Environment

This section synthesises the overarching systemic and policy barriers influencing Green Internet adoption in Zimbabwe, drawing connections across different SEM levels.

5.4.1. Policy Gaps and Regulatory Framework (SEM: Government, Organizational)

Absence of Specific E-Waste Legislation: Zimbabwe lacks comprehensive policies for Green Internet practices and has no national e-waste law or official strategy for managing electronic waste. Existing general environmental legislation, such as the Environmental Management Act (20:27), does not specifically address e-waste, thus hindering its effective enforcement.

Role of Regulators: Bodies such as the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), Postal and Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), and Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) are relevant, but their capacity to establish comprehensive Green Internet policies is challenged by the lack of specific legal frameworks.

Calls for Policy Development: There is a strong call for the government to lead the development of e-waste laws and green procurement policies and provide incentives for recyclers and circular economy initiatives.

5.4.2. Infrastructure and Investment Barriers (SEM: Organizational, Societal)

High Initial Investment Costs: Implementing green networking technology often requires significant initial investment, which is a major obstacle for educational institutions and other organizations, especially given Zimbabwe’s economic situation (e.g., foreign exchange shortages).

Lack of Recycling Infrastructure: The e-waste recycling sector in Zimbabwe is largely informal and lacks adequate means and formal investment. No companies invest in e-waste recycling as a business.

Limited Urban Mining Capabilities: Challenges include licencing issues, lack of component separation technology, and unsuitability of e-waste metal content for existing smelting operations.

5.4.3. Behavioral and Cultural Influences (SEM: Individual, Organizational)

“Technological Fetish”: Individuals exhibit a tendency to acquire new devices regardless of environmental implications, exacerbating the e-waste burden.

Resistance to Change: Staff and management resistance to changes in computer network management and operations can impede the successful implementation of green networking.

Inconsistent Enforcement: Despite existing policies on usage restrictions or device shutdowns, enforcement is often weak, leading to inefficiencies and continued noncompliance.

5.4.4. Role of Certifications and Standards (SEM: Organizational, Government)

Adherence to Standards: Some industrial sectors are certified by the Standard Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ), including ISO 14001 for environmental management systems. To protect the environment, some shops sell computers only to ISO-certified companies. Companies involved in manufacturing and mining are implementing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) components with audits by industry associations.

Debate on Policy Flexibility: There is an argument that Green certifications should be flexible policies rather than statutory instruments, allowing for easier adaptation to technological changes.

Call for Supplier Certification: There are strong sentiments that government suppliers of ICT equipment are required to have eco-friendly certifications.

Analytical Insight: While voluntary standards such as ISO 14001 and ESG frameworks are in place, they have failed to effectively fill the national policy vacuum. This highlights a critical need for formal regulatory drivers (SEM: Government level) to complement voluntary compliance and overcome behavioral and economic barriers (SEM: Individual, Organizational levels) that hinder comprehensive Green Internet implementation.

6. Discussion

This study examined Green Internet implementation in Zimbabwe, focusing on awareness, sustainable practices, and the multifaceted challenges encountered across sectors. Using qualitative methodology with interviews and analysis guided by SEM, LCM, abductive reasoning through Systems Thinking, and hermeneutic phenomenography, this research illuminated how institutional actors interpret and operationalize Green Internet concepts. Our findings offer valuable insights pertinent to developing countries, revealing both alignment with and significant deviation from existing global knowledge.

A significant finding is the pronounced lack of awareness and understanding of Green Internet principles among participants from various sectors in Zimbabwe. This is in stark contrast to the growing global emphasis on the Green Internet as a strategy to mitigate environmental impacts [24]. While awareness is acknowledged as a crucial topic in the pre-adoption phase of Green IT initiatives in other literature [39], the extent of this lack of awareness in the Zimbabwean context appears to be a significant barrier.

There is greater awareness of Green Technology than the Green Internet, and there is also a lack of awareness regarding the environmental footprint of Internet usage. The varied definitions provided by the participants underscore the necessity for standardized terminology and educational initiatives to foster a cohesive understanding of Green Internet concepts. This study identifies the need for enhanced education programs, aligning with calls for initiatives to raise awareness about energy conservation and the use of information technology to disseminate information on green economy transition [40].

The following discussion analyzes how ICT procurement, usage, and disposal operate as reinforcing subsystems within an integrated LCM-SEM Systems Thinking framework [33].

6.1. Embeddedness and Leverage in ICT Procurement

The procurement subsystem serves as a pivotal leverage point within the entire ICT lifecycle: even minor adjustments in procurement strategies, such as prioritizing circular design or modularity, can have a significant impact on the usage, maintenance, and end-of-life stages [33]. The findings underscore that procurement is predominantly driven by cost considerations, thereby promoting purchases that are short-lived and cannot be easily integrated into existing systems. This limits downstream opportunities for repair, reuse, or recycling, which is a clear example of where past decisions can become bottlenecks for current situations.

Strategic public procurement, which includes environmental and social criteria, serves as an institutional tool to shift away from this lock-in—a scenario where systems become fixed in certain behaviors or practices regardless of their ineffectiveness [41].

6.2. Usage and Maintenance: Feedback Loops of Behavior, Infrastructure, and Awareness

In the usage phase, the interplay among user behavior, infrastructure quality, and maintenance practices creates reinforcing loops:

• Poor infrastructure (e.g., electricity instability) leads users to discard devices prematurely.
• Low repair culture or lack of local spare parts reduces lifespan.
• Without awareness or incentives for sustainable use, disposal becomes default.

These cycles demonstrate that usage is not merely a passive phase but actively evolves alongside procurement choices and disposal constraints.

6.3. Disposal, E-Waste and Systemic Constraints

The disposal subsystem often embodies the weakest link: inadequate regulation, informal recycling, and limited circular infrastructure block returns to upstream loops. This contributes to environmental damage. Because disposal occurs later in the process, many efforts to change this phase are ineffective unless the earlier subsystems of the LCM are restructured to integrate with it. While some African countries, such as Cameroon and Nigeria, have enforced national e-waste legislation, with Ghana, Ethiopia, and Kenya having pending approvals, Zimbabwe lags significantly, relying on general environmental legislation, such as the Environmental Management Act (20:27) which does not specifically address electronic waste [10].

6.4. Looking Beyond Systemic Structures

Systems Thinking suggests that while interventions focusing on everyday events, such as the amount of e-waste disposed of by companies, are essential, they are not enough to drive sustainability [33]. Long-lasting change requires shifting systemic structures (e.g., goals, rules, or paradigms) to behave like a Green Internet ecosystem. For example:

• Redefining “value” from short-term cost (e.g., buying cheap ICT gadgets and infrastructure) to total life-cycle value (e.g., being aware of the environmental impact of unsustainable purchases and avoiding their purchase in the first place).
• Instituting mandates for procurement incorporates longevity or modularity.
• It is essential to advocate organizational practices that prioritize repair and reuse over disposal. The literature on sustainability transformation identifies these practices as “deep leverage points”, which are defined as points where minor modifications can lead to significant and often transformative effects on the entire system. Although such points are rare, they are the most significant [42,43].

6.5. Integrating LCM-SEM and Systems Thinking

By combining the LCM-SEM matrix with Systems Thinking, it is possible to trace leveraging points where the impact can be felt in the interconnected subsystems. This integration reveals hidden trade-offs between resource use and emissions [44]. Recent reviews highlight that full integration of a Green Internet ecosystem remains rare—but essential for capturing cross-stage feedbacks [45].

This theoretical synthesis enables the following:

• Diagnosis of reinforcing loops and bottlenecks (also called lock-ins in Systems Theory).
• Identification of leverage points across all stages.
• Design of interventions that coordinate procurement, usage and disposal.

6.6. Policy and Practice Implications

In developing settings, cost-based procurement, weak enforcement, and informal disposal systems intensify systemic inertia. Therefore:

• Interventions should prioritize aligning incentives across various stages, such as linking procurement criteria to take-back obligations rather than focusing solely on immediate cost considerations.
• Enhancing the capacity for maintenance, repair, and reuse is essential for disrupting detrimental feedback loops.
• Pilot projects testing interventions on systematic structures (paradigm shifts or governance reforms) may offer scalable proof-of-concept for the findings and implications of this study.

In conclusion, an analytically integrated Systems–LCM-SEM framework elucidates the structural, rather than merely parametric, interventions necessary to redirect unsustainable ICT trajectories towards circularity and long-term resilience.

6.7. Theoretical Implications

The integration of the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM), Life Cycle Model (LCM), and Systems Thinking provides a comprehensive framework for analysing the multifaceted influences at the individual, corporate, and governmental levels on the adoption of the Green Internet in low-resource settings, such as Zimbabwe. This approach elucidates the roles of both state and non-state actors in this context. The theoretical contributions of this study underscore the importance of conceptualizing sustainability challenges as complex adaptive systems rather than perceiving them as linear problems with straightforward solutions [33]. This perspective advocates for interventions that emphasize the creation of favorable conditions for sustainable practices rather than mandating specific behaviors or technologies.

6.8. Limitations and Future Research

Several limitations must be acknowledged when interpreting these findings. Firstly, the study’s focus on Zimbabwe restricts the direct generalizability of the results to other contexts, although the theoretical mechanisms identified may be applicable in different settings. Secondly, while the qualitative methodology offers rich insights into participant experiences, it does not allow for the quantification of the relative importance of various barriers or the potential impact of specific interventions. Thirdly, the study’s emphasis on perspectives from various economic sectors as a unit of analysis results in less attention being given to individual consumer behaviours and household-level practices. In workplace environments, individual Internet behaviors are more readily comprehensible due to the controlled nature of these settings, which are governed by established norms and standardized infrastructure. Conversely, user behavior at household level tends to be more complex and variable, rendering it more challenging to characterize or interpret. Hence, future research should investigate how the identified mechanisms function at the household level and how individual and institutional factors interact with each other.

The study suggests several important directions for future research:

• Comparative Analysis: Cross-national studies should be conducted to investigate the functioning of the identified mechanisms within diverse developing country contexts, characterized by varying levels of development and institutional capacity.
• Longitudinal Studies: Longitudinal research is necessary to examine the evolution of barriers and facilitators as nations progress and technological and policy landscapes undergo transformation.
• Economic Modelling: The formulation of economic models that integrate the identified mechanisms to forecast the costs and benefits associated with various intervention strategies is required.

7. Conclusions

This study employed a hermeneutic phenomenographic methodology, guided by the integrated Socioecological Model (SEM), Life Cycle Model (LCM), and Systems Thinking, to synthesize the multilevel factors shaping Green Internet adoption in Zimbabwe. The findings confirm that while institutional awareness of environmental concepts exists, comprehensive sustainable ICT adoption is severely hampered by systemic failures rooted in policy vacuums, economic rationalization and individual behavioral norms.

7.1. Synthesis of Findings and Theoretical Contribution

Awareness and Practice Gaps (Addressing RQ 1, 2, & 3): Institutional actors in Zimbabwe demonstrate a significant deficiency in high-level awareness of Green Internet principles, often conflating them with localised energy efficiency measures or general electronic waste (e-waste) management. This lack of knowledge results in inconsistent practices throughout the technology lifecycle. Efforts have predominantly focused on the Life Cycle Management (LCM) usage phase, such as the implementation of solarisation. However, without upstream quality control, this approach leads to a Sustainability Trade-Off Paradox. For instance, it shifts the environmental burden from one issue, such as procurement, to another unmanaged issue, such as e-waste pollution, at a different stage of the technology’s life cycle. This is exacerbated by the accelerated generation of unmanaged electronic waste (e-waste) from low-quality panels and batteries. Critical deficiencies are evident in the procurement phase, which is primarily driven by a cost-centric, “lowest price wins” approach, and in the Disposal phase, which is hindered by the absence of a formal recycling infrastructure and a “fear of disposal” among civil servants due to audit concerns.

7.2. Systemic Inertia (Addressing RQ 4)

The findings indicate that the lack of a national e-waste regulation (SEM: Governmental Policy Level) serves as a permissive constraint, enabling entrenched organizational cost-driven priorities (SEM: Organizational Level) and a widespread ‘technological fetish’ (SEM: Individual Level) to drive a rapid and unsustainable rate of device turnover and environmental degradation. This illustrates that structural weaknesses at the governance level undermine environmental initiatives at both the organizational and individual levels.

7.3. Implications for Policy and Future Research

The study identifies the establishment and enforcement of a national e-waste law, incorporating mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, as the critical leverage point necessary to overcome entrenched economic rationales and structural impediments. This legal framework should be supplemented by policy reforms in procurement processes, shifting from simplistic price-based heuristics to multi-criteria evaluations that emphasize product durability and verifiable green certifications.

While this study offers valuable, context-specific insights into structural resistance, it is limited by its qualitative nature, which constrains the generalisability of the findings and results in an uneven depth of data across all SEM levels. Future research should prioritize the quantitative validation of the SEMI model and conduct comparative mixed-methods studies across developing economies to examine how different policy frameworks influence the Procurement-Disposal Reinforcement Loop and address Socioecological Inertia. These findings ultimately contribute to the broader discourse on sustainable urban development by informing targeted structural interventions in policy-fragile, low-resource contexts, thereby providing actionable support toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action) and related goals, such as SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).