Sustainable file formats

What are sustainable file formats?

Sustainable formats are those most likely to remain accessible, usable, and preservable into the future. These formats are typically one or more of the following:

• Open - based on publicly available specifications
• Widely adopted - in broad use across different communities and sectors
• Well-documented - with available technical and preservation information
• Non-proprietary - not limited to a single product or vendor
• Simple in structure - without unnecessary complexity or compression.

Using sustainable formats doesn’t guarantee your digital materials will last forever, but it does make long-term preservation easier and reduces the risk of obsolescence or inaccessibility over time.

Why does format choice matter?

Choosing the right file format at the beginning can save significant time, effort, and cost down the line.

Poor or unsuitable format choices can lead to:

• Loss of content or functionality (e.g. formatting, embedded media, formulas)
• Increased migration effort later to move to a sustainable format
• Barriers to reuse such as software dependency or licensing restrictions
• Reduced preservation options if the format is not supported by digital preservation tools.

In contrast, sustainable formats allow for better preservation planning and easier active management of the digital materials, helping to ensure they remain accessible, usable and trustworthy over the long term.

Poor format choice can also prevent research findings from being replicated if the file’s contents become unreadable.