Technology for Goodness Sake

There are numerous ways in which technology can impact society and our planet for good. Despite significant challenges, we have solutions today that can be game changers. The United Nations has documented 17 sustainable development goals, addressing challenges such as poverty, hunger, environmental degradation, and inequality. I believe there are two big forces at work that impact progress toward these goals. First, the proliferation of internet of things (IoT) and the data analytics that it enables, and second, digitization which is making new business models possible.

Throughout my career, I’ve seen firsthand how technology can improve sustainability, and we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. The digital era will transform all aspects of our lives to achieve long-term sustainability and realize the potential of Society 5.0.

Enabling Sustainability through IoT  

Growing Consumer Consciousness

We have so many tools to reduce our consumption footprint. Smart thermostats, smart plugs, and smart lighting all help reduce energy consumption by automating tasks based on sensor input, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML). These intelligent systems adapt to our lifestyle and family dynamics, providing comfort and optimized energy use without us dialing it up or down. Smart sprinklers reduce water consumption by irrigating only when the yard is dry, while connected meters will notify us immediately when we have a potential leak in our water system.

Having these tools and the data at our fingertips encourages a whole new way of thinking about our personal role in sustainability.

Sustainable Urbanization

Populations are shifting to cities in all regions of the world. The United Nations predicts that 68 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050, up from 55 percent today. North America is already highly urbanized, with 82 percent of our population living in urban areas. IoT is enabling cities to be more sustainable, decreasing the environmental impact of these population shifts.

In cities, connected trash cans report when they are full, reducing unneeded trips by trash haulers and deploying more crews before trash overflows. Smart streetlights automatically adjust when the moon is full and turns lights off when no one is around. Environmental sensors give early warning of water, air, and noise pollution levels, enabling authorities to act in near real-time, dramatically decreasing potential environmental and human health impacts. Technology is being applied in smart cities to improve municipal operations and make for safer and more enjoyable city living.

Sustainable Farming

Global hunger is at crisis levels, and hundreds of millions suffer from persistent malnutrition. Couple this with climate change and population growth, and the pressure on global food production and associated supply chains has never been more intense. Sustainable agricultural practices improve land productivity while decreasing water, soil, and effects of over chemicalizing. Sensor data from soil, water, light, humidity, and temperature combined with visual inspection from drones for crop monitoring, enable precision application of fertilizer and pesticides, increasing efficiency, and mitigating negative environmental impacts.

IoT and data analytics is also transforming the livestock industry. Capturing more data about the animals, grazing field conditions, weather and soil temperature, farmers can use more objective data to make better decisions to produce higher quality meat more efficiently. Check out this video of how Australian livestock farmers are using data analytics to improve production sustainably.

We are in the early stages of transformations enabled by IoT, but the promise of these technologies to achieve sustainability goals and reduce our environmental impact is great. We all play a role as consumers and business leaders to apply technology for “goodness” sake. I am passionate about the change we can make to improve life and society around the world.

Enabling Sustainability through Digitization

Digital transformation is enabling businesses and society to change in amazing ways and to take advantage of new business models in a connected economy. Let’s look at some examples of how this transformation is linked to improvements in sustainability:

Sharing Economy

Uber and Lyft, AirBnB, Zipcar, and RVShare’s business models are predicated on a sharing economy model – where assets or services are shared between private individuals or latent assets are more efficiently utilized, all fueled by the Internet. These business models have a positive impact on sustainability because of the long-term increase in asset utilization. When a car is both a personal vehicle and an Uber, it is doing double duty for work and personal use. AirBnB provides a new lodging experience in personally owned homes and multi-dwelling units, reducing the need for more hotel rooms and the ensuing construction to accommodate a more mobile lifestyle.

While some of these services can and are continuing to tweak their models to improve overall sustainability metrics, the basic premise holds true:  reduce the need to build something new by better sharing and utilizing assets and use technology to create an entirely new experience.

Industries Transformed

A few years ago, I had some renovation work done on my home. The contractor painstakingly took measurements and spent many hours entering supplies in a spreadsheet to give me a quote. Despite his careful calculations, we had left over materials that were transported back to a lumber yard for restocking or taken to another job site. Fast forward to 2019 and another renovation project. This time the contractor used an app to quickly and accurately measure as needed, entered a few choices and provided an estimate on the spot. Talk about a change in how business can be done! At the end of the project, unused material was significantly reduced, minimizing additional handling, transporting, and restocking.

Another great example is Nike. Well known for being innovative, Nike invested in a breakthrough manufacturing technique to dye fabric without using water. This reduced energy use and water consumption. But they didn’t “just do it” and call it good. Nike continues to innovate and recently opened a new concept store that turns the supply chain on its head. Customers can now design individualized products with their item 3D printed on site. This is hyper local, hyper personalized and hyper customized, reducing transportation and fuel consumption, revolutionizing how products are delivered to the consumer.

Responsibility for Sustainability

Ultimately, we’re all responsible to be more sustainable in our personal and professional lives. Our choices have vastly increased thanks to technology, and IoT in particular. On the verge of Society 5.0, we’re smarter – from our homes to our cars to our farms and our factories and the data that makes it all work.

Digital transformation has shaped the options we have and the choices we can make to live cleaner lives and create a more sustainable world, and it will only get better. IoT ecosystems are dynamic and collaborative. The most powerful innovations are co-created, inspired by a spectrum of tech leaders, start-ups, academia, and industries. Some of the most creative thinkers and change agents are gathering at IoT Solution World Congress, Mobile World Congress Americas, and elsewhere, motivated to apply technology for societal good.

Let’s continue this important work together and make strides to achieve our collective sustainability agenda for short- and long-term change. Whether we collaborate across the table or across social media, I’d love to hear your vision for a more sustainable future.