Where’s the best place to start implementing sustainable technology? First, look at what’s already out there. Businesses can look at the sustainable technologies already in place.
Examples are all around us, with studies continuously done to gauge their impact in quantifiable means. Public and electric transport, LED light technology, solar power, carbon capture and storage technologies, self-sufficient and LED buildings and construction methods are some of the more obvious examples, already enjoying wide public use and ongoing innovation.6
Less tangible examples include 5G connectivity, which opens the way for enterprises to develop new innovative solutions and a force multiple for other sustainable technologies.
For instance, 5G can reduce emissions and improve networks’ energy efficiency by providing the connectivity that technologies like Internet-of-Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) require to run optimally and at scale. According to Ericsson’s Connectivity and Climate Change report, by 2030, further emissions savings of 55–170 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum would be possible, but only through the implementation of 5G technology (the equivalent of taking one in seven of the EU’s cars off the road).
In the same study, it was found that digitisation and connectivity may directly enable the transition to a greener, lower carbon future, and help achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; by 2030, connectivity could help reduce EU emissions by approximately 550 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide - the equivalent of 15% of the EU’s total emissions in 2017.8
The rising need for alternative work structures, such as improved remote working conditions, has highlighted the environmental impact of mobility. According to research, working from home four days a week would reduce the amount of nitrogen dioxide, which is the main pollutant generated by traffic emissions, by around 10%. Even with some workplaces resuming on-site operations, the lower levels of emissions created by working from home may result in an additional reduction in air pollution of around 8%.9
There is no better time to tap into more mobility solutions, as it enables better remote working structures that not only help the environment, but add value to efficiency. Singtel’s mobility solutions, such as My Fleet Manager, for example, let businesses gain visibility and control over mobile fleets via a Web-based platform. Cloud and data services such as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), multi-cloud networking, and application modernisation help cut down on the need for on-premises hardware, while promoting better remote collaboration, management and operations.
In the long term, cloud adoption has the potential to prevent more than 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions between 2021 to 2024. By enabling virtualised infrastructure, container platforms or serverless architecture, the cloud can shift enterprises from a business-run hardware management model (CapEx) to a third-party management model (OpEx) where remote data centres can deliver larger outputs with fewer hardware like servers.10
At the same time, the cloud can help shift the focus away from individual hardware capabilities to the business outcomes that can be derived from enhanced connectivity and services.