Digital Tools can bring Sustainability to Scale

Digital tools like blockchain, sensors and drones can revolutionize sustainability, entrepreneurs say. But it all starts with the business model.

Technology has revolutionized many aspects of our lives. Can it provide the same acceleration to sustainability efforts?

Entrepreneurs are tackling sustainability challenges with diverse digital tools, from blockchain to machine learning to sensors, satellites and drones (see article end for description of these technologies). 

NBS spoke with three global entrepreneurs, one of whom is also a professor, who have deep experience in this arena. They described how their businesses use digital tools, why digital sustainability is taking off, what obstacles it faces, and where aspiring entrepreneurs should focus.

The panelists: 

• Sara Bell leads Ample (Australia) which uses machine learning to direct building energy usage to green sources.
• Diego Saez-Gil leads Pachama (United States), which provides increased accountability for carbon credits through remote sensing in forests.
• Simon Schillebeeckx is a faculty member at Singapore Management University and cofounded the Global Mangrove Trust, which uses blockchain to track funding for forestry projects. Schillebeeckx recently co-authored Digital sustainability and entrepreneurship, an overview of the field.

Check out the full podcast here