How Digital Transformation Makes You More Sustainable
Howard Tiersky
WSJ Best Selling author & founder of QCard, a SaaS platform designed to empower professionals to showcase their expertise, grow their reach, and lead their markets.
Welcome to DX Weekly — a free newsletter to help you unleash the power of digital for your company. Subscribe here . Digital transformation is the antidote to any company becoming irrelevant, and each week, I’ll share new actionable information to help you and your organization succeed in the digital world.
It’s critical that businesses today consider their impact on the environment, not only because its the right thing to do and because the survival of our species may depend on it, but because 84% of consumers now say environmental responsibility is an important factor when choosing a brand.?
That number grows even higher as consumers skew younger. 93% of Generation Z says that whether brands make an effort to be sustainable is an important factor when making purchase decisions.?
So is your digital transformation helping make your company more or less green?
There is no doubt that technology in general and the industrialization of our world have been a major factor contributing to global warming. At the same time, there are many ways that digital can be massively helpful to your company’s “green” footprint and to the planet overall.?
Let’s take a look at both sides of this equation.
8 WAYS DIGITAL IS HELPING US BECOME MORE GREEN
USING LESS?
Digital is enabling us to reduce consumption in our daily lives. The media industry is a great example of drastically cutting down on consumable “stuff.”?
Think about all of the CDs and DVDs that are sitting in landfills. Digital technology like streaming platforms have significantly decreased the need for hard copies of music, movies, and television series.?
Additionally, when there are less consumables being manufactured and purchased, there are fewer trucks needed for shipping those products to retail stores, which cuts down on carbon emissions.?
Offices and workplaces becoming paperless is another example of how digital is allowing us to use less daily. Less paper use translates to fewer trees being cut down to manufacture paper products.??
SHARING MORE?
More and more people are opting to share or rent their possessions and properties using digital platforms.
Airbnb allows homeowners to list their properties for rent when they aren’t being used so they don’t go to waste when the owner isn’t using them. This has become particularly popular with vacation homes; sharing these properties cuts down on the number of new vacation homes or resorts that need to be built.
Workplaces are sharing office space as well. Many companies now use digital “hoteling” tools that allow employees to reserve an office when they need one, letting the company lease fewer floors, which allows the same building footprint to serve more tenants. This also saves on power because one less floor needs to be heated, cooled, and cleaned.
Ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft allow people to request a ride from their mobile devices and get where they need to go without owning a vehicle. Fewer cars on the road equal less harmful pollution, and more sharing means we may be able to manufacture less cars, saving energy and materials.
In fact, there are sharing platforms today for just about everything, from swimming pools to tools and home-cooked meals .
WASTING LESS?
Electricity can be conserved through digital technology. Smart homes and office buildings now have the ability to sense when a room is empty and can adjust lighting and temperature accordingly to avoid wasting power.??
Aside from electricity, think about all the digital tools we have that help cut down on waste in general. For example, cars now have sensors that help prevent accidents, which, in addition to saving lives, reduces waste from totaled vehicles that would otherwise need to be replaced.?
Some factories now utilize IoT (“Internet of Things”) smart sensors that send notifications when it’s time for equipment to be serviced. This helps keep expensive equipment and machinery well maintained and extends their working lives, which results in fewer replacements.?
DRIVING LESS?
Most car engines today create emissions and pollutants that are harmful to the environment.?
Digital has enabled us to drive less. For example, when the COVID-19 pandemic started, many people began to work remotely and were no longer commuting to the office.?
Tools like Zoom make this possible. Fewer people driving to work translates to less emissions that can harm the environment. Furthermore, the ability to more effectively use these tools to collaborate with colleagues, clients, suppliers, or other business partners anywhere in the world has reduced the need for air travel.
Another example is the increased availability of home delivery options like Amazon and Instacart. Those digital platforms allow you to order everything from household cleaning supplies to groceries and have them delivered right to your door. This decreases the need for consumers to make several trips to the store to do their shopping. While fuel is still burned to deliver goods, one truck uses far less fuel than dozens of households going to the store.
GREENER TRANSPORT?
It’s one thing to drive less, but it’s another to use a more environmentally friendly mode of transportation. The first example that comes to mind for most people is electric vehicles. Without digital, we likely wouldn’t have the technology to create and use cars that don’t produce emissions.?
Another example is route planning technology. With GPS-driven tools, delivery drivers are able to optimize the most efficient routes to minimize the number of trucks they use as well as the amount of fuel burned.
领英推荐
UNDERSTANDING THE PLANET?
The more we understand how our ecosystems work, the better we can care for them. There are a number of digital technologies that help us do this.?
One example is satellite imaging. Not only can satellites take photos to help us understand sea levels and deforestation, but they can use ultraviolet and infrared light to determine things like nitrogen levels in the soil. This information helps scientists figure out how to better conserve our natural resources.?
Drones are another technology that allows us to get a different view of Earth. These devices can be used to reach remote areas that maybe scientists can’t get to themselves.?
Smart tags are now used in the wild to track animals, as well. These tags bring back valuable data and provide insight on the species and their migration patterns.?
EDUCATING PEOPLE?
Digital tools have the potential to educate a large number of people on what’s going on in our environment. When scientists collect data from drones, satellites, etc., educational content can then be created and shared to educate others.?
Media platforms like YouTube are a great source of information for people all around the world to learn about sustainability and how they can do their part to protect the environment.?
MOBILIZING PEOPLE
Digital has the power to mobilize people. One of the most important factors that lead to policy change is driving human behavior.?
For example, social media platforms are now being used to organize gatherings to raise awareness for climate change and pollution. Photos of these events and peaceful protests are then posted and shared, which increases awareness and mobilizes people. Many powerful movements have been started as a result of these digital platforms.
WHAT ABOUT THE DOWNSIDES?
While digital is generally a force for good related to the environment, there are a few downsides.?
POWER?
Digital consumes a lot of power. For example, the mining of digital currency alone is consuming 0.3% of all power consumed on Earth.
Of course mining of currency is not the only thing going on in data centers, they are the engine behind cloud computing which drives nearly every digital technology. By one estimate, these centers are using approximately 500 terawatts of power each year. That amount of power consumes the total output of over 200 giant coal-fired plants working 24 hours a day, creating massive amounts of carbon and other environmental pollutants.
MANUFACTURING?IMPACT
It is estimated that the manufacturing of the average consumer electronics device produces more than a quarter ton of Co2 which is inevitably emitted into the atmosphere. Harmful chemicals are also used during the manufacturing process of digital devices and the waste from these processes creates many types of environmental toxins. It is estimated that over 22 kg of poisonous materials is used in the manufacturing of just one laptop. And when the devices are eventually discarded, the toxins inside them eventually find their way back to the environment.
Electronics manufacturing also uses a lot of resources in general. For example, it takes over 10 gallons of water to make a single computer chip, and many of today’s devices can contain well over a dozen individual chips including multiple CPUs, memory, and other special-purpose processors.
Clearly, digital is both a force for good and harm from a sustainability perspective. I encourage you to consider how to help your organization focus on expanding the opportunities to use digital to help make our planet (and your brand) more green while minimizing your negative environmental footprint.
YOUR TURN?
What ways have you been driving your company to go green? Let me know in the comments section below.
To learn more about how digital transformation can benefit your organization, check out my Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Winning Digital Customers: The Antidote to Irrelevance, in which I share a simple but detailed five-step methodology to a successful transformation. You can download the first chapter here or purchase the hardcopy here .?
SUBSCRIBE to DX Weekly for more content each week to help you and your company succeed in the digital world.?
Howard Tiersky is the founder of FROM, The Digital Transformation Agency where he works with leading brands on digital transformation.
Want to learn more? We’ve produced over a hundred videos on a wide range of topics geared toward executives and directors from management to digital transformation. Check it out now!
Emergent Technology CTO | Global Strategy Advisor - Blockchain AI 5G IoT FinTech | Social Impact | Keynote Speaker and Author
2 年Love the focus on culture, human behavior and shared responsibility here Howard and you know my thoughts on #sustainability by design :) Measurement here so vital, for example with carbon scope emissions ensuring this is including both internal and external measures #sdgs #sustainablebusiness #impact
Business Coach ?? I Help Coaches, Consultants, SME & Entrepreneurs to Grow Their Bizz Online ????????| Personal Growth Coach?? | TEDx Speaker ??| LinkedIn Wonder Woman ??♀? | AI Enthusiast | Visit LHMAcademia.com
2 年Brilliant article Howard Tiersky! Digital transformation is rapidly changing the environment and businesses need to adapt very quickly, in alignment with our customer's needs.
I help managers, leaders & consultants have more impact on business transformation.
2 年Good read Howard. 10-15 years ago the concept of transformation was rare among organisations but gradually most leaders adopted the mindset required to invest in it, and now it's mainstream. Sustainability and the circular economy is where transformation was back then. We've already seen CEOs at companies like Adidas, IKEA, and Michelin, Philips, Google, etc. lead the way in circular economy business thinking. Other CEOs will be inspired - and some will even be forced through government policy - to do similar - eventually. It’s about mindset. Some already have it, while others will take a little more time to get there, and use transformation for the greater good.
I help IT/Cybersecurity teams find prospects! We create content that non-technical people can understand! Let’s map out a social media strategy that works for you! CEO @ Cyber Dana | CMMC RP, Cybersecurity, Marketing
2 年Digital innovation can help businesses be more sustainable, allowing them to lower costs and reduce their negative impact on the environment, Howard Tiersky
CEO @ The Best Postcards | We build brands in the home service & home improvement industry | Text me at 203-243-5671
2 年We have to understand the primary needs of our consumers too, Howard Tiersky. While digital definitely has a lot of benefits, there's also the problem of misuse!