AVEVA–the global leader in industrial software and driver for digital transformation and sustainability–partnered with companies across the technology and energy sectors to emphasize the multifaceted role of digitalization in the goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions across the ecosystem.
During the AVEVA PI world conference, AVEVA explained how data-led innovation can help unlock sustainability. This message was unanimously delivered by sustainability and environment leaders from Schneider Electric, Ørsted, Neste, Microsoft and AVEVA on a Sustainability Panel.
According to Lisa Johnston, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer at AVEVA, their survey showed that nine out of ten companies expect to accelerate their sustainability activities over the coming year as businesses recognize their role in tackling climate change.
The survey of 850 respondents also revealed that four in five leading industries aim to increase their digital investments to drive sustainable business models, demonstrating the enormous potential of advanced technologies such as smart data, artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing in enabling net zero and lower carbon industrial operations.
“Companies around the world have committed to reducing their environmental footprint. AVEVA believes the business community must now go further, by way of positive contributions to sustainability through our activities and partnerships – or in other words, our sustainability handprint,” Johnston said.
She added: “Given the nature of the capabilities AVEVA provides to our customers, our solutions make a constructive impact on environmental sustainability. Data infrastructure management solutions such as the AVEVA PI System, delivered in partnership with Microsoft’s Azure Cloud, can help thousands of very different businesses find innovative routes to achieving their sustainability goals and becoming climate positive.”
Data-led innovation plays a significant part in achieving net-zero goals, panelists said. Panel attendees learned actionable strategies towards building climate-positive organizations. These strategies listed below were put forth by representatives from four sustainability companies:
1. Incorporate sustainability into your KPIs
Olivier Blum, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer at Schneider Electric, stated that companies should develop sustainability strategies in the same way they have strategies for other areas, such as finance or human resources. Potential CO2 emissions should be factored into the design of new assets, for example, to improve sustainability and accelerate the climate transition.
Mapping sustainability KPIs to the rest of the business can deliver the critical results required. Blum said, “Sustainability is like any area of business. You should have a sustainability strategy. It should be fully integrated with your business strategy.”
2. Use data to predict innovation
The application of predictive analytics to industrial data collected across the value chain can reveal new routes to innovation. Energy major Ørsted operates an extensive fleet of 1,000 offshore wind turbines.
According to Jesper Skov Gretlund, Senior Manager, Numerical Competence Centre, Ørsted, continuous data monitoring means that the fleet represents 1,000 different experiments providing feedback to produce future assets.
Innovation is a continuous process of refinement, and advanced technologies such as AI and big data facilitate that process. Ørsted is on track to becoming carbon-neutral by 2025.
3. Extend your handprint with partnerships
Neste works with suppliers that share its sustainability commitments on its path to achieving carbon neutrality in production by 2035.
Salla Ahonen, Vice-President of Sustainability, Neste explained that the company uses data collected across its value chain to improve its operations and to help other companies reduce their emissions.
“We are looking at how we can actually transform our whole value chain and how we can help others transform,” Ahonen said.
Data can offer positive routes to improving a company’s handprint. In the process, the whole ecosystem can realize its net-zero goals.
4. Measure everything for sustainability at scale
According to Lucas Joppa, Chief Environment Officer at Microsoft, thousands of companies are setting net-zero targets, but achieving them requires better measurement tools. The software leader has committed to becoming a carbon-negative company by 2030.
“You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” Joppa explained. Since carbon is the building block of life, measuring it requires monitoring every aspect of the business.
Joppa continued: “Digital technology is that tool in the [corporate] toolbox that lets us go at the kind of scale that sustainability requires, and at the scope that sustainability requires.”
The panel concluded that industries are no longer forced to compromise competitiveness in the short term to pursue a more sustainable future.
The thought leadership forum for AVEVA’s partner executives was open to all registered delegates at AVEVA PI World. The event is part of a series of AVEVA initiatives to support an inclusive, net-zero economy in line with a 1.5°C pathway as the world works to hold off the worst impacts of the climate crisis.
