Recent breakthroughs in the tech world are having a huge impact on industries like fashion and beauty. Today, consumers can choose from fashionable, sustainable ranges that support their passion for self-expression while protecting the environment.
Other markets have benefited from the sudden uptick in sustainable technology, too. Industries like agriculture, retail, and construction have taken leaps in recent years to cut down their carbon costs, minimize waste, and protect the local environment.
Understanding and supporting these efforts is crucial if we are to cap global warming at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. These technologies will play a pivotal role in ensuring that we can provide for the planet’s growing population without jeopardizing global ecosystems and wildlife.
Retail
The retail industry is renowned for producing waste and ecological harm. Recent research shows that retail produces 25% of the world’s total emissions and that 11 million tonnes of textiles end up in landfills in the US alone.
Technology can be used to minimize retail’s footprint by cleaning up global supply chains. This is an approach championed by David Stepaniuk, Senior Innovation Consultant at Netguru, who explains that AI and machine learning can be used to spot inefficiencies and improve reporting efforts. According to Stepaniuk, this “ends up boosting revenue . . . plus it cuts down the costs [of supply chain management].”
Improvements to recycling technology are empowering fashion retailers to close their manufacturing loops, too. AI-powered smart recycling uses machine learning algorithms to sort through textile waste and automatically categorize garments based on factors like fiber type. This improves the efficiency of recycling plans and helps companies tap into the power of a circular economy.
Food Systems
Agriculture is the backbone of human development in the modern age. We need reliable food systems to feed our growing population and protect the health and well-being of people around the globe. However, the drive to produce more food comes at a serious cost to the environment.
Tackling the strain that agriculture places on the environment isn’t easy. However, the recent rise of artificial intelligence may help. Today, farmers can lean on a fleet of smart agricultural technology to clean up their act and combat climate change. Examples of groundbreaking agricultural technology include:
- Precision Agriculture: Today, farms can be leveled with lasers and measured within a fraction of an inch. This helps farmers water their land more effectively and reduces waste. Precision tech also ensures that progressive farmers are able to use emergent tech like autonomous tractors.
- Autonomous Tractors: Self-driving tractors make life easier for farmers and are more efficient than human-driven counterparts. They use GPS tracking to find the most efficient patterns and eliminate the risk of overspraying.
- IoT: The Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing agriculture by helping farmers better monitor their land. This leads to quicker decision-making, reduced waste, and improved yields.
These tech-driven changes are good news for farmers and the planet. They improve agricultural efficiency and drastically reduce waste on farms. Even simple devices, like IoT sensors that measure water levels, can help farmers cut down on waste runoff and improve their yields. This will ensure that we are well-positioned to tackle food inequality without jeopardizing climate-related goals.
Construction
The construction industry will play a pivotal role in combating climate change and preventing ecological degradation. Today, buildings account for 39% of all emissions due to the energy-intensive processes we use to engineer and construct them. However, this could all change if construction professionals can make use of artificial intelligence (AI).
AI can supercharge green building efforts by giving engineers access to data-driven systems like smart lighting. Smart lighting, which uses AI to monitor light levels in real-time, significantly cuts down on wasted energy and uses energy-efficient LED technology to provide cost-effective, low-carbon lighting.
Construction firms that care about protecting the environment can use high-tech green materials, too. Today, companies can actually 3D print concrete to meet the exact needs of the project. Printers like the AI-enabled ICON Vulcan 3D printer can “print” an entire 650-square-foot house in 24 hours. This massively reduces waste and helps construction firms achieve peak productivity.
These data-driven builds are beautiful, too. Architects in LA already proved that 3D printing and virtual reality can yield some stunning, practical designs that are creative, functional, and energy-efficient.
More firms are starting to use recycled materials during the construction process. This is crucial, as recycled bricks have the potential to cut down on carbon costs and waste by 90%. Choosing recycled bricks has a trickle-down effect and creates a closed-loop economy in the construction industry.
Conclusion
Technology has the potential to supercharge our sustainability efforts by minimizing waste and cutting down on carbon use. Smart tech, like AI-driven recycling plants, is capable of sorting through massive piles of waste and cutting down on the amount of garments that end up in landfills. Similarly, industries like construction are pivoting towards recycled bricks and high-tech 3D printers to meet growing demands without spiking global carbon emissions.
