The narrow path to net zero: Why achieving sustainable impact demands focus and data-led insights

Written by Lisa Wee, AVEVA VP of Sustainability

The pathway to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is narrow. It requires concerted effort. To quote the Japanese poet Bashō, who also journeyed along a narrow road, “There is no path, the path is made by walking.” When it comes to tackling climate change, we—the industries, practitioners, investors, and innovators of this century—are walking that path now.

Responding to climate change will require an unprecedented transformation of the industrial sector, which, together with the power sector, accounts for 65% of global emissions. If we are to have any chance of meeting our targets, we need to deploy technology that will help industrial enterprises decarbonize, improve circularity, and transition to less resource-intensive practices.

Data management and data visualization are key to driving sustainability in today’s disrupted economy. Gartner estimates that companies that manage and share data efficiently also net approximately three times greater efficiency gains. Nevertheless, most companies have so much data they struggle to make use of it. By unifying data into a digital backbone, visualizing it, and enhancing it with AI, organizations can find more sustainable ways of working. This is industrial intelligence in action, and it’s key to driving the low-carbon economy and driving resilient growth. In Bashō’s home country of Japan, for example, Toyota is using industrial software to monitor, measure and drive down energy use. With data-centric innovation, Toyota cut energy consumption by 35%, reducing its CO2 impact by 28%. In another example, cereal makers Kellogg’s in the UK took a data-centric approach to optimizing its supply chain, avoiding waste, and optimizing energy use in its UK factories. In doing so, Kellogg’s reduced emissions and saved over £3M per year.

Lastly, Airbridge, an Australian technology company, is working with AVEVA to deploy its Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) technology. Using AVEVA software, Airbridge’s team built an accurate data model of a new carbon conversion facility, enabling its team to predict chemical reactions accurately and simulate process cycles to predict CO2 recovery. Accurate models enable Airbridge to more efficiently measure and accelerate the delivery of high-demand, high-value commoditized CO2 products for use in industries such as agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.

Digital transformation drives lasting impact

Industrial software is a key lever for innovation. It’s positioned at the nexus of the digital transformation and the energy transition. The combination of recent tensions in the energy market, post-Covid shortages in supply, and an increasing focus on sustainable production have created a challenging environment for many industries. Business continuity and commercial agility both require the rapid identification of efficiency and sustainability measures, and widespread implementation across all operational assets. Such an approach enables companies to meet their short-term needs while progressing towards long-term net-zero goals. Software can support and help accelerate these achievements.

As a global software pioneer, AVEVA is determined to lead by example to combat climate change. We are proud to have been amongst the first 50 global companies to have our net-zero commitment validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. As we work towards our ambitious interim targets, which include halving our Scope 3 emissions by 2030, we strive to help our industrial customers deliver their own sustainability commitments. In these collaborations, we see the true and effective path forward to a lower-carbon, more connected, and innovative economy, founded on data-led intelligence. We are excited on this #earthday23 to celebrate our customers’ successes and drive further innovation.

Forging the path: AVEVA’s new carbon calculator

We have recently published a joint paper with CapGemini on measuring the impact of industrial software on emissions. The study is the industry’s first attempt to codify a methodology and approach to measuring carbon reductions from software. As such, it is an important milestone on the road to building lower-carbon industries. Read the paper and learn how you can get involved here.