Digital is a very actual topic as it regards about 25% of a company’s activities and is transversal because it has also an impact on environmental and social aspects as well as on business. The way a company approaches digital can determine its level of evolution, responsibility and efficiency. Talking about digital transformation, however, cannot and must not be reduced to talking about “digitalization”
The companies from the laundry sector must be aware of the characteristics and dynamics of the revolution taking place, the effects, opportunities and threats posed by the new scenarios, created by the ongoing evolution processes implemented by elements such as: big data, artificial intelligence, the internet of things, social media, the sharing economy, blockchain, 4.0 Industry and many other concepts. But above all, the awareness of the real sense of the transformational dynamics of the ongoing revolution. It is estimated that digital technologies can contribute to reducing global emissions by approximately 15% with applied solutions in energy, goods production, services and transport, traffic management, agriculture and land use.
It is important to consider that the digital transformation does not only have an impact on processes by changing the way of making the things, but it is also an opportunity to change people. If we undertake a responsible digital sustainability path, we can have major benefits in terms of reduced costs, time and environmental impact on operations. These emissions are being grouped under the concept of “Digital Carbon Footprint”: an indicator that allows us to quantify cloud-related emissions and identify actions to control and reduce them.
Another aspect to be taken into consideration is the impact of the production, use and data transmission of the digital devices producing higher CO2 emissions than one might be thinking. According to a study, approximately 4,1 billion people worldwide had Internet access in 2019 (de.statista.com). Every single search, every streaming video and every type of cloud computing, carried out for billion times, generates an increasingly large global energy demand, and consequently more CO2 emissions. The same thing happens with the streaming videos, due to the large amount of data they contain. As a comparison, using a search engine or sending simple e-mail texts have only limited effects.
fonte source:
www.raconteur.net
From where should we start to transform digitally in a simple and sustainable way?
The first steps towards a digital sustainability in the laundry can be made by following some good practices that have been published in a decalogue produced by Enel and called Digital Circular Assets (www.enel.com). By following these simple rules it is possible to reduce costs and consumption, manage the company’s digital assets in compliance with the principles of the circular economy, promoting the extension of the useful life of devices, recycling and reuse. I have also collected some other best practices for managing a series of digital processes in a responsible way, both in the company and in the daily life. By following these principles, the companies will have a measurable double benefit: one in terms of reduced energy costs, which will have a positive impact on the energy bill, and the other in terms of reduced CO2 emissions.
Here are the 13 best practices:
1. pay attention to your “digital behaviour”;
2. switch off the digital devices when they are not in use or switch them into power-saving mode when in use;
3. use e-mail in a responsible way;
a. write an e-mail only when necessary;
b. limit sending attachments;
c. use the “reply all” option only when really needed;
d. periodically empty the inbox basket, deleting e-mails that are no longer of interest;
e. unsubscribe from newsletters that are no longer of interest.
4. use Wi-Fi networks instead of mobile;
5. limiting audio and video streaming to a minimum: video streaming causes 75% of digital data traffic. Production of the terminal (smartphone, laptop, TV), Internet network, mostly involving several computer centres and servers/routers, energy use, of the terminal during streaming. In comparison, downloading requires much less energy. Save data locally, use the cloud as less as possible;
6. listen to songs as audio instead of watching them in streaming as videos on YouTube or watch the video with a lower resolution (www.carbonbrief.org);
7. close the web pages after visiting them, to avoid unnecessary data traffic;
8. put smartphones on flight mode when we sleep, to prevent data traffic related to Wi-Fi connections;
9. choose more energy-efficient digital products and services;
10. use the devices for a longer time: the average lifetime of a smartphone is only two years, that of a TV is five years;
11. proper disposal of old devices: promote the circular economy of digital devices, e.g. by repairing them, or by disposing them, at the end of their useful life, as e-waste and not as normal waste, in order to avoid pollution and to encourage material recycling;
12. use a mix of sustainable electricity (photovoltaic, hydroelectric, wind, biomass);
13. designing sustainable hardware and software, by considering the impact of digital on the environment already from the designing stage of the digital solutions. •
by
ALESSANDRO MARTEMUCCI
Marketing Consultant Officinae Marketing Management
DETERGO Magazine # January 2023
