A digital look at World Environment Day

Source: LG. LG showed its support for the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and World Environment Day by playing UNEP’s video on its digital billboards in New York’s Times Square and London’s Piccadilly Circus. The image shows Times Square. LG is committed to practising a circular economy by continuously expanding the use of recycled materials in its products.

The annual Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting (CTMM), held on 5 and 6 of June this year, brings together trade ministers from across the Commonwealth to discuss and deliberate on key issues related to trade and investment. The theme for this year's CTMM is Delivering a Common Future: Cooperation for Resilient, Inclusive, Green and Digital Economies, very apt when World Environment Day fell on June 5.

NetApp commemmorated the day by introducing the concept of data minimalism. Andrew Sotiropoulos, Senior VP and GM for Asia Pacific, NetApp, shared Statista figures that the global data sphere is predicted to reach 180 zettabytes by 2025, even though only 32% of data available to enterprises is put to work according to IDC.

He said data minimalisim is emerging as a systematic and effective strategy to tackle vnefficient and wasteful data accumulation. "By adopting data minimalism as the cornerstone of their data strategy, organisations can cut costs and make significant strides toward meeting their sustainability goals," he said.

Sotiropoulos suggested that organisations can cut data wastage and streamline storage by:

 Comprehensive visibility: To effectively manage data, organisations must have a comprehensive understanding of the amount, nature and location of their data. Visibility across on-premises and cloud environments is essential.

 Categorisation and prioritisation: Once data visibility is achieved, organisations can categorise and prioritise their data. Distinguishing between necessary and unnecessary data is key to meeting governance and sustainability standards.

 Cloud migration and optimisation: Organisations should embrace cloud-based solutions and explore data migration and tiering opportunities. Cloud providers often prioritise energy-efficient infrastructure, offering scalability and flexibility while cutting the carbon footprint of data storage.

 Data compression and deduplication: Organisations should use data compression and deduplication techniques to boost storage efficiency. Removing redundant copies and compressing data can dramatically cut storage needs.

"Amid the current economic uncertainty and energy crisis, organisations have an unprecedented opportunity to overhaul their data management strategy and build a greener future. With data minimalism, organisations can continue to build up their digital presence but keep sustainability at the core of their approach," Sotiropoulos said.

Ho Chye Soon, Country Manager, Singapore, Nutanix, commented on the urgency to address environmental challenges across all industries, including technology businesses. "With the exponential growth of information and the subsequent rise in demand for data centres, it is crucial for businesses to recognise and tackle the significant environmental footprint they leave behind. Fortunately, there is growing awareness among companies about the need for sustainability, and integrating ecofriendly practices into technology operations presents promising opportunities," he said.

"By embracing sustainable practices, technology businesses have a unique opportunity to lead the way in shaping a future where environmental stewardship and technological advancement are not mutually exclusive. Consumers and regulators alike are increasingly demanding more sustainable solutions, and businesses that prioritise sustainability can potentially gain a competitive edge whilst also contributing positively to the planet."

Technology-related sustainability is multifaceted, Ho pointed out. "While energy consumption is a key concern, it is important to broaden our perspective and consider other environmental impacts of technology. Factors like water consumption, e-waste generation, and the carbon footprint associated with manufacturing and disposal of electronic devices cannot be overlooked. Addressing these issues requires a holistic approach that encompasses the entire lifecycle of technology products and services," he observed.

The good news, Ho said, is that businesses are starting to prioritise sustainability. "According to Nutanix's 5th annual Enterprise Cloud Index report, an overwhelming 95% of IT decision makers in Singapore agree that sustainability is more important today than it was a year ago. This shift in mindset demonstrates a growing understanding of the urgent need to reconcile technological advancements with environmental stewardship," Ho shared.

"Technology itself can play a crucial role in mitigating environmental challenges. One way is by encouraging businesses to be strategic in their purchasing decisions, only buying what they need and scaling down resources when not in use. At Nutanix, we strive to reduce the carbon footprint of our data centres by using our own infrastructure that is efficient by design. We also partner with data centre providers who prioritise sustainability by using innovative approaches like water reclamation and hyper-efficient design to reduce power consumption and offering renewable energy options.

"Beyond the confines of World Environment Day, it is imperative for technology businesses to recognise the environmental challenges inherent in the industry and take meaningful action. By integrating sustainable practices into their operations, businesses can help to minimise their environmental footprint while meeting the growing expectations of consumers and regulators. The alignment of sustainability and technology presents promising opportunities to pave the way for a future where environmental stewardship and technological advancement go hand in hand, creating a more sustainable world for generations to come."

Like Ho, Roger Loh, Head of Solutions, Logicalis Asia, noted that there is a sense of urgency around sustainability today. "Sustainability is not just part of business as usual, it’s not just part of going forward – Logicalis is speeding up and trying to make this even more urgent, for us internally and for our customers globally," he said.

"We will continue accelerating our efforts and we are setting plans for every part of our business to reduce our carbon emissions over the next two years."

The company has launched a digital fabric scorecard to help customers identify where they can improve. "As a managed services provider, we are in a privileged position in that we have access to a lot of client data. Historically, managed service providers have not really taken advantage of the insights that data can bring. We are now in a position where we can look at (what) we’re monitoring for our customers, among other things, like standard metrics on availability of the devices," he said.

"We can now offer additional insights on how companies can improve the cost base and security of their environment, and how they can improve the user experience. But critically, we also give insights and how they can improve the carbon footprint or the sustainability of their environment."

Klaytn Foundation, the non-profit entity established to globalise and decentralise the ecosystem of South Korea's Layer 1 Blockchain Klaytn, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Crypto Workers DAO and Prometheus Space Power for a joint project to effectively respond to climate change and expedite the energy transition towards decentralised renewable power generation.

The three will incorporate Klaytn's Blockchain technology to create decentralised digital asset finance solutions for renewable energy production and supply. This is expected to help transform the energy industry, which is currently dominated by large central suppliers, into a new environment where small energy producers and end-consumers, such as local communities, cooperatives, decentralised autonomous organisations, or individuals, can participate in and benefit.

M1, a mobile network operator in Singapore, announced the availability of True 5G Eco SIM for new signups to M1’s Bespoke plans in line with World Environment Day. The SIM comes in a half-sized card format (half the size of a credit card) and is made from recycled resources. In contrast, SIM cards are currently made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) materials. This will allow M1 to reduce plastic use by 50% and product carbon footprint by 30% in the SIM production department.

OPPO also took the opportunity to release its 2022 Sustainability Report*.

Meanwhile, the CTMM will cover the enhancement of digital trade in its discussions. In her opening speech, Commonwealth Secretary-General Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC said: “We are here because we share a common vision: to achieve US$2 T in intra-Commonwealth trade by 2030. We gather in a time of change and challenge. 

"All of us are tightly bound by a tangled knot of crises spanning global systems: A world living with the social, political and economic consequences of COVID-19, crippling debt, rising inflation and high interest rates, spiralling costs for food and energy, tremors of instability and conflict and the increasingly harsh impacts of climate change. In isolation, each of these challenges is grave and serious, but they interconnect, entwine, and worsen one another, threatening our collective wellbeing. 

"Following on from two meetings of Senior Trade Officials, a gathering of our Caucus of Ambassadors to the WTO in Geneva, and the outstanding preparatory work done by the Commonwealth’s superb Trade Team, we can say with all confidence that we are ready to get down to business.”

*https://www.oppo.com/content/dam/oppo/common/mkt/footer/2022-OPPO-Sustainability-Report-EN.pdf (PDF).