This year's World Environment Day, June 5, is focused on plastic pollution, but that is just one aspect of a complex situation according to industry observers.
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| Concept artwork focused on sustainability generated by Dream by WOMBO. |
Moringa took the big-picture lens to climate change in a comment on World Environment Day that highlighted the transformative power of innovative technologies.
"These aren’t just incremental improvements; they are paradigm shifts that are revolutionising how we produce energy, manage resources, and mitigate environmental damage," said KV Subrahmanyam, CEO and founder, in a blog post. Some of the technologies and trends he listed included:
- AI and machine learning: "AI is being used to optimise energy grids, predict extreme weather patterns, manage waste more efficiently, and even design new sustainable materials," Subrahmanyam said.
- Internet of Things (IoT): "Connected sensors and devices are enabling real-time monitoring of emissions, water usage, and agricultural conditions, providing valuable data for informed decision-making," he noted.
- Advanced materials: "Research into new materials is paving the way for more efficient solar cells, lighter electric vehicle components, and durable, sustainable construction materials," Subrahmanyam added.
- Digitalisation and data analytics: "By providing unprecedented insights into environmental impacts, these tools empower businesses and governments to make data-driven decisions for sustainability," he pointed out.
"On World Environment Day, we celebrate this powerful synergy. It is a day to recognise that the climate crisis is not an insurmountable obstacle, but rather a complex challenge that can be addressed through collective intelligence, strategic investment, entrepreneurial spirit, and forward-thinking governance.
"By fostering a collaborative environment where climate leaders, investors, startups, and policymakers work in unison, leveraging the full potential of innovative technologies, we can indeed build a more sustainable, resilient, and prosperous future for all. The time for action is now, and the path forward is paved with innovation and collaboration," he concluded.
Julie Kae, VP of Sustainability and Impact, and Executive Director of Qlik.org, shared that Qlik is doing its bit to tackle plastic pollution. "At Qlik, we see plastic pollution not just as an environmental issue, but as a solvable data challenge. Across our global offices, we’ve eliminated single-use plastics and adopted ecofriendly practices across events, sourcing, and operations.
"But our greater impact lies in helping others act. Through partnerships with C40 Cities, UNFCCC, and Van Oord, we support real-world, data-driven solutions - from tracking plastic use to identifying smarter ways to reduce waste and build climate resilience," she said.
"We’re proud to work with nonprofits and public sector organisations that turn data into impact, whether it's supporting climate dashboards, open-access tools, or smarter recycling systems. These are more than pilot projects - they demonstrate what’s possible when insight drives action.
"As we continue this journey, our commitment to achieving net zero by 2030 remains central to how we innovate, operate, and empower others."
Mark Nutt, Senior VP of International Sales, Cohesity, touched on data being a pollutant as well as an asset. "Up to 50% of the information stored by enterprises is redundant, obsolete or trivial (ROT). Yet every terabyte sits in a data-centre rack that draws power around the clock. Collectively, data centres already account for almost 2% of global CO₂ emissions—the same order of magnitude as the airline industry—and 100 GB of unnecessary data can translate into as much as 200 kg of carbon," he said.
"Boards that have pledged to hit net-zero cannot ignore this digital waste. A disciplined data-lifecycle strategy—combining classification, deduplication, compression and intelligent tiering—will enable organisations cut energy use, shrink their carbon footprint and still keep the information that really matters protected. Deleting dark and ROT data is one of the fastest and cost-efficient ways to make sustainability targets real."
"Sustainability and cyber-resilience can advance together. By classifying data at the moment it lands, deduplicating identical blocks, compressing what must be retained, and automating expiry policies, organisations can shrink the storage estate, cut energy bills, and reduce their attack surface—all without compromising recovery SLAs. Intelligent data management is one of the fastest, most measurable ways APAC businesses can contribute to net-zero goals while strengthening their digital defences."
Cohesity has quoted Gartner's definition for dark data in the past as “the information
assets organisations collect, process, and store during regular business
activities, but generally fail to use for other purposes.” SLA stands for service-level agreement.
Hashtag: #WorldEnvironmentDay
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