The year 2017 for Corporate Sustainability

While the new year brings new hope and new opportunities for corporates, it also brings new worries along, making us wonder whether 2017 will be yet another consecutive warmest year on record. There is no denying the fact that human activities have been detrimental for global climate. Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels has increased significantly since 1900. Every sector – industry, transportation, buildings and agriculture – has contributed to carbon emissions globally, and natural resources are being used up faster than they can be regenerated making their availability uncertain for future generations. So, it is the responsibility of all stakeholders – corporates, governments and individuals – to take necessary steps to minimize their environmental footprint.

It is imperative for corporates to cut down energy and water consumption as a way to delink business growth from resource consumption. While manufacturing industries will be affected heavily due to lack of basic resources, it is matter of human sustenance for the people intensive services industry. While there are several challenges, the situation also needs to be perceived as an opportunity to become a smarter and more efficient society overall by challenging the status quo and through continuous innovation.

Data monitoring: Availability of reliable data on environmental parameters is the bane of corporates today. Corporates need to take up clear measurable goals on environmental parameters like energy, water and waste – the 3 key issues facing our society today and have a robust mechanism to monitor them continuously. Reduction in energy and water consumption, and effective waste treatment is very essential to reduce the environmental footprint. Technology and innovation can play a major part in achieving these goals. Smart meters available today can send energy and water data remotely over IP network to enable corrective action and to explore opportunities for savings. Technological advancements have resulted in improved efficiencies of equipment. Access to global expertise is just a click away. Software tools are available today that can provide insights on the estimated resources consumption for a building or a campus. At Infosys, about 2500 smart energy meters have been installed across campuses to get accur ate and granular level energy consumption data. This was the first step towards enterprise level energy conservation initiatives that have led to 50% reduction in per capita energy consumption.

Automation: Automation is common in industrial processes and is widely used for optimization. But automation is rarely used in buildings for optimization purpose. With rapid urbanization and growing cities, there is a huge addition of buildings and an opportunity to make them smart. Automation can help greatly in ensuring efficiencies of equipment, efficient operation of building systems and provide analysis on health of equipment. The power of automation is yet to be realized fully by many corporates owning large amounts of space for offices, retail, etc. Automation can be used for scheduling of equipment, measuring efficiencies real time, running the right algorithms based on different conditions available and sending alerts to operations personnel if any operational parameter going out of range. Automation can help in tuning different systems like AC, lighting, etc. according to user needs thereby ensuring comfort.

Going Off grid: With the costs of solar PV reducing significantly over the years and grid power supply being unreliable, it is an opportune time for corporates to look at renewable energy options either onsite or through a third party generator. This can reduce load on the grid and at the same time ensure lower carbon footprint for the corporate.

Collaboration: Corporate sustainability should go beyond the boundaries of corporates and should impact the society at large. Corporates should engage actively with each other and with the governments in policy making so that we have updated and more stringent policies related to resources consumption and environmental protection. Codes like the National Building Code, Energy Conservation Building Code, etc. should have active participation and involvement of corporates to promote the cause of resource conservation. The problems of today can only be solved through collaboration and innovation and corporates can play an important role in partnering with academia, public agencies, policy makers, etc.

A commitment from the top management of corporates is essential to ensure a culture of environmental sustainability. Rather than compulsion, today environmental sustainability is a need for everyone and an obligation for the corporates to ensure their sustenance and moreover ensure a healthy future for generations to come.

(This article is authored by Guruprakash Sastry, Regional Manager – Infrastructure, Infosys)