Ask J: “How can I participate to the sustainability revolution if I don’t manufacture products?
One day, an entrepreneur told me: “I read your blog post, I want to do more about sustainability, but I don’t know how to integrate this concept into my business model. I don’t sell products, I don’t deal with a supply chain. I just offer services…”In a nutshell, their question is « sustainability is important, what can I do about it ?»
First let’s debunk one myth.
This question is mind boggling for everyone, not just people who do not manufacture physical products that pollute or consume resources. I was reading an article from the Guardian about the highly contaminant computer-chip industry. On one hand, they consume large amounts of energy and water, on the other hand, they generate hazardous waste. This industry too has been struggling with the same question for the past few years. Only now are they starting to come up with a few pathways to becoming marginally more sustainable: sourcing renewable energy, finding efficiency in their manufacturing processes to use less water, switching to cleaner etching gases or treating their dirty gas to cut emissions. How did they come up with solutions? According to that article, by being relentless about asking the question. It’s the power of questions.
Now, let’s get back to our entrepreneur.
Their company had developed an immaterial product. An AI solution that focused on navigation systems and localization optimization. Sustainability had not been on their radar when they developed their solution, and they did not see any obvious connection to it. Then, I told them the UPS story. UPS is reportedly saving 10 million gallons of gasoline every single year just by turning right at crossing rather than turning left. This is because drivers are allowed to turn right even when traffic lights are red in the US. By turning right, they do not always have to stop at a red light, the car does not have to stay idle while consuming fuel and fuming emissions. Sustainability-wise, saving gasoline also means cutting carbon emissions for the UPS trucks. They allegedly avoid emissions equivalent to over 20,000 passenger cars according to a CNN article. In short, the more efficient navigation practice had a direct impact on cutting gas emissions. Interestingly, that decision to turn right was made way before the era of GPS and navigation computers, and had nothing to do with sustainability. Who says you cannot water two plants with one hose?
In the light of this UPS story, it appeared that our entrepreneur’s immaterial product, the AI navigation solution, could actually consider emission reductions in their route optimization criteria, which could eventually have a big impact sustainability-wise for their clients. Yes, if they ever decide to go down that path, they still have to crunch their numbers. But now they have an idea on how they could play a role in the sustainability revolution.
It’s not going to be easy to integrate sustainability into your products, your services or let alone to your whole business strategy (more on that later). In fact, right now, the world needs enablers and catalysts for the sustainability revolution. Enablers will come from the services industry, and the knowledge industry. They will help measure impact, track impact and create innovative solutions that manufacturers can leverage. Catalysts are usually from the finance industry (banks, investors and insurers).Remember, businesses need to understand their impact in the sustainability game before they can actually do something about it. If your services AI solutions, and other data-driven solutions can help measure how a business contributes to the sustainability game, they can also help explore scenarios for more sustainable solutions by addressing the “What if?” and “How might we?” questions.
Whatever your business is, the key is to start asking yourself what you can do about sustainability, and keep asking everyday. By the way, I love being asked questions. I believe they have a huge power for transformation. So, just “Ask J”…
Guardian article — The computer chip industry has a dirty secret
CNN article — Why UPS almost never turns left
