IoT For a Sustainable Future

Unlimited resource consumption, which is one of the biggest problems of our age, threatens our nature and our world more and more every day. If the necessary measures are not taken, this problem will become huge and irreversible in about 10 years. As a result, our planet will gradually become uninhabitable, our atmosphere will be irreversibly damaged, and our resources will be depleted. In order to change this situation and leave a more livable world to future generations, the concept of sustainability has become one of the issues on the agenda of many sectors and companies.

In order to create a more sustainable environment and future, it is necessary to take advantage of the opportunities offered by technology. At this point, IoT technology provides benefits to all sectors by providing efficiency opportunities and time and cost savings, making systems work in the most optimum, accessible and traceable way. Thus, sectors can control the damage they cause to the environment and prevent the unnecessary use of non-renewable natural resources.

In this article, we will talk about the great potential and usage areas of IoT for a sustainable future.

‘’The Internet of Things (IoT) is the key focus. According to McKinsey, It is one of the three most impactful technological advancements we will see before 2030. By 2025, the IoT’s economic impact will be around $11.1 trillion.’’

Leveraging IoT for Sustainability Solutions

Sustainability is a concept that states that nature and the environment do not have infinite resources, therefore it is a necessity to protect our resources and use them wisely. For all sectors, sustainability practices are no longer seen as an option but as a necessity. Opportunities to increase efficiency and cost savings, reduce product waste, conserve resources, and measure, analyze and track the benefits provided by IoT help to minimize the negative impact on the environment.

Innovative IoT Use Cases for Sustainability

IoT for Smart Agriculture

‘’IoT device installation is projected to see an annual growth rate of 20% in the agricultural industry.’’

Weather conditions and climate changes are environmental effects that put strain on the agricultural sector and have recently accelerated the integration of IoT technology into this sector. By transmitting the data it collects to the cloud thanks to IoT sensors, IoT provides real-time and retrospective insights and laid the groundwork for making sensible decisions in the field of agriculture. Thanks to the decisions made based on accurate and concrete data, costs are reduced, efficiency is increased and resources are used without wasting. How much time and resources a seed needs during the cultivation process after planting can be determined by IoT.

With traditional irrigation methods, water is wasted to a large extent. With IoT supported smart irrigation systems, climate parameters such as humidity, temperature and soil moisture are measured, thus irrigation is carried out without wasting water.

IoT for Preventing Food Waste

‘’According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, people waste 121 kilograms of food a year.’’

Food waste means not only the loss of food, but also the waste of water, energy, time and resources. It is estimated that up to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions originate from food waste. These and similar problems also harm the environment and sustainability policies.

‘’Preventing food waste can reduce total human greenhouse gas emissions by 6-8%.’’

IoT Technologies in the Food Supply Chain helps to reduce waste, costs and risks to a large extent, and the continuity of cold chain management is maintained , including the production stage, logistics process, cold storage and final sales point in the factory. Cold chain solutions developed with IoT technologies enable the instantaneous status of products to be monitored and to prevent food waste by sending real-time information to pre-defined persons in case of deviations in determined values.

Thanks to the measurement of ambient conditions, instant notifications can be made in the event that values such as temperature, humidity and air quality in cold storage cabinets go beyond the determined limits.

IoT for Energy Management

‘’The production facilities consume about 54% of the world's energy. With IoT, it is possible to save up to 20% of energy consumption within the facility.’’

In production facilities, energy consumption is quite high and technology is needed to monitor and optimize the amount of energy consumed during the day. With IoT technology, instant monitoring, measurement, optimization of energy consumption on a unit basis in production facilities, and alarm generation in sudden changes are provided. Thus, extraordinary consumptions are detected immediately, pollution emitted from non-renewable energy sources is reduced and sustainability is upheld.

In addition, by reducing the emission caused by the consumption of fossil fuels and energy production with energy efficiency, businesses eliminate their carbon footprints, so measures are taken to prevent the temperature increase and global warming caused by greenhouse gases. Thanks to IoT technology, companies can turn to more efficient energy applications, use resources more responsibly, and organize processes in a way that reduces waste.

You can also take a look at Trio Mobil's IoT and AI-supported Energy Monitoring and Cold Chain Management solutions and contact us in order to manage the operations in your business in accordance with sustainability policies and to leave a more livable world for future generations.