Accelerating your journey to decarbonization through digitalization
By Sanjay Tugnait | 2 minute read | July 16, 2021
Corporations around the world are increasingly focused on sustainability and implementing strategies for achieving net-zero emissions in greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2050 or sooner. To stop global warming and the impacts of climate change, we need to reduce the 51 billion tons of carbon emitted into the atmosphere annually down to zero, and limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Urgent action is needed across industries, but especially in those sectors that contribute the most to global carbon emissions*:
Industrial (steel, cement, plastic) – 31%
Energy and Electricity (coal, oil, gas) – 27%
Farming (crops, plants and animals) – 19%
Transportation (airplanes, cars, trucks and ships) – 16%
Heating and Cooling (air conditioning, refrigeration) – 7%
A sustainability strategy with prioritized initiatives for low-carbon manufacturing, energy efficiency, clean electricity production and use, fleet electrification, smart infrastructure and buildings, sustainable supply chains and circularity can help companies operating in these sectors accelerate their journey to net zero.
Sector leaders are leveraging technology innovation like AI, blockchain and cloud to reach sustainability milestones faster and drive real breakthroughs for their businesses and industries.
For example, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and IBM are partnering to develop CO2NNEXTM, a digital platform that aims to advance the transition to a new society in which emitted CO2 is utilized as an industrial input. The platform helps visualize and strengthen the CO2 supply chain using blockchain and AI. Today, data about how CO2 is captured, used, and stored is only visible at each individual step in the process. CO2NNEX will link and visualize the data, provide traceability, and match CO2 emitters with companies that can use it, providing supply for new applications in industries like agriculture and alternative e-fuel.
Shell and IBM are capitalizing on similarities in the energy and mining value chains to expand access to sustainability innovation. Together, they have co-created OREN, the first digital B2B marketplace for the mining and industrial sectors. The idea is to help solve common customer challenges around data aggregation, energy transition and the adoption of emerging technologies to accelerate digital and sustainability transformation. OREN gives mining companies a one-stop-shop for proven digital solutions for safety, sustainability, mine planning and operational efficiency from a trusted ecosystem of solutions providers.
IBM continues to seek and develop global partnerships to collaborate on innovative ways of digitalizing decarbonization. We believe that together, we can accelerate the journey towards net zero.
Read other sustainability innovation stories and learn more about IBM sustainability solutions by visiting, the IBM sustainability solutions page.
*How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates, 2021