8 years ago, as a co-founder of Thinxtra, I got involved in Industrial IoT projects as a way to enable efficiencies and reduce the carbon footprint of any kind of company. From optimised logistics to predictive maintenance to energy efficient building to water monitoring for crop production,… IoT – combined with AI – is at the heart of it all. Sustainability with IoT was and still is the priority of Thinxtra.
The general sense of urgency to address climate change is intensifying. For businesses, this means sustainability is no longer just a marketing bonus. Sustainable practices are table stakes to create long-term value and compete in the global economy.
In 2023, the IoT industry is more mature, with large projects in the pipeline. Some projects are even connecting millions of devices (while a couple of years ago it was in the thousands).
When you connect so many devices – in a world way more sensitive to global warming, climate change, overconsumption of plastics and pollution – the sustainability factor becomes more relevant. Nowadays, the objective of many advanced IoT players is to transform their wired or wireless IoT devices into eco-responsible products.
What is an Eco-responsible IoT product?
Some examples:
1. Smart thermostats help reduce energy consumption and improve energy efficiency. This type of device can be programmed to run at optimal temperatures, and can also be controlled remotely from a smartphone or tablet. Additionally, it can be set to notify the user when regular maintenance needs to be done on the heating and cooling system in order to keep it running efficiently.
2. Solar-Powered Streetlights are a great way to reduce energy consumption and light pollution. These lights use solar energy to provide illumination and can be used to light up streets and public areas.
3. Smart Water Meters help optimise water usage and conserve water. This type of device can detect water leaks and alert homeowners of any water waste.
4. Smart Garden Irrigation Systems use sensors to detect soil moisture and help optimize water usage for plants. This type of device can help reduce water waste and conserve resources.
5. Smart Power Strips are designed to reduce energy consumption by automatically cutting off power to devices when they are not in use. This type of device can help reduce electricity bills and help conserve energy.
Designing green IoT devices is emerging as a strong trend for many global IoT solution providers and as one of the 4 key pillars of their strategy (aside from – lower cost, – more reliable/secure and – multi-connectivity protocols)
But the first companies that have taken the plunge all recognise it: the approach is not obvious and there is a long list of elements to consider.
Mavana, a French company specialising in low-carbon strategies through the IoT, referenced around 20 environmental indicators, which he recommends taking into account throughout the life cycle of objects: “In the vast majority of cases, 80% of the environmental impact of a connected object lies in the phase prior to its use. Eco-design should therefore start by questioning the very need to manufacture this connected object. Once the relevance of the object has been proven, it is necessary to think about the impact of the components (minerals, metals and plastics in particular), but also that of the production and dismantling plants (consumption of water and primary energy, as well as pollution generated). Without forgetting, of course, the impacts (mainly carbon) of the transport, use and maintenance of this object.” Says Gillo Malpart, president and co-founder.
So how do you make IoT devices more sustainable:
There are several ways:
1. Use energy-efficient components: This includes using low-power processors, sensors, and communication modules (such as Bluetooth Low Energy & LPWAN technology instead of Wifi & 4G) that consume less energy.
2. Optimise power management: Use techniques such as sleep modes and dynamic voltage scaling to reduce the power consumption of the device. This optimisation happens at the firmware level of the device, a speciality of Symbiotech.
3. Using energy harvesting or even avoiding batteries should be a priority consideration. The power supply represents a black spot in the impact of IoT. Devices can be powered using solar, wind, movement, temperature or other renewable energy sources, instead of relying on batteries or grid power. And if batteries have to be used, then consider new types of green batteries based on hydrogen (e.g. Lavo hybrid battery), biofuel (e.g. BeFC Biofuel cell) or even sodium ion (e.g.Pylontech).
Energy harvesting IoT product brand examples :
- EnOcean & EnOcean Alliance makes energy harvesting products (including wireless switches, sensors, and gateways) for smart home and building automation.
- Wiliot IoT tags capture ambient radio waves and use them to power Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices for short periods of time.
- Enervibe offers a range of kinetic solutions, converting movements into energy into data, enabling IoT devices and wireless sensors into truck tires as well as shoes.
- Powerfoyle solar cell by Exeger is redefining the possibilities of solar energy that can be applied to IoT devices.
- Dracula technologies expands the possibilities by providing a sustainable energy source for IoT devices.
4. Design for longevity and repairability: Make the device easy to repair and upgrade, and use high-quality components that have a longer lifespan. In a good corporate strategy, companies should forbid disposable products and design products with ten years of durability in mind. If devices are for short time used (for example, monitoring hospital patients with a connected wristband or temperature sensors in crates of fruits during transportation), then recycling or reconditioning should be at the heart of the strategy. In this case, having products openable, removable, repairable, returnable and/or upgradable with extension ports to favour repair. Customers should also be encouraged/enticed to return products that have reached the end of their life rather than throwing them away.
5. The choice of components is essential in an eco-design approach, and we are seeing a new generation of bio-sourced plastics. Plastic can indeed be a source of questions on its own. ABS, a thermoplastic polymer, is the most used plastic in the IoT because it is very resistant and has good mechanical properties. But its recycling is complex. Sometimes the recycler does not know which plastic is used in the product, which does not allow them to redesign it. Use sustainable materials: Avoid using materials that are harmful to the environment, such as certain plastics or heavy metals, and choose materials that are easy to recycle or compost.
6. On the recycling front, This comes usually as a second stage. First companies are trying to make IoT solutions “greener” or less consuming (i.e. doing edge computing instead of systematically sending data to the cloud), and then they realise that recycling should be at the forefront of the concept of the products. The gold wires on the electronic board and part of the copper can be recycled, but what about the resins and silicon, the production of which requires a lot of water? Working with recycling experts on the circuit board and the battery is fundamental to identifying the best components to use from the start and determining the right partners to work with when the time comes to recycle the devices when they have reached their end of life.
CONCLUSION
Today, companies truly recognise the critical risks of climate change and are committed to making a change at all levels. They understand the importance of setting targets and sharing their performance with shareholders, customers and the public. Still, there is a need to put more sustainable practices into action at both the strategic and product levels and implement enterprise-level tools and processes to support these ongoing efforts.
In the end, implementing and monitoring sustainable practices throughout the entire product life cycle (This includes designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of the IoT device) is the way to go for Australian eco-responsible IoT solution makers.
Also worth reading:
https://iot-analytics.com/effect-iot-sustainability/
https://www3.weforum.org/docs/IoTGuidelinesforSustainability.pdf