The technology supporting and shaping sustainability: The front four…

Technology and its role in sustainability has been gaining pace over the last few years. And partly thanks to the pandemic, innovative tech is reaching the market quicker than ever before. A shift in the way we’re working and living and a new appreciation for our environment is driving demand for faster, more sophisticated, and sustainable solutions. And the focus on a green recovery is unlocking funding to make innovation possible. There has never been a better time for sustainable technology.  

But how is technology supporting and shaping sustainability? Its fast-paced nature makes it difficult to keep up with the latest, greatest, and even slow burning innovations. But there are a handful of solutions that seem to stay top of the agenda, so we’ve rounded up four of the current favourites.

Chemical recycling

With waste management a hot topic, it’s not surprising that chemical recycling innovations have gained momentum. In the last ten years, we’ve seen 155 start-ups in the space and big players like Unilever, Nestle, and Tesco are already utilising the technology to make their materials more sustainable. Chemical recycling allows plastics unrecyclable using mechanical methods to be transformed into secondary raw materials and reused. Difficult-to-recycle plastics such as films, laminated plastics and more are diverted from landfill and incineration, reducing CO2 emissions and creating valuable resources. These emerging technologies are crucial to creating a circular, more sustainable approach to plastics instead of ‘make-use-dispose’ driven by the limitations of mechanical recycling.

Green microgrids

Microgrids can provide a power supply independent from the electricity grid, offering a more resilient infrastructure in the face of climate change and increasing extreme weather. They’re not new, but until recently relied on fossil fuels to generate power. Today, they can utilise green power, providing a more reliable, cleaner energy source to support traditional supplies. The falling cost of tech such as photovoltaic and battery storage solutions is making microgrid projects more financially viable too. As a result, they’re driving renewable energy adoption and increasingly being used in infrastructure and the commercial, military, and industrial sectors. Lidl’s carbon-neutral distribution centre in Finland is an excellent example of a microgrid project significantly increasing energy efficiency utilising renewable sources and contributing to a carbon-neutral environment. 

Electric public transport

Around 425,000 electric buses are operating worldwide, and London’s 400-strong fleet forms the largest in Europe. There are plans for 2,000 all-electric London buses to be in operation by 2025, and the government is encouraging e-buses further afield too. Earlier this year, it announced an England-wide competition that will see selected cities awarded up to £50m to run all-electric bus services and create supporting infrastructure such as charging stations. Accelerating the electrification of public transport seems to be a focus and Siemens is one organisation already rising to the challenge. Working alongside Dutch bus manufacturer VDL, it’s combining vehicle technologies and innovative sustainable tech such as energy storage and charging systems to manage energy more effectively and gain insight to drive the electrification of public transport sooner.

Long-duration energy storage

While wind and solar power help conserve natural resources, reduce pollution, and our reliance on imported fuels, their very nature presents problems with inconsistent generation. Long-duration energy storage is the complementary technology capable of storing excess low carbon energy across months to overcome the challenge and scale up renewable energy efforts sooner. Affordable storage systems have long been the stumbling block for a reliable, net-zero carbon solution to power. However, with the government pledging up to £68m capital funding to accelerate the commercialisation of long-duration energy storage solutions, we can expect significant changes in the power sector in the not-too-distant future.  

The surprising link between sustainable technology and the food on our table

One sector embracing the opportunities offered by innovative technology is agriculture. As the industry faces the challenge of feeding a growing population without damaging the natural environment, increasingly, it’s using technology to develop a sustainable solution. Agri-tech has the potential to increase productivity and accelerate the industry’s move to carbon neutral using new approaches only possible with the type of tech innovations discussed here. In the next article, we’ll be digging deeper into Agri-tech, how it’s shaping the future of farming and driving sustainability in the sector.

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