How can Data Tracking help the Manufacturing Industry to achieve Net Zero?

While the world is discussing Net Zero, wondering where you stand in this journey? More than 2000 businesses worldwide have already joined the UN Net Zero campaign to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050. 

So, what exactly is Net Zero, and why does it matter? 

Net zero is the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and removed from the atmosphere. Once Net Zero is reached, the amount we add will equal the amount taken away, making the net amount zero. It is the best way to deal with climate change as global warming, an all-time crisis, gets reduced by this. The responsibility for what we produce falls on us, which is why we should take serious steps to reduce carbon emissions. The 2021 Glasgow Climate Pact, formulated during the COP 26 Climate Change Conference, has recognised that achieving Net Zero emissions can keep the temperature to 1.5°C of warming.

The manufacturing industry is considered to be one of the largest carbon emitters. Two-thirds of the manufacturing industry in Britain has already committed to Net Zero, and 68% have already developed strategies to become a Net Zero company. The manufacturing industry has also seen this opportunity of going Net Zero as an opportunity to finance green investments, reduce residual emissions and energy consumption and develop new products or knowledge. Manufacturers are, therefore, under constant pressure from their stakeholders to go more sustainable by decarbonising their operations and the economy by designing and manufacturing Net Zero products for the low carbon economy. New digital technologies like the Internet of Things(IoT), Virtual Reality, automation etc., can help improve sustainability and energy efficiency. But how do they do it? Turn to data.

IPCC(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has remarked that the biggest challenge the industrial sector faces is the uncertainty and incompleteness associated with data, as data is the key factor in setting up the targets and standards for their stakeholders.

Data is hailed as one of the essential resources on earth. Data's role in helping combat the climate crisis and bringing in carbon neutrality can never be underestimated. More than 85% of the key decision-makers think that data analysis can be the top priority for achieving net Zero in manufacturing.

Data is the trump card that powers the technologies that monitor, predict or reduce emissions. The organisation's internal data is used for identifying its strengths and weaknesses to develop a practical road map to net zero. Find a data tracking system that can automate the data collection process and integrate the production data from the different sources and sensors on the shop floor. AI and machine learning can help to reveal more profound insights into the business's carbon footprint. The Industrial Internet of Things(IIoT) is the key enabler for sustainable manufacturing and achieving environmental goals. A vertically integrated IoT solution is implemented to include the software, automation and sensors to connect, monitor and analyse the manufacturing processes easily. Once it is implemented, the manufacturers can start tracking and analysing the data. 

For instance, the scrap reports produced from the data capturing system on a shop floor can help analyse how the system should be revised to reduce emissions and produce more sustainable carbon-neutral products.

Check on how robust your data tracking system is. A simple and comprehensive system can make the Net Zero strategy effortless.

Data analysis can drive down carbon emissions through the manufacturing industry, from aerospace and automotive to the consumer arena. The data needed is already available- all it takes is the technology and systems to track and analyse it. By creating a proper data strategy for Net Zero that suits your business, companies can use these integrated emission data management systems to analyse the data and accurately forecast the reduction of carbon emissions.