Sustainability LIVE Net Zero - AWS Keynote Speaker
On 6 and 7 March, Sustainability LIVE expanded its span of events and hosted an engaging event at the QEII Centre which connected the world’s sustainability leaders - Sustainability LIVE Net Zero.
Throughout the day, those who attended were able to participate in engaging workshops, get involved with powerful presentations and hear exclusive discussions from a span of internationally acclaimed business leaders, which all equipped attendees with the knowledge they required to craft a better tomorrow.
On day two of the event, the Sustainability Leader for EMEA at Amazon Web Services, Hilary Tam, discussed how critical sustainability is in business transformation and innovation, emphasising the importance of ensuring that sustainability is integrated into all of their strategic goals. By establishing an efficient relationship between technology, business strategies and sustainability, Hilary explored how this can catalyst both economic and environmental value.
Collaboration
Hilary explored how organisations can enhance their efficiency and sustainability efforts by integrating their digital transformations alongside their sustainability efforts, allowing IT and sustainability goals to become aligned.
She continued to explore how businesses can unlock plenty of commercial potential by enhancing their sustainability efforts. Hillary highlighted that Coca-Cola and Qantas, which are both AWS customers, were able to unlock carbon and water savings through digitalisation.
"Sustainability is one of the most exciting commercial innovation opportunities of our time,” said Hilary.
Sustainability Tools
Hilary went on to introduce a framework AWS uses that incorporates four levels of sustainability activity which results in industries being able to access an abundance of value. Across the model, the activity incorporates reducing IT footprints to crafting new sustainable solutions.
She also explores other tools AWS offers to organisations that allow them to enhance their sustainability efforts, including data-driven sustainability platforms and carbon calculators.
Hilary noted the importance of being dedicated to sustainability efforts and highlighted the commitments AWS has settled on to embrace sustainability, including 100% renewable energy by 2025 and net-zero by 2040.
AI
At a later point in the keynote, Hilary began to focus on the diverse range of benefits AI has in driving sustainability efforts across many organisations.
"Generative AI has the potential to completely transform how we interact with data and drive sustainability progress,” Hilary explained.
Hilary explored how Amazon uses AI to enhance the sustainability of their work. For example, she discussed how AI is used to improve Amazon’s packaging design, helping to reduce material use and improve efficiency to help reach customer feedback. Amazon also utilises AI in their returns management system in order to reduce the number of returns they process, as well as their carbon footprint, because AI can spot detective goods with ease.
She highlighted how financial companies have been able to offer better recommendations and products to their customers by utilising AI to assess ESG performance at both an industry and organisational level.
Later, Hilary focuses on two partnerships Amazon are using in order to enhance its sustainability efforts- with the government of Pará, Brazil and the Natural History Museum. With the government of Pará, Amazon is aiming to reduce carbon emissions that are related to deforestation by monitoring 20 million hectares of land using public data. And, with the Natural History Museum, Amazon is helping to establish future goals for managing nature and enhancing understanding of UK biodiversity by digitalising artefacts.
"90% of deforestation is linked to agriculture, particularly soy and cattle production, so we are focusing on traceability and sustainability in those areas," Hilary said.
Overall, Hilary focuses on the value that can be unlocked when organisations seamlessly include sustainability initiatives into all aspects of their work, as well as utilising the potential of AI and tech alongside this, too.
Essential diary dates for 2024 and 2025…
Sustainability LIVE continues to expand its events with more to come in 2024 and 2025, discover our essential diary dates below.
2024 diary dates:
- Sustainability LIVE: Diversity & Inclusion | 12 November 2024
- NEW | The CSO Network
- NEW | ClimateTech Digital
- NEW | Scope3 Magazine
2025 diary dates:
- Sustainability LIVE Malta | 20 February 2025
- Sustainability LIVE: Net Zero | 5-6 March 2025
- Sustainability LIVE Singapore | 18 March 2025
- Sustainability LIVE Dubai | 22 April 2025
- Sustainability LIVE Chicago | 4-5 June 2025
- Sustainability LIVE London | 9-10 September 2025
- Sustainability & ESG Awards | 10 September 2025
- Sustainability LIVE: DE&I | 11 November 2025
Make sure you check out the latest edition of Sustainability Magazine and also sign up to our global conference series - Sustainability LIVE 2025
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