How manufacturing with AI can drive a sustainable future

Global warming and the associated reality of climate change are the most discussed outcomes of unsustainable human behaviours. However, global warming is just one of the problems precipitated by the overuse of our natural resources.

Other sustainability issues include water stress, depletion of forests, rare natural resources and unrecoverable materials, geopolitical stress on supply chains and inequitable labour. All of these must be addressed urgently, in addition to mitigating the cascading effect of global temperature shifts.

Many manufacturers that have committed to net zero targets produce environmental, social and governance (ESG) reports to measure their efforts in improving sustainability. However, our survey of 3,000 executives across industries calls out two stark data points:

For most companies, ESG reporting relies heavily on standardized and aggregated data. This information is too broad and often too late to bring about meaningful sustainability-related shifts. As a result, it doesn’t significantly help bring about sustainability-related shifts.

That needs to change. Just as manufacturers require real-time financial controls, they also need their ESG data to be a reliable facsimile of their business operations.

This is where artificial intelligence comes in.

AI-driven ESG data can bridge the gap between manufacturers and their stakeholders. AI can identify financial incentives to drive sustainable change, resulting in myriad welcome outcomes, including the following four.

Global warming potential – a reliable quantification of the amount of material waste that human society creates – is estimated at $40 trillion –and the manufacturing industry generates 40% of this. Manufacturers can and must address this in the following ways:

Each of these goals introduces opportunities for manufacturers to create new revenue, reduce spending and develop new product and application pathways that could amount, we believe, to a $4 trillion market opportunity.

AI-enabled data is critical here, as the technology can identify inefficient material use even before a product is on the production line. AI is equally critical in enabling precision sourcing operations for raw materials, energy management and the design of new service models.

Nearly 60% of human-induced carbon dioxide emissions come from manufacturing and its associated transportation and logistics operations. One reason for these high emissions is the siloed nature of the supply chain, which prevents manufacturers from visualizing an integrated approach to reducing fossil-based emissions and transitioning to renewable sources.

Here again, AI can play a role. The technology can create global performance models using unimaginable data volumes just a few years ago. Using AI, manufacturers can analyze their spending models and work in partnership with the maritime and logistics sectors – breaking down those silos.

To reduce emissions, manufacturers must collaborate with their logistics partners, particularly ocean liners. The maritime logistics industry transports over 90% of the world’s commerce. Only by working together can they optimize operations, reduce emissions, improve sustainability and boost profitability.

As noted previously, advancements in AI are paving the way for manufacturers and supply chain partners to reduce emissions by analyzing large data sets, including data on shipping routes, weather and traffic patterns.

At Cognizant, we’ve created an AI-enabled advisory system for one of the world’s leading maritime logistics companies. The system helps the company optimize fuel consumption across a fleet of more than 70 vessels, improving efficiency by over 7%. The model also optimizes cargo booking and port operations management, reducing cases in which ships rush to a port but find themselves waiting in the harbour for dockage to become available.

These gains benefit the logistics company and the manufacturers that rely on it.

When measuring and reporting on Scope 3 emissions, manufacturers are primarily responsible for increasing their products’ recyclability and generating more consumer awareness. It’s critical for manufacturers to reduce reliance on single-use plastics in a world that produces 400 million tons of plastic waste a year and recycles only 21% of it, at least in the United States.

With AI-driven models, manufacturers can visualize product impact and end-of-life models by analyzing data across customer lifecycles. Analysis of market trends, brand guidelines and product lifecycles enables manufacturers to visualize waste streams and other product attributes, which can help drive competitive differentiation and create more sustainable usage models.

Manufacturers also directly educate consumers about what makes products more sustainable and how to recycle them after use.

We worked with an apparel and toys manufacturer to create an integrated ESG data strategy to quantify its supply chain sustainability attributes. This strategy will help the manufacturer better substantiate product claims and increase awareness through marketing and advertising.

Traditional manufacturing economics – “buy cheap, make more, sell high” – invariably lead to resource and labour exploitation. AI and other digital technologies have shown promise in developing new product and service models that are commercially viable but fundamentally disruptive.

We’ve worked with clients to reduce resource and labour exploitation in the following ways:

Real change toward a circular production and consumption process will only happen when manufacturers implement a long-term sustainable business model. Ultimately, it isn’t policy that drives sustainable change but the free market that creates new ways of doing business.

Applying AI to foundational enterprise data will drive the discovery of opportunities that limit exploitation and reduce costs while creating a healthier planet—and strengthening the potential for new avenues of business growth and performance.

Visit the Sustainability Services section of the Cognizant website.