We have already explored the different types of drones: [multi-rotor drones](/blog/what-are-multi-rotor-drones/ "multi-rotor drones") and [fixed-wing drones](/blog/what-are-fixed-wing-drones/ "fixed-wing drones") and how drone technology is changing the game for multiple industries in previous articles such as: [drones for agriculture and farming](/blog/how-are-drones-useful-for-agriculture-and-farming/ "drones for agriculture and farming"), [drones in construction](/blog/how-are-drones-useful-for-construction/ "drones in construction"), and [drones for the insurance and legal sector](/blog/how-are-drones-useful-for-insurance-and-legal-sector/ "drones for the insurance and legal sector"). In this blog post we are going to be talking about drones for sustainability by answering the following question: **How are drones enabling sustainability?** Keep reading and find out how drones are tackling deforestation and the changing environment and how drones can help you to **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## HOW ARE DRONES ENABLING SUSTAINABILITY?

Drones provide a whole range of capabilities such as capturing aerial photography and videography, assisting in military operations, helping farmers check their crops, and so on. According to a report from [PwC](https://www.pwc.co.uk/press-room/press-releases/pwc-uk-drones-report.html "PwC"), drone technology has the potential to increase the UK economy by £42 billion by 2030 and offers industries the opportunity to adopt more sustainable business models. With drone technology being capable of tackling climate change and used to transform our economy to be more sustainable and efficient, we look into some of the ways drones are making an impact on the environment.

- **Enables environmental monitoring**: Drones can be used to access environments that can be out of reach or difficult to get to and collect data quickly and efficiently without the use of satellites or helicopters. For instance, it can help farmers and conservationists to monitor large areas and check on their crops, track livestock, map forests, and identify illegal logging, etc. Sensors and thermal imaging equipment can also be fitted onto drones enabling drones to capture a variety of offshore and onshore landscapes including forests, ocean waters or even glaciers. Using drones reduces pollution emissions compared to traditional methods and can quickly identify any issues before they potentially escalate
- **Helps with tree planting**: Not only can drones monitor environments they can also assist in tackling deforestation and climate change. [BioCarbon Engineering](https://www.interface.com/APAC/en-AU/campaign/negative-to-positive/CTB-BioCarbon-Engineering-en_AU "BioCarbon Engineering"), a UK company is using drone technology to change the way trees are being planted. The drone technology is being used to dispense seed pods from the air across large areas, with precision from 10 feet above the ground. With the use of drones this makes tree planting faster and more cost effective. As well as, potentially replacing bees which are dying off due to climate change therefore helping tackle nature struggles from the changing environmental conditions
- **Increases food production**: The [United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization](http://www.fao.org/home/en/ "United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization") estimates that by 2050 the planet will need 70% more food than it did in 2009. Carrying out asset inspections such as plant health analysis, thermal imaging, and land assessments using drones can offer comprehensive visual insights of different assets and highly detailed reports. Drones can help detect weeds, identify pests, reduce water wastage, apply precise treatments to crops, and so helping to inform landowners and farmers how to manage and maintain the health of their crops to get the best quality and improve food production
- **Inspect renewable energy infrastructure**: As drones can reach and get to difficult areas they can be used to inspect renewable energy infrastructure such as solar panels and wind turbines. By 2030, the UK government has made plans to quadruple offshore wind power and power every home with renewable energy to reduce global emissions. Drones can be used to to check technical failures, material loss or malfunctioning without the need of human inspections which can be potentially dangerous and therefore save fuel, time and increase the health and safety of workers
- **Reduce greenhouse gas emissions**: Businesses are exploring the use of drones as a delivery service to enhance sustainability. Using drones instead of vehicles to deliver goods could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Environment rewards could also be seen even when drones were used on just the last leg of the journey as it cut down on vehicles traveling to individual homes helping reduce carbon dioxide emissions

We explore how drones are tackling deforestation, climate change and helping to transform our economy to become more sustainable and efficient.

Drones for Sustainability

We have already explaining [what a Circular Economy is](/blog/what-is-circular-economy/ "what a Circular Economy is") and in this article we will be explaining sustainability by answering the following questions: **What is sustainability?** and **What are the three pillars of sustainability?** Keep reading to find out the motivations surrounding sustainability to help you to **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?

Sustainability has a broad meaning due to the world being a big and diverse place. More often, it is defined as the focus of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

Earth has a global population of 7.8 billion people, which is only going to keep on growing, with it being estimated to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. This impacts the entire world including sectors like farming, who have to keep up the demand of producing food for the increasing number of mouths to feed. Already, across the world there is uneven distribution of consumption patterns and wealth plays an important role in sustainability, as over a third of the world still lives in poverty, having little or limited access to resources such as: energy, food, and water. Therefore, sustainability is broad, covering an array of concepts, tying into social justice, conservationism, internationalism, riches, and other past movements.

In 2010, the Academic Advisory Committee for the Office of Sustainability at the University of Alberta referred to sustainability as *"the process of living within the limits of available physical, natural and social resources in ways that allow the living systems in which humans are embedded to thrive in perpetuity"*.

## WHAT ARE THE THREE PILLARS OF SUSTAINABILITY?

The concept of sustainability is made up of three main pillars: environmental, economic, and social (which can also be known as planet, profits, and people). Exploring the three pillars of sustainability showcases the different motivations and perceptions other people may have on the topic of sustainability because everyone has their own worldview where emotion, survival, instinct or logic can be key drivers. In the list below we will explore the three different pillars of sustainability, so you can gain a more detailed understanding on sustainability:

### 1. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Environmental sustainability is to ensure that we are consuming our natural resources like land, water and energy fuels at a sustainable rate and in line with the [Circular Economy Principals](/blog/what-is-circular-economy/ "Circular Economy principles"), to not damage the environment and use up all of its natural resources. This inspires using low-carbon resources, with many countries joining in on the [Race to Zero](/blog/race-to-zero/ ">Race to Zero") with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions entering the atmosphere.

The environment sustainability pillar is most likely the one you're most familiar with as the UK government makes it clear their ambitions to achieve [Real Zero](/blog/what-is-real-zero/ "Real Zero") by 2050 and businesses are focussing on reducing their carbon footprint. Packaging waste, energy usage, water usage are main topics you have probably come across with businesses. For instance, businesses are looking into the Circular Economy approach of reducing the number of materials they use by pushing back on product packaging and implementing recyclable and reusable packaging; *reduce, reuse, recycle*.

A challenge for the environment sustainability pillar is that the amount of carbon dioxide, water, waste, land reclamation as a few examples, are hard to calculate or are not being tracked. Therefore, to measure progress businesses will need to start tracking and reporting on the emissions and waste they produce and setting benchmarks to determine progress.

### 2. ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY

Economic sustainability is all about businesses using resources efficiently and responsibly as well as, operating in a sustainable manner whilst also being profitable. Activities such as compliance, governance and risk management also fall under this pillar. Businesses need to be transparent, accurate, and give stockholders the opportunity to vote on important issues, as well as making sure that everything aligns with shareholders' interests, the end-user, value chains, and the community.

The economic pillar helps businesses implement sustainable strategies, although some businesses can be forced to adopt sustainable approaches such as not using chemical fertilisers or using alternative energy sources rather than fossil fuels. It also focuses on activities being available to everyone, such as secure sources of livelihood. Overall, it allows human communities to maintain their own independence and have access to the resources that they require to meet needs such as finance.

### 3. SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

The social sustainability pillar is about universal human rights and making sure that the basic necessities are available to everyone, this includes having access to resources in order to keep families and communities healthy and secure. Leaders need to ensure social wellbeing is being met for example, making sure personal, labour, and cultural rights are respected and all people are protected from discrimination. Having social sustainability ensures a country, an organisation, or a community can be maintained in the long-term.

Businesses can focus on social sustainability by participating in things such as community engagement like fundraising and scholarships, giving better benefits to their employees such as maternity benefits or development opportunities. They can also evaluate their supply chain to make sure that everyone is being paid fairly and no exploitation is happening.

Discover the concept of sustainability as we explore the three main pillars (environmental, economic, and social) and the definition of sustainability.

Three Pillars Of Sustainability

Leading on from the UK government's [Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution](/blog/uk-government-ten-point-plan/ "Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution") where the government makes energy efficiency a top priority in order to reach its [Race to Zero](/blog/race-to-zero/ "Race to Zero") targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), in this article we will be exploring what causes emissions in the Industry and how to become more energy-efficient by answering the following questions: **What are the four industry emitters?** and **How can the Heavy Industry become more energy-efficient to achieve Real Zero?** Keep reading to learn about how you could implement Real Zero to help you to **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## WHAT ARE THE FOUR INDUSTRY EMITTERS?

The UK government has introduced a number of policies in order for all industries and sectors across the UK to make energy efficiency a priority in order to reduce carbon emissions entering the atmosphere. By 2050 the UK government aims to [reduce the UK’s greenhouse gasses by 100% by 2050] and with the Industry estimated to account for one-quarter of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, here we discuss the main four industrial emitters (cement, steel, aluminium, and chemicals):

### 1. CEMENT
In the [Reducing UK emissions 2018 Progress Report to Parliament](https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/CCC-2018-Progress-Report-to-Parliament.pdf "Reducing UK emissions 2018 Progress Report to Parliament") by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) states that cement contributes to around 10% of direct UK industrial emissions, with more than half of those emissions coming from the process of producing clinker. Clinker is the main ingredient in cement and is made by heating a mixture of raw materials in a rotary kiln at high temperature.

### 2. STEEL
Steel is produced by iron ore mixed with coal and with the high demand it accounts for 17% of UK industrial emissions. For the future of steel production, recycling could be a potential opportunity in hopes to produce zero carbon emissions and reduce the supply and demand.

### 3. ALUMINIUM
Emissions are caused by the electrodes used in smelting. Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore to extract a base metal such as silver, copper, and iron, and so carbon emissions enter the atmosphere as it gives off CO2 as they wear down.

### 4. CHEMICALS
The CCC's Reducing UK emissions 2018 Progress Report to Parliament expresses how the chemical industry contributes to about 12% of UK industry's direct emissions. Processes such as steam cracking to create light olefins use a lot of energy and therefore, it is believed that improving energy efficiency across all relevant sectors and adapting to technology will play an important role in reducing energy consumption in the chemical industry.

## HOW CAN THE HEAVY INDUSTRY HELP THE UK TO ACHIEVE REAL ZERO?

With 60% of direct industrial emissions coming from manufacturing and cement, steel, aluminium, and chemicals producing high emissions, a way industry can reduce emissions is by shifting from using fossil fuels to clean energy. Here we go through several ways the Industry can achieve [Real Zero](/blog/what-is-real-zero/ "Real Zero"):

- **Carbon capture and storage (CCS)**: This technology can dramatically help the Industry to reduce emissions as CO2 is captured preventing it from entering the atmosphere, where it is then stored underground. In 2019, the UK government announced a £800m funding for CCS projects in the 2019 budget to help businesses implement the technology
- **Reducing clinker**: As we mentioned, half of emissions in creating cement comes from the process of producing clinker and therefore, replacing raw materials with ingredients such as graphene and substituting the fossil fuels like coal, can subsequently make the process of creating clicker a lot cleaner and reduce emissions. As well as, potentially cutting costs due to the new ingredients being less expensive. For buildings using alternative building materials and [on-site construction](/blog/prefabrication-and-modular-design/ "on-site construction") could lower emissions by [more than 50%](https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/publications/research/2018-06-13-making-concrete-change-cement-lehne-preston.pdf "more than 50%") without compromising the quality of structures
- **Recycling steel**: Due to steel being made by iron ore mixed with coal, recycling steel could help reduce carbon emissions and reduce the supply and demand. Steel can be made by using electric arc furnaces which can be powered from renewables, and with the ability to separate steel from other metals this means steel can me upcycled. [Three companies](https://www.hybritdevelopment.com/ "Three companies") have also joined forces to also develop a steelmaking process that emits water rather than carbon dioxide, aiming to replace coal with hydrogen
- **Replacing carbon with hydrogen**: Aluminium is used to make a variety of different things such as cars, construction materials, industrial machinery, drinks cans, and so on. Emissions are caused by the electrodes used in process smelting, the companies Rio Tinto and Alcoa have developed a replacement material that instead of releases CO2, it releases oxygen, helping to substantially cut down on greenhouse gas emissions in aluminium production. This is set to become commercially available around the year 2024
- **Separating chemicals**: Not all chemicals can have a universal solution however, for some end-products, companies can use bioprocessing, separating chemicals with membranes instead of using heating and distillation to lower emissions and save money
- **Low-carbon electrification and heating**: Using low-carbon processors such as heat pumps can continue decarbonising the electricity from the grid. To find out more about renewable energy sources and the Ten Point Plan the UK government is implementing to drive a sustainable and more energy-efficient future with the use of low-carbon approaches, then click [click here](/blog/uk-government-ten-point-plan/ "here") to find out more

Today we explore the four main industry emitters and how the heavy industry can become more energy-efficient to achieve Real Zero.

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