Position Paper: Achieving Sustainability Goals with Automation

Automation technology has changed the way we live and work–and has increased productivity, efficiency and profitability for organizations and individuals the world over. Automation also has a significant role to play in achieving sustainability goals–offering new ways to accelerate environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities across manufacturing, industry and beyond.

Summary of recommendations

Industry and government stakeholders must embrace automation technologies as a leading component of their sustainability goals and strategies:

• Optimize energy usage and energy efficiency with automation technologies, and rely upon automation to help reuse, refurbish, and recycle products and materials, particularly when undergoing a facility’s digital transformation
• Promote sustainable materials and manufacturing processes in support of Industry 5.0 principles
• Utilize automation technologies to keep workers, communities, and ecosystems safe and protected, and train and upskill workers in automation processes and systems
• Rely upon the objective and unbiased data and analysis provided by automation technologies to meet governance and compliance needs