Through our study, which mobilized 15+ IoT solution providers in the quantitative analysis of 7 use cases over a wide geographical scope (France, Europe, Africa, USA), we can see that the implementation and use of IoT solutions appears to be a promising avenue, enabling significant Co2eq and water savings. Indeed, according to our calculations, the implementation of these solutions could generate net Co2 eq gains in France ranging from 8% to 36%, and gross water gains ranging from 9% to 22%. Quantitatively, over one year in France, the savings could represent between 26,000 tonnes and 3 million tonnes of Co2eq and between 250 million and 800 million m3 of water per year.

Over and above the net gains calculated, it is also interesting to note the high environmental performance of the use cases modeled, with performance levels equal to or greater than 10 for CO2 eq consumption for 5 of the 7 use cases studied. In particular, high efficiencies (~1000) can be seen for the car-sharing and agri-food logistics use cases.

Nevertheless, it is clear that the use of technology is not the only way to reduce our environmental footprint. Steps to reduce our consumption of natural resources and energy sources must go hand in hand with the development of tools to reduce our impact. This is undoubtedly the best way to avoid the dreaded “rebound effect” following the deployment of environmentally efficient technologies.

Want to know more? Download IoT for the planet | Quantifying net environmental gains