Recent examples of data for good
A participant of the roundtable kicked off proceedings by using a recent example of data for good on a national scale – the Nightingale hospitals used in the Covid-19 pandemic. A huge amount of data was utilised for a good, non-profit cause. In addition to the Nightingale hospitals, location data was needed in large quantities by the UK government and agencies to efficiently process and move Covid-19 tests as well as deciding on the optimal locations for testing hubs.
The participant then explored other uses of data for good, particularly location data. They examined the use of solar power in certain regions of the UK – of particular interest for renewable firms, particularly in this era of energy crisis. They explained how a data point could show “x-number of square metres of roofing area to be used that will generate x-number of kilowatt hours. This is fine, but you then start adding more information to it, such as which roofs face south, which roofs have a 45-degree incline, which are not shaded by other buildings and more, so you receive a dataset that is far more practical, optimised and of more use for data for good – environmentalism.”
The member then explained how their organisation is working closed with organisations such as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to learn how to share their data with outside organisations. “ONS have vast geographic economic statistics,” said the member. “We’re looking at ways in which we can share our data together and produce products that others can exploit to help stimulate growth within data.”
Evolving business environments
Businesses change naturally over time and can change radically with mergers and acquisitions. The same is true when a business partnership disintegrates. One participant of the discussion in the retail sector is currently experiencing the splitting of a business, but data for good is still prioritised as the new version of the business begins to emerge. The business has a publicly available ESG statement, which is a bold move to highlight the projects, challenges and aspirations of an organisation.
The member explained how their new business identity was going through changes and would take time as they are currently moving from a legacy data system to a new one that will be futureproofed and suitable for the new direction they want to head. “Recently, we carried out an exercise to capture 360 requirements from across the organisation just for the product domain, and this included ESG demands,” said the member. “The plan was to acknowledge that we need to understand we need to go at the level of every single article that we sell in a store and press down what the impact of the wider footprint is.” The moves by this retailer highlight the shift in thinking and the need to understand how, as an organisation utilising food and supply chains, evaluating issues surrounding carbon footprints, food waste and recyclability of packaging are some of the most important data for good projects. It was also suggested that the data industry would not have been having this conversation, maybe even just five years ago.
The work on supply chain optimisation and reduction of impacts was echoed by a food distributor that has built their business around removing additional steps from the supply chain and reducing carbon. “We want to change how people eat forever by sending food from the farm to your front door,” said the member. “For that to succeed, we have to ensure that we make the process as efficient as possible.” Data is showing the most optimal way for businesses to operate, and therefore generate increased profits, but it must also be used to highlight wider ESG improvements and give back to the community.
The hidden damages
The conversation moved into ways in which harmful by-products, waste and emissions from different industries can be hard to spot, but data can shine a light on these areas and become data for good. One member from a traditional publisher explained how the use of paper in their industry is often seen as the prime culprit for environmental impacts, but the truth is that actually digital advertising for their online publications is far more impactful through carbon emissions. “A study has shown that one ad impression is worth one kilogramme of carbon emission,” said the publishing member. “That means a million ad impressions equates to one metric tonne of carbon. We, like many publishers and retailers, are heavily involved with online advertising and we feel that we have got to be responsible, we have to be held accountable like everybody else.” The Internet is estimated to represent between 2% and 4% of total carbon emissions on the planet, of which a huge portion is driven by advertising.
Elsewhere, obvious moves for supply chain users includes switching to hybrid and electric vehicles, but the hidden problem can then be losing optimal routing options to charge the vehicles as electric charging stations are not common across the nation, nor can the source of electricity be guaranteed as environmentally friendly.
The food retailer explained how they focused on how waste did not just mean food expiring, but it was heavily entwined with the packaging process. To rectify the waste of water, all ice packs used to maintain food were sourced from recycled water, but this cannot be done across a multinational organisation to the same level of success. “The challenge becomes even more evident as we operate across 17 countries,” said the member. “In every country, we have different levels of data being recorded and different abilities to access that data.”
A personal touch
Despite there being some obvious and hidden challenges regarding data and ESG projects for organisations, there are individual and personal things that data leaders can do to benefit ESG using data. One participant stated, “One of the things that I am doing with my children’s school alongside some other parents in the good use of data, because one of today’s biggest challenges that we have as a society is the misunderstanding of the value of your personal data.” The ways in which data is used via the internet for children and teenagers usually comes in the form of apps. “I try to build my kids’ knowledge rather than in the construction of access. And with some of the parents that have similar opinions, you can change the world through education. We have programmes that are small workshops, where we can showcase what happens with data in Instagram or Tik Tok to understand the perspective and the impact that what happens to your data – how can you be targeted, willingly or unknowingly.”
Another member highlighted how a previous employer of theirs collaborated with a homeless charity to develop a platform for members of the public to notify the charity where unhoused peoples were staying across different cities. This utilised data and mapping technology from different sources and highlighted the communal benefit of sharing data findings to drive data for good.
The roundtable ended with members pondering the issue of greenwashing and how it is possible to hold businesses to account regarding their ESG claims and whether their actions are genuinely better for the environment and wider community. Ultimately, businesses are there to make profit and, financially, it is against that target to undertake ESG projects that cost money without generating income, but the social cost of being seen as a beneficial and socially driven business can outweigh the physical costs of these projects.
