Nowadays, we have an abundance of knowledge, resources, and technology at our disposal. So why is it that sustainability is often overlooked?
The Engineering and IT industries are filled with innovation and technological advancement. As such, there is a demand for individuals who can understand this technology and drive changes that will remain sustainable in our future (Muniz, 2023).
The UN World Commission states that “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (UCLA Sustainability, n.d.).
In our modern world, it is so easy to implement sustainability in the solutions we are designing. Engineers and IT professionals have an abundance of knowledge, resources, and technology at our disposal. So why is it that sustainability is often overlooked? Why do we forget that the decisions we make today will have a lasting impact on our future generations? This is why sustainable design must become an inherent practice, rather than a mere professional obligation.
Sustainable design goes beyond “reduce, reuse, recycle, or repurpose”. It prioritises adding value. In Engineering and IT, this means designing products or services which entail societal benefits and combat environmental challenges. 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined during the development phase (Melgarejo, 2022). This means decisions regarding material choice, supplier selection, manufacturing processes and operational efficiency, are crucial before production begins. When optimising these factors to ensure they are sustainable becomes second nature, the benefits reaped by society and our ecosystem will increase exponentially. This allows for the creation of durable, sustainable systems which will be beneficial both in the present and into the future.
Some long-term goals of sustainable practice in Engineering and IT include:
Reducing overall carbon emissions
Minimising consumption of finite materials
Efficient energy usage
Improvements to company culture and customer satisfaction
Building public trust
Our end goal should be to adopt a holistic mindset about sustainability. We need to understand that it is a complex practice, which requires interdisciplinary collaboration to promote social equity, environmental health, and economic vitality.
So, take some time out of your day to sit down for a few minutes and reflect upon your own values. Are you driven by profit, or the desire to leave this world a better place? We should all be striving for the latter. Although it may take some time to shift our conventional ways of thinking, change begins within us. If we can identify minor ways to incorporate sustainability into our decisions, slowly, the practice will become a habit. Try supporting leaders that prioritise sustainability. Consider the packaging of the products you buy. Optimise the life cycle of any products you design. Soon enough, implementing sustainable practice will become second nature, allowing innovation in Engineering and IT to be driven by economic, social, and environmentally conscious individuals.
Nikitha Rao, Gender Equity Ambassador