Sustainability: Accelerate Action with AI

Amazon Web Services created an AI-powered automated system to delete expired promotional emails and reduce carbon emissions from email storage, aiming to eliminate 219bn emails and cut 6500 tonnes of CO2 annually. Innovation Lions Juror Kyoko Yonezawa, Head of Innovation, TBWA\HAKUHODO, commented: “This product could make a big change in the next 10 years.”

Scientists at NGO Minderoo Foundation used real-time weather data to generate the world’s first plastic weather report that quantifies the amount of plastic in daily rainfall. It contributed to the drafting of the first global plastic treaty by 30 countries, showing how to convey complex environmental issues through familiar formats.

Satellite imaging company Planet Labs PBC and Greenpeace turned Microsoft Flight Simulator into a tool for environmental protection, using satellite data to let players spot and report threats in the Amazon. The initiative generated more than 2900 reports and boosted donations and signatures for Greenpeace, highlighting how gamification can engage audiences in real-world environmental protection.

French utility company Veolia used public data to identify urgent climate issues in Belgium and used them to create targeted digital ads and billboards. It achieved a 934% increase in site traffic, a 321% rise in business interest and a 16.2% growth in revenue. It shows how letting the data speak for itself can be a powerful creative strategy.

Contrails – the vapour lines behind an aircraft – account for one-third of aviation’s warming effect. Using AI and satellite data, Google achieved a 54% reduction in contrail creation by developing models to guide real flights and detect their contrail formation. It demonstrates how to use AI to tweak existing patterns and behaviours to make them more sustainable.

NGO The Solar Impulse Foundation used AI to refine ideas into draft laws for the French Parliament. It distributed books with predrafted legislation to 577 MPs, simplifying their participation in environmental debates and fast-tracking three laws into the latest environment bill. It illustrates how brands can take a hands-on approach to accelerate action.

Chilean food-tech company NotCo's AI chef, Giuseppe, analysed 260 quintillion formulas to create plant-based turtle meat, allowing turtle soup to be enjoyed without harming the species. It generated 1.3bn impressions, with the recipe open-sourced, proving that data-driven meat alternatives can deliver on taste without compromising environmental ethics.

Finnish energy company Fortum introduced a floating hydraulic fishway that uses biometric data to help over 13,300 fish migrate past dams each year, preserving 22 species, including the endangered Oulujärvi Lake trout. “Energy is complex, and that complexity requires more effort to make it understood and resonate with people,” said Jaana Simonaho, Content Design Manager, Fortum.