Digitalization finds the balance between nature and industry
Today is Earth Overshoot Day. It’s the date when our collective demand for resources surpasses what the planet can regenerate in a year. Every year, that date creeps earlier on the calendar. We can’t rewind the clock on the damage already done but we can slow our overconsumption. Technology, when used intentionally, can help keep materials in circulation longer and make it easier to design with circularity in mind from the very beginning.
Nature, after all, is the original systems engineer. So why not try and replicate the sustainable practices of the natural world? We can with digitalization. By combining the real and virtual worlds, companies can build products and factories that are innovative, efficient and truly sustainable.
In a recent podcast, Eryn Devola, Head of Sustainability at Siemens, Ines Sagrario, CEO of Ekonoke and Juha Salmela, CTO of Spinnova discussed how their companies are using digital tools to achieve circular products and processes.
Why digitalization is key
Curbing overconsumption starts by anticipating long-term impact. Since 80% of a product’s environmental footprint is determined during the design phase, sustainability must be embedded from the beginning, not added as an afterthought.
That’s why digitalization matters. Combining the real and digital worlds enables organizations to collect and analyze data that helps them make smarter decisions around a product or factory’s energy and water usage, carbon footprint and overall impact. Additionally, with tools like the digital twin, engineers can model, test and optimize in a virtual environment before anything is physically built. That means fewer errors, less waste and faster iteration.
Unlike nature, industry doesn’t have billions of years to get this right. But with digital tools, we can move quickly and thoughtfully.
Ekonoke: growing hops indoors
Spanish company Ekonoke is revolutionizing the production of one of beer’s most climate-sensitive ingredients: hops. Traditionally, hops are grown outdoors in just a few regions, making them vulnerable to rising temperatures, drought and weather changes.
Ekonoke has found a way to move hop cultivation in controlled indoor environment, where they can manage every parameter from light and humidity to nutrient cycles with 100% confidence. This enables a steady, resilient supply of hops for breweries.
To scale from lab trials to commercial production, Ekonoke used automation and digitalization technologies from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio. This enabled them to monitor and fine-tune the process from the very start—achieving a first-time-right outcome without costly trial and error.
Here are the results:
- Higher yields and more potent alpha acids by dialing in the perfect growth conditions
- A lower carbon footprint thanks to better efficiency and smarter energy use
- Up to 15x less water use than outdoor farming through closed-loop fertigation and recovery systems
They’re even exploring how to close the loop further by repurposing brewery waste streams like wastewater and CO₂ into the hop-growing process itself, integrating even more circularity into their already sustainable progress.
Spinnova: fiber inspired by nature
Finnish company, Spinnova is tackling a different industry altogether: textiles. They’ve created a sustainable fiber that mimics the production of spider silk and feels like cotton or linen, without the need for harsh chemicals typically created during fiber production.
What’s remarkable is how fast they’ve gone from a lab innovation to large-scale production, responsible for producing millions of garments. Working with Siemens, Spinnova built a digital twin of both their product and factory, which allowed them to test and optimize every aspect of the process before physically launching it. This has saved time, resources, costs and emissions.
In addition, Spinnova has taken their business to an unprecedented level of traceability. They use real-time data to monitor and optimize production, minimize errors and reduce downtime. And with embedded QR code traceability, they provide full transparency to brands and consumers on sustainability metrics like water use and carbon impact.
Continuing sustainable progress
Earth Overshoot Day is a wake-up call. But companies like Ekonoke and Spinnova are showing how digitalization enables smarter, circular and sustainable innovation. Digitalization is our path towards a future where Earth Overshoot Day falls further and further on the calendar. With it, industry can design smarter, waste less and build supply chains that respect both people and planet.
Siemens Digital Industries Software helps organizations of all sizes digitally transform using software, hardware and services from the Siemens Xcelerator business platform. Siemens’ software and the comprehensive digital twin enable companies to optimize their design, engineering and manufacturing processes to turn today’s ideas into the sustainable products of the future. From chips to entire systems, from product to process, across all industries. Siemens Digital Industries Software – Accelerating transformation.
