Shenzhen-based consumer electronics maker Foxconn Industrial Internet (FII) was given a “Sustainability Lighthouse” award by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday, making it the first in Guangdong to gain the title.
WEF recognized 22 manufacturers in its Global Lighthouse Network this year and three were designated as Sustainability Lighthouses for their use of advanced technologies to reduce their environmental impact.
The organization praised the Shenzhen factory for its efforts to utilize “AI, Internet of Things (IoT) and other Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to optimize recycling, track carbon footprints and innovate for sustainability”.
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WEF also stated these technologies led to a 42-percent reduction in Scope 3 emissions that were produced along its value chain, and a 24-percent cut in Scope 1 and 2 emissions which refer to those generated by the company directly and by the energy it uses.
Brand Cheng, chairman and chief executive officer of FII, said “artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly vital role in the Industry 4.0 revolution, emerging as a key driving force in reshaping the global manufacturing industry”.
According to FII’s net zero emissions commitment, the company should achieve zero emissions across its value chain by 2050.
Wu Yanru, the sustainable lighthouse project leader of the award-winning factory, disclosed that the factory has achieved “the optimal synergy between capacity growth and carbon emission reduction”.
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“Though the reuse of raw materials can significantly reduce carbon emissions, it also brings new challenges for quality and process stability. The introduction and application of various Industry 4.0 technologies helps ensure the simultaneous improvement of operational efficiency and carbon emission reduction across the value chain,” Wu explained.
