Innovating To Zero: How To Build a Zero Vision World – Forbes

In 2010, Bill Gates first came up with the term Innovating to Zero to advocate a nuclear energy technology that would be safe, reliable and have Zero emissions. Its an idea that stayed with me ever since and, together with the Visionary Innovation Group at Frost & Sullivan, I set out to explore a Zero Concept World, where the vision of Innovating to Zero could be used to guide and achieve Zero emission vehicles, Zero waste, Zero accidents, Zero defects, Zero security breaches, Zero carbon emissions (carbon neutral buildings and cities), Zero obesity, and even Zero diseases.

A Zero Concept world

I am not under the illusion that this utopia is likely to happen (unless its a Bollywood movie) anytime soon or, for that matter, ever. And, indeed, my interest lies not so much in the destinationa world free of errors, defects and negativesas in the journey and the gains that I believe will be made along the way. I know that if we, as a society, are able to accomplish even a fraction of our ultimate goals, it will mean real progress.

What is encouraging is that, in the course of my research, Ive come across numerous instances of people, cities, companies and governments consciously moving towards this idea of Innovating to Zero.

Our Cities

The perils of climate change are starker than ever before. Earlier this month, New Zealands Zero carbon target was signed into law, setting the country on the path to reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 maybe a bit too slow and long. Several cities, in the meantime, have committed to becoming carbon neutralwhere the net carbon emissions generated annually by a city is absolutely Zerowith Copenhagen leading the charge.

Bicycles parked in central Copenhagen, Denmark

The Danish capitals march towards becoming the worlds first net carbon-neutral city by 2025 is well on track and what has truly impressed me is the way in which sustainable practices and improved quality of life measures have been successfully welded with economic growth. The idea that the future will bring with it a revolutionary brand of innovative green growth with exciting new opportunities for businesses represents a model that every city, grappling with mounting challenges, should aspire to emulate.

Carbon neutral buildingswhich operate using intelligent systems and renewable energy, and are off-the-grid or harvest energy onsitewill play an important role in a citys drive towards becoming Zero carbon. In 2018, the Mayors of 19 leading global cities including London, Paris, New York, Johannesburg, Sydney and Tokyo signed the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Declaration, pledging that all new buildings in their cities would function at net zero carbon by 2030.

Cities aim for Zero waste

In the meantime, cities are also pushing towards Zero waste which envisions a cradle to cradle ideal of complete recyclability. San Francisco which has fallen short of becoming a Zero waste city by 2020 has, nevertheless, made massive progress in terms of recycling, composting, or reusing almost 80% of its waste.

Our Transport

The automotive industry has long been familiar with the concept, using it both as a tool of competitive differentiation and to tackle what I call the three evils of the industry: congestion, air pollution and road fatalities. The Innovating to Zero solutions on which they have zeroed (!) in are electric cars and autonomous vehicles.

From the early pathbreakers Toyota (with its hybrid, Prius) and Nissan (with its insanely popular, Leaf), electric vehicles with zero emissions have rapidly gone mainstream. Today, almost every leading automaker, including the flagbearer of all things innovative Tesla has worked to create efficient and environmentally-friendly e-mobility alternatives.

Looking for Zero emissions

If electric cars speak to the issue of Zero vehicle emissions, then autonomous vehicles have been put forth as the solution for a world with Zero accidents. Volvo and Mercedes holistic vision of Zero car accidents yokes together technology developers, infrastructure planners, and government & policy makers to enhance vehicle, road and driver safety. The Vision Zero strategy of Continental Automotive Systems, a leading automotive systems supplier, is powered by passive and active vehicle safety technologies that preempt accidents before they can happen. Over two decades ago, Sweden initiated a pioneering Vision Zero project which seeks to systematically eliminate serious injuries or deaths caused by traffic accidents, eventually reaching Zero fatalities by 2050. Variants of Swedens Vision Zero have been implemented in cities throughout North America and Europe with positive results.

Our Industries

In the retail sector, I foresee tremendous potential for Zero carbon shops and Zero carbon products ( laMarks & Spencers famous carbon neutral bra). Im quite certain theres soon going to be Zero design-to-shelves response time where data analysis and customer feedback will be used to continuously create and market designs that are always current the logical conclusion to Zaras extremely agile and responsive business model. Zero shrinkage would imply the absence of inventory losses caused by shoplifting, employee theft, administrative error or vendor fraud. While these are all to the good, one Innovating to Zero concept that I am sure is likely to face a chill reception is: Zero discounts!

Today, sustainability, and not just profits, is a core business objective. Italian luxury fashion company Gucci recently articulated its goal of becoming an entirely carbon neutral company, while German industrial manufacturing giant Siemens is already working towards becoming the world's first major industrial company to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint by 2030.

Apart from carbon neutral factories, the manufacturing sector has embraced the grail of Zero defects. This Innovating to Zero concept has morphed from a theoretical concept into a quality improvement mechanism and now onto to its current incarnation as a full-fledged business and manufacturing strategy. The Six Sigma strategywhose extremely strict quality control standards are touted to result in an astounding 99.99966% defect-free productsis a variant of this theme.

Our Work

Innovating to Zero could have many avatars hereZero papers (paperless office) and now even Zero emails, Zero downtime, Zero delays in delivery, Zero client complaints, Zero waiting time, Zero contract hours, Zero work accidents, Zero latency, and Zero business incubation periodthat could result in safer, more flexible and efficient work environments.

Quite frankly, an office with paper has become pass (Ill make an exception for publishing firms!). For that matter, emails are on their way to becoming redundant. In my own case, I find I am increasingly using new communications apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, nudging my email account towards redundancy, even as I actively contemplate new payment getaways like blockchain that promise greater security than traditional emails.

Towards paperless offices

Theres Zero latency, which will eliminate the time lag between the receipt of, and response to, critical information. Go-to-market pressures will alleviated by advanced technology that will enable ideas to be created, implemented, and commercialized in Zero time, leading to Zero Time Business Incubation (ZTBI).

To this list I am now going to add a few Innovating to Zero ideas that Frost & Sullivans CEO Darrell Huntsmann often talks about: Zero Friction Capitalfinding capital and optimizing its use; Zero Friction Careerstreamlining the movement of human capital between and within organizations so that their skills are optimally matched to current organizational needs; and Zero Friction Educationcreating a fluid system of work and education which allows people to move organically between both spheres, while maximizing results at both professional and personal levels.

Our Health

The scope for Innovating to Zero in the healthcare sector is enormous. For instance, Net Zero Hospitals could guide the construction of hospitals in terms of ensuring greater energy efficiency, while achieving the actual functions of the hospitalZero medical waste and net Zero surgery errorslikely to be more long-term ambitions.

Aspiring to Net Zero hospitals

Minimally invasive surgery could give way to Zero invasive surgery, while the march towards Zero diseases has already yielded gains in the form of reduced malaria related deaths and eradication of polio in large parts of the world.

Zero hunger or Zero malnutrition is a long-term global aspiration. In India, Britannia Industries Tiger brand of iron fortified biscuits aimed to realize Zero child malnutrition. Zero obesity is likely to be the next big target and I foresee a carrot and stick approach to achieving it. The carrot will be incentives in the form of perhaps gym memberships or lower insurance premiums for those who are healthy, while the stick approach will manifest in increased taxes on fatty foodsthe so-called Fat Tax. That said, companies and consumers are both conscious of the perils of an expanded waistline, explaining the popularity of Zero calorie foods and Zero sugar drinks like Coke Zero and Pepsi Zero Sugar.

Beyond Zero

Tremendous investments of time, money, and human intelligence will be put into the service of Innovating to Zero, despite the full knowledge that many of the goals will not be achieved in their entirety. But what will be exciting will the journey towards this Mega Vision, with all its attendant opportunities to truly transform our world. Indeed, Innovating to Zero is already reinforcing positive changes to cultures, mindsets and ecosystems - its unlikely that Copenhagens push towards sustainability would have been able to maintain its momentum were it not for 40% of the citys residents opting to forgo cars for bicycles. It also reflects changing goal posts for humanity: from economics, trade and profits to innovation-driven agendas that aim to create a better world.

I was once asked about what would be next: a world of Beyond Zero where, for instance, buildings and cities would not just be carbon neutral but carbon positive? Thats an idea well worth considering once we realize innovations that are truly Zero.

For further reading on Innovating to Zero, read Sarwant Singhs book, New Mega Trends: Implications for Our Future Lives.

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Innovating To Zero: How To Build a Zero Vision World - Forbes