Foreword

At Capgemini, we help organizations prepare for tomorrow by distilling the unique insights and perspectives of leaders from global business, academia, the startup community, and wider society.

Climate Tech, sustainability, and what’s next for our planet – from business leaders, scientists, gen next, and more

Through our quarterly journal, Conversations for Tomorrow, the Capgemini Research Institute identifies the strategic imperatives for the future of business and the society in which it operates. In this seventh edition of the journal, we look at the necessity to transform the way we live and do business – be that as individuals, organizations, countries, or the planet as a whole – through adopting and adapting, innovating, inventing, and embracing climate tech and sustainable practices. As a global society, we are seeing unprecedented change.

Across organizations, sustainability is fast becoming a rallying cry. A key aspect of achieving sustainability goals is to drive greater adoption of technologies.

Low-carbon hydrogen holds the potential to decarbonize heavy industry. Solar energy is already a hot topic in many markets. Scientists are looking into new areas of bioengineering to come up with sustainable alternatives. Tech startups are innovating across a range of areas, including carbon capture, spatial intelligence, food waste, and more. Electric vehicles (EVs) are rapidly making their presence felt in the automotive industry. Alternative fuels and alternative plastics are now more than lab experiments and are being tested for commercialization. AgriTech is helping the farming community cut emissions.

Leading scientists have explained how they are innovating while simultaneously sounding the alarm that much more is needed.

Sustainability leaders at global organizations have told us how they are transforming their organizations. Gen next is making its voice loud and clear: they want to see governments and business act with urgency.

We would like to thank all the leaders and experts who have enriched this edition of the journal with their insights into climate tech and sustainability.

By sharing insights from such a diverse range of accomplished individuals, we aim to present a clear view of the imperative to act, and the optimism that technology and science can bring to the table when it comes to tackling the existential issues that climate change poses.

Key contributors include:

A Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry
A world-renowned architect and author
One of the world’s leading climate scientists
Senior executives from Air Liquide, P&G, Volvo Group, Enel Green Power, and L’Oréal
The Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Head of a solar panel gigafactory
A range of startups, including a top unicorn in carbon capture
Gen next climate activists from the US,
Kenya, and India
Capgemini’s own subject-matter experts

Pulling together such a wide range of insightful perspectives was an extremely instructive exercise for us. We hope you enjoy reading this edition as much as we did putting it together for you.

Cyril Garcia

Head of Global Sustainability Services and Corporate Responsibility, Capgemini