IoT Alliance Australia (IoTAA) and the Industrial Internet Consortium(IIC) published a white paper titled How Digital Transformation and IoT Can Contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The paper argues that the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should be factored into the Internet of things (IoT) projects, and other digital transformation initiatives (business-related changes that are triggered by digital technologies).
The paper outlines five pillars necessary for the successful implementation of digital transformation of an organisation: architecture and standards, security and privacy, shared value creation, organisational development, and ecosystem governance. These pillars are therefore essential for achieving the UN's SDGs an organisation has decided to pursue.
The paper also provides examples of how UN SDGs were unintentionally achieved by organisations that utilised digital technologies. For example, using health data in mining operations can help preserve the well-being of miners (SDG 3: Good health and well-being); using sensor data and artificial intelligence (AI) to minimise fuel consumption (SDG 13: Climate action), and using smart farming to solve decreasing workforce (SDA 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).