How Drones And Modern Technology Can Help Improve Sustainability

Julie Starr • September 3, 2024

Let’s face it, drones haven’t had the best introduction to the world, especially when people misuse them for bad intentions instead of good ones. There are some incredible benefits and advantages to using drones but often enough, we just get exposed to the negative impacts of it through the media.


Drones and modern technology can help improve sustainability in a number of ways and whether you’re a business looking to be more sustainable or you’re looking to make a difference individually with the use of drones, this guide will share everything you need to know about drones and modern technology.


Hopefully, by the end of the article, you’ll be taking on more modern technology in life, as well as drones to help with the productivity and benefits that come with sustainability in today’s world.


The rise of drones in popularity

Drones have certainly risen in popularity over the last few years and are now being used across many industries for the benefit of sustainability as well as to help with certain business operations and needs.


The drone industry is certainly expected to grow quite rapidly, which is why you should be hopping onto the bandwagon as soon as you’re able. The market size is one that has reached dizzying heights of $22.4 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow to a whopping $166.7 billion by 2031.


The use of drones varies from agriculture to weddings and corporate events. As well as delivery and logistics, to media and entertainment, drones are something that you certainly want to embrace within your life or business for the benefit of sustainability.


Drones are still evolving and their regulations are also being adjusted and amended so that they cause as little disruption or illegal use as possible. However, the level of technology and quality used within the engineering of modern drones is incredible.


8 ways drones help improve sustainability

What are some of the ways in which drones help improve sustainability? If you’re looking to make improvements for the purpose of your own business or you’re just curious about what drones are capable of in general, here are 8 ways drones like the DJI drone help improve sustainability currently.


#1 Helpful to reduce carbon emissions

Are you churning out a lot of carbon emissions as a business? There are plenty of businesses that have made the effort to reduce their carbon footprint and hopefully leave less of an imprint on the world’s carbon contributions.


However, there are still plenty of businesses out there that are causing a lot of problems with their carbon emission volume.


Drones are able to help reduce carbon emissions by eliminating the need for fossil fuels. As we know, a lot of cars are now moving over to electric use, which will hopefully result in no more diesel or petrol use in the future.


Of course, a diesel or petrol-free world is still a long way away but drones, it can certainly help speed up the process. Drones themselves contribute very little to carbon emissions so it’s definitely worth considering these as an option.


#2 Planting trees and restoring natural habitats

Work for an organization that supports wildlife and nature? A great way that drones can be used is through the preservation and restoration of places that need attention.


Planting trees is a great way of helping the environment and the local wildlife, which is where drones can be of use. Drones can be helpful in helping plant trees and restore natural habitats, especially in places that might be harder to reach on foot or by vehicle.

 

With a lot of trees and wildlife being torn down for the purpose of the property, it’s important that we’re helping to increase the number of natural habitats around the world to continue keeping the air clean and free of carbon emissions.


There are plenty of natural disasters that have also torn down a lot of woodland, which is where the repair work needs to happen.


#3 Useful for improving food production

It’s incredible to think that in 2024, we’re still having problems with food and ensuring no person in the world goes hungry. However, there are still significant numbers of people who are going hungry and that’s heartbreaking.


Everyone deserves a hot meal in their stomach each day and no child should be going hungry because they don’t have access to food in general.

Being able to fuel food production is a great way to ensure there’s food available for everyone. Drones can be helpful in also improving sustainability in food production.


Providing alternative pest control is how drones are able to minimize the impact and damage made to local wildlife. While you don’t want pests destroying crops, you also don’t want to kill any animals or bugs that are essential for keeping the world spinning.


There are already a lot of farmers and businesses responsible for food production, who are using drones to help with delivering alternative pest control to crops. Hopefully, it will have a significant improvement in the volume of food produced throughout the world.


#4 Helps reduce energy consumption

Being able to reduce energy consumption as a household or as an organization can certainly be helpful. Drones are able to reduce energy consumption by helping to optimize the route and speed that comes when conducting inventory tasks.


They can also be used in various other ways to help cut out the option of something that would otherwise cause more energy consumption. Being able to optimize your business operations is helpful and drones can be the helping hand you need to achieve this.


#5 Great as a sustainable alternative to fireworks

Fireworks have long been a way of celebrating occasions like bonfire night in the UK or the 4th of July in the States. While fireworks are a delight to the senses both audibly and visually, they can often be a waste and a substantial waste at that.


However, drones have paved the way as an alternative to fireworks and if done correctly, they are just as effective if not more jaw-dropping and animated than fireworks.


There have already been many examples of drones being used across the world and in large volumes to create visually stunning pictures and moving imagery in the night sky.


#6 Great for supply chain sustainability 

Being able to optimize inventory management is important where businesses are concerned because overspending or ordering too much stock can cause waste and a loss in earnings.


Drones are helpful in reducing supply chain waste while optimizing the inventory management of the company. Not only that but for any businesses who are operating warehouses, it can help reduce the inefficiencies in this area of business operations too.


#7 Helpful for monitoring and mapping

When it comes to drones having accessibility to areas that are perhaps more restrictive to those on foot or via vehicle, these devices can be helpful when monitoring or mapping certain areas. For the purpose of tracking pollution levels, helping with conservation, or identifying potential land risks, there are plenty of uses for drones for both monitoring and mapping.


#8 Reduces reliance on vehicles

And finally, when it comes to vehicles, they can often be the main cause of carbon emissions, which are contributing a significant amount to climate change. 


With drones, it reduce the reliance on vehicles and can be helpful in saving on emissions that would otherwise be caused by these vehicles of varying sizes.


Other technology to help with sustainability

There are many other forms of technology that can be helpful when it comes to sustainability. These include:

  • Waste management
  • Solar panels, wind turbines, and water turbines
  • Carbon capture and storage
  • Cloud storage to encourage paperless organizations
  • Energy efficient and smart buildings/vehicles
  • Internet of Things
  • AI-controlled systems.


The world of technology is forever growing and how we use it is important to how much growth we make as a society in the long run. Being able to use it for the purpose of energy efficiency is fantastic because it hopefully gives our younger generations more time on this earth as a whole.


Being able to reduce and recycle more waste can also have a positive impact on the environment and thankfully, there are more technologies being utilized to make society more efficient in their usage of waste and how it impacts the world around them.


With technology in relation to smart devices and devices connected to the internet, it has been incredibly helpful to connect the world more efficiently and without using as much in the way of emissions.


The use of smart technology and AI has been helpful in creating efficiency in all areas of the world.


While there are some reservations about AI in particular and the machine learning technology’s power and influence in the future, it’s still a technology that should be utilized and taken advantage of where possible.


Both drones and modern technology are providing to be effective in helping improve sustainability and make the world a healthier place. It is also slowing down and hopefully undoing some of the extensive damage that society has made globally over the decades and centuries.

5 Simple Ways to Make Your Online Business More Sustainable

By Julie Starr • August 9, 2025
Running an online business can feel like a constant balancing act. You’re trying to grow, keep customers happy, and still have time for yourself. The trick to making it all work long-term is to build habits and systems that last. You don’t need a complicated plan or endless resources to do it either. Here are five straightforward ways to make your business more sustainable without overcomplicating things. Focus on long-term customer relationships If you want your business to last, you need customers who keep coming back. That doesn’t just happen because you’ve got a good product or service. It’s about making people feel valued every time they interact with you. Simple things like remembering their name, following up after a purchase, or sending a quick thank-you email can make a huge difference. People are far more likely to support a business they feel connected to, so keep those relationships personal and genuine rather than purely transactional. Make your marketing work smarter A big part of sustainability is making sure your marketing isn’t draining your time or money. You want it to be efficient and get results. This is where working with seo consultants can help. They know how to make sure people can find your business online without you throwing cash at random ads. Even if you can’t hire someone right now, you can start by focusing on keywords, improving your website’s loading speed, and posting valuable content that answers the questions your customers are already asking. Streamline your products or services It’s tempting to try to offer everything to everyone, but that’s rarely a good idea. The more you offer, the more time, money, and resources you’ll end up using. Instead, focus on the things you do best and make them as good as they can be. When you streamline what you’re selling, you can put all your energy into perfecting it, which makes it easier to maintain quality over time. Customers notice when you consistently deliver something great, and they’ll trust you more for it. Keep an eye on your finances No matter how much you enjoy the creative or customer side of your business, the numbers are what will keep you going long-term. That means knowing what’s coming in, what’s going out, and where you can cut costs without cutting quality. Set yourself a monthly check-in to look at your spending and profits. If you spot something that’s not working financially, don’t leave it for months, hoping it will improve. Tackle it early and you’ll avoid bigger problems down the road. Look after yourself You can’t run a sustainable business if you’re running yourself into the ground. Burnout isn’t just bad for you, it’s bad for your customers and your bottom line. Make sure you’re setting boundaries, taking breaks, and switching off when you can. That might mean scheduling a full day without work every week or turning your phone off after a certain time. The more balanced you are, the better decisions you’ll make, and the easier it will be to keep your business moving forward without constantly feeling like you’re in survival mode. Sustainability in business isn’t about doing one big thing; it’s about making intelligent, consistent choices that build over time. Start small, keep checking in on your progress, and before you know it, your business will feel a lot steadier and more future-proof than it did before.

Sustainable Choices That Heavy Industry Businesses Can Easily Make

By Julie Starr • August 8, 2025
Are you hoping to build a heavy industry business? It’s the kind of company that can have globally sweeping positive and negative effects. On the one hand, you’re contributing to the industry, ensuring there’s enough supply to meet demand, and you can do your best to operate in a sustainable way that prioritizes the environment. But on the other hand, the heavy industry has long been the most significant business polluter in the world. Despite advancements in industry technology and usage, their ranking relative to other sectors, such as food and beverage , and shipping and logistics, has remained unchanged as of 2025. Requiring extensive use of large, heavy, and expensive machinery, the fumes produced by heavy-duty factories in sectors like mining, aerospace, nautical, and metal production regularly cause harm to both human and animal life. It’s why anyone interested in investing or scaling within an industry like this needs to focus on their company’s carbon footprint. There are various ways to ensure you’re limiting your harmful output and waste, and you’ll want to use as many as possible within your operation. Check out our recommendations below. Work with Green Suppliers No matter what stage you sit at in the hypothetical supply chain, you’re likely to source at least part of your overall production material from a supplier. If that’s not the case, you’ll still need to work with companies that provide machinery and equipment, as well as replacement parts for these industrial items. All in all, to make as sustainable a choice as possible, you’ll want to commit to working with a ‘green’ supplier who makes eco-conscious choices at every step. Eco-friendly suppliers will strive to both implement sustainable practices within their production line, as well as provide sustainably made and/or extracted materials. The products and/or parts they send out are likely to be recyclable when they reach their end-of-life period, or they’ll run a scheme where you can send old or broken parts back to them. Offset Your Carbon Emissions Offsetting carbon emissions converts the waste output from your operations into something more positive. If you’re interested in programs like this , you can use official government platforms or climate charity websites to contribute. You’ll be able to find a variety of projects that have been undertaken to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, and they’ll be located in various regions across the world. You can choose to patronise as many of them as you wish, but if you want to focus on specific types, you’ll also be able to do so. When approaching a program like this, it’s usually best to offset month by month, as this helps you stay on top of your carbon footprint. Be sure to invest in as much carbon removal per tonne as your business has potentially contributed to the atmosphere in the last month. But before you go any further, there’s one thing you need to keep in mind here: Carbon offsetting is just one sustainable practice you can turn to, but it’s not the only one your business will ever need to use. Yes, it’s one of the most sustainable practices a heavy industry business can invest in. But that’s only true when it’s partnered with real-time carbon-lowering efficiencies within day-to-day operations. Repair, Rather Than Throw Away Repairing is the best option if a repair is possible. This should be the first step when evaluating old or broken-down equipment. If it can be salvaged, it should be. Otherwise, you’ll have to replace the equipment in question. Not only is that expensive, but it also means more waste to manage. And not all heavy industry tech can be recycled. Sometimes it’s potentially hazardous and needs to be disposed of carefully, and this could have harsh impacts on the surrounding environment. Repairing is your best bet, at least 80% of the time. You can get back up and running faster, and you don’t need to account for a large investment at short notice. And more equipment can be repaired than you might think. It’s not just small, singular parts that can be pulled out. Entire internal systems in even large vehicles, such as freighter ships, can be replaced by secondary parts. A marine logistics provider or deep-sea fishing operator would save a lot of money just by ordering a Cummins Rebuild Kit for one of their vessels. Deciding to put the ship out of commission and eventually scrapping it will contribute to the large-scale waste common in companies like this. Aiming to repair and limit environmental damage will get that same boat back onto the waters in seaworthy condition. Operate with Lower Emission Logistics Shipping your products to businesses and markets always generates a carbon footprint. Unless you’re operating only within the local area and you’re able to transport products back and forth on foot, this is an unavoidable issue. And seeing as you’re a heavy industry business, that’s not very likely. But some shipping options are better than others. Indeed, there are low-emission choices to be made, and you’ll want to look into these logistic partners only. You’ll likely find that air travel is a total no-go zone. Alternatives to this are long-haul road transportation or a traditional shipping company that operates via sea. Yes, even trucking your products over land generates a lot less carbon waste that can damage the environment than flying something! Staying Green as a Heavy Industry Player Working sustainably within the heavy industry is a career-long project. You’ll need to continually make moves to consider what could be streamlined into something greener and less consuming next. In the end, this can help your long-term costs decrease and stay low. Fewer risky investments, fewer fees from environmental bodies, and more productive time within your business. So, it’s not going to be easy, but it will be worth it