Why smarter networks are the hidden key to sustainability

The days when sustainability was dismissed as a corporate buzzword are behind us. Today, it’s a business wide imperative that affects all roles and lines of business. Virtually every global organisation now showcases their environmental credentials, putting their commitment to carbon reduction and resource efficiency at the forefront of their corporate strategies.  

Among the most respected corporate certifications is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the world’s leading green building rating system. LEED sets the standard for environmentally responsible design, construction, and operations, helping organisations prove they can walk the talk when it comes to sustainability. 

Pursuing a LEED certification is complex, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. But businesses usually start with network efficiency, which is increasingly being recognised as the backbone of sustainable operations.  

Efficient, smart networks, are the backbone of sustainable business 

Smart IoT solutions are transforming how organisations manage energy, water and other resources, directly streamlining compliance with sustainability frameworks like the LEED certification. By connecting company systems to the network, IoT provides the visibility and automated control that makes sustainability initiatives measurable and actionable. 

Today’s enterprise networks bring together a powerful mix of technologies, including wired Ethernet, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth, other IoT protocols, and private 5G. Each of these play a role in building this efficiency and there are numerous ways to combine them during implementation, depending on the industry in focus.  

Let’s explore how these technologies are applied in the hospitality sector. 

From reusing towels to smart networks 

For decades, hotels have led the way in signaling the importance of sustainability, most famously through the “reuse your towel” campaigns that began in the early 1990s. With the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance estimating that hotels consume an average of 1,500 liters of water per room per day, every small action could help. But as impactful as these gestures have been, their effect is limited. 

Today, hoteliers have embraced network powered innovations that are delivering sustainability at scale. Guests might notice conveniences like digital room keys, mobile check-ins, app-based menus and even digital signage. But the real breakthroughs are happening behind the scenes.  

IoT devices are being used to track water use, remotely managed HVAC systems are ensuring only occupied rooms use heating or air conditioning, and smart networks are being used to balance Wi-Fi coverage across zoned areas, ensuring that signal is only where it needs to be.  

A classic example can be seen in large resorts, where networks use a variety of techniques such as putting APs into a low-power standby state, automatically reducing RF output when fewer clients are in range, or even disabling Wi-Fi radios entirely during known idle times (e.g., 12 am – 6 am in unused ballrooms). 

Driving sustainability through efficiency and insight  

AI has become one of the most polarising technologies of our time. Hailed as a breakthrough while also blamed for pushing the world toward an energy crisis. But when applied strategically, AI can actually be a powerful enabler of enterprise sustainability – driving efficiency and filling the growing skills gap that makes modern IT and operations harder to manage. 

But as technology stacks grow, they quickly become too much for IT teams to handle without large support teams or costly observability tools. This is where AI can step in to deliver deep data-led insights, from procurement to resource management to day-to-day operations, revealing sustainability opportunities that would otherwise be hidden. 

The potential isn’t limited to hospitality. In restaurants, theatres, and stadiums, AI-enabled waste and recycling bins notify staff when they are full and analyse refuse patterns, including kitchen waste, to minimise food waste.  

In offices, AI-managed networks can track usage patterns to determine whether meeting rooms are occupied and can even detect unusual drops in Zoom call quality, offering fixes before employees notice a problem. While in hotels, AI can detect whether a room is occupied and adjust room settings accordingly and even predict future occupancy patterns to optimise resources.  

AI’s hidden value 

Not every benefit of AI is immediately obvious. Beyond automating routine tasks, AI can simulate and stress-test various configuration models, experimenting with theoretical network changes that would take weeks or months for IT to test in actual practice.  

It can be programmed to make human-like decisions about when to turn services on, scale them up or down, or turn them off completely. While human oversight remains essential to ensure AI is accurate, the productivity, efficiency and sustainability gains are clear.  

As enterprises race toward net-zero targets, AI-powered smart networks are emerging as critical enablers of both sustainability and customer experience. Yet, their success hinges on having reliable, high-performing connectivity. Without it, even the most advanced AI-driven sustainability initiatives will struggle to deliver on their promise.