Forrester's new report, "Jekyll and Hyde: The Dual Role of Disruptive Technologies in Sustainability," delves into the potential of disruptive technologies to positively and negatively impact environmental sustainability.
It identified six of the most important disruptive technologies that can shape sustainability in 2025: automation and AI, IoT, computing technologies, advanced data centres, extended reality, and autonomous mobility.
"Disruptive technologies such as automation, AI, and autonomous mobility can boost environmental sustainability, but they can also work against it, creating a true Jekyll-and-Hyde duality that leaders must manage," said Abhijit Sunil, senior analyst at Forrester. "The challenge lies in maximising the optimisation potential of these technologies while actively managing their lifecycle impacts and resource intensity."
Jekyll and Hyde
The report examines some of the most interesting and beneficial use cases of disruptive technologies in sustainability, as well as the risks and challenges associated with their deployment.
"Disruptive technologies (referring to automation, AI, and autonomous mobility) bring high compute demands, increased electronic waste, reliance on critical raw materials, complications to the supply chain, and substantial infrastructure required for deployment," explained Sunil, senior analyst at Forrester, in his latest blog.
Meanwhile, he added that some benefits include enhanced energy and resource efficiency, support for climate resilience and compliance, real-time tracking of environmental KPIs, new sustainable business models and products, and advancing conservation efforts.
"Now is the time for business leaders to scrutinise the balance between scale, maturity, and correct use of these disruptive technologies to ensure business resilience, compliance, and long-term profitability," wrote Sunil.
