Digitalization Drives Low-Carbon Development

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The construction and building management sector has long been a significant contributor to global carbon emissions, accounting for a staggering 40% of annual emissions from construction, operations, and logisticsMoreover, this sector is responsible for approximately 55% of global electricity consumption, 40% of solid waste, and 25% of water resource usageWithin the landscape of commercial assets, buildings and their associated portfolios are the heavyweight champions of cost and carbon emissions over their lifecycleAlarmingly, less than 1% of commercial buildings meet the stringent standards for net-zero emissions.

Against this backdrop, a global company with nearly 30 years of expertise in building asset management, Aton, fully comprehends the complexity of this issue and is actively committed to mitigating these adverse impacts through strategic and systematic approachesAs Joachim Poylo, the founder and president of Aton Group, poignantly states, "Our responsibility extends beyond just the assets we manage for clients; it encompasses our own office environment, supply chain management, and every aspect of our operational processes."

Over the past three decades, Aton has championed the realization of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals in Asia, ASEAN, and Africa through ISO certification and innovative technologies

In particular, the Asia-Pacific region stands out as a focal point for Aton’s core business, where the company delivers low-carbon solutions powered by digital technologiesThe emphasis here is on holistic management and optimization throughout the building lifecycle, with a keen focus on compliance, carbon reduction, and a human-centered philosophy.

In China alone, Aton operates across more than 80 cities, offering an integrated suite of digital management services, including technical asset management, soft services, and cateringAton's aim is to modernize the private sector while providing clients with a concrete roadmap for implementing ESG strategies, ultimately striving for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality by 2030 and 2060, respectively.

In 2015, Aton established its Energy Division, dedicated to investing in, building, and operating energy and carbon reduction projects for their clients

This led to the development of the Akila digital twin platform in 2018, which utilizes-depth facilities and energy experience to comprehensively optimize buildingsBy integrating digital twins, artificial intelligence, building performance simulation, and Building Information Modeling (BIM), Akila not only tracks and monitors sustainability and ESG progress but also leverages data for precise decision-making and strategic prioritization.

For instance, Aton's energy consumption intelligence monitoring project, in collaboration with LifeSavers, showcases the practical benefits of the Akila platformThrough the resource monitoring reports generated by the platform, clients can access real-time data on energy consumption across various categories—be it water, electricity, or gas—across different timeframes (weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually). This capability fulfills client monitoring needs for energy consumption and allows for timely identification of anomalies while also summarizing long-term energy usage trends to support informed energy-saving initiatives.

Though many companies have set ambitious targets for achieving net-zero emissions, they often struggle with how to progress through the transitional phases

The Akila platform effectively bridges data silos between buildings and systems, enabling clients to connect asset data with artificial intelligence, thereby fostering automation and optimizing energy usageIt also employs simulation and environmental engineering to adapt buildings to the escalating pressures of climate change, leading to superior outcomes throughout the design, construction, and operational processes.

Moreover, Aton is enhancing sustainable maintenance services for industrial technologiesAn illustrative case is Aton's partnership with Smart X, an innovative power monitoring solutions provider, to introduce smart meters replacing traditional counterpartsAs of the end of 2023, the installation of smart meters across 130 locations in nine regions throughout Asia was completedThese smart meters not only deliver precise electricity monitoring capabilities and networked management solutions but also play a crucial role in controlling energy consumption, thereby assisting clients in cost reduction and efficiency improvement.

The Akila platform also streamlines the maintenance of daily facilities while helping clients decrease resource consumption

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Presently, Aton is deploying the Akila platform as a vital digital tool in numerous projects, exemplified in the case of Chubby's Nantong factory project, where it provides comprehensive ESG management for operational oversight.

As Aton aids numerous clients in their carbon reduction journeys, it places equal emphasis on rooting ESG principles into its own corporate cultureSince implementing a cloud transition strategy in 2017, the company has migrated various internal business systems to the cloud, reducing its physical server count from 20 to just 8 and achieving over a 40% decrease in IT infrastructure energy consumptionThis move has effectively lowered operational carbon emissions.

Additionally, the launch of Aton’s ERP system in 2020 consolidated sales, operations, finances, and supply chains onto a single sustainable digital platformThis integration has not only optimized inventory management and accomplished logistics-related emissions reductions but has also enhanced financial transparency and compliance thanks to the system's analytical capabilities, subsequently bolstering the company's governance and decision-making agility.

As global climate change intensifies and environmental challenges grow more pressing, the pursuit of carbon neutrality has emerged as a universal consensus