Wiliot makes COP27 debut

Wiliot, the Internet of Things pioneer whose IoT platform is enabling trillions of “things” to gain intelligence, has been selected to attend COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from November 6th-18th. At the event, Wiliot will be showcasing its pioneering ambient computing technology – the Wiliot IoT Pixel and Cloud platform – and educating global leaders on the ways in which it’s enabling an ambient IoT poised to create more sustainable, cost-efficient supply chains.

Wiliot’s vision for the future of the ambient IoT brings intelligence and internet connectivity to every single ‘thing’ in the global supply chain, enabling products to transmit item-level information about their location, temperature, carbon footprint, and more. With this information, businesses are – for the first time – equipped with the real-time data they need to make more sustainably-minded decisions that reduce their carbon footprint.

Furthermore, the real-time delivery of this carbon data offers an effective alternative to today’s annual reporting cadence, which is proving insufficient for businesses looking to make a material impact on their carbon footprint.

Wiliot is attending COP27 as part of an Israeli delegation that includes nine other climate-tech innovators that were selected at PLANETech World, Israel’s first-ever clean-tech conference that recently took place in Tel Aviv.

“While much of the world is justifiably focused on reducing fossil fuel emissions, converting to electric vehicles, and carbon-offsetting projects, we applaud the UN and the COP27 for now also recognising supply chain efficiency as a fundamental lever in advancing global sustainability,” stated Steve Statler, Wiliot SVP of Marketing & ESG. “Trillions of things flow through our supply chains every day – a number that will only increase as billions of new people enter the middle class, with more disposable income and purchasing power. The UN recognises the urgent need to fix our supply chains, and that real-time item-level carbon data is fundamental to the regeneration of the environment.”

Wiliot IoT Pixels are stamp-sized computers that cost pennies and feature a fundamental breakthrough in ambient computing technology – or computing that’s self-powered, harvesting radio waves that are all around us. These battery-free IoT Pixels can attach to any product or packaging to connect it to the internet; not just expensive things like cars, appliances, and shipping containers, but the things inside them: fruits, veggies, vaccine vials, clothes, crates, and just about everything else.

The benefits of this technology are vast. Produce stays fresher longer, reducing the amount wasted due to rot and spoil; delivery routes are more efficient, requiring less fuel and emitting lower greenhouse gas; stock-checks transition from daily to real-time, resulting in supply chains with lower carbon footprints; and so much more.

“It’s going to take trillions of connections to solve the climate crisis,” continued Statler. “Every single thing in our global supply chain – veggies and vaccines, crates and skates, airplane parts and toy airplanes – all connected to the internet and transmitting real-time, item-level data about their location, temperate, fill rate, carbon footprint, and more. It’s this data that’s going to enable businesses to make better, more sustainably-minded decisions – and ones that make a material impact on the climate crisis today.”

Wiliot is currently working with many of the world’s largest companies, helping them transition from supply chains that often include glut, excess, and delays to demand chains that are fully responsive to real-time to consumer demand. Furthermore, the Wiliot platform is equipping employees across organisations with this real-time data empowers them to take action every day, which is proving to have a profound impact on corporate sustainability and profitability.

In a recent project with a large retailer, the temperature of a pallet of berries rose precipitously when it was mistakenly left out on a store floor, threatening the fruit’s freshness. However, rather than spoil, the temperature rise was flagged and an alert was sent to store employees, who addressed the situation in the moment.

Concluded Statler: “The ambient IoT grows the market from billions of expensive things to trillions of everyday things, and in the process totally transforms our global supply chains. We’re honoured to have been selected to attend COP27 to debut the concept of the ambient IoT, which is poised to have a profound impact on our planet.”

Ambient IoT support is being added to the wireless standards that enable the world’s phones, smart speakers, and access points. Industry analyst ABI Research predicted a total addressable market for ambient IoT of over 10 trillion devices at the recent GSMA MWC event in a presentation it co-delivered with Wiliot and Deloitte.