European Green Deal and digital (4/4). Walloon digital solutions

Additionally, there have been awareness actions through four podcasts on inspiring topics:

• Digital technology serving ecology, with Eric Vidalenc
• Digital technology serving a sustainable economy, with Jacques Crahay
• Digital technology and collaborative governance, with Laurent Ledoux
• Thinking in a digital world, with Luc de Brabandere

Other initiatives include creating maps of digital actors offering solutions for the Green Deal and supporting the launch of the Belgian Institute of Responsible Digital Technologies.

New projects are also set to launch, notably within the framework of #RESET, a collective approach to transform digital technologies, a study on the environmental impact of digital technologies, and collaborations with SPWEER on the Circular Wallonia strategy, the Green Deal Circular Purchasing, and the Circular ICT Pact.

In Wallonia, the dynamic is strong. Several Digital Wallonia partners also have visions regarding these challenges and did not wait for the Green Deal to start their actions. Here's a non-exhaustive overview of the Green Deal’s 8 levers through three questions:

• How can the digital transition help achieve the Green Deal's objectives in Wallonia?
• Do you have a Walloon example to illustrate your vision?
• What pitfall should we avoid to prevent a rebound effect?

GreenWin, Logistics in Wallonia, UWE, CCW, Agoria, Tweed, Skywin, and WalDigiFarm have contributed to these discussions.

According to the Green Deal, current policies will only reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2050. Therefore, action is needed to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, which is the primary goal of this pillar.

Digital technologies provide solutions, but how can this digital transition help achieve the Green Deal’s objectives in Wallonia, particularly the goal of climate neutrality by 2050?

The Union Wallonne des Entreprises (UWE) states that while digital technologies account for an increasing share of global electricity production, digital transformation applied to sectors such as agriculture (smart farming), energy grids (smart grids), city infrastructures (smart city), and industry (eco-factory transformations in Industry 4.0) has proven to contribute positively to the fight against climate change. For example, it enables easier integration of renewable energy sources, optimizes energy consumption, and allows more effective operational decisions based on more comprehensive data, communicated in real time.

Wallonia is moving forward: several companies have already committed to eco-production efforts related to Industry 4.0 and other areas. Examples include companies like Schréder, Timbtrack, EMAC (Made Different Ambassador), Brasserie Lefevre, L’Oréal, and Tôleries Delhez, which have excelled in this field and have shared their experiences to inspire other Walloon companies. This initiative is crucial to create a global dynamic of change.

There are also companies like aSmartWorld (smartphone and tablet refurbishment) that have developed an economic activity around digital transition. Companies like Proximus and Orange are leading initiatives for more responsible digital practices.

Digital technology is a powerful accelerator of progress, but it requires action on multiple levels:

• Innovation: In terms of sustainability and digital technologies, innovation must serve progress in fields such as construction, mobility, energy production, storage, and distribution.
• Research: Through NCP Wallonia, UWE also encourages Walloon companies to engage in European research and innovation projects on digital transition.
• Awareness : We know that our daily digital uses (such as streaming videos) can have a significant cumulative impact on the constant rise in global data consumption.

The UWE is convinced that it is necessary to raise awareness of new usages. In 2020, it committed to becoming "SDG Voice."
UWE also plays a role in informing and raising awareness among businesses through concrete actions such as workshops and webinars, as well as through its Environmental Cell, which advises, informs, and encourages businesses to view the environment as an opportunity rather than a constraint. Businesses can also find a sheet online outlining the essential principles of digital responsibility.

Pillar 2: Providing Clean, Affordable, and Safe Energy
The Green Deal states that energy production and consumption across all economic sectors account for over 75% of EU greenhouse gas emissions. Europe aims to establish an energy sector largely based on renewable sources, while rapidly phasing out coal and decarbonizing gas.

For theCluster Tweed, this is also a certainty. To meet ambitious climate objectives by 2030 (and 2050!), it is necessary to increase the share of renewable energy.
And what about digital technology in this context? How does it contribute to increasing the share of renewable energy?
The intermittency of these clean production methods requires greater efficiency in managing energy distribution (electric or thermal), which must be consumed when it is available.
The networks of the future must adapt by focusing more on the consumer, giving them greater freedom and responsibility (they become "actors" and regulate their own consumption), as well as managing (meta)data related to these increasingly local exchanges.
These new exchange mechanisms require reliable digital solutions to arbitrate them, which will only be possible through the deployment of smart meters.

Wallonia is making progress on this issue, as the Walloon government is currently working on the "Energy Community" decree (approved in its first reading in January 2021) to define new mechanisms for renewable energy exchanges. The goal is to allow producers and consumers to collaborate and share locally produced energy at a favorable rate. The potential behind these new renewable exchanges is enormous and will enable the activation of previously unfeasible production capacities. To participate in these new exchanges among citizens, businesses, and tertiary buildings, a smart meter will be required.
At the same time, Wallonia has established a deployment plan for smart meters, presented on the "Ma conso sous la loupe" platform, and grants will soon be available for the installation of these meters (when they are not free). Some actors have not waited for this to become effective and have started pilot phases, such as in the municipality of Marche-en-Famenne, where 1,000 meters will be deployed by ORES, with local government subsidies.

TheCluster Tweed’s opinion is that potential rebound effects should be avoided in this smart meter deployment plan, ensuring that these new markets do not only favor certain segments of the population, such as those who can install new photovoltaic panels, or that the "lost income" for some public organizations (network managers) is not only absorbed by those who do not have access to these exchanges.

Pillar 3: Mobilizing Industry for a Clean and Circular Economy

European industry accounts for 20% of EU greenhouse gas emissions. The European Commission calls for full commitment from industry stakeholders to a circular and climate-neutral economy.
In this area, digital technologies clearly have a role to play in the emergence and strengthening of the circular economy. A white paper on the circular economy, published in September 2020, is available to economic and industrial actors to provide them with a theoretical and methodological framework.
According to a study by Digital Europe, digital technologies could help reduce CO2 emissions in other sectors by up to 10% by 2025 and up to 20% by 2030.

To illustrate this, consider the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT). The connection of an increasing number of devices to the internet creates a massive flow of valuable data that can indeed boost the circular economy. For example, information on where a device is located, its condition, how it was made, the materials it contains, etc., can help manufacturers implement traceability systems. Think of sensors that detect where materials are located or data analysis that optimizes collection routes. The large amounts of information collected on product performance and how end users treat them also allow designers to develop more efficient and circular products.
TheComet Group is a concrete example from Wallonia. It has developed recycling techniques for various materials, expanding its range since the mid-1990s. The group handles rust, glass, plastics, and even construction materials. Another use of these wastes is fuel. The Phoenix project and its extension, Phébus, aim to recover organic materials from car recycling. These wastes are processed again by a catalyst and transformed into synthetic fuel. Since April 2019, Comet has hosted the first two accredited centers in the Walloon Region for recycling electric vehicles.

Today, artificial intelligence is entering the Obourg (Mons) site through theMultipick project. Developed since 2015 under the Reverse Metallurgy program with the University of Liège and Citius Engineering, and supported by the MecaTech Cluster, this tool has now reached the industrial stage. Multipick combines various technologies (X-ray characterization, color, and 3D measurement) to automate the sorting of non-ferrous metals (copper, aluminum, zinc, brass, etc.) from cars and household appliances. The information is then sent to sorting robots, which categorize each fragment for recycling. Besides increasing production rates, the technology will allow the repatriation of metal flows that had previously gone to distant lands for cheap manual sorting. Perhaps, in the future, this unique "Made in Wallonia" technology will be exported as well.

ForAgoria, Wallonia seems to be more intentionally heading towards a circular economy, particularly with the strategy adopted by the Walloon government. However, it must go further by investing in the fine operationalization of these ambitions and structuring the landscape of the circular economy.
Providing tools, resources, and financial and methodological support to help businesses with this transformation while enhancing their competitiveness is also an essential step. Sector-specific expertise, such asAgoria's "Cesar Tool" in the field of circular economy, should inspire policymakers. However, this is not only a regional issue; Europe must also contribute to structuring a real single market for the circular economy.

Pillar 4: Energy and Resource-Efficient Construction and Renovation
Buildings account for 40% of energy consumption in Europe. Today, the annual renovation rate of the building stock ranges from 0.4% to 1.2% in EU member states. One of the main objectives of the Green Deal is to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and make energy costs affordable.

TheConfederation of Walloon Construction shares its vision regarding the role of digital technologies in achieving these objectives.
The digitalization of construction processes, administrative management, and site management (lean, logistics, delivery, paperless) contributes to better quality control throughout construction by improving information management through data sharing among the various participants in a project.
With technologies likeBuilding Information Modeling (BIM), it is possible to:

• Anticipate needs.
• Benefit from optimal management of the building (usage, maintenance, renovation).
• Adopt the best energy solutions, for material usage, etc.
• Track products (RFID chips, barcodes), in this digital model, from manufacturing to the site.

Making it possible to better manage buildings and control their environmental impact throughout their lifecycle

EMAC Belgium, Ambassador Made Different for Eco-Production, is an example in the field. The company ensures a reduction in the carbon footprint of its manufacturing processes: waste valorization, selection of machines in favor of the environment, optimization of delivery, and energy self-sufficiency. They have fully digitized their processes and are undergoing a genuine transformation of their production workshop.

However, the CCW emphasizes that we should not strive to integrate digital technologies at all costs or adopt "war machines" when they are not the solution. The effect could be harmful. For example, in the successful reuse of construction materials, BIM may not initially be the most suitable technology. More "modest" tools, like 3D scanning of existing structures or material exchange platforms, are more effective.

Indeed, the digital means should never take precedence. Turning the construction profession into a purely "digital" job would be counterproductive. Critical thinking, passion, and human knowledge remain essential.

Pillar 5. Accelerating the transition to sustainable and intelligent mobility

Transport represents 25% of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. The main goal of the European Commission in this area is to reduce emissions from the transport sector by 90% by 2050.

For Logistics In Wallonia, transport and mobility face colossal challenges. Indeed, the transport sector (both people and goods) is the only sector where CO2 emissions have consistently increased in recent years. However, in its Regional Policy Declaration, the Walloon Government has aligned itself with European ambitions to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030, based on 1990 levels. The ambition is also carbon neutrality by 2050.

The solution is, by definition, complex and multifactorial. Logistics and mobility have in common the management of flows: people, goods, and, above all, substantial flows of information required for the smooth running of these operations. On the one hand, gains can be made with vehicles by deploying alternative fuels, autonomous modes, or adopting other means of transport (rail, waterway, soft modes).

On the other hand, managing information and therefore digitalization represents a central challenge; every activity involving movement generates information that helps manage:

• Departure and arrival times
• Transport conditions for goods (track & trace)
• Traffic disruptions (accidents, congestion, etc.)
• Customs and other formalities that actors must comply with.

The health situation further strengthens the need for digitalization, particularly in the handling of transport documents that were previously physical.

To meet European ambitions, one of the actions launched by Wallonia is the development of a new traffic control center called "Perex 4.0." The Perex Center has been in existence since 1997 in Wallonia and is well known by road users for providing information on driving conditions. This new integrated center will not only manage traffic on the roads but also on waterways. It will, over time, allow remote operation of structures such as locks, thus enabling optimized and smoother traffic on major transport routes.

Logistics in Wallonia also organized a webinar in December 2020 titled "Sustainable Logistics and Mobility Strategy 2030 in Action!" featuring testimonies, examples, and reflections.

The solutions to address the challenges must go through the calibration of the information provided and the public’s willingness to move toward open data. Mobility is also a business, but here, the public authority must maintain a central role as regulator and provider of authentic information to all market actors without discrimination. Moreover, in the future, interactions between public data and user communities will likely intensify in what are known as "Collaborative Intelligent Transport Systems" (C-ITS).

Pillar 6. "From farm to table," a fair, healthy, and environmentally respectful food system

For Europe, a fair, healthy, and environmentally respectful food system must become the global standard for sustainability. The Commission emphasizes the importance of precision farming and consumer information.

For Waldigifarm, this is clearly an opportunity for Wallonia. Indeed, our region has the necessary assets to position itself as a leader in these areas!

First, located in the heart of Europe's five leading potato-producing countries, in the area commonly called the "Sugar Belt" of the EU, Wallonia boasts fertile and productive silty soils among the most efficient in Europe.

It should also be noted that the intensification of agricultural practices has significantly depleted the organic carbon content in our soils. Paradoxically, this very carbon molecule is at the core of the Green Deal target. Since life began on Earth, the miracle of photosynthesis has allowed it to be extracted from the atmosphere and stored sustainably in organic matter in the soil ("humus").

This leads to the second asset: all the tools exist here to quickly implement an efficient carbon storage strategy in various types of soil based on their sequestration potential:

• Historical references, likely underutilized (including a digital soil map based on surveys from the 1970s),
• Databases of millions of soil analysis data,
• Proven agronomic techniques,
• Excellent network coverage in rural areas to develop IoT applications for measuring and tracking stocks.

Third, our region is rich in untapped human resources (farmers, agronomists, researchers, developers, data scientists, and other digital experts) to quickly drive the transformation.

However, to become a leader, at least three challenges must be addressed:

• Do not delay,
• Open the "silos" between agriculture and the digital sector,
• Adopt "low GES by design" strategies to avoid counterproductive results.

In conclusion, the fertility of our soils, our existing digital tools, and our skills and expertise make Wallonia a potential open-air laboratory for developing new agro-digital solutions that simultaneously meet the objectives of the Green Deal and Digital strategies.

Pillar 7. A "zero pollution" ambition for an environment free of toxic substances

The European Commission aims to adopt a "zero pollution" action plan for air, water, and soil by 2021. In the Green Deal, digital technologies are already identified as a means to implement prevention, monitoring, and follow-up solutions.

For GreenWin, digital technologies are now integrated almost systematically into the components of projects, whereas, two years ago, this was not necessarily the case. Digital technologies help, for example:

• Achieve savings during testing phases through simulations, digital twins, or digital scale-ups,
• Model processes in workshops, accelerating tasks while reducing their difficulty,
• Optimize lean management options in industrial processes.

They are already well activated in innovative construction process and material projects and in water, soil, air, and sludge remediation.

A concrete example is the COSMOCEM project, which aims to create reactive mineral additions for hydraulic binders from the transformation of underused Walloon waste flows using a new ecological activation process powered by AI. GreenWin has several other projects in a circular economy approach that heavily rely on digital technologies.

As for how to avoid potential negative impacts or unintended effects from innovative processes, GreenWin has integrated Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) at the core of each of its cluster projects. This analysis takes place throughout the lifecycle of the project, considering the environmental impact of its components. Thanks to this tool, the potential impact of using digital technologies is analyzed and can be minimized or eliminated. The LCA becomes a strength of the project, positioning it as a safe environmental solution with additional commercial advantages.

Pillar 8. Preserve and restore ecosystems and biodiversity

For this final pillar, the European Commission aims to propose global biodiversity protection goals and commitments to address the causes of biodiversity loss within the EU, supported by measurable objectives.

Among the solutions discussed by the Commission is the development of a highly accurate digital model of the Earth. Indeed, an initiative to create a high-precision digital model of Earth (a "digital twin" of our planet) would enhance European forecasting and crisis management capabilities related to the environment.

In this domain, Skywin Wallonia is at the forefront of this "Earth Observation" (EO) dynamic, notably with the completed SW_EOREGIONS project and other projects under selection. More broadly, the region is working on three strategic axes of economic development in the fields of cybersecurity and the value chain of Earth observation imagery:

• Storage and processing capabilities: Collaborative Ground Segment (CGS), High Performance Calculator (HPC) with CENAERO,
• Cybersecurity: developing specialized cybersecurity hubs like ESEC Redu and the Cybersecurity Training Center at Thales Belgium,
• AI-based processing: AI4Copernicus meetings (Skywin), Aerospacelab, ScanWorld, Spacebel, TRAIL in EUCASS (2021 – conferences and workshops).

These projects aim to create new services for sustainable development, including automated environmental monitoring of issues such as ocean levels, deforestation, large-scale geological movements, agricultural impacts, and epidemic management.

Conclusion

As we see from these examples, Wallonia did not wait for Europe to set the goals to advance. In some areas, it can claim a pioneering role. In others, it can rely on existing experience and projects that have been growing over the years.

Wallonia has truly recognized the climate and environmental challenges, with actions in pollution, biodiversity, and ecosystems. The involvement now extends beyond those directly related to "pure" ecology. Competitiveness clusters, federations, and many other stakeholders recognize the importance of acting quickly and amplifying initiatives to limit impacts, regenerate our economy, and enhance the well-being and employment opportunities that come with it.

In all of this, digital technologies are one of the means to achieve European ambitions, and we are only at the beginning of the reflections and path ahead to reach them.

The Digital Agency of Wallonia, through its Digital Wallonia strategy, will play a key role and is committed to moving forward with Walloon stakeholders interested in these issues. It has also evolved its vision and mission in this direction: "For a collective future through inclusive, sustainable, and efficient digital technology."