What Role Do Businesses Play in Achieving Net-Zero by 2030?

San Francisco Staff 2 on July 16, 2025

Achieving net-zero emissions by 2030 is a crucial global goal in the fight against climate change. While governments and individuals all have roles to play, businesses are particularly positioned to drive meaningful change. They hold a large share of the responsibility for the emissions produced in today’s economy, but they also have the power, resources, and influence to implement transformative solutions.

Businesses can be major players in reaching net-zero goals through a combination of innovative technologies, policy advocacy, and operational changes. With the right approaches, they can not only help reduce their own carbon footprints but also influence entire supply chains, industries, and economies toward a sustainable future. So, what exactly does this role look like? Let’s break it down.

How Can Businesses Reduce Their Own Carbon Footprints?

The first step for businesses in reaching net-zero by 2030 is reducing their own carbon emissions. These companies generate emissions through various aspects of their operations, including energy use, transportation, manufacturing, and waste. By improving energy efficiency and adopting clean energy sources, businesses can make a significant impact.

Switching to renewable energy like solar, wind, and hydro is one of the easiest steps businesses can take. By moving away from fossil fuels, companies reduce their carbon output significantly. They can also adopt energy-efficient practices such as upgrading to LED lighting, optimizing heating and cooling systems, and using smart technologies to monitor energy consumption.

Furthermore, businesses can rethink their manufacturing processes. From sourcing raw materials to product creation, the entire production chain can be optimized for lower emissions. Small changes like switching to low-carbon materials and reducing waste can add up over time, leading to significant reductions in overall emissions.

Can Businesses Influence Their Supply Chains to Be More Sustainable?

What Role Do Businesses Play in Achieving Net-Zero by 2030

Photo Credit: Unsplash.com

A business doesn’t operate in isolation. The supply chain is a massive part of its overall carbon footprint, and influencing these partners can lead to substantial reductions in emissions. Companies can work with suppliers to encourage the adoption of sustainable practices across the board. For instance, requiring vendors to meet sustainability criteria or collaborate on energy-efficient practices can significantly reduce the environmental impact of the entire supply chain.

More than just working within their supply chains, businesses can also lead by example. For example, some industries have seen companies set sustainability standards that others follow. When one large business commits to reducing emissions, others may be inspired or required to do the same to stay competitive.

What Role Do Innovation and Product Development Play in Net-Zero Goals?

Innovation is a key driver in helping businesses meet net-zero goals. Whether it’s in product design, technology development, or process improvement, innovation can drastically reduce carbon footprints. Businesses can develop new products or services that are inherently more sustainable than older alternatives. Electric vehicles, for example, have a much smaller carbon footprint compared to traditional gas-powered cars. The rise of plant-based food options and energy-efficient home appliances also shows how businesses can create products that actively support environmental goals.

By investing in clean technologies, companies can drastically cut emissions. Green technologies like carbon capture and storage, energy storage solutions, and more efficient manufacturing techniques are just some of the innovations businesses can adopt to meet their sustainability targets.

But it’s not just about developing new technologies; businesses can innovate within their existing product lines too. For example, redesigning products for longevity and recyclability can help prevent waste and reduce the need for new resources. This contributes to a circular economy, where materials are reused and repurposed, further cutting emissions.

How Can Businesses Partner with Governments and Other Entities for Greater Impact?

Businesses can be a powerful force for policy change. By working with governments, companies can advocate for laws and regulations that support net-zero goals. Whether through lobbying for carbon pricing, renewable energy incentives, or stricter emission standards, businesses can push for changes that help accelerate the transition to a sustainable economy.

Partnerships with governmental bodies are crucial in creating the infrastructure needed to reduce emissions. Businesses can also collaborate with NGOs, research institutions, and other private companies to create systemic change. Collective efforts often lead to better outcomes, whether through shared technologies, joint funding of clean energy projects, or collaborative sustainability initiatives.

Furthermore, companies that set ambitious sustainability goals often encourage public sector investment in the necessary infrastructure to achieve those goals. Governments may be more likely to enact supportive policies if they see large businesses leading the charge toward sustainability.

How Can Businesses Embrace Circular Economy Principles?

The circular economy is all about reducing waste and maximizing the use of resources. Instead of the traditional linear model, where products are made, used, and discarded, the circular economy emphasizes reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling. Businesses that adopt these principles can greatly reduce their emissions by minimizing the need for new materials and lowering waste production.

By designing products with a longer lifespan, businesses help ensure that resources are used efficiently and that less waste is generated. Additionally, encouraging customers to recycle or return products for reuse helps close the loop and reduces the overall environmental impact of production.

The benefits of a circular economy model aren’t just environmental. Companies that reduce waste and extend the life of their products often reduce costs as well. Less waste means fewer resources used and lower operational costs in the long term.

Photo Credit: Unsplash.com

Achieving net-zero by 2030 is an ambitious but necessary goal, and businesses are central to making it happen. From reducing their carbon footprints to driving innovation and working with governments and supply chains, businesses hold significant power to influence the transition toward a sustainable, low-carbon future. Their role is not just about reducing their own emissions but also inspiring industry-wide and global changes that support the larger climate goals.

By adopting energy-efficient practices, investing in clean technologies, and embracing circular economy principles, businesses can do their part to reduce emissions and achieve net-zero by 2030. With the right strategies, businesses can create lasting, positive change while helping the world meet one of the most critical challenges of our time.

WiFit: The Hidden Backbone of San Francisco’s Events

San Francisco Post Staff on July 16, 2025

By: Hassan Javed

In a city where innovation flows as freely as the fog rolls over the Golden Gate, few realize that one of the most vital parts of a successful event in San Francisco isn’t just the venue, the speakers, or even the view; it’s the WiFi.

From tech expos at Moscone Center to startup pitch nights in SoMa warehouses, the demand for fast, secure, and scalable internet has steadily increased. Behind every livestreamed keynote, every point-of-sale tablet, and every trade show demo station is a network carefully designed not just to support but to enhance the event experience.

The Digital Demand at Events is Growing

Let’s consider the numbers. According to a 2024 report by EventMB, 93% of event attendees now carry at least two connected devices—usually a smartphone and a laptop or tablet. Combine that with vendors, exhibitors, production crews, and press, and a medium-sized event in San Francisco can often exceed 1,000 simultaneous device connections.

Moreover, 81% of event organizers now rank “high-quality WiFi” as a top-three infrastructure priority, right behind AV equipment and catering, says WiFit CEO Matt Cicek. Yet, many venues—especially historic or boutique spaces—simply weren’t designed to handle high-density connectivity.

That’s where the rise of specialized providers offering temporary, scalable WiFi has become important.

A Real-World Glitch Becomes a Turning Point

Just ask Jenna Li, a tech product manager who co-hosted a 400-person AI conference in downtown San Francisco last fall.

“We had booked this beautiful venue with character, brick walls, rooftop views—it was perfect. But once attendees started showing up, the WiFi was almost unusable,” she recalls. “Demos lagged. Our registration tablets dropped offline. Even our virtual keynote stream cut out halfway through.”

While visually impressive, the event faced real-time issues that Jenna says undermined the brand’s credibility with investors and users.

“After that, we decided we could no longer rely solely on venue internet,” she says. “Now, we work with a third-party event internet provider who customizes everything based on our needs.”

What Makes San Francisco a WiFi Challenge?

While many cities present logistical challenges, San Francisco has its own unique connectivity issues:

Architectural quirks: Older buildings with thick concrete or brick walls can cause interference.
High device density: Attendees at SF events are often developers, journalists, or startups with heavy tech usage.
Urban congestion: Limited bandwidth from local ISPs during peak hours can affect event performance.
Outdoor events: From Marina Green to Fort Mason, outdoor venues create challenges in weather-proofing and signal coverage.

According to network engineer Carlos Vega, who has worked on infrastructure for major Bay Area festivals, “We’ve observed packet loss increase in certain venues simply because too many devices are searching for signals in an oversaturated area.”

That’s why customized event WiFi solutions—ranging from portable mesh networks to dedicated satellite uplinks—are becoming a more common choice for professional organizers.

How WiFi Became a New Hospitality Metric

It’s no longer enough for a venue to simply offer WiFi. The quality of that connection has increasingly become a key factor in attendee satisfaction.

A survey from WiFit, a high-tier San Francisco event WiFi provider, in early 2025 revealed that about 70% of attendees identified “poor internet or WiFi experience” as one of their top three frustrations during events. Conversely, events with seamless, high-speed access saw 2.3 times more social media engagement and longer average times spent in exhibitor booths.

Even food vendors and merchandise sellers now depend heavily on real-time transactions. A POS terminal going offline for just five minutes can result in significant losses—something no vendor or organizer can afford.

The Rise of the Portable Internet Movement

Companies like WiFiT have taken on the complexities of live event connectivity and turned it into an art.

Instead of relying on a single ISP or static venue router, these companies set up hybrid networks that can include bonded 5G, Starlink satellite uplinks, long-range wireless backhauls, and even on-site LTE towers to ensure full coverage.

Event organizers can book pre-tested, plug-and-play kits or work with technicians to design infrastructure that supports everything from 50-person pop-ups to 10,000-attendee expos.

For organizers seeking reliable and high-performance connectivity, San Francisco event WiFi solutions from dedicated providers like WiFiT are increasingly seen as the optimal choice.

Event Planners Weigh In

Rachel Torres, a San Francisco-based events consultant who has worked on events for startups, universities, and even Burning Man after-parties, notes that the view of event WiFi has changed.

“Back in the day, you could get away with a password taped to a wall,” she laughs. “Now, it’s a complete technical consultation before the venue is even finalized.”

She’s not exaggerating. Many organizers now conduct WiFi site assessments as part of their early planning, often bringing in providers who can evaluate signal coverage, ISP backup, and potential issues.

“Clients don’t want apologies. They want dependable service,” Rachel adds. “That’s the new expectation.”

Looking Ahead: WiFi as a Core Event Strategy

The future of event planning in San Francisco—and globally—is moving toward integration, where internet infrastructure becomes part of the experience, not an afterthought.

As hybrid events (with both in-person and virtual components) continue to grow, and as immersive tech like AR/VR and real-time translations become more common, the need for reliable internet will likely increase.

Already, event organizers are seeing returns on investment from improved WiFi infrastructure through:

Increased social engagement and content sharing.
Smoother exhibitor interactions.
Enhanced brand perception from seamless virtual involvement.
Faster event analytics and lead tracking.

For many, avoiding even one significant connectivity failure is worth the investment many times over.

San Francisco may be known for its iconic bridges and disruptive startups, but its events—big and small—are powered by something less visible yet more important: reliable, high-capacity WiFi.

In a city of innovation, where digital and physical worlds increasingly intersect, providing high-quality internet is now seen as a critical element for doing business.

Whether you’re hosting a rooftop investor mixer in Mission Bay or a multi-day conference at the Palace of Fine Arts, smart connectivity choices can be the difference between viral success and digital failure.

So, the next time you’re planning an event in the Bay Area, make sure your checklist starts with power, people, and reliable internet.

Day: July 16, 2025