6G for Sustainability: A Drip on the Heatplate, Small Steps With a Big Impact

The evolution of 6G networks is a pivotal time to align technological advances with global sustainability objectives, specifically the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This Systematic Literature Review (SLR) examines how 6G technologies approach sustainability through energy efficiency, reducing e-waste, reducing emissions, smart cities, and governance frameworks. We identify that SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG 13 (Climate Action) are the most frequently targeted SDGs in 6G and its development. In addition to the latest key innovations in 6G, our findings reveal research gaps and directions forward. The “drips on the heatplate” analogy represents how individually small but well-timed sustainability efforts can accumulate to reduce future communication networks’ environmental strain significantly. This review highlights the existing trends of SDG integration in 6G and emphasizes the need for sustainability to be a core part of 6G design in the future.