Digital transformation and environmental sustainability

The digital transformation that has become the undisputed protagonist of the 21st century, facilitated and accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, favours environmental sustainability. But what does sustainable mean? It mainly concerns the exploitation of resources, investments and technological integration with a specific objective: to exploit the current potential available to the economy, without forgetting to pay special attention to what will be the future developments of 21st century society. It is worth remembering that sustainable development according to the United Nations Commission is concerned with meeting the needs of the economy without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The goal of sustainability is to impose itself on an economy that turns its attention primarily to profit.

The digital allows data and images to be stored in a simple cloud. This is one of the benefits that promotes environmental sustainability and relates to the responsible management of natural resources to ensure their long-term maintenance. It concerns the balance between the use of resources and the Earth's capacity to regenerate them. In essence, environmental sustainability aims to minimise human impact on the environment by promoting practices that do not compromise the health of the planet for future generations. In addition to environmental sustainability, it is important to emphasise that there is economic and social sustainability. The former is the ability of an economic system to produce income and employment in a sustainable manner, while the latter ensures a fair distribution of human well-being. Digitalisation has an important influence on these three dimensions, especially for enterprises.

Anticipating the economic issues of the 21st century, emphasising the role of the green economy, and outlining the various actions to be taken to safeguard the environment is Lester R. Brown, President of the Earth Policy Institute, an interdisciplinary research organisation, with his book Eco-economy, Editori Riuniti back in 2002. Lester R. Brown outlines an economic scenario using insights addressed to managers. The book analyses the actions to be taken by all countries of the world for a substantial social change of the economic system concerning the energy sector. Lester R. Brown tackles the topic at its root in no uncertain terms, points to solutions that will substantially benefit people in terms of environmental well-being, dwelling on the importance of the energy revolution to be translated into new job opportunities, in a genuine business.

digitisation is transforming our world and there is a need to analyse the role that the development of digital technologies can play in achieving a more equitable society, in line with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set in 2015 by the UN in the Agenda 2030 and with the integrated view of the three dimensions by which the concept of sustainability is expressed. From this perspective, digital transformation is an opportunity for businesses to increase environmental sustainability. Many companies are striving to make a concrete contribution to achieving the SDGs goals by 2030. How? By primarily adopting hybrid work models and digital workplaces, but not only. Digital transformation is the process of integrating digital technology into aspects of a company in order to connect with customers, improve efficiency, and create new opportunities.

Digitalisation is an indispensable driver for the modernisation of business processes, making decisions more precise through the use of big data and monitoring operations through technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and internet of things. These tools enhance business performance and competitiveness. In this context, cloud computing offers benefits to a company's digital transformation: creating a modern working environment, removing physical barriers, enabling employees to work from anywhere with ease, accessing data and content virtually, meeting and collaborating virtually. When we digitise the physical world, we can create a new historic season of sustainable growth.

But how can we use technology to reduce consumption, fight inequality and thus achieve the Targets of the 2030 Agenda? This question was answered by Stefano Epifani with an interesting point of view: "Here the issue of how to make technology itself sustainable opens up. Unfortunately, it seems that the greatest efforts are being made in this direction: people are perhaps thinking about how to make the corporate data centre carbon neutral, losing sight of the real strategic objectives. When we talk about technology we talk about it as something to be managed so that it is carbon neutral, so that it does no harm. But whatever you do has an impact, so from this point of view it is a losing game. Instead, the reasoning has to be another: let's build technological systems that enable ecosystems that not only do no harm, but come to produce a real improvement on society, the environment and the economy."

We have talked about the three dimensions of sustainability, but thanks to digital transformation we can identify a fourth: digital sustainability. According to the author of the book "Digital Sustainability" it is a concept that "points out the directives to be followed so that new technologies can contribute to the development of a better world". Not only from an environmental point of view, but also with regard to the effects of technology on society and people's well-being. According to the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GESI), digital technologies can contribute to the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the Agenda 2030. Indeed, when used for the benefit of the environment, digital is a valuable ally that helps us meet the challenges of sustainability.

"The concept of digital sustainability is at the heart of the Pnrr and Next Generation Eu," says Stefano Epifani, president of the Foundation for Digital Sustainability. This theme represents a lever of interest for businesses that want to look to international markets using the levers of sustainability and digitalisation as valuable assets. "Making these two elements strong points in the business model of Italian companies is fundamental so that we can look at the challenge for sustainability and that for innovation as investments and not costs. Incorporating digital sustainability into the business strategies of Italian companies - i.e. the way in which digital can become a lever for sustainable development and sustainability provide guiding criteria for technological development - is fundamental for enhancing the specific features of our country and its strengths.

Companies play a key role in solving environmental and social problems such as climate change and inequality. Their commitment is therefore essential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations. Today, the sustainable transformation of companies is the focus of stakeholder attention. It is no longer a question of compensating for the side effects of their actions, but of integrating sustainability into business models. In front of us, there are two 'revolutions' that are radically reshaping business and society as a whole: the 'green revolution' of sustainability and the 'blue revolution' of digital. In fact, digitalisation and sustainability represent two fundamental pillars in business management: they are strongly interconnected and must be treated as aspects that are useful in enhancing the positive impact on a company's ability to create economic, social and environmental value.

In conclusion, digital transformation and sustainability are the drivers of progress in the 21st century. Digitalisation, through the intelligent use of big data, blockchain, artificial intelligence and IoT, improves business performance and social equity. At the same time, it promotes sustainability, reducing the environmental impact and promoting responsible use of resources. This is where 3Bee comes in, Nature Tech that makes technology a tool in the service of biodiversity. With projects such as "Oasis of Biodiversity", 3Bee demonstrates how digital transformation can become a lever for environmental protection.



Article edited by Francesco Fravolini