An Integrative View of the Transformations towards Sustainability and Digitalization: The Case for a Dual Transformation

Abstract

Sustainability and digitalization are two central fields of action in the manufacturing industry that are of crucial importance for future business success. While the digital transformation has been a key topic on the strategic agenda of many companies for several years, corporate sustainability transformation has become significantly more relevant in the recent past. However, since the digital transformation is still in progress, there is a need for a holistic transformation that includes both topics. Conducting this so-called dual transformation is a necessary and time-critical task for companies to keep their businesses viable. Yet, despite their relevance and intersections, digital and sustainability transformation are often considered separately in companies today.For this reason, the goal of this paper is to identify current challenges and barriers as well as to transparently disclose the potentials of the dual transformation. Therefore, an interview study with digitalization and sustainability experts from the manufacturing industry is conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire. Consolidating the results, an overarching framework is developed structuring the essential fields of action for the dual transformation. The results of the interview study complement preliminary work in the research field and simultaneously allow companies to better address interdependencies and synergies of the dual transformation.