The contribution of digital technologies to the achievement of SDGs: the state of the art

Antonello Cammarano, Vincenzo Varriale, Francesca Michelino and Mauro Caputo

Chapter 7 in Digital Entrepreneurship in Science, Technology and Innovation, 2024, pp 173-192 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: A theoretical framework for defining sustainable emerging practices (SEPs) is suggested and results are presented with regard to the use of digital technologies in the business context for achieving better business performance and sustainable development advances. The application of 11 Industry 4.0 technologies in different business functions is analysed in terms of their positive effects on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as market and organizational impacts, the former related to enhancements in relationships with different stakeholders, the latter related to internal efficiency gains. Sustainable emerging practices are captured through the manual content analysis of scientific papers and classified according to standardized terms. Findings show that (1) the technologies most contributing to sustainable development are artificial intelligence (AI), geo-spatial technologies, blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT); (2) the context of application is mostly within the operations functions; (3) organizational impacts are more pursued than market ones; and (4) the social dimension of sustainable development is under-investigated compared to the environmental dimension. The study of the state of the art of the contribution of digital innovation to the achievement of sustainable development provides valuable insights for both researchers and practitioners in order to understand which digital technologies should be used within business contexts to achieve specific business performances while respecting the SDGs.

Keywords: Business and Management; Economics and Finance; Innovations and Technology; Sociology and Social Policy; Sustainable Development Goals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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