Digital Drivers and Challenges in Sustainable Enterprise Strategies: An Analysis of Information Capabilities, Motivations, and Environmental Practices—Insights from France

Ernesto Quisbert-Trujillo () and Helmi Ben Rejeb
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Ernesto Quisbert-Trujillo: Institute of Engineering, University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, G-SCOP, 38000 Grenoble, France
Helmi Ben Rejeb: Institute of Engineering, University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, G-SCOP, 38000 Grenoble, France

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 2, 1-24

Abstract: Digitalization is reshaping the landscape of sustainability in enterprises by enhancing information flows within socio-technical systems and enabling more informed decision-making through advanced communication and data capabilities. However, while digitalization creates opportunities to adopt environmental practices and deploying sustainable strategies, it also introduces complexities and challenges. This study examines the information-centered drivers of digitalization that push enterprises toward sustainable practices, such as technological advancements and the increased demand for transparency, while identifying challenges, including integration costs, technological readiness, and managerial hesitation. Using a multidimensional framework that combines capabilities, environmental practices, and motivations, we provide insights into how technology can both support and challenge sustainability efforts in industry. Our aim is to introduce a methodology to guide the development of strategies for facilitating environmental transitions of enterprises. Within the context of informational capabilities, this scoping review identifies two environmental archetypes—spontaneity and planning—that represent common workforce mindsets toward sustainability. It also classifies universal practices and motivations, with associations being validated through a focus group of members from a French industrial consortium, which also facilitates understanding how digitalized capabilities impact environmental actions and behavioral dynamics. The key findings reveal that while digital communication capabilities significantly enhance the return on investment for environmental practices, barriers remain, such as insufficient alignment of digital tools with sustainable outcomes and variable technology access across industries. The results also underscore the role of product-data and sensor-based analytics in reducing environmental impacts, inviting a further exploration of digitalization’s role in sustainability within the frameworks of behavioral and organizational theories.

Keywords: information; strategy; industry; sustainability; transition; methodology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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