Digital sustainability in information systems research

CODE Original Article

By Nevena Sekulic

What's the article about

Sustainability has become firmly intertwined with business, not only in terms of the ecological impact of industrial production but also in the broader sense of how the economic and social implications of production are managed. Although Green IT and Green IS feature in the evolution of sustainability in Information System (IS) literature, there is little integration. Discussion of the concept of “Digital Sustainability” (DS) is largely absent, in particular regarding how it is transpired via intra-organisational relationships. Existing research also shows little to no research on how DS is transpired via inter-organisational partnerships.

Thus, the research team at the University of Auckland has focused on conducting a structured and systematic search of sustainability in IS literature. Currently the team is still conducting empirical case study research to answer the critical gaps identified in the IS research field.

Key details and takeaways

Although both concepts, ‘Green IT and Green IS’, have been widely used in the IS literature, often interchangeably, some IS academics have argued that the emphasis on IT is too limited, instead advocating for the broader viewpoint of Green IS. To address this problem, our in-depth review of the existing literature suggests a higher emphasis on Green IS in recent research; nonetheless, additional expansion of IT applications to fulfil sustainability objectives through Green IS is necessary.

Studies in this field have concentrated on three dimensions of Green IS/IT outcomes: environmental, economic, and social. More specifically, studies within this research stream have focused on: (i) the incentive for implementing IT/IS for sustainability (i.e., to address the question — Why apply IT/IS for the purpose of sustainability?), (ii) the various forms of IT/IS employed to address sustainability (i.e., to answer the question —What is IT/IS for sustainability?), and (iii) methods to IT/IS deployment (i.e., to answer the question— How can IT/IS be deployed for sustainability?).

The research team is also conducting a series of interviews with multiple-case companies to examine in-depth corporate initiatives that employ digital assets (resources and artefacts) to pursue objectives associated with sustainability – we refer to these as DS initiatives. The team found that DS is transpired via an intra-organisational relationship setting through sensemaking. Thus, the understanding of key stakeholders pressing needs and having the desire to address and solve them is critical. DS is also transpired through different behavioural drivers between internal and external actors. These behavioural drivers involve:

1. Willingness to openly communicate and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders on initiatives that positivity impact the ecological footprint
2. Combining skill sharing for the successful delivery of intended sustainability outcomes
3. Building relationships with vendors to generate more sustainable, innovative solutions

Practical examples of DS in case companies include the use of Internet of Things (IoT) system stack, which is placed in different environments and generates real-time data processing and knowledge to optimise the work effort. An organisation in the architecture sector uses Autodesk Revit software technology to capture the building design elements and focuses on integrating sustainability principles into the vision and identity of every project. A case study also uses advanced analytics and cloud computing, such as the Microsoft Cloud for sustainability, and focuses on how much energy is consumed on specific processes.

A case study shows that companies are engaging in inter-organisational partnerships for sustainability related matters. The partnership is based on the willingness of both parties to co-design systems, and to create cross-functional teams that collaborate and solve sustainability related issues. Important collaboration elements integrate flexibility and adaptability of both parties with credentials in sustainability and ecological management.‬