Overview of reviewed studies on DI and sustainable-by-design
| Articles | Year | Focus | Sector | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unleashing the convergence amid digitalization and sustainability toward pursuing the sustainable development goals (SDGs): A holistic review (Castro et al., 2021) | 2021 | Categorizing SDGs research gaps, exploring the potential of Big Data and AI toward pursuing the 2030 Agenda | General |
| 2 | The relationship between organizational culture, sustainability, and digitalization in SMEs: A systematic review (Isensee et al., 2020) | 2020 | Investigating the relationship between an level of digitalization and environmental sustainability, the impact of Green Technology | General |
| 3 | Co-design of digital transformation and sustainable development strategies – What socio-metabolic and industrial ecology research can contribute (Pauliuk et al., 2022) | 2022 | Analyzing research on interlinkages, energy and material implications, and co-dependencies between DT and sustainable development strategies, using a systems thinking approach | Cross-industry |
| 4 | Digital transformation and environmental sustainability: reviewing the role of human capital (Saini et al., 2025) | 2025 | Exploring the role of employees in driving sustainable DT | Cross-industry |
| 5 | Environmental sustainability meets digital transformation: dilemmas and new directions (Perdana & Chu, 2025) | 2025 | Exploring the integration of carbon data and SDG commitments into digitally transforming academic publishing | Academic Publishing |
| 6 | Digitalization and sustainability: a call for a digital green deal (Santarius et al., 2023) | 2023 | Exploring how policy frameworks, such as the EU's “Digitalisation for the Benefit of the Environment,” align digitalization with sustainability | General |
| 7 | The emergence of the robotics industry with ai: digital transformation, strategic organizational sustainability and distinct business models (Ng, 2025) | 2025 | Analyzing human capital and business models pertinent to DT under Industry 4.0 | Cross-industry |
| 8 | Digital transformation and sustainability in post-pandemic supply chains: a global bibliometric analysis of technological evolution and research patterns (2020–2024) (Farfán Chilicaus et al., 2025) | 2025 | Investigating DT in supply chains after COVID-19 (2020–2024) and the emerging integration of sustainability objectives | Supply Chains |
| 9 | Exploring the impact of digital knowledge, integration and performance on sustainable accounting, reporting and assurance (De Silva et al., 2025) | 2025 | Analyzing the impact of technologies on SARA across: digital knowledge, technological integration, and outcome evaluation | Accounting & Finance |
| 10 | Enabling a Sustainable Digital Transformation (Liao, 2024) | 2024 | Proposing a framework for sustainable DT, addressing e-waste and energy impacts through green IT and circular economy principles | Cross-industry |
| 11 | Digital innovation and sustainable development: two sides of the same coin (De Pascale et al., 2023) | 2024 | Reviewing the relationship between digitalization and sustainability, and big data applications for sustainability monitoring | Government |
| 12 | An overview of digital transformation and environmental sustainability: threats, opportunities and solutions (Goel, Masurkar, & Pathade, 2024) | 2024 | Synthesizing the impact of digital technologies on environmental sustainability risks such as energy use and e-waste vs opportunities | Cross-industry |
| 13 | Digital reset. redirecting technologies for the deep sustainability transformation (Lange et al., 2022) | 2022 | Outlining how the EU can reconceptualize digitalization to advance carbon neutrality, resource autonomy and economic resilience | Cross-industry |
| 14 | Exploring the nexus between digital transformation and sustainability (Apata, 2024) | 2024 | Synthesizing digitalization and sustainability across four themes: energy, governance, systems and innovation | Cross-industry |
| 15 | Digital sustainability framework: experiences from KSA's digital government transformation (World Bank Group, 2024) | 2024 | Conceptualizing digital sustainability and applying a DSF within Saudi Arabia's government DT strategy | Government |
| 16 | Shaping digital transformation – digital solution systems for the transition to sustainability (Ramesohl, Gunnemann, & Berg, 2021) | 2021 | Examining how digitalization drives system transformation through data-driven solutions that enhance resource efficiency | General |
| 17 | Sustainability of digital initiatives in public services in digital transformation of local government: insights and implications (Sigurjonsson, Jónsson, & Gudmundsdottir, 2024) | 2024 | Analyzing the challenges and sustainability of digitalization initiatives in local government operations and management | Government |
| 18 | Sustainability-based strategic framework for digital transformation in the oil and gas industry (Al-Hajri, Hamouda, & Abdella, 2025) | 2025 | Examining the impact of DT on carbon emissions in the upstream SC of oil and gas companies | Energy |
| 19 | Smart digital platforms for carbon neutral management and services: business models based on ITU standards for green digital transformation (Liao et al., 2023) | 2023 | Developing an AI technology roadmap for carbon-neutral management and services | General |
| 20 | Uncovering the organizational, environmental and socio-economic sustainability of digitization: evidence from existing research (Chopra, Agrawal et al., 2024) | 2024 | Synthesizing research on the sustainability and ethical dimensions of digitalization | Cross-industry |
| 21 | Environmental sustainability of digitalization in manufacturing: a review (Chen et al., 2020) | 2020 | Reviewing the relationship between digital technologies and environmental sustainability in the manufacturing sector | Manufacturing |
| 22 | Evaluation of digital transformation to support carbon neutralization and green sustainable development based on the vision of “channel computing resources from the East to the West” (Wu, Wang, Liao, Hou, & Zhao, 2023) | 2023 | Evaluating DT's role in carbon neutrality and sustainable development through national planning, energy digitalization and corporate models | Energy |
| 23 | How digitalization and sustainability promote digital green innovation for Industry 5.0 through capability reconfiguration: strategically oriented insights (Xu, Zhang, & Wang, 2024) | 2024 | Examining how digital sustainability orientation drives DGI for Industry 5.0, with capability reconfiguration as a partial mediator | Manufacturing |
| 24 | Unleashing the critical role of renewable energy through global value chains and digitalization: a path toward environmental sustainability (Zhang, Zhao, Qamri, & Makhmudov, 2025) | 2025 | Reviewing literature on the convergence of BC, AI, and digitalization for smart energy systems, green innovation and sustainable SC management | Energy, Technology, SC |
| 25 | Digital transformation and environmentally sustainable innovation: based on machine learning and text analysis methods (Huang et al., 2025) | 2025 | Analyzing how institutional structures and internal resources shape the environmental returns of DT | General |
| 26 | Managing paradoxical tensions between corporate social responsibility and automation: how organizations reach sustainability and digital transformation (Seelent, Lermen, Franco, & Benitez, 2025) | 2025 | Reviewing theory building through CSR 4.0 to advance SDGs and enable human-centric production and logistics | Production Logistics |
| 27 | Do local subsidiaries have unique characteristics in strategies, knowledge, and digital transformation efforts to achieve circular economy goals? (Pozzoli, Nastari, Pisano, & Schiavone, 2025) | 2025 | Reviewing the implementation of circular business models and Industry 4.0 technologies for SDGs and sustainability performance | General |
| 28 | The impact of digital transformation and automation on proactive contracting and sustainability (Hirvonen-Ere, 2025) | 2025 | Reviewing literature on the UN 2030 Agenda and systematic findings on BC and smart contract development | General |
| 29 | Digitalization for circular economy and operational excellence practices: a paradox theory perspective on performance improvement in manufacturing firms (Prashar & Chaudhuri, 2025) | 2025 | Investigating how IoT- and big data analytics -enabled digital systems affect operational excellence, circular economy practices and environmental sustainability | Manufacturing |
| 30 | Editorial: The Special Section on “Twin Transition and Entrepreneurial Behavior: Navigating the Path to Green and Digital Transformation for Sustainable Entrepreneurship” (Crupi, Elia, Pigni, Raguseo, & Solazzo, 2025) | 2025 | Summarizing on the twin transition, highlighting how digital capabilities, AI, fintech, and data analytics, align with sustainability imperatives to foster responsible scaling and entrepreneurial sustainability performance | Finance |
| 31 | The digital-sustainability ecosystem: A conceptual framework for digital transformation and sustainable innovation (Florek-Paszkowska & Ujwary-Gil, 2025) | 2025 | Introducing the digital-sustainability ecosystem framework, integrating mechanisms such as efficiency gains, dematerialization, circularity, innovation and digital collaboration | General |
| 32 | Navigating Industry 5.0 through corporate social responsibility and digital transformation: a stakeholder and institutional perspective (Seelent, Mendonça, Lermen, & Benitez, 2025) | 2025 | Synthesizing on how DT tools enhance sustainability practices and performance outcomes | Manufacturing |
| 33 | Navigating the Twin Transformation: How Digitalization and Sustainability Shape the Future (Hammerschmidt, Burtscher, Gast, Kraus, & Puumalainen, 2025) | 2025 | Synthesizing twin transition research, proposing a synergy-based framework, highlighting digitalization as the driver of sustainability | Cross-industry |
| 34 | The intersection of digitalization, innovation, and information technology: a new era of sustainable development in EU (Hojnik et al., 2025) | 2025 | Exploring the role of digitalization as enabler and a source of environmental pressure | Government |
| 35 | Digitalization, sustainable development, and the role of company size: evidence from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (Jäger & Federau, 2025) | 2025 | Investigating how digitalization affects SD and environmental performance in large firms | Finance |
| 36 | Transforming the economy: strategic digital innovation, sustainability, and resilience for future-ready enterprises – an empirical assessment (Yoganandham, 2025) | N/A | Proposing a systems-thinking approach to align technology adoption with sustainability, stakeholder engagement and long-term value | Manufacturing, Healthcare, Finance |
| 37 | Literature review of integrating sustainability and digital innovation in waterway transport and maritime logistics (Ugrinov et al., 2025) | 2025 | Reviewing sustainability and digital innovation in maritime logistics and waterway transport, emphasizing regulatory policies and green technology | Waterway Transport, Maritime |
| 38 | Optimizing sustainability performance through digital dynamic capabilities, green knowledge management and green technology innovation (Al-Husain et al., 2025) | 2025 | Examining how Digital Dynamic Capability affects Sustainable Performance through the mediating roles of Green Knowledge Management and Green Technology Innovation | Tourism |
| 39 | Is digitalization a problem solver or a fire accelerator? Situating digital technologies in sustainability discourses (Lenz, 2021) | 2021 | Identifying the controversial discourses surrounding digital technologies and their impact on sustainability | Cross-industry |
| 40 | A framework for mapping potential sustainability impact of digitalization solutions (Lövehagen, 2023) | 2023 | Developing a framework to assess the positive and negative sustainability impacts of ICT solutions | Cross-industry |
| Articles | Year | Focus | Sector | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unleashing the convergence amid digitalization and sustainability toward pursuing the sustainable development goals (SDGs): A holistic review ( | 2021 | Categorizing SDGs research gaps, exploring the potential of Big Data and AI toward pursuing the 2030 Agenda | General |
| 2 | The relationship between organizational culture, sustainability, and digitalization in SMEs: A systematic review ( | 2020 | Investigating the relationship between an level of digitalization and environmental sustainability, the impact of Green Technology | General |
| 3 | Co-design of digital transformation and sustainable development strategies – What socio-metabolic and industrial ecology research can contribute ( | 2022 | Analyzing research on interlinkages, energy and material implications, and co-dependencies between DT and sustainable development strategies, using a systems thinking approach | Cross-industry |
| 4 | Digital transformation and environmental sustainability: reviewing the role of human capital ( | 2025 | Exploring the role of employees in driving sustainable DT | Cross-industry |
| 5 | Environmental sustainability meets digital transformation: dilemmas and new directions ( | 2025 | Exploring the integration of carbon data and SDG commitments into digitally transforming academic publishing | Academic Publishing |
| 6 | Digitalization and sustainability: a call for a digital green deal ( | 2023 | Exploring how policy frameworks, such as the EU's “Digitalisation for the Benefit of the Environment,” align digitalization with sustainability | General |
| 7 | The emergence of the robotics industry with ai: digital transformation, strategic organizational sustainability and distinct business models ( | 2025 | Analyzing human capital and business models pertinent to DT under Industry 4.0 | Cross-industry |
| 8 | Digital transformation and sustainability in post-pandemic supply chains: a global bibliometric analysis of technological evolution and research patterns (2020–2024) ( | 2025 | Investigating DT in supply chains after COVID-19 (2020–2024) and the emerging integration of sustainability objectives | Supply Chains |
| 9 | Exploring the impact of digital knowledge, integration and performance on sustainable accounting, reporting and assurance ( | 2025 | Analyzing the impact of technologies on SARA across: digital knowledge, technological integration, and outcome evaluation | Accounting & Finance |
| 10 | Enabling a Sustainable Digital Transformation ( | 2024 | Proposing a framework for sustainable DT, addressing e-waste and energy impacts through green IT and circular economy principles | Cross-industry |
| 11 | Digital innovation and sustainable development: two sides of the same coin ( | 2024 | Reviewing the relationship between digitalization and sustainability, and big data applications for sustainability monitoring | Government |
| 12 | An overview of digital transformation and environmental sustainability: threats, opportunities and solutions ( | 2024 | Synthesizing the impact of digital technologies on environmental sustainability risks such as energy use and e-waste vs opportunities | Cross-industry |
| 13 | Digital reset. redirecting technologies for the deep sustainability transformation ( | 2022 | Outlining how the EU can reconceptualize digitalization to advance carbon neutrality, resource autonomy and economic resilience | Cross-industry |
| 14 | Exploring the nexus between digital transformation and sustainability ( | 2024 | Synthesizing digitalization and sustainability across four themes: energy, governance, systems and innovation | Cross-industry |
| 15 | Digital sustainability framework: experiences from KSA's digital government transformation ( | 2024 | Conceptualizing digital sustainability and applying a DSF within Saudi Arabia's government DT strategy | Government |
| 16 | Shaping digital transformation – digital solution systems for the transition to sustainability ( | 2021 | Examining how digitalization drives system transformation through data-driven solutions that enhance resource efficiency | General |
| 17 | Sustainability of digital initiatives in public services in digital transformation of local government: insights and implications ( | 2024 | Analyzing the challenges and sustainability of digitalization initiatives in local government operations and management | Government |
| 18 | Sustainability-based strategic framework for digital transformation in the oil and gas industry ( | 2025 | Examining the impact of DT on carbon emissions in the upstream SC of oil and gas companies | Energy |
| 19 | Smart digital platforms for carbon neutral management and services: business models based on ITU standards for green digital transformation ( | 2023 | Developing an AI technology roadmap for carbon-neutral management and services | General |
| 20 | Uncovering the organizational, environmental and socio-economic sustainability of digitization: evidence from existing research ( | 2024 | Synthesizing research on the sustainability and ethical dimensions of digitalization | Cross-industry |
| 21 | Environmental sustainability of digitalization in manufacturing: a review ( | 2020 | Reviewing the relationship between digital technologies and environmental sustainability in the manufacturing sector | Manufacturing |
| 22 | Evaluation of digital transformation to support carbon neutralization and green sustainable development based on the vision of “channel computing resources from the East to the West” ( | 2023 | Evaluating DT's role in carbon neutrality and sustainable development through national planning, energy digitalization and corporate models | Energy |
| 23 | How digitalization and sustainability promote digital green innovation for Industry 5.0 through capability reconfiguration: strategically oriented insights ( | 2024 | Examining how digital sustainability orientation drives DGI for Industry 5.0, with capability reconfiguration as a partial mediator | Manufacturing |
| 24 | Unleashing the critical role of renewable energy through global value chains and digitalization: a path toward environmental sustainability ( | 2025 | Reviewing literature on the convergence of BC, AI, and digitalization for smart energy systems, green innovation and sustainable SC management | Energy, Technology, SC |
| 25 | Digital transformation and environmentally sustainable innovation: based on machine learning and text analysis methods ( | 2025 | Analyzing how institutional structures and internal resources shape the environmental returns of DT | General |
| 26 | Managing paradoxical tensions between corporate social responsibility and automation: how organizations reach sustainability and digital transformation ( | 2025 | Reviewing theory building through CSR 4.0 to advance SDGs and enable human-centric production and logistics | Production |
| 27 | Do local subsidiaries have unique characteristics in strategies, knowledge, and digital transformation efforts to achieve circular economy goals? ( | 2025 | Reviewing the implementation of circular business models and Industry 4.0 technologies for SDGs and sustainability performance | General |
| 28 | The impact of digital transformation and automation on proactive contracting and sustainability ( | 2025 | Reviewing literature on the UN 2030 Agenda and systematic findings on BC and smart contract development | General |
| 29 | Digitalization for circular economy and operational excellence practices: a paradox theory perspective on performance improvement in manufacturing firms ( | 2025 | Investigating how IoT- and big data analytics -enabled digital systems affect operational excellence, circular economy practices and environmental sustainability | Manufacturing |
| 30 | Editorial: The Special Section on “Twin Transition and Entrepreneurial Behavior: Navigating the Path to Green and Digital Transformation for Sustainable Entrepreneurship” ( | 2025 | Summarizing on the twin transition, highlighting how digital capabilities, AI, fintech, and data analytics, align with sustainability imperatives to foster responsible scaling and entrepreneurial sustainability performance | Finance |
| 31 | The digital-sustainability ecosystem: A conceptual framework for digital transformation and sustainable innovation ( | 2025 | Introducing the digital-sustainability ecosystem framework, integrating mechanisms such as efficiency gains, dematerialization, circularity, innovation and digital collaboration | General |
| 32 | Navigating Industry 5.0 through corporate social responsibility and digital transformation: a stakeholder and institutional perspective ( | 2025 | Synthesizing on how DT tools enhance sustainability practices and performance outcomes | Manufacturing |
| 33 | Navigating the Twin Transformation: How Digitalization and Sustainability Shape the Future ( | 2025 | Synthesizing twin transition research, proposing a synergy-based framework, highlighting digitalization as the driver of sustainability | Cross-industry |
| 34 | The intersection of digitalization, innovation, and information technology: a new era of sustainable development in EU ( | 2025 | Exploring the role of digitalization as enabler and a source of environmental pressure | Government |
| 35 | Digitalization, sustainable development, and the role of company size: evidence from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland ( | 2025 | Investigating how digitalization affects SD and environmental performance in large firms | Finance |
| 36 | Transforming the economy: strategic digital innovation, sustainability, and resilience for future-ready enterprises – an empirical assessment ( | N/A | Proposing a systems-thinking approach to align technology adoption with sustainability, stakeholder engagement and long-term value | Manufacturing, Healthcare, Finance |
| 37 | Literature review of integrating sustainability and digital innovation in waterway transport and maritime logistics ( | 2025 | Reviewing sustainability and digital innovation in maritime logistics and waterway transport, emphasizing regulatory policies and green technology | Waterway Transport, Maritime |
| 38 | Optimizing sustainability performance through digital dynamic capabilities, green knowledge management and green technology innovation ( | 2025 | Examining how Digital Dynamic Capability affects Sustainable Performance through the mediating roles of Green Knowledge Management and Green Technology Innovation | Tourism |
| 39 | Is digitalization a problem solver or a fire accelerator? Situating digital technologies in sustainability discourses ( | 2021 | Identifying the controversial discourses surrounding digital technologies and their impact on sustainability | Cross-industry |
| 40 | A framework for mapping potential sustainability impact of digitalization solutions ( | 2023 | Developing a framework to assess the positive and negative sustainability impacts of ICT solutions | Cross-industry |
Note(s): BA&DA (big data and data analytics), Blockchain (BC), cyber physical system (CPS), supply chain (SC)
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