Unlocking the Future: A Practical Approach to Digital Technologies for Sustainability

Oct 9

4 min read

Set against the urgent global challenge of sustainable development, this timely book provides a bridge between digital innovation and real-world impact. Edited by David Galipeau and Tobias Endress, the book gathers expert voices and case studies to explore how digital technologies can be harnessed to serve sustainability goals.

David Galipeau and Tobias Endress (Editors)

Why now?

We are living through a period in which two major transitions overlap:

On one hand, the push for sustainability—reducing emissions, ensuring inclusive growth, rethinking value chains, and aligning business, government and civil society around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
On the other hand, the rapid evolution of digital technologies—artificial intelligence, big data, digital platforms, procurement systems, cloud infrastructures—creating new possibilities (and new risks) in how economies operate.

The book picks up on the fact that these transitions must connect: digital innovation without

sustainable purpose is hollow; sustainability without digital support is slow. The editors

underscore that bridging this gap is not just trendy — it's essential.

What the book offers

Here are some of the key highlights of what readers will find:

Actionable frameworks and real-world examples. The book lays out frameworks to help organisations adopt digital technologies for sustainability, not as an afterthought but as part of strategy. For example, it includes contributions that examine how emerging markets—especially in Asia—are leading digital sustainable transformation.
Focused topics spanning the digital-sustainability nexus. The table of contents reveals a rich spread: from “Digital Tools and Best Practices for Capturing Sustainability Performance” to “AI and its Environmental Impact” to “Digital Procurement and Sustainability along the Value Chain”.
Global and regional insights. While much has been written in Western contexts, this book draws on Asia-Pacific perspectives and emerging markets. That regional specificity gives the work a distinctive voice and relevance.
Critical reflection on risks and enablers. The book isn’t purely celebratory. Issues such as time and financing of technology adoption, ethical considerations in AI, value chain transparency, are all surfaced and discussed.

Why this matters for you (and your organisation)

If you are in academia, this book provides fresh empirical and conceptual material
bridging digital and sustainability literatures.
If you are in business or industry, it gives you applied ideas for how digital investments can support sustainability goals — from procurement through to reporting, from value-chain design through to ESG disclosures.
If you are in government or development, it offers a way to think about policy and digital infrastructure in service of sustainable development — taking into account both technology and human systems.
And if you are a student or rising professional, this book offers a readable introduction to a complex but increasingly vital domain: the convergence of digital transformation and sustainable change.

A few standout themes

Data transparency and sustainability performance. One chapter explores how digital tools free data, improve measurement, capture hidden value chains, and support communication of sustainability metrics. This is especially relevant as ESG demands grow and stakeholders call for evidence.
Decarbonisation via digital. Another chapter argues why digital technologies matter now for decarbonisation pathways — and how they may accelerate, rather than just marginally improve, sustainability outcomes.
Procurement and supply chains. Digital procurement is highlighted as a key lever for sustainability along the value chain. The chapter on this reminds us that many sustainability failures occur upstream — so digital tools need to engage the full chain.
AI’s environmental implications. Fascinatingly, the book asks: “Is AI sustainable?” It examines the paradox of high-computing, high-resource digital systems and the promise of optimization, systems intelligence and resource efficiency.
Adoption barriers and financing. The book doesn’t assume smooth sailing — time horizons, cost constraints, organisational change, technology readiness all matter. There’s a chapter devoted to practical technology adoption considerations (time, financing, capabilities).
Regional development as opportunity. Emerging markets receive special attention. The book highlights that Asia, for example, is not just catching up — it has unique opportunities to leapfrog older systems, integrate digital & sustainable design from the start.

Why this book stands out

What gives this work a sharper edge is not just breadth, but practical orientation. Many books talk about “digital for sustainability” in abstract. This one offers concrete frameworks, case studies, regional perspectives, and addresses deploy-in-practice issues. For organisations looking to turn strategy into action, this is perhaps its greatest strength.

Furthermore, by focusing on the intersection of digital + sustainability, it helps readers avoid a common trap: treating digital transformation as only operational/efficiency-oriented, or treating sustainability as only an add-on. Instead it invites them to think of transformation where digital becomes a sustainable enabler, and sustainability becomes a strategic driver for digital.

Invitation to you

If you haven’t already, I invite you to:

Explore the book’s chapters to identify the ones most relevant to your context (region, industry, role).
Reflect on how digital maturity and sustainability ambition align in your organisation: Are they treated separately? Could they be integrated?
Consider how to use the book as a discussion platform — for example, in workshops, executive sessions, or policy round-tables, you might take one chapter as a starting point for transformation planning.
Share the insights with your network — whether academic peers, business leaders or public-sector colleagues — because the convergence of digital + sustainability is very much a collective challenge.