Introduction to the Handbook

Digitalization is defined as “the process of converting physically collected information (e.g., sensors, written information, etc.) and knowledge into a computer-readable language” (Mondejar et al., 2021, p. 2). The phenomenon lies at the crux of the digital transformation, which relies on the integrated and intermodal use of advanced technologies, including 3D printing, blockchain technology (distributed ledger), Internet of Things, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence, generating massive amounts of data called big data and required big data analytics approaches (Ertz et al., 2022). The opportunities for exploiting such big data sets remain largely untapped but could foster the transitionTransition toward “more sustainable and efficient smart integrated cities.” A review of past research suggests three core elements in scholarly research. First, integrating digitalization into the sustainability nexus is denoted by a variety of concepts such as “sustainable digitalizationSustainable digitalization,” “sustainable digital,” “smart green,” “digicircular,” “digitainability,” or “smart green digital” (Felice and Petrillo, 2021; Gupta and Rhyner, 2022), while the orientation of sustainable digitalization for the benefit of society has been coined as “Society 5.0”/ “Super Smart Society”/ “Smart green and resilient society” by the Japanese Keidanren (Onday, 2019). Of course, these diverse concepts are not necessarily synonyms and a definitional conundrum persists, but they tend to share the commonality of expressing how digitalization contributes to sustainable development to meet human needs optimally. Second, several studies have investigated how digitalization contributes to sustainability by examining how it contributes to cleaner production and the circular economyCircular economy (Gupta et al., 2021; Luthra et al., 2021) or to product lifetime extension (Ertz et al., 2022). According to the Smart Green Planet framework, digitalization contributes to achieving sustainable development goals in a step-wise approach through which digitalization exerts holistic, sustainable impacts on (1) the food-water-energy nexus; (2) industry and well-being; and (3) climate and biodiversity (Mondejar et al., 2021). The impacts on food-water-energy nexus are divided into several sub-areas including smart agriculture and food production, smart clean water for all or smart energy, and so on. Overall, these two first aspects, one being more general and the second being more specific to the industrial realm, emphasize the contribution of digital technologies to the achievement of key sustainable development objectives. Hence, a more accurate designation of this phenomenon can be termed “digitalization for sustainability” (DFS). Third, despite those opportunities, several issues and challenges remain at stake due to the increased production of e-waste that comes with digitalization (Ahirwar and Tripathi, 2021), but also governance (Linkov et al., 2021), data security, cybersecurity issues (Craig, 2018; Reveron and Savage, 2020) as well as social problems regarding equality in infrastructure and internet access or digital education to the final users (Lopenz-Sintas et al., 2020; Matthess and Kunkel 2020). These research areas remain embryonic but grow at a fast pace. They highlight that the increase in opportunities offered by digital tools is a double-edged sword and that a growing range of novel issues occurring at unprecedented scale and scope will need to be tackled to ensure genuine DFS. This second fundamental aspect can therefore be termed “responsible digitalization” which refers to the importance of ensuring that digitalization unfolds in a responsible way to ensure genuine sustainability. In light of these recent developments in research and in practice, the handbook will be structured around these three core areas of digitalization for sustainable development by covering six specific research topics: 1. Conceptual foundations of sustainable digitalizationSustainable digitalization (Pigola & Rezende da Costa, 2024); 2. Smart agriculture, food production, and clean water for all (Slettli, 2024; Van Tuijl et al., 2024); 3. Smart industry for a sustainable production (Harvey-Toupin et al., 2024; Jankowska et al., 2024); 4. Smart services and social well-being (Lo Dico et al., 2024; Saunila & Ukko, 2024; Rana and Kumar, 2024); 5. EduTech for learning (Ghai, 2024; Lubis, 2024); 6. Digitalization for the ecological transitionEcological transition (Castelo et al., 2024; Horrich & Bekir, 2024; Quenum, 2024); 7. Risks and potential negative externalities of digitalization: Strategies for a responsible digitalization (Mensah et al., 2024; Öztürk-Birim & Gündüz-Cüre, 2024; Bonsignore, 2024; Kordi, 2024). While several authors are identifiable as business and management scholars, the proposed authors hail from various disciplinary areas, including environmental science, computer science/data science, psychology, education, and social sciences. The handbook would thus be considered in the business and management package. We have also sought to include a mix of established scholars deepening knowledge and emerging scholars forging new ground to expand knowledge.