We are living in a digital age. However, the planet on which we are living is not digital; it is physical and its resources are finite. As a result, any trade-off between digital transformation and sustainability must be counted with care, not just in terms of the value to business and society, but also the cost to the Earth.
In pre-pandemic times, digital transformation and sustainability often appeared together towards the top of the business agenda. However, recent research from Dassault Systèmes, conducted with analyst firm Tech-Clarity, found coronavirus caused 38 per cent of organisations globally to decrease attention on environmental sustainability, while 18 per cent put it on hold completely. The same survey found 46 per cent of organisations have increased their focus on digitalisation.