Digitalisation Optimises the Circular Economy

ShapingDIT study: strategies for the digital-ecological industrial transformation

  • News 31.01.2022

Digitalisation has brought forth innovative technologies and changed the way we communicate, work and learn. The transition to a circular economy is the precondition for acting in a more climate-friendly and resource-efficient way. What contribution does digitalisation make to more material-efficient production processes, how can it support companies in producing sustainable and durable products, and why can digital solutions optimise the recycling of resources? A new study by the Wuppertal Institute analyses how both transformation processes can be combined.

"Digitalisation and the increased use of data from the many actors along the value chain are the key to the success of the Circular Economy," says Dr. Stephan Ramesohl, co-head of the research unit Digital Transformation and one of the authors, summarising the results of the study. "Companies and politics must understand the Circular Economy and the digital transformation of the economy as a joint task," adds Dr. Holger Berg, also Co-head of the Digital Transformation Research Unit and co-author. The study shows why it is necessary to incorporate digital solutions into the circular economy and how they can be implemented. Examples are, common data models and reference architectures for a digital product passport as well as the development of data spaces, i.e. common infrastructures for data storage and processing. The researchers call on policymakers to develop a strategic plan that links the circular economy with digital solutions and thus creates an overarching framework and incentives for a digital-ecological economic policy.

Further information can be found under the links below.


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