Twin transition: digital transformation and sustainability transition

Interconnection between sustainable and digital transformation

In an ideal twin transition, digital and sustainable transformation reinforce each other. They are future-oriented and respond to societal signals. However, there is also a negative impact of this interconnection, such as increasing energy consumption due to the application of IT and the use of scarce materials for equipment. This increases the environmental impact of the digital transformation.

What can you do in the twin transition?

Therefore, it is important to handle digital data and hardware more sparingly, choose green hosting and green coding, and strive for maximum efficiency in digital applications. Green hosting means that your data is hosted on servers that aim for a smaller ecological footprint and the use of renewable energy. Green coding is about coding as sustainably as possible, programming with algorithms that have minimal energy consumption. This way, you can approach the digital transformation in IT more sustainably.

On the other hand, digital transformation can also contribute to the sustainability of the cultural sector. By replacing physical processes with digital ones, you can save travel miles or printing paper, for example. Or you can make the heating and lighting of your building more efficient using sensors and smart software. Or use digital data for information on how a product is recyclable. An example is the digital product passport (DPP). The European Commission is working on this as part of sustainability. It is a system that allows everyone to consult important information about how parts of a product can be reused, whether the product has sustainability labels, and where it comes from.

Green IT as a standard

When starting a digital project in the cultural sector, sustainability should be included as a fixed part of the IT chain. This way, you make the digital transformation immediately a sustainable one. Questions you can ask include: Are the developers of the digital services in your organization already working green? Are the digital applications hosted green or gray? Does the software developer work with ‘green coding’? Is there an e-waste policy, or better yet, has thought been given to how the lifespan of hardware can be extended?

Look further! Examples of sustainability through IT in other sectors

Less travel through streaming

A very compelling example of sustainability thanks to online streaming is a large international astronomy conference that took place online for the first time in 2020 (from Leiden). In the publication The carbon footprint of large astronomy meetings it is noted that streaming emitted 3,000 times less carbon dioxide than the physical event in Lyon a year earlier. For such a prominent international conference, the environmental gain of going digital is undeniable.

3D design in Product Lifecycle Management

Not developing physical prototypes but still testing? The design sector works with digital systems for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). Collaboration takes place via an online platform using 3D tools. All teams, departments, and organizations work together at every stage of the product lifecycle, from innovation to upcycling, reuse, and recycling. The digital models are tested and improved until there is a product that can actually be produced. This way, an organization does not need to create physical prototypes to showcase a design and does not consume material before the final product is executed.

The digital city

Another example of 3D design is the ‘digital twin city.’

When building so-called digital twin cities, the area in question is visualized in 3D by combining a lot of different data. This allows various variables to be expressed in numbers, such as air quality, noise pollution, odor nuisance, livability, groundwater, etc. You can then digitally simulate every option for area development and see what changes it brings to those variables. This helps predict, for example, the environmental impact of interventions in an urban area.

Digital sheet music

For the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (Australia), Newzik conducted research on the CO2 emissions of sheet music on paper compared to digital sheet music on tablets. What turned out? Using refurbished tablets with a lifespan of at least 4 years, the switch to digital sheet music results in environmental gains. In Australia, the environmental impact of shipping paper, as well as hardware, is greater than in Europe due to the long distances. Nevertheless, it is interesting to explore whether and how digital tools can yield environmental benefits.