Digitalization for the Circular Economy. Creating effective Information Systems for Environmental Sustainability

Korte inhoud:The transition to a circular and sustainable economy requires organizations to rethink how they operate, collaborate, and manage resources. Digitalization, a socio-technical concept of integrating digital technologies into organizational processes, can accelerate this transition, but it also brings its own environmental burdens as IT energy and material consumption continue to grow. This tension challenges information systems (IS) designs to be both eco-efficient (using as few resources as possible) and eco-effective (maximizing positive environmental impact), yet eco-effectiveness and positive environmental handprint thinking remain undeveloped in IS research. This thesis investigates how IS can be designed to eco-effectively support the circular economy (CE) transition in public and private organizations while minimizing their negative environmental impacts. Grounded in the Design Science Research (DSR) epistemology and drawing on qualitative studies, Action Design Research, and DSR methods, it develops a nascent CE IS design theory, a design method for CE policy monitors, and a comprehensive CE IS architecture meta-model. Our findings reveal that existing governance structures, legacy systems, and IS design practices often undermine sustainable CE implementation. To address this, we articulate a design theory that operationalizes CE principles into clear IS requirements. Building on this theory, we propose a method and framework tailored to governmental systems for monitoring and guiding circular transitions. We then present a CE-oriented IS architecture integrating insights from sustainability science, CE scholarship, data governance, and enterprise IT. Crucially, we incorporate environmental sustainability assessments directly into the DSR evaluation cycle, ensuring that designs are judged not only on functionality but also on their environmental handprint, footprint, and rebound effect. Finally, we apply our framework for developing product passports, demonstrating three new design perspectives that enhance product circularity. By bridging theory from CE and IS research fields, this work delivers actionable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, underscores the vital role of eco-effective digital systems in advancing the CE, and charts a path for continued innovation in Green IS design.

Jaar van publicatie:2025

Toegankelijkheid:Embargoed