LEADING FOR SUSTAINABILITY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE CONVERGENCE OF DIGITAL LEADERSHIP AND ECO-DESIGN IN SDGS

Abstract

The objective of the paper is to conduct a systematic review of overlaps between Digital Leadership and Eco-Design in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As organizations globally pressured to become more sustainable due to the rise of environmental issues such as climate change and increased scarcity of resources, the companies are seeking new and creative approaches to moderate economic development and environmental sustainability. There is a bright spot of the combination of digital leadership and eco-design. Through the adoption of AI, IoT, and blockchain, digital leadership helps an organization to enable digital transformation and maximize sustainability efforts at the same time. Conversely, eco-design involves designing products and processes that are less harmful to the environment in terms of resources and waste materials used, as well as, respecting circular economy values. The paper provides a review of 39 researches examining the role of digital leadership in implementing sustainable practices with the help of advanced technologies and the use of eco-design principles to enhance sustainability results. The results point to the imperative of AI decision-making, intelligent governance, and sustainable innovation as a facilitators of sustainability, especially in such industries as manufacturing, energy, and production. This intersection between the two disciplines allows the paper to expose the possibility of how digital leadership can incorporate the concept of eco-design to ensure reduction in carbon footprints, optimal use of resources, and encourage innovation. The combination of digital leadership and eco-design can be pivotal in helping to increase SDGs, among them SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). The paper ends with a discussion of the challenges and prospects on effective integration of the practices so that a more sustainable future can obtained.