Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Objective: To analyze the relationship between the digital economy and environmental sustainability in developing countries by identifying the main opportunities, risks, and conditions that mediate this relationship. Methodology: A qualitative, documentary, analytical-comparative study with a non-experimental design was conducted. The corpus consisted of 16 scientific publications and institutional documents published between 2020 and 2024, selected according to criteria of thematic relevance, currency, and verifiability. Results: Four main dimensions of the relationships under study were identified: resource efficiency and optimization; technological innovation and productive transformation; environmental effects associated with digital infrastructure; and governance, circular economy, and institutional capacities. The findings also showed that digitalization can contribute to improving energy efficiency, reducing certain emissions, and strengthening environmental innovation processes; nevertheless, these benefits coexist with impacts arising from energy consumption, the extraction of critical minerals, device manufacturing, and electronic waste generation. Conclusions: It was concluded that the digital economy does not automatically generate environmental sustainability because its effects depend on technological, energy, productive, institutional, and regulatory factors. Consequently, it is necessary to articulate digital transformation policies with strategies focused on green innovation, energy efficiency, circular economy, waste management, and institutional capacity building.
Source: Paradigma Científico
Institution: Instituto Superior Tecnológico Japón
Language: English
Subfield: Strategy and Management
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7213899996