Digital Technologies: Description, Classification, and Links to Circular Economy
24 April 2025
Senior Lecturer Alejandro Gallego-Schmid and Research Associate Raphael Tarpani, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of AlmerÃa (Spain), have published a paper in Business Strategy and the Environment exploring the potential of digital technologies to advance the circular economy.
The paper “Digital Technologies: Description, Classification, and Links to Circular Economy” explore the intersection of digital technologies and the circular economy, offering an overview of 24 key digital technologies that enable circular practices using the DATE classification. The paper further examines how digital technologies provide information across production and consumption chains at various levels and discusses the potential of real-time diagnostics and forecasting to enhance service provision, extend product lifespans, improve design practices, and advance recycling approaches.
The analysis of 24 digital technologies using the DATE framework, revealed their varied contributions to circular economy strategies. Internet and sensors strongly support circularity, while blockchain and AI show broad potential; regeneration support is still limited.