Revista
de la
Universidad
del Zulia
Fundada en 1947
por el Dr. Jesús Enrique Lossada
DEPÓSITO LEGAL ZU2020000153
ISSN 0041-8811
E-ISSN 2665-0428
Ciencias
Exactas,
Naturales
y de la Salud
Año 14 N° 40
Mayo - Agosto 2023
Tercera Época
Maracaibo-Venezuela
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Digital Integration and Green Economy for the Transition to
Industry 5.0
Joanna Kotowicz-Jawor*
Halyna Matviienko**
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the article is to study the integration of digitalization and the
Green Economy, identifying the characteristics of their combination and
development, and generating recommendations to achieve a positive synergistic
effect and to accelerate the transition to Industry 5.0. The article is dedicated to
the combination of Green Economy and digitali zation, which leads to the
emergence of completely new features in the Economy. The relevance of the topic
is determined by the fact that the use and d evelopment of human capital, the
Green Economy and digitalization can have an important synergistic effect with
the emergence of new characteristics, with both positive and negative
consequences, and affect the achievement of the goal. sustainable developm ent.
Research methods: analysis and synthesis, abstraction and generalization, a
systematic approach to the analysis of the Green and Digital Economy, economic -
statistical and mathematical analysis. The article identifies the fundamental risks
of the digitalization of the Economy, being the main ones: the depletion of limited
resources, electronic waste, the deepening of asymmetric development.
KEY WORDS: Industry 5.0, digitalization, raw materials, e-waste recycling, Green
Economy, asymmetric development.
*The Institute of Economics Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland. ORCID ID:
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4511-9107. Е-mail: Joanna.Kotowicz@ inepan.waw.pl
**V. I. Vernadsky Taurida National University, Kyiv, Ukraine. ORCID ID:
https://orcid.org/ 0000-0002-5265-8379. Е-mail: matviienko.halyna@tnu.edu.ua
Recibido: 20/12/2022 Aceptado: 16/02/2023
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Integración digital y Economía verde para la transición a la
Industria 5.0
RESUMEN
El propósito del artículo es estudiar la integración de la digitalización y la
Economía verde, identificando las características de su combinación y desarrollo,
y generando recomendaciones para lograr un efecto sinérgico positivo y acelerar
la transición a la Industria 5.0. El artículo está dedicado a la combinación de
Economía verde y digitalización, que conduce a la aparición de características
completamente nuevas en la Economía. La relevancia del tema está determinada
por el hecho de que el uso y desarrollo del capital humano, la Economía verde y la
digitalización pueden tener un importante efecto sinérgico con el surgimiento de
nuevas características, con consecuencias tanto positivas como negativas, y
afectar el logro del desarrollo sostenible. Métodos de investigación: análisis y
síntesis, abstracción y generalización, un enfoque sistemático para el análisis de
la Economía verde y digital, análisis económico-estadístico y matemático. El
artículo identifica los riesgos fundamentales de la digital ización de la Economía,
los principales de los cuales son: el agotamiento de los recursos limitados, los
desechos electrónicos, la profundización del desarrollo asimétrico.
PALABRAS CLAVE: Industria 5.0, digitalización, materias primas, reciclaje de
residuos electrónicos, Economía verde, desarrollo asimétrico.
Introduction
The world economy is going through unprecedented times of complete transformation
due to significant uncertainty related to the global climate outlook and geopolitical security.
Such a situation presupposes the use of entirely new measures and tools to achieve
sustainable development and the construction of fundamentally new public management
mechanisms, expanding cooperation between countries and widening a long-term
sustainable development program. The combination of the green economy and digitalisation
implies the appearance of entirely new characteristics of the economy, which allow us to
evaluate the role of society, the market, enterprises, and technologies in a new way and
change the worldview of humanity.
Sustainable future development directly depends on achieving sustainable
development. The transformation to Industry 5.0 can be simplified and reduced in time with
the help of new technologies and digitalisation. Nowadays, most daily actions and results
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depend on innovative digital technologies (Maria E. Mondejar, Ram Avtar. 2021). Achieving
Industry 5.0 is possible only due to the use and development of human capital and
digitalisation, the artificial intelligent use and combination of which can have a significant
synergistic effect with the emergence of new features that can have both positive and
negative effects and will affect on well-being and social protection.
1. Results and discussion
Digitalisation and the transition to a green economy significantly change business
models and necessitate the introduction of innovations and the exchange of knowledge and
information between countries. The development of digitalisation brings a new set of tools
and mechanisms to the economy, which need to be aligned and balanced to ensure green
sustainable development. Geospatial data is becoming a core element of real-time modelling
and forecasting systems. The development and support of satellite data also have a wide
range of applications in almost all sectors of the economy. It is advisable to build mature data
platforms both at the country level and between organisations. That will help to effectively
exchange information and scientific developments and not duplicate them.
The development of such areas as artificial intelligence and big data will allow better
policymaking and more informed decisions with great benefits for society and the economy.
There is a close relationship between making informed decisions based on data and achieving
sustainable development. (Ardito., 2018).
The implementation of digitalisation and green economy also has adverse effects,
which must be minimised through the right policy:
1. Electronic device production and distribution exhausts limited and rare
resources and create electronic waste that is difficult to dispose of or upgrade. A significant
change in resource flows and an increase in demand for raw materials (lithium, cobalt,
copper, tungsten) are predicted (Lewicka, Ewa, Katarzyna Guzik, and Krzysztof Galos.
2021). Global demand for raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, copper, tantalum, tungsten
and rare earth metals is expected to grow, reflecting the increased use of ICT. The same
situation arises in green technologies when alternative energy requires practically
unavailable elements in Europe, which significantly increases dependence on other
countries. (European Commission, 2020).
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Figure 1. Materials for batteries for renewables (LDS, tonnes)
Source: European Commission (2020)
The EU produces only 1% of all raw materials for batteries. China and Africa and Latin
America provide 74% of all battery raw materials. Therefore, there are risks of an increase in
current prices of raw materials, which are necessary to support the development of new
production facilities in the long term. In the supply chain for wind generators, the highest
risks exist at the raw material stage. The EU provides only 1% of the raw materials for wind
energy. Energy systems built on clean energy technologies are fundamentally different from
systems powered by traditional hydrocarbon resources. Green energy requires a significant
amount of minerals, most of which are rare and not produced in the EU. (Figure 2)(IEA,
2021).
For robotics, 44 raw materials are relevant, of which the EU produces only 2%. On the
other hand, the EU is the leading player of processed materials and robotics assemblies,
respectively 21% and 41% of the world supply (UNCDAT, 2020).
Therefore, it is necessary to ensure an adequate and sustainable supply of raw
materials from global markets and the effective use of resources and the supply of "secondary
raw materials" through processing. From the point of view of the value of raw materials for
the development of ICT, the transition to a circular economy is a necessary condition. It is
also expedient to identify new mining and processing sites by restoring and supporting
exploration activities and the mining industry.
2. Most electronic devices become obsolete much earlier than their "useful life", and it
is almost impossible to upgrade or use them further due to a lack of design and rapid
technological change (Rui Wang, Qi Zhang, Lu Zhan, Zhenming Xu, 2022). In 2019, the most
13000
10000
32000 32000
99000
63000
45000
160000
59000
480000
0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
600000
Cobalt Lithium Nickel Manganese Graphite
2030 2050
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significant amount of electronic waste was generated in Asia (24.9 million tons), America
(13.1 million tons) and Europe (12 million tons). In 2019, only 17.4 per cent of e-waste was
officially collected and recycled (The Global e-waste statistics partnership, 2020). In the EU,
the percentage of e-waste recycling is, on average, 42.1%. Poland increased the percentage of
e-waste recycling from 13.9% (in 2009) to 39.1% (2019), but in the last three years, this
percentage has had an unstable trend over the years and fluctuated significantly. In 2019, the
average volume of electrical and electronic waste collected in EU member states was 10.0 kg
per inhabitant.
Figure 2. Minerals used in clean energy technologies compared to other power generation sources
kg / MW
Source: IEA (2021)
Because of such trends, it is necessary to consider the complete recycling cycle and the
possibilities of upgrading electronic devices at the development stage. Electronic products
are better designed on a modular basis for easy replacement of parts for modernisation. It is
also advisable to develop a network of service centres that can repair and ensure the
functionality of an electronic product for an acceptable price since now it is often not
economically viable to repair some products and sometimes it is cheaper to buy new ones.
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000
Offshore wind
Onshore wind
Solar PV
Nuclear
Coal
Natural gas
Copper Nickel Manganese Cobalt Chromium Molybdenum Zinc Rare earths Silicon Others
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Through the development of legislation in the field of eco-design, the European
Commission aims to promote durability, reusability, maintainability of products,
improvement of resource efficiency and reduction of environmental impact. The main task is
to maximize the percentage of recycling of electronic devices and reuse of rare metals.
Resource losses during the life cycle and recycling processes of ICT devices can be minimized
through proper design, technology and public policy (Digitalization and natural resources,
2021). E-waste management is one of the central topics in Europe due to the large number of
metals involved and the great rarity of these metals in Europe. Therefore, it is advisable to
change the technical standards to facilitate the recycling of electronic products, taking into
account these goals at the design stage. For this, the Directive on ecological design
(2005/32/EC) and the Directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
(2002/96/EC) were introduced in the EU, which also need to be improved and supplemented
according to the requirements of the time.
Figure 3. The recycling rate of e-waste %
Source: Eurostat 2021
3. Many next-generation technologies, such as fiber optics and RFID, have no
recycling potential until 2035 (Marscheider-Weidemann et al., 2016). Therefore, closing
resource cycles on the basis of innovative activity and the introduction of a circular economy
is the need of the time. There is also a need for more research on the environmental impact of
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30.
40.
50.
60.
70.
80.
90.
100.
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alternative energy, some of which, when considered over their full life cycle, have a significant
negative impact on the environment.
An increasingly digitized economy will consume not only raw materials, but also a lot
of energy. Artificial intelligence (AI) systems, which are becoming increasingly common in
the digital economy, are particularly energy-intensive.
As AI becomes more complex, expect some models to use even more data. This is a
problem because data centers consume an incredible amount of energy. As the number and
volume of data processing centers grow, they can become one of the largest consumers of
energy, and can have a significant impact on the environment.
It is already necessary to put the issue of carbon footprint or energy consumption of
AI on the agenda. The issue of digital waste is also acute now, up to 90% of digital data is not
used. According to Tech Target, about 90% of data is never accessed three months after it is
first stored. According to a 2018 report by the Active Archive Alliance, up to 80% of all digital
data is never accessed or reused after storage. According to IBM, 90% of all sensor data
collected from IoT devices is never used. (Gerry McGovern, 2020).
4. The deepening of asymmetric development due to the uneven application of
technology and information, unequal access to data deepens poverty and social inequality.
China and the United States, two countries that have played a leading role in the ICT sector
and digital business from an early stage, account for 96 (as recently as 2019, this figure was
90%) percent of the market capitalization. On the other hand, Europe accounts for only three
percent of the market capitalization, while Africa and Latin America together account for
two (UNCTAD, 2021).
Figure 4. Share in total value, by region (%)
Source: UNCTAD, 2021
America,
67
Europe, 3
Africa, 2
Asia and
Pacific, 29
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If we consider the Number of top 100 platforms, by region, the largest number of
platforms are concentrated in America – 41 and China – 45. In Europe, the largest platforms
are 12 (Adyen, Auto1, Checkout, Delivery Hero, Edenred, Hellofresh, Farfetch, Klarna,
Spotify, Just Eat T. Yandex). Thus, 86 of the 100 largest platforms in the world are located in
America and Asia.
Figure 5. Number of top 100 platforms, by region
Source: UNCTAD, 2021
5. Due to the unevenness of digital development, there is a need to recognize the
complex trade-offs between efficiency, which generally requires more and more international
coordination (especially in policy development and cooperation in the field of scientific
research, which requires digital solutions and databases), and fair distribution of benefits
and costs. The political and economic consequences of such an uneven distribution require
further research. Therefore, reliance on the countries of digital leaders may increase, which
will weaken political will.
6. Regulation of data use is important because user data is key to the participation of
Internet companies in the processes of management and targeted marketing. Since the 2016
US election, there has been increased scrutiny and public debate about how social media and
internet platforms manage user data and can manipulate opinion based on collected data
about user preferences and psychological profiles. All this creates serious problems for
democracy and political life.
7. Data security, vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure, cloud databases are currently
still vulnerable to cyber attacks. According to PwC surveys and Allianz Risk Barometer
research, cybercrime is one of the biggest business threats. Businesses need to develop and
implement new mechanisms to combat cybercrime. Currently, cyber security is one of the
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national security priorities, and there is an increasing demand for the development of cyber
security principles and frameworks, incentives for strengthening cyber security, and a
training system. (PWC, 2021). In 2021, the average number of cyber attacks and data
breaches increased by 15.1% compared to 2020.
A business survey found that the convergence of digital and physical systems, such as
IoT devices, has increased security risks. In addition, 41% of executives believe that their
security initiatives are not keeping pace with digital transformation and new technologies.
In 2021, cybercrime cost US companies more than $6.9 billion, companies experienced 50%
more attempted cyberattacks per week, and only 43% of businesses are financially prepared
for cyberattacks in 2022 (Forbs, 2022a). Almost 80% of attacks against nation-states target
government institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and think tanks. Small
and medium-sized businesses are especially vulnerable to cyber attacks. According to the
Accenture Cost of Cybercrime Study, 43% of cyber attacks target small businesses, and only
14% of SMBs are prepared. 30% of small businesses consider phishing attacks to be the
biggest cyber threat. 83% of SMBs will not be financially able to recover from a cyber attack.
The insurance business is already developing cyber liability insurance services, but 91% of
small businesses do not use these services. Ransomware cost the world $20 billion in 2021.
This figure is expected to grow to $265 billion by 2031 (Forbs, 2022b). According to
forecasts, the situation regarding cyberattacks will deteriorate even more in the coming
years. That's why cybersecurity analysts are the most in-demand profession in the industry
right now.
8. A radical change in the labor market and requirements for employees. Regeneration
of the labor force requires large-scale investments in the labor market and retraining,
changing educational programs, which already mostly do not meet the requirements of the
times. If the curricula in educational institutions are not changed, there may be a labor
shortage in many sectors in the near future. The development of the green economy requires
renewable energy project managers on the market. Different sectors of the economy will feel
the impact of automation and digitalization and the labor market in different ways. The
development of technology poses a threat to the existence of many professions, but the
emergence of new ones is expected. It is predicted that 75 million current occupations could
be replaced, while 133 million new ones could be created during this time.
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It is expected that in 2022 up to 58% of working hours will be performed by people
and 42% by technology (machines and algorithms) and this percentage will increase every
year. The share of highly skilled jobs has increased by 25% over the past 2 decades.
Employment in the manufacturing sector decreased by 20%, while in the service sector it
increased by 27% (OECD, 2022). The main skills, and competencies that will be demanded
by employers will be analytical thinking, active learning, technological design, creativity,
critical thinking, persuasion, negotiation, resilience, emotional intelligence and leadership
(WEF, 2022a). Therefore, it is advisable to rethink the inclusive education system, focus
training on developing skills necessary for success, develop creativity in students, and self-
development in education. Close cooperation with employers is necessary for the
development of individual, specific skills. (WEF, 2022b). Now, due to the mismatch of the
labour market with modern requirements, the creation of jobs is slowing down, and the
reduction is accelerating. Companies estimate that, on average, approximately 40% of
employees will need reskilling within six months or less, and 94% of business leaders report
that they expect employees to acquire new skills while on the job. Such a massive change in
personnel approaches requires assessing the value of human capital in the company's assets
and developing a strategy for its development. (WEF, 2022b)
AI mostly complements the work of high-skilled workers and primarily replaces low-
skilled workers, which could further increase income inequality and eliminate increased
investment in education.
Modern transformations in the labour market have created new challenges with
which politicians continue to struggle. Employees may need retraining or advanced training.
Policies and institutions will play a key role in ensuring that all workers can successfully
navigate a changing labour market (OECD.AI, 2022).
An important step in the development of the circular economy is the introduction of
digital labelling (e-labels), which allows you to track the product at all stages of the life cycle,
which helps to implement the concept of zero-waste production. Appropriate
implementation of smart audit and complete collection of information on waste and resource
use at all stages. Special development of digital platforms and industrial and cluster
symbiosis is also necessary (Kerdlap 2020).
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Many countries have already implemented e-labelling schemes (representing 56% of
the world economy). The European Union, on the other hand, still relies solely on physical
markings on devices. Some businesses in the EU use RFID. Thus, 22% of Finnish enterprises
use RFID, a high level of which is also used in Belgium, Austria, Luxembourg and the
Netherlands (Figure 6).
Figure 6. Enterprises using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies (Percentage of
enterprises) 2017
Source: Digital Agenda 2022a
Almost every fourth enterprise in Denmark uses artificial intelligence technologies. In
Poland, this percentage is only 2.86%. On average, the percentage of enterprises in 2021
that will use AI was 7.91%. (figure 7).
Most of the enterprises that analyse big data in their work are in Malta (30%), in the
Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, and Ireland (Figure 8).
In the European Union, there is a significant gap in digitalization between countries,
and investments in ICT are much smaller compared to other large economies, only 2% share
of ICT investments in GDP estimated in the EU. While the United States and Japan invest
almost 3.5% of their GDP in ICT
Countries such as the USA and China invest the most in AI, which accounted for 65%
of all investments in AI in 2022 (Figure 9).
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The digitalization gap is also reflected in the average R&D intensity of the ICT sector
itself in the European Union compared to its key international competitors. Importantly, the
European Union is also characterized by significant differences in the intensity of
digitization within the Union, between regions, sectors and individual companies. Therefore,
reducing such gaps is very important for future sustainable development
Figure 7. Enterprises using AI technologies, Percentage of enterprises, 2021
Source: Digital Agenda 2022b
Figure 8. Enterprises analysing big data (2020), the Percentage of enterprises
Source: Digital Agenda 2022с
The integration of digitalization, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things
provides significant synergistic effects and new opportunities. But such large disparities in
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the use of technology between EU countries can exacerbate uneven development and the
digital divide.
Figure 9. Top countries in VC investments in AI by industry
Source OECD.AI, 2022
There are also challenges and influences on democratic processes. Using
personalisation algorithms to search for information creates "echo chambers" in which people
see only information that matches their views and virtually no alternative information. In
addition, the level of depression increases with the significant use of social networks, which
negatively affects economic development and human productivity. Cultural globalisation
also occurs when one culture dominates and local traditions are lost. (Hunt et al., 2018).
Adaptability and application of modelling and artificial intelligence promotes self-
organization and stability of the entire system and decentralize decision-making (Oztemel
and Gursev, 2020). There are also changes in management systems at the state and enterprise
levels, which causes changes in the organizational and functional structure. Transformation
to agile governance is already taking place at the state level. The principles of which fully
meet the requirements for the formation of a digital environment and reduce risks when
making decisions. Digitalization weakens executive power and strengthens grassroots
power. Agile governance focuses attention on goals and how to implement them, on
innovations in management that are as important as technological innovations (World
Economic Forum, 2021).
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Digitalization has a particularly high potential in the field of energy and energy
efficiency. Development of systems for modeling energy consumption based on combinations
of many factors (weather forecast, social behavior, work schedules and production cycles of
energy-consuming enterprises). Integration with large energy consumers and their
consumption plans has significant potential. The time has come for decentralized (modular)
energy systems based on renewable energy sources. Automatic distribution of energy
production between producers, especially those who use green energy (small producers).
Also, the integration into such decentralized systems of the Internet of Things and energy
management strategies will help to more accurately and effectively manage the supply and
demand for energy. But in order to achieve these goals, the interaction of all participants and
government bodies is important, to complement each other's actions and reduce the
duplication of functions. At the same time, with the help of digital technologies and big data,
enterprises can monitor energy consumption and emissions in all production lines in real
time, and implement effective energy saving and emission reduction strategies. With the
right institutional policies and digitalization, effective energy management and the
development of a green economy are possible.
Digital technologies make it possible to quickly transition and implement the
principles of a green and circular economy by implementing:
- increasing information about the product at all stages of its life cycle. Examples of
digital technologies that reduce information asymmetry include digital passports that allow
tracking of a product's journey from design to completion of the life cycle. They improve the
understanding of the composition of used products and facilitate their recycling and increase
the potential for reuse;
- reduce transaction costs associated with finding customers and suppliers. Examples
of digital technologies that reduce transaction costs include digital platforms combined with
artificial intelligence and blockchain, which help create a transparent and reliable
information source for secondary materials and thus facilitate the exchange of raw materials
between different sectors and industries. Asset exchange platforms integrated with IoT, big
data, cloud computing and AI enable the generation of data on market supply and demand
for assets;
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- large-scale use of blockchain and artificial intelligence requires energy-intensive data
processing. But at the same time, its use makes it possible to reduce information and digital
gaps between interested parties. The introduction of a digital product passport makes it
easier to obtain control over materials throughout the entire cycle. From the manufacturer's
point of view, digital passports also make it easier to get information. Digital labels can also
be used in smart city systems, attaching them to garbage containers allows you to optimize
the time of garbage removal and improve logistics. Real-time data stored and processed in
the cloud and shared between the cloud, trucks, containers and processing plants. (Aclima,
2020).
Sustainability must be considered and implemented at a systemic level, implementing
the principles of sustainable coding, taking into account environmental, social and economic
factors.( Trusova et al., 2021).
With the development of standards and indicators of the impact and measurement of
digitalization on sustainability, since it is digitalization that is a key factor in changes in both
the economy and societies, and with the right approach, opportunities can be maximized and
risks minimized. There is an increasingly close interaction between people and technologies.
It is advisable to embed systems of human values and norms and digitization (WBGU, 2019).
Therefore, TWI2050 proposes to initiate local, national and global dialogues on the
development and implementation of relevant norms and values of the Digital Anthropocene
(TWI2050. 2020).
Thus, the integration of digitalization and the green economy can provide a significant
synergistic effect and accelerate the transition to Industry 5.0, but it is advisable to consider
the following features to avoid and reduce risks:
1. The need to reform education and form new competencies.
2. Development of science, human capital, people-centeredness. Digitalization should
increase sustainability, develop convergence between human and artificial intelligence
(European Commission 2022a).
3. Modernize management systems at all levels by introducing Agile management.
4. Development of technologies to overcome diffuse negative impacts on the
environment.
5. Develop sustainability in the digital future.
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6. Institutional support should play a major role in strengthening the ability of
enterprises to engage in environmental innovation.
7. Appropriate development of completely new systems and mechanisms in such areas
as "green" procurement, assessment and certification of "green" products, transformation of
innovative achievements, "green" technologies, development of the market of "green"
technologies and systematic change of financial and tax policy to support innovations "green"
technologies, to increase returns from green technology innovations and stimulate the
development of green technologies at enterprises.
Conclusion
The transition to Industry 5.0 is associated with the process of multi-level
transformation of the economic and socio-technological system aimed at increasing its
environmental sustainability and social justice. New requirements for the development of the
economy require a multidisciplinary approach to innovation, which affects almost all aspects
of human life.
Now, more than ever, sustainable development requires the building of a strong
global coalition of experts on sustainable development and digital technologies, which will
help shape a shared vision of the future, develop standards and goals, prioritize investments
and resources, systematically align digital transformation with the plan for sustainable
development, while increasing dematerialization human activity.
The EU needs a fast and effective digital transformation that will help solve climate
and environmental problems, strengthen social cohesion and increase competitiveness. But
it is necessary to take into account that new technologies also cause a number of challenges
that must be solved, including an important reassessment of the role of the state, business
and the construction of new institutional systems.
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