What will a shopping street look like in 2025, when online shopping continues to show double-digit growth? And what will 3D printing do to factories and logistic companies, when we can ‘print’ more and more products at home or around the corner?The digital economy is one of the most pervasive game changers in cities. It creates and destroys, and affects the way cities function in many ways. But what is exactly the digital economy about? How big is it? Which types of transformation is it provoking in urban economies? And, importantly, what can local governments do to cope with the digital transition and foster sustainable urban development?
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Expectations are high for digital technologies to address sustainability related challenges. While research into such applications and the twin transformation is growing rapidly, insights in the actual daily practices of digital sustainability within organizations is lacking. This is problematic as the contributions of digital tools to sustainability goals gain shape in organizational practices. To bridge this gap, we develop a theoretical perspective on digital sustainability practices based on practice theory, with an emphasis on the concept of sociomateriality. We argue that connecting meanings related to sustainability with digital technologies is essential to establish beneficial practices. Next, we contend that the meaning of sustainability is contextspecific, which calls for a local meaning making process. Based on our theoretical exploration we develop an empirical research agenda.
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1e alinea column: Hoe ziet innovatie in de digital age eruit? Anders dan daarvoor? Is succes van innovatie in de digital age wel voorspelbaar? Bestaat er zoiets als een business logica voor innovatie? Voor echt nieuwe business is dat maar heel beperkt zo. Er zijn geen marktvoorbeelden waar je naar kunt kijken. Concurrenten of collega’s zijn je niet voorgegaan en hoe de klant zal reageren is ook al een verrassing.
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In het project CW4.0 onderzoeken MKB’ers uit de houtindustrie en Smart Industry samen met de Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA), kennispartners TNO, HMC en Bouwlab R&Do en partners in hospitality hoe zinvolle toepassingen te maken van resthout, met behulp van Industry 4.0-principes. Hoogwaardig hout blijft momenteel ongebruikt, omdat het te arbeids-intensief is grote hoeveelheden ongelijkmatige stukken hout van verschillende grootte en houtsoort te verwerken. Waardevol resthout wordt zo waardeloos afval, tegen de principes van de circulaire economie in. CW4.0 richt zich op de ontwikkeling van geautomatiseerde processen voor houtverwerking gebaseerd op Industry 4.0 technologieën - met behulp van digitale ontwerptools en industriële robots. Uit eerdere projecten van HvA en partners is gebleken dat deze processen het gebruik van resthout levensvatbaar kunnen maken, in het bijzonder voor toepassingen in de hospitality sector, bijvoorbeeld voor receptiebalies, hotelmeubilair en interieurdelen. CW4.0 wordt dan ook uitgevoerd in samenwerking met hospitality-ontwerpers en hotelketels. Het onderzoek concentreert zich op 1) het creëren van een digital twin (=digitale kopie van een beoogd object of proces, om dit te onderzoeken zonder het eerst te hoeven bouwen) van een ‘upcycle houtfabriek’; 2) het realiseren en beproeven van secties van de fabriek; 3) het ontwerpen en prototypen van hospitality toepassingen en 4) het evalueren van de business case van deze toepassingen en de fabriek in het algemeen. Na afloop is er kennis beschikbaar voor houtindustrie om afval te verminderen, voor Smart Industry om hun digitale technologieën toe te passen voor upcycling van materialen, en voor horecapartners om waardevolle toepassingen te creëren van resthout. Het project is een belangrijke stap in de opschaling van industriële robotproductie met circulaire materialen. Het legt een nieuwe, belangrijke verbinding tussen Smart Industry en de circulaire transitie, gericht op het aanpakken van urgente maatschappelijke uitdagingen verband houdend met materiële schaarste en de mondiale milieucrisis.
In Amsterdam's neighbourhoods, much of the waste that is disposed has the potential of becoming something else by means of recycling or upcycling. Zero Waste lab –which is part of the organization De Gezonde Stad- is a place where inhabitants can bring their own separated waste in exchange for value coins. Now, Zero Waste Lab now wants to take this a step forward and further develop their own project: from recycling to upcycling waste. In this endeavour, HvA will collaborate by researching the possibilities for upcycling a local waste stream by means of digital production pro-cesses, as well as ways of involving the neighbourhood. Because it is of vital importance for the project not only to be technically possible, but also scalable and economically feasible, Zero Waste Lab and HvA have asked for partnership to the company Verdraaid Goed. This partnership and specific case study, presented here as ‘Wood for the neighborhood’ can be summa-rized in four main goals: • (Production) Explore the design and manufacturing possibilities of using digital production to upcycle a local wood waste stream (with an industrial robotic arm) • (Design) Show how explorative research, when carried on from the beginning of the de-sign process, can bring great added value to the development of project concepts. • (Social) Demonstrate that involving stakeholders early in the process of reusing and de-signing with waste materials can shape the future in new directions • (All three) Highlight how this case study is relevant and fits the principles of the circular economy
In Amsterdam's neighbourhoods, much of the waste that is disposed has the potential of becoming something else by means of recycling or upcycling. Zero Waste lab –which is part of the organization De Gezonde Stad- is a place where inhabitants can bring their own separated waste in exchange for value coins. Now, Zero Waste Lab now wants to take this a step forward and further develop their own project: from recycling to upcycling waste. In this endeavour, HvA will collaborate by researching the possibilities for upcycling a local waste stream by means of digital production pro-cesses, as well as ways of involving the neighbourhood. Because it is of vital importance for the project not only to be technically possible, but also scalable and economically feasible, Zero Waste Lab and HvA have asked for partnership to the company Verdraaid Goed. This partnership and specific case study, presented here as ‘Wood for the neighborhood’ can be summa-rized in four main goals: • (Production) Explore the design and manufacturing possibilities of using digital production to upcycle a local wood waste stream (with an industrial robotic arm) • (Design) Show how explorative research, when carried on from the beginning of the de-sign process, can bring great added value to the development of project concepts. • (Social) Demonstrate that involving stakeholders early in the process of reusing and de-signing with waste materials can shape the future in new directions • (All three) Highlight how this case study is relevant and fits the principles of the circular economy
