“We Can Turn Digitalisation into a Key Driver for Sustainable Business!” – Interview with Senior Consultant Milon Gupta

Milon Gupta has joined the CSCP as a Senior Consultant with a focus on the twin sustainable digital transformation. In this interview, he shares his thoughts on the potential of this transformation toward a circular and regenerative economy.

How does your past experience relate to the work we do at the CSCP?

For more than 20 years, I worked in the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector as a marketing manager. I have participated in many European ICT innovation projects and had the opportunity to learn about the vast potential of technologies like artificial Intelligence, augmented reality, and advanced mobile networks. This helps me contribute as an independent consultant to CSCP project activities at the intersection of digitalisation and sustainability.

What are you most excited about in your new journey as part of the CSCP?

The CSCP has a diverse network of international experts, a large portfolio of projects, and a unique knowledge base. Working in such an environment feels very motivating. It offers the opportunity to jointly drive change towards sustainability in areas that I consider important, including the Circular Economy and the digital sustainable transformation.

You mentioned the digital sustainable transformation. Why do we need this  twin transformation in the first place?

The multiple crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and conflicts over resources make a sustainable transformation of society and economy necessary. However, the pace of this transition has been too slow. At the same time, digitalisation has raised humanity’s capabilities to a new level. Unfortunately, digital technologies are currently, very often, rather part of the problem than the solution. Just think of unsustainable mining of rare earths and poisonous electronic waste. We need to change this by making the ICT sector sustainable and using digital technologies for advancing sustainability across other sectors. We can turn digitalisation into a key driver for sustainable business! If we get this right, we can speed up the transformation and achieve a liveable future for everyone, not just for a few.

How do you think your project work at the CSCP contributes to accelerating this twin transformation?

In the ITM Twin Transformation project, I am coordinating activities aimed at supporting German SMEs in the IT sector to become agents of the digital sustainable transformation. The rationale of the project is to spread digital sustainability via IT SMEs to companies across different sectors. It will be crucial for all companies to optimise their sustainability performance, to keep attracting customers and personnel and thus stay competitive. This is particularly urgent for SMEs, as they can usually dedicate fewer financial resources and personnel to sustainability than large enterprises. SMEs are the backbone of the German and the European economy. Supporting them will  accelerate the transformation of the whole economy.

What kind of economy do you envision as a result of the digital sustainable transformation?

My vision for the sustainable economy of the future is to be circular and regenerative. In this economy, there will be closed loops in which products are designed for reuse, and end-of-life products provide the raw materials for new products. Enabled by digital technologies, material flows as well as energy production and consumption will leave a small environmental footprint. Unsustainable overproduction and overconsumption will be a thing of the past. Getting there will be laborious, but I am convinced it is feasible.

For further information, please contact Milon Gupta.