Rethinking growth: can digital make it sustainable?

Economic growth has always been seen as synonymous with progress and prosperity. But is this exactly the case? Are we sure that our development model can continue to function in a world with finite resources and increasingly evident imbalances? In the new episode of Digital Sustainability, we explore the link between growth and sustainability and ask: can digital help us build a more balanced model?

As always, we start with a story. Alfio is a fifty-year-old taxi driver with a normal life and a job that has always guaranteed him stability. But something is changing. The market is transforming, technologies are advancing, and the economic model that has guaranteed him security now seems in the balance. Once everything seemed to work: work, earn, consume. Today, Alfio is faced with a reality in which the rules are no longer so certain. And he asks himself: can growth continue indefinitely?

The myth of infinite growth

Alfio’s story takes us to the heart of the problem: we live in a system that has always been based on the idea of continuous, linear growth. But nature teaches us that nothing grows indefinitely. The problem is not only environmental: it is economic and social. Does continuing to measure well-being with GDP still make sense? Or do we need new yardsticks, such as Fair and Sustainable Welfare (BES) or the OECD’s Better Life Index?

In this episode we will answer fundamental questions:

– Can we continue to grow without limits?

– Are there more sustainable development models?

– Can technology help us rethink the concept of growth?

Degrowth or different growth?

Much has been said in recent years about happy degrowth, but is it really a solution? Reducing consumption indiscriminately could solve environmental problems, but at what cost? Can we really sustain a growing world population without economic development? Or is the solution a different, more resource-conscious growth based on more sustainable models?

– What are the limits of traditional growth?

– Why is degrowth not a viable solution?

– What does sustainable growth mean?

The circular economy and the role of digital

If the produce, consume, throw-away model is no longer sustainable, how can we replace it? The circular economy offers a concrete alternative: reduce waste, reuse resources, design products that last. And digital can be a powerful ally in this transition.

– How can the circular economy replace the linear model?

– How can digital technology support reuse and recycling practices?

– What innovations are already changing the way we produce and consume?

Rethinking growth does not mean giving up on well-being, but finding new balances between development, environment and society. Find out more in the new episode of Digital Sustainability: the podcast.