Short answer
Shift the design objective from pure efficiency to holistic regeneration, ensuring digital solutions actively contribute to ecological and social well-being.
- Field
- Sustainability
- Source
- Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025) (2025)
- Method
- Conceptual exploration and literature review
- Evidence
- Moderate effect
Digital technologies can be intentionally designed and implemented to be regenerative, ecologically sound, and socially just, counteracting negative rebound effects and contributing to resource efficiency. This sustainability research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025). Using Conceptual exploration and literature review, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Shift the design objective from pure efficiency to holistic regeneration, ensuring digital solutions actively contribute to ecological and social well-being.
Digital Degrowth: Realigning Technology for Ecological and Social Regeneration
Digital technologies can be intentionally designed and implemented to be regenerative, ecologically sound, and socially just, counteracting negative rebound effects and contributing to resource efficiency.
Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025) · 2025
Key Findings
- 01Digitalization often leads to rebound effects that undermine efficiency gains.
- 02Digital degrowth proposes realigning digital technologies to be regenerative, ecologically sound, and socially just.
- 03This approach aims to contribute to resource efficiency in digitalization efforts.
Application
Design takeaway
Shift the design objective from pure efficiency to holistic regeneration, ensuring digital solutions actively contribute to ecological and social well-being.
How to apply
When developing digital products or services, ask: 'How can this technology actively contribute to ecological restoration and social equity, and how can we prevent it from creating new resource demands or social inequalities?'
Project actions
- 01Consider the environmental and social footprint of any digital component in your design project.
- 02Explore how your design could actively 'give back' to the environment or community, rather than just being 'less bad'.
- 03Research existing examples of technologies that aim for regeneration or social equity.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Addresses a critical gap in sustainability discourse regarding digital technologies.
- +Provides a forward-looking framework for responsible innovation.
Limitations
It can be challenging to quantify 'regenerative' or 'socially just' outcomes for digital products. Measuring the reduction of rebound effects is complex.
Reliability & validity
The conceptual nature of the paper means direct empirical reliability and validity are not applicable, but the underlying degrowth principles have a history of discussion. Future empirical studies would be needed to establish reliability and validity for digital degrowth.
Think critically
If digitalization is essential for progress, how can we ensure it leads to genuine sustainability rather than just a more efficient path to environmental degradation?
Design Principles
"Design for regeneration and social justice, not just efficiency."
This concept challenges the assumption that all digitalization inherently leads to sustainability gains. It calls for a critical re-evaluation of technological development, pushing designers and engineers to consider the broader societal and environmental impacts beyond mere efficiency improvements.
What This Means for Your Design
Even though computers and the internet can save energy in some ways, they also use a lot of energy and resources. 'Digital degrowth' means designing and using digital things in a way that actually helps the planet and people, not just makes things faster or more efficient.
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this concept when discussing the sustainability of digital aspects of your design, particularly if you are addressing rebound effects or aiming for a positive impact.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
The concept of digital degrowth, as explored by van der Velden (2025), suggests that digital technologies should be intentionally designed to be regenerative, ecologically sound, and socially just, moving beyond mere efficiency gains to actively contribute to sustainability. This perspective challenges the conventional view of digitalization and highlights the need to consider rebound effects and design for positive environmental and social impact.
Source
Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025)
Digital Degrowth
journal · 2025
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about digital degrowth: realigning technology for ecological and social regeneration?
- Shift the design objective from pure efficiency to holistic regeneration, ensuring digital solutions actively contribute to ecological and social well-being. Evidence: Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025) (2025).
- Why does "Digital Degrowth: Realigning Technology for Ecological and Social Regeneration" matter for design?
- This concept challenges the assumption that all digitalization inherently leads to sustainability gains. It calls for a critical re-evaluation of technological development, pushing designers and engineers to consider the broader societal and environmental impacts beyond mere efficiency improvements.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Shift the design objective from pure efficiency to holistic regeneration, ensuring digital solutions actively contribute to ecological and social well-being.
- What were the main findings?
- Digitalization often leads to rebound effects that undermine efficiency gains.. Digital degrowth proposes realigning digital technologies to be regenerative, ecologically sound, and socially just.. This approach aims to contribute to resource efficiency in digitalization efforts.
- What research method was used?
- Conceptual exploration and literature review.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2025 journal from Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025).
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When developing digital products or services, ask: 'How can this technology actively contribute to ecological restoration and social equity, and how can we prevent it from creating new resource demands or social inequalities?'
- What are the limitations?
- The concept of digital degrowth is relatively new and requires further empirical research and practical application.