INDUSTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: INTERPLAY IN REINDUSTRIALIZATION CONTEXT

Abstract

Amid geopolitical turbulence, reindustrialization and import substitution strategic objectives, digital technologies are increasingly positioned as a key instrument for industrial ecosystems’ efficiency enhancing. However, its implementation is often fragmented and localized, focusing on individual enterprises short-term operational efficiency, which may adversely affect industrial ecosystems’ long-term sustainability and synergistic potential as a whole. The study aims to develop and test a methodology for quantitatively assessing the reciprocal influence between industrial ecosystems digitalization level and sustainable development. Using official data from 2018–2022 for 14 regions of the Volga Federal District and 19 manufacturing industries, an original composite synergy index is calculated, integrating sustainable development and digitalization indicators. The results confirm the hypothesis that the interaction between sustainable development mechanisms and production ecosystems digital transformation can yield both positive and negative synergistic effects. In response to the identified risks, the concept of "strategically managed digitalization" is considered, which mandates assessing the systemic consequences of digital initiatives and prioritizing investments in technologies that strengthen internal linkages within industrial ecosystems. The proposed methodology can serve as an auxiliary tool for evaluating the balance between short-term adaptability and long-term sustainability during digital transformation.