How eco-efficiency can be achieved through digitalisation: A study of Swedish SMEs in the logistics industry

Abstract: In the current literature, a gap is identified concerning how SMEs can achieve eco-efficiency through digitalisation. This study sets out to explore how firms can achieve eco-efficiency objectives by employing digitalisation as a resource. It does so by viewing digital resources through the lens of the resource-based view which concerns the link between resource heterogeneity, mobility of resources, and the competitive advantage benefited by the firm. The study employs an explorative investigation using qualitative data collection in the form of interviews with six case companies. All of the cases operate within the Swedish logistics industry. The selection of the logistics industry was made since it is cost and efficiency-oriented, burdensome on the environment, and reliant on digital technologies. The data revealed that the cases have a stronger inclination towards one of two main eco-efficiency motivations. Some are more economically motivated, and others are more environmentally motivated. In either case, the types of digital resources employed are characterised by whether they are configurable or generic. The firms share a commonality in that they all strive to make their digital resources more productive by combining them with digitalisation capabilities, which are a specific form of capabilities that enable companies to deploy digital resources more effectively and efficiently towards eco-efficiency. They do this to separate themselves from the competition and create a sustained competitive advantage.