Towards a Sustainable Smart Society (SSS). Insights from Plastic free movement

Purpose – Increasing pollution, scarcity of resources, and evident inequalities in social society are only few of the multiple topics that are magnetising the attention of researchers and practitioner interested in defining models and instruments able to ensure a better harmonization among society, economy, and environment. Sustainability issues are progressively becoming a central debate in multiple fora and all disciplines are invited to provide their contributions for building a Sustainable Society. Consolidated approaches are fading under the strong pressure of Information and Communication Technologies as new ways for better understanding and managing variables on which sustainability debate is founded. A new effort is then required for catching opportunities and risks of an emerging Sustainable Smart Society in which both individual and collective behaviours emerge as a consequence of joint influences and co-evolution of algorithms, technologies, and platforms. Plastic free movement is also analysed as an example of collaborations among society, economy, and environment affected by new emerging rules. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review is proposed for depicting the main contact points between the increasing attention in sustainability and the pervasive nature of new technologies. Elements derived from the managerial literature are analysed and organized in the light of systems thinking for providing a conceptual model able to explain the emerging nature of Sustainable Smart Society as an ecosystem in which technology becomes the shared floor trough which actors can combine their recourses using shared platforms in as a consequence of dynamic algorithms. Finally, the Plastic free movement is analysed as a tangible example of collaboration among society, economy, and environment supported by the new technologies. Findings – The paper provides a sharable conceptual model able to support a better understanding of variables and dynamics engaged in the challenging debate related to the role of smart technology for organizations’ survival in a knowledge-based economy. Focusing the attention on the ways in which rules evolve as a consequence of actors’ interactions within a dynamic environment, the paper shows the relevance of algorithms, technologies, and platforms in affecting emerging and survival of a possible Sustainable Smart Society Originality/value – The paper underlines the relevant role of new technologies in supporting the needed collaboration among multiple actors for ensuring the achievement of shared aims. Proposed model about Sustainable Smart Society contributes to the ongoing debate about Smartness and Sustainability highlighting the key interpretative role provided by systems thinking.