The development of a framework to align the use of technologies in industries to the sustainable development goals

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is acknowledged that South Africa, and the rest of the world, faces sustainability challenges.Ideally, and in order to contribute towards sustainability, industries should continuouslyimprove their activities through technological innovation and advancements. However, not alltechnological advancements contribute positively towards sustainability. Technology and technologicalinnovation are seen by many as a major factor that can contribute towards sustainabledevelopment and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is thus argued that sustainabledevelopment could be signi cantly in uenced by technological innovation, and it is evident in literaturethat society and technology co-evolve and exert in uence on one another. Therefore, onecan infer that by aligning the objectives of industries with those of the technologies by means ofSDGs, industries can positively in uence the SDGs, and therefore also sustainable development,with the help of technology.The present study investigates the role of technology (existing and emerging) in fosteringsustainable development, and aims to highlight how sustainable development and SDGs arefostered within South Africa. The study further investigates how current frameworks guideindustries towards choosing technologies within the context of sustainable development and toevaluate the applicability of such frameworks to the aim of aligning the objectives of industrieswith those of the technology by means of SDGs. Ultimately, the key objective of this study isto developed and e ective framework to decision makers within industries that will ultimatelyprovide guidance in choosing between technologies; the aim being to select technologies thatcontributes towards SDGs.A systematic literature review is conducted to identify technologies that are used to supportsustainable development within a South African context. Several technologies are identi ed, andemerging technologies, that holds potential to contribute towards sustainable developments, areidenti ed and discussed.There are various bodies in existence exist within South Africa that aim to ensure that positiveprogress is being made regarding planning and implementation of sustainable development, andgiven the focus of this research, the processes, focus areas and actions relating to how sustainabledevelopment is fostered in South Africa is identi ed as well as the challenges associated withachieving sustainability. Challenges include, for example, a lack of progress reporting on SDGswithin South Africa. Further, the current status of South Africa is discussed in terms of SDGsand the various technologies could improve and/or contribute to the SDGs are highlighted.Existing frameworks and their guidance towards choosing technologies are investigated, whereaftera short list of attributes are identi ed. These frameworks' applicability to the design requirement is determined and reveals that there is no existing framework that connects an industryand technology through the means of SDGs.Guided by the eight phases of Jabareen's Conceptual Framework Analysis, the framework isiteratively developed. The validation process is completed through a series of interviews withSubject Matter Experts (SMEs) and the application of a case study, where after the incorporationof the validationndings are integrated into the re ned framework.The unique contribution that this study makes is the connection between industry and technologiesthrough the means of SDGs. The framework guides the decision maker in choosingbetween technologies for implementation that foster similar SDGs to those of the industry. Thevalidation results indicate a positive response; however, further studies on implementation, trackingthe framework's performance through its implementation and the critical issues that arisefrom this are required.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University