Digital twin integration and sustainability outcomes: evidence from Huawei’s transformation journey (2008–2024)

Autores/as

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61154/rue.v12i4.4227

Palabras clave:

Digital Twin, Sustainability, Environmental Performance, Huawei, Digital Transformation

Resumen

This study aimed to determine how the transition to the Digital Twin (DT) model has significantly affected sustainability from 2008 to 2024 at Huawei Technologies. The measurable impact of DT systems on green packaging, waste to landfill, and water consumption was thoroughly assessed through statistical evaluation using dummy-variable regression and independent samples T-test in a comprehensive mixed-methods approach. Significant observable changes in the efficacy of eco-friendly packaging and waste reduction associated with DT were evident after 2015, when real-time monitoring, simulation, and predictive analytics were applied. Water consumption also noticeably increased after the advent of DT, although increased transparency and scale may have also contributed. The findings are in line with relevant literature on ecological innovation through DT and support digital technology's role in advancing corporate environmental performance. The contributions further widen the scope of discussions on digital sustainability while highlighting DTs as strategic tools toward measurable and impactful environmental gains.

Descargas

Los datos de descargas todavía no están disponibles.

Citas

Al Maawali, K. M., & Al Fahdi, K. K. (2022). How to Build a Digital Twin with Strong Justification & Return of Investment: Case Study from OQ Oman (SPE Paper 210991-MS). Proceedings of the 22nd ADIPEC Conference. Abu Dhabi, UAE. https://doi.org/10.2118/210991-ms

Al-Shetwi, A. Q., Atawi, I. E., El-Hameed, M. A., & Abuelrub, A. (2025). Digital twin technology for renewable energy, smart grids, energy storage and vehicle-to-grid integration: Advancements, applications, key players, challenges and future perspectives in modernising sustainable grids. IET Smart Grid, 8(1), e70026. https://doi.org/10.1049/stg2.70026

Bányai, K., & Kovács, L. (2023). Identification of influence of digital twin technologies on production systems: a return on investment-based approach. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 4(13), 66–78. https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2023.283876

Bassey, K. E., Opoku-Boateng, J., Antwi, B. O., & Ntiakoh, A. (2024). Economic impact of digital twins on renewable energy investments. Engineering Science & Technology Journal, 5(7), 2232–2247. https://doi.org/10.51594/estj.v5i7.1318

Diodato, D., Huergo, E., Moncada-Paternò-Castello, P., Rentocchini, F., & Timmermans, B. (2023). Introduction to the special issue on “the twin (digital and green) transition: handling the economic and social challenges.” Industry and Innovation, 30(7), 755–765. https://doi.org/10.1080/13662716.2023.2254272

Edrisi, F., & Azari, M. S. (2023). Digital Twin for Sustainability Assessment and Policy Evaluation: A Systematic Literature Review. 2023 IEEE/ACM 7th International Workshop on Green and Sustainable Software (GREENS), Melbourne, Australia. https://doi.org/10.1109/greens59328.2023.00007

Enyejo, J. O., Fajana, O. P., Jok, I. S., Ihejirika, C. J., Awotiwon, B. O., & Olola, T. M. (2024). Digital Twin Technology, Predictive Analytics, and Sustainable Project Management in Global Supply Chains for Risk Mitigation, Optimization, and Carbon Footprint Reduction through Green Initiatives. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 9(11), 609-630. https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/ijisrt24nov1344

Eslahi, M., Farazdaghi, E., Meouche, R.E. (2024). Towards Digital Twins in Sustainable Construction: Feasibility and Challenges. In: Ben Ahmed, M., Boudhir, A.A., El Meouche, R., Karaș, İ.R. (eds) Innovations in Smart Cities Applications Volume 7. SCA 2023. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems. (Vol 938). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54376-0_18

Figueiredo, K., Hammad, A. W. A., Pierott, R., Tam, V. W. Y., & Haddad, A. (2024). Integrating Digital Twin and Blockchain for dynamic building Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment. Journal of Building Engineering, 97(111018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2024.111018

Garske, B., Holz, W., & Ekardt, F. (2024). Digital twins in sustainable transition: exploring the role of EU data governance. Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/frma.2024.1303024

Gerstlberger, W., & Prause, G. (2024). The twin challenge of sustainability and digital transformation. Scientific Papers, 32(2), 2137. https://doi.org/10.46585/sp32022137

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (2015–2024). Sustainability reports 2015–2024. https://www.huawei.com/en/sustainability/sustainability-report

Khajavi, S. H., Motlagh, N. H., Jaribion, A., Werner, L. C. & Holmström, J. (2019). Digital twin: Vision, benefits, boundaries, and creation for buildings. IEEE Access, 7, 147406-147419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2020.103293

Kineber, A. F., Singh, A. K., Fazeli, A., Mohandes, S. R., Cheung, C., Arashpour, M., Ejohwomu, O., Zayed, T. (2023). Modelling the Relationship Between Digital Twins Implementation Barriers and Sustainability Pillars. Insights from building and construction sector. Sustainable Cities and Society, 99, 104930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2023.104930

Maheshwari, P., Kamble, S., Belhadi, A., Mani, V., & Pundir, A. (2023). Digital twin implementation for performance improvement in process industries- A case study of food processing company. International Journal of Production Research, 61(23), 8343–8365. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2022.2104181

Malik, A. A. (2024). The Economic Impact of Digital Twin Technology on Manufacturing Systems. Proceedings of the 2024 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC). Orlando, USA. https://doi.org/10.1109/wsc63780.2024.10838771

Meng, X., Das, S., & Meng, J. (2023). Integration of Digital Twin and Circular Economy in the Construction Industry. Sustaintability, 15(17), 13186. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151713186

Piras, G., Muzi, F., & Tiburcio, V. A. (2024). Digital Management Methodology for Building Production Optimization through Digital Twin and Artificial Intelligence Integration. Buildings, 14(7), 2110. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14072110

Pires, F., Souza, M., Ahmad, B., & Leitão, P. (2021). Decision Support Based on Digital Twin Simulation: A Case Study. Service Oriented, Holonic and Multi-Agent Manufacturing Systems for Industry of the Future. Springer Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69373-2_6

Pomè, A. P., & Signorini, M. (2023). Real time facility management: Assessing the effectiveness of Digital Twin in the Operation and Maintenance phase of building life cycle. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1176(1), 012003. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1176/1/012003

Saini, K. K., Sharma, P., Mathur, H. D., & Siguerdidjane, H. (2022). Digital Twin of a Commercial Building Microgrid: Economic & Environmental Sustainability Analysis. Proceedings of the 2023 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM), New Delhi, India. https://doi.org/10.1109/PIICON56320.2022.10045142

Singh, G. P., Singh, S., Daultani, Y., Daultani, Y., & Chouhan, M. (2023). Measuring the influence of digital twins on the sustainability of manufacturing supply chain: A mediating role of supply chain resilience and performance. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 186, 109711. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2023.109711

Svadkovsky, V. A. (2023). The use of digital twins to improve the operational efficiency in the extractive industries. Strategic decisions and risk management, 14(3), 292-311. https://doi.org/10.17747/2618-947x-2023-3-292-311

Trienens, M., Rasor, R., Kharatyan, A., Dumitrescu, R., & Anacker, H. (2024). Digital twins to increase sustainability throughout the system life cycle: a systematic literature review, 4, 2277-2286. https://doi.org/10.1017/pds.2024.230

Ünal, A., Albayrak, Ö., & Ünal, P. (2023). Impact of Digital Twin Technology Utilization in Manufacturing on Sustainability: An Industrial Case Study. Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), Monterrey, Mexico. https://doi.org/10.23919/picmet59654.2023.10216885

Xu, B., Wang, J., Wang, X., Liang, Z., Cui, L., Liu, X., & Ku, A. Y. (2019). A case study of digital-twin-modelling analysis on power-plant-performance optimizations. Clean Energy, 3(3), 227-234. https://doi.org/10.1093/CE/ZKZ025

Yakovenko, Y., & Shaptala, R. (2024). Study of digital twins as the driving force of digital transformation and achieving the goals of sustainable development. Technology Audit and Production Reserves, 2(4(76)), 11–20. https://doi.org/10.15587/2706-5448.2024.301423

Zhang, J., & Jiang, S. (2024). Digital twin for sustainable development in building automation. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/ecam-08-2024-1024

Zhang, Y., Lau, L., Yanchus, P., Forootan, Z., & Marfatia, Z. (2024). Enhancing Efficiency and Sustainability in Offshore Oil and Gas Operations through Digital Twin and AI Technology: A Practitioner’s View. ADIPEC, Abu Dhabi, UAE. https://doi.org/10.2118/221957-ms

Descargas

Publicado

01-10-2025

Cómo citar

Boulesnam, M., Kahela, A., Hocini, O., & El-Shobary, N. M. H. (2025). Digital twin integration and sustainability outcomes: evidence from Huawei’s transformation journey (2008–2024). Revista Uniandes Episteme, 12(4), 554–571. https://doi.org/10.61154/rue.v12i4.4227

Número

Sección

Artículos de Investigación