Manufacturers crack sustainability code using free public data
A study of Indian manufacturing firms identifies seven practical ways companies use publicly available government datasets to cut costs while meeting environmental and social goals. For large manufacturers struggling to balance profit with sustainability, open data offers a scalable, low-cost tool to inform strategic decisions without expensive proprietary research.
Originaltitel: Sustainable value creation using open data: Best practices from the manufacturing sector
<p>Sustainable value creation (SVC), while increasingly prioritized, remains challenging for large manufacturing firms because it requires balancing environmental responsibility, economic performance, and social well-being. Meeting these expectations demands a clear understanding of regulatory requirements, market dynamics, and environmental conditions in a cost-effective and reliable manner. Open data (OD) or Open Governmental Data (OGD), referring to publicly accessible and reusable free datasets, offers a potential solution that industrial firms can draw upon to support strategic and operational decisions. Although few studies acknowledge the benefits of OD, there is limited understanding of how firms actually use it in practice for SVC. To address this gap, this study identifies seven industrial practices, spanning strategic and economic imperatives, social-environmental responsibility, and regulatory and operational activities, through which large manufacturers leverage OD to improve SVC. The analysis is based on 27 in-depth interviews from 11 leading Indian manufacturing firms, complemented by a validatory focus group. The study contributes theoretically to sustainability and OD literature by demonstrating how OD supports all three dimensions of sustainability and extends its influence beyond firm boundaries to shape sustainability performance across supply chains. It also offers managerial guidance on integrating OD-based practices to report progress towards SDGs. For policymakers, the study provides insights to strengthen the design and relevance of OD platforms, ensuring better alignment between OD providers and industrial users.</p>