How can we design digital products/services that are sustainable?

This paper examines how firms can design sustainable digital products and services, using Old Mutual Bank’s collections department as an example. It highlights sustainability or what Armstrong and Lee (2024) describe as “survival”, as a primary objective of the firm. It then explores how business model innovation, digital product and service creation, and data utilisation contribute to this goal. Aagaard (2024) emphasises business model innovation as a pathway to sustainability, adaptability, and customer-centered practices. For OM Bank’s collections department, this could involve reimagining traditional collections to create a more resilient, customer-focused model, using digital tools to promote sustainable practices. In Designed for Digital: How to Architect Your Business for Sustained Success, Ross et al. (2019) argue that digital business design aids in creating agile companies with innovative, constantly evolving portfolios of digital offerings that respond to digital disruption and changing customer needs. Their framework for sustainable product and service design stresses adaptability and resilience, focusing on creating solutions that are efficient, scalable, and responsive to evolving demands. For Old Mutual Bank’s collections department, designing sustainable products and services would prioritise inclusivity, ethical practices, flexibility, environmental impact, and continuous improvement. This approach would involve making the platform accessible for all customers, including those with limited digital access, and partnering with telecom providers to reduce data costs. Predictive analytics should be used responsibly, with transparent debt communication, while a modular system architecture would keep operations flexible and efficient. Optimizing data storage to reduce energy consumption and prioritizing renewable energy sources would also be essential. Customer feedback would be incorporated continuously, enabling the platform to adapt to emerging trends for long-term sustainability and relevance. This approach aligns with Senge’s (2006) view of firms as interconnected systems, where understanding these interdependencies is crucial for addressing complex organisational challenges and fostering learning organisations.