Green Transformation of Manufacturing for Environmental Protection in the Context of the Digital Economy

Abstract

The development of the digital economy can significantly enhance resource utilization efficiency in the manufacturing industry and effectively monitor production emissions. This makes the digital economy a new driver for the green transformation of the manufacturing sector. As environmental protection becomes an increasingly pressing global concern, leveraging the digital economy to foster this transformation—by reducing energy consumption, water waste, and pollution emissions—has become a key issue that needs to be researched. To explore how to advance the green transformation of manufacturing and predict its future trajectory, this paper uses a system dynamics approach to simulate the process under various scenarios. The study demonstrates that accelerating the development of the digital economy has a considerable impact on improving resource utilization efficiency and reducing pollution emission, as does the improvement of green technology level. Notably, the improvement in green technology yields faster, more immediate environmental benefits, while the digital economy's impact is cumulative and becomes more pronounced over the long term. Therefore, it is essential to accelerate the digitization of the manufacturing industry and to improve green technology techniques and exploit their synergies. This paper aims to provide theoretical support and guidance for decision-making and practical actions within the manufacturing industry to enhance environmental protection.