Internet of Things as an enabler in disruptive innovation for sustainability

Abstract

This research concerns the way of facilitating the occurrence of disruptive innovation for sustainability by Internet of Things (IOT) solutions. One of the main objectives of this thesis is to find connections between IOT solutions, disruptive innovation, and sustainability. Moreover, this thesis critically review the research related to this topic to reveal future research areas in this field. In order to achieve the objectives of this thesis, research has been conducted towards three different aspects. The first aspect is to find the challenges of disruptive innovation for sustainability. The second one is to seek the value creation by IOT solutions in social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainability. The last aspect is to find the way of promoting the performance of circular economy by IOT technology. Finally, this thesis has been complemented with real-world perspectives from the conducted expert interview. The previous research studies have provided a valuable insight into the knowledge of IOT. However, according to the knowledge of the author, most of these studies have focused on the application of IOT in different industries, and no studies have inclusively examined the impact of IOT in each dimension of sustainability. The results show that IOT opens up a new room for revolution by embedded RFID tags, sensors, and actuators in objects. The solutions provided by IOT offer a possibility to economic, industrial, and business development. These solutions improve not only the social sustainability but also environmental sustainability because of the provision of peoples’ facilities to have a safe, secure, and eco-friendly life.