The green transition has a digital heart. From AI-powered crop monitoring to automated recycling systems, Europe's twin transition is creating entirely new pathways to sustainability and new demands for hybrid skills.
Why now? EU climate targets demand rapid decarbonisation, digital technology costs are dropping and the Clean Industrial Deal plus new regulations like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive require data and analysis expertise to monitor progress.
The transformation in action
When sustainability meets technology, the combination transforms how businesses operate. Cedefop's research highlights how companies leverage digital tools:
Digital monitoring technologies enable precision sustainability:
- Satellite-based crop monitoring promotes needs-based pesticide use
- AI soil moisture systems help avoid water waste
- CO2 analysis in procurement processes to monitor supply chain emissions
Data systems and tracking make environmental impact measurable:
- Data Centres track waste types and sorting locations
- QR codes enable consumers to trace products to particular crop fields
- Digital supply chain management sources raw materials locally, as done by the food company, which gets 95% of raw materials from within a 80km radius
Digital integration transforms job requirements:
- Agronomists now need hybrid skills profiles combining field knowledge with digital skills for information systems
- Communication roles require digital fluency and awareness building skills to effectively engage citizens and stakeholders on sustainability topics
- In waste management, new "white-collar" innovation jobs emerge while automation reduces technical staff needs
Twin transition means skills transformation
The green-digital transformation creates hybrid competencies that did not exist before. Workers need sustainability knowledge and expertise plus digital fluency, not as separate skill sets, but as integrated capabilities.
Trends in the motor engineering company show how fundamental the transformation is: service technicians who once relied on physical tools and auditory cues now work primarily with software and analytics. The energy storage unit grew from 30 to 150 staff in just 18 months as digital competencies became essential for new green technologies.
The food company achieved a 100% adoption rate of at least one recommended sustainability practice through digital support systems among its farmers and 66% of them adopted multiple practices. This demonstrates how expanding digital tools in the supply chain can accelerate greening.
The skills shift ahead
The ongoing skills transformation creates both opportunities and challenges for Europe's skills policy and its implementation. VET systems must prepare learners for jobs that seamlessly blend sustainability expertise with digital capabilities. Traditional sector boundaries blur when environmental engineers need data science skills and IT professionals must understand climate impact.
At the same time, the twin transition represents Europe's pathway to competitive sustainability. Achieving effective policy implementation and impact requires recognising that the green transition is often powered by digital technology and that – to be successful – the digital transition must be inherently green.
Next in Cedefop’s Skills in Transition Series: How different sectors are adapting sustainability practices to their unique operational realities.
