The sustainability paradox: rethinking digital technologies in education for a sustainable future

Digital technologies in education are frequently positioned as sustainability-enabling because they can reduce travel, paper and printing, and some on-campus energy and space requirements. However, their sustainability profile is more ambiguous when environmental impacts across energy use, devices, and data infrastructures are considered alongside social implications such as unequal access and capability. This opinion paper examines digital education through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on SDG 4 (Quality education), SDG 10 (Reduced inequalities), and SDG 13 (Climate action), using a lifecycle-oriented perspective. It argues that digital education embodies a sustainability paradox: it can expand access and participation while increasing energy demand and material impacts, and it may reinforce inequalities where connectivity, devices, and digital literacy are unevenly distributed. The paper outlines institutional strategies for more sustainable digital education, including sustainability action planning, energy-efficient infrastructure and procurement, circular economy approaches to devices, equity-oriented support for access and capability, and cautious governance of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain. It concludes that sustainability in digital education requires balancing educational benefits with environmental, social, and economic impacts, and positioning institutions to contribute to systemic change beyond campus boundaries.