Digital Solutions for Transparency and Sustainability in the Textile and Paper Industry: Advantages, Challenges, and Pathways

The textile and paper industries face growing pressures to align with global sustainability goals while maintaining competitiveness and operational efficiency. Digital technologies, including Digital Twins (DTs), Data Ecosystems (DEs), and the Asset Administration Shell (AAS), offer trans-formative potential to address these challenges. By enabling real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and secure data sharing, these innovations support significant CO2 emission reductions, energy optimization, and enhanced supply chain transparency.This paper explores the advantages and challenges of implementing digital solutions within the framework of Vision 2030 for Industrie 4.0. It highlights measurable benefits, such as reduction in emissions and improvement in energy efficiency, while also addressing barriers like high costs, technical complexities, and limited adoption by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Empirical findings emphasize the need for modular, cost-effective solutions and collaborative frameworks to overcome these obstacles.By bridging the gap between cutting-edge technologies and practical industrial applications, this paper provides actionable insights and a roadmap for leveraging digital transformation to foster sustainability, resilience, and competitiveness in the textile and paper sectors.