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Watts et al. Carbon Footprints 2025, 4, 27 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/cf.2025.20 Page 5 of 16

[29]
contemporary technology, such as AI can aid carbon footprint reduction . Yet, despite the frequent
research undertaken into reducing carbon footprints and achieving the SDGs, the most recent update report
[3]
from the UN described SDG progress as “severely off track” . However, the same report advocates that
[3]
increasing technology use can aid the SDG achievement by the 2030 deadline .

DIGITAL TWINS
[30]
Innovation has been described as the “vehicle of development” , with numerous studies illustrating the
broader benefits increased innovation can achieve within the construction industry. This includes enhanced
[31]
site safety management , efficient procurement practices , and increasing effective supply chain
[32]
communication . Studies have also revealed a link between the lack of technological adoption and broader
[33]
negative ramifications. For example, one South African study reveals how a lack of innovation adoption can
limit adaption and growth . Research has also explored how technology adoption can reduce the
[34]
information gap, eliminate data discrepancies, and improve collaboration . The benefits for technology
[1]
adoption are therefore broad and can assist the construction industry in meeting many of its expectations.
One such study argues that it is only through adopting innovative technology that the industry can achieve
goals such as sustainability with the Chinese construction industry leading the way in green technology
adoption . Indeed, another study, again adopting a systematic literature review approach, argues the
[35]
existence of a link between increasing the digitisation of the construction industry and enhanced sustainable
processes . In an effort to enhance its innovative practices, and achieve its sustainable expectations, whilst
[32]
simultaneously increasing efficiency and remaining competitive, the construction industry has started to
explore the benefits of utilising DTs.

A DT can be described as “A relevant, virtual representation of the state and behaviour of something
[36]
physical or non-physical with a functional output in the real-world” . Utilising a DT allows improved
decision making by providing greater availability, clarity, and accuracy of information . Introduces at
[37]
NASA in the 1960s before entering mainstream terminology in the early 2000’s DTs can now no longer be
classed as in their infancy . It has been argued that the application of DT technology will help revolutionise
[38]
the performance of the construction industry as it allows digital simulations to utilise real time data for the
benefit of both natural and physical assets . The increasing significance of both the DTs and SDGs can be
[39]
ascertained via Google Trend data. This is freely available and illustrates the online search history for
selected key terms over a set period. Figure 2 reveals the search trend increase for the terms “Sustainable
Development Goals” (blue) and “Digital Twins” (red) since the start of 2014.

A similar search for the combination of these words (“Sustainable Development Goals Digital Twins”) does
not yield enough data to populate a graph, arguably illustrating that whilst these terms are increasing in
popularity individually, it is in isolation from one another. However, there are an increasing number of
studies that consider the combination of these concepts, and how specifically the wider use of DTs can aid
SDG achievement [40-42] . Through an extensive literature review one study found DTs can aid SDG
achievement in industries such as agriculture, education, healthcare, manufacturing, urban planning, and
construction . With another study illustrating the beneficial application of DTs in the sustainable
[38]
improvement of waterways resulting in a decreased water demand, a reduction in carbon emissions, and
enhanced cost savings achieved .
[37]
Despite its reputation for not embracing technological advancements, the construction industry has been an
early adopter in DTs in the form of Building Information Modelling (BIM) . However, despite the
[38]
technology existing for wide scale BIM use, leading to full DT adoption, there persists barriers to DT
adoption that have to date prevented its widescale growth. Nevertheless, the introduction of the BIM