Assessing urban digital sustainability through composite indicators of digital use intensity and e-waste pressure in India

Abstract Digital transformation is increasingly promoted as a pathway towards sustainable development; however, its environmental implications remain insufficiently quantified, particularly in rapidly urbanising regions where digital adoption is expanding faster than environmental monitoring systems. This study assesses urban digital sustainability in the Pune Metropolitan Region, India, using two respondent-level composite indicators: the Digital Usage Intensity Index (DUII) and the E-Waste Generation Index (EWGI). Survey data were collected from 630 respondents across households, trade and retail establishments, small offices, and educational institutions. DUII integrates device ownership, daily usage duration, data consumption and estimated power demand, while EWGI captures device turnover, disposal-pathway risk and storage behaviour. Sectoral differences were evaluated using descriptive statistics and Kruskal–Wallis tests, and sector-specific ordinary least squares models with HC3 robust standard errors were used to examine the relationship between DUII and estimated monthly ICT electricity demand. Significant differences in both DUII and EWGI were observed across sectors, with educational institutions exhibiting the highest average values. Higher DUII was positively associated with estimated ICT electricity demand in all sectors, with the strongest effect observed in educational institutions. The findings demonstrate that digital sustainability cannot be inferred solely from technology adoption because operational digital intensity and end-of-life sustainability pressure vary substantially across sectors. The proposed DUII–EWGI framework provides a practical approach for assessing urban digital sustainability in contexts where direct ICT energy and e-waste monitoring data are limited.