Disruptive sustainability through digital innovations: Overcoming information asymmetries to benefit small-scale producers
Camille Meyer, John M. Luiz, Anton Grutter, Hamieda Parker
Research Policy · 2026 · Volume 55 · Issue 5
DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2026.105459
Abstract
This article explores how digital innovations promote disruptive sustainability by supporting small-scale producers. Through an exploratory case study of Abalobi, a South African social enterprise, we examine how digital innovations reconfigure production and distribution networks by addressing information asymmetries and fostering greater transparency, equity, and inclusion in seafood systems. We identify key dimensions that enhance market access for small-scale producers and empower them with verifiable data for regulatory compliance: 1) the redefinition of digital provenance that enhances traceability and transparency in production and distribution; 2) the rethinking of producer-consumer relationships by leveraging storytelling and building a shared vision of disruptive sustainability; and 3) the empowerment of producers with data and information ownership. We develop a socio-technical framework for disruptive sustainability that emphasizes the interaction between digital interventions, mediating mechanisms, and sustainability outcomes. The framework advances beyond technological determinism by identifying how enabling conditions, relational processes, and reflexive feedback loops shape the pathways through which digital tools can produce inclusive and sustainable transformations. We contribute to discourses on disruptive sustainability by highlighting the potential of digital innovations to drive systemic change in industries historically marked by exclusion and inequality.
Keywords
Community-supported fishery, Digital innovation, Disruptive sustainability, Information asymmetries, Small-scale producers
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