Under the background of globalisation and informatisation, the protection and development of light industrial cultural heritage is facing unprecedented opportunities and challenges. The purpose of this paper is to explore how to achieve the overall protection of light industrial cultural heritage through digital technology and formulate effective development strategies to promote the   sustainable development. Firstly, this study reviews the definition and classification of light industrial cultural heritage, as well as its historical value and cultural significance; subsequently, it analyses in detail the current risks and challenges faced by light industrial heritage. On this basis, a set of systematic digital preservation methods is proposed, including digital recording and archiving, 3D scanning and modelling, and the application of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies, and the key technologies of digital storage and management are discussed in depth. Finally, the development mode of digital light industrial cultural heritage is studied, including online education platform, creative industry integration and marketing strategy, and successful development practice is demonstrated through case studies.