Exploring the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on social sustainability through a circular economy approach

2022 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
pp. 176-190
Author(s):  
Chunguang Bai ◽  
Guido Orzes ◽  
Joseph Sarkis
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Towards a Conceptual Development of Industry 4.0, Servitisation, and Circular Economy: A Systematic Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6501
Author(s):  
Sehrish Atif ◽  
Shehzad Ahmed ◽  
Muhammad Wasim ◽  
Bassam Zeb ◽  
Zeeshan Pervez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Fully Integrated ◽  
Innovative Products ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
The Impact

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies have been highlighted in recent literature as enablers of servitisation. Simultaneously, businesses are advised to implement a circular economy (CE) to bring new opportunities. However, it is pertinent to mention that little attention has been given to assess the role of I4.0 in adopting the CE and servitisation in a fully integrated manner. This research fills this gap by developing a conceptual framework through a systematic literature review of 139 studies investigating the relationship between the I4.0, CE, and servitisation. This study identifies the impact of these variables on a firm’s operational and financial performance (revenue stream, growth, and profitability). Our research findings advocate that adopting I4.0 technologies to the business and manufacturing model enables sustainability, energy and resource efficiency while enhancing performance and offering innovative products through smart services. Thus, firms must systematically adopt I4.0 technologies to support a CE model that creates value through servitisation. This study identifies the research gaps that are unexplored for practitioners and future researchers while providing insight into the role of I4.0 in implementing CE in the servitisation business model.

scholarly journals Synergy between Circular Economy and Industry 4.0: A Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4331
Author(s):  
Carlos Andrés Tavera Romero ◽  
Diego F. Castro ◽  
Jesús Hamilton Ortiz ◽  
Osamah Ibrahim Khalaf ◽  
Miguel A. Vargas
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Evolutionary Relationship ◽  
Technological Changes ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Step Model ◽  
The Impact

Recent research has shown that there is a correlation between the circular economy (CE) and Industry 4.0 (I4.0). In addition, other research papers have analyzed the way that CE uses the different I4.0 technologies to transfer from the existing linear economy to CE; however, there are still gaps in the literature regarding the challenges and impacts that society and individuals must face to be ready for the transition from a linear to a circular economy. These challenges seek to guarantee the sustainability and sustainable development of the different business models that mobilize products and services through supply chains. Here, we conducted a review and compilation of the latest bibliography of circular economy and Industry 4.0 theory. The objective of this work is to present the evolutionary relationship between CE and I4.0, as well as its multi-step model of analysis. This research is relevant because its topics are timely and pertinent, especially for academics. Further, at the time that this research was performed, none of the countries were concerned about the impact that technological changes have on the human being and on society, and up to now we do not currently have studies that show how people are being trained to face the transition from the linear economy, which is common in most societies, toward a CE.

scholarly journals The Paradigms of Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy as Enabling Drivers for the Competitiveness of Businesses and Territories: The Case of an Italian Ceramic Tiles Manufacturing Company

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Garcia-Muiña ◽  
Rocío González-Sánchez ◽  
Anna Ferrari ◽  
Davide Settembre-Blundo
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Social Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Ceramic Tiles ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
The Impact

Sustainable development and the circular economy are two important issues for the future and the competitiveness of businesses. The programs for the integration of sustainability into industrial activities include the reconfiguration of production processes with a view to reducing their impact on the natural system, the development of new eco-sustainable products and the redesign of the business model. This paradigm shift requires the participation and commitment of different stakeholder groups and industry can completely redesign supply chains, aiming at resource efficiency and circularity. Developments in key ICT technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), help this systemic transition. This paper explores the phases of the transition from a linear to a circular economy and proposes a procedure for introducing the principles of sustainability (environmental, economic and social) in a manufacturing environment, through the design of a new Circular Business Model (CBM). The new procedure has been tested and validated in an Italian company producing ceramic tiles, using the digitalization of the production processes of the Industry 4.0 environment, to implement the impact assessment tools (LCA—Life Cycle Assessment, LCC—Life Cycle Costing and S-LCA—Social Life Cycle Assessment) and the business intelligence systems to provide appropriate sustainability performance indicators essential for the definition of the new CBM.

Emerging Industrial Revolution: Symbiosis of Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy: The Role of Universities

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 505-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seeram Ramakrishna ◽  
Alfred Ngowi ◽  
Henk De Jager ◽  
Bankole O. Awuzie
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
New Jobs

Growing consumerism and population worldwide raises concerns about society’s sustainability aspirations. This has led to calls for concerted efforts to shift from the linear economy to a circular economy (CE), which are gaining momentum globally. CE approaches lead to a zero-waste scenario of economic growth and sustainable development. These approaches are based on semi-scientific and empirical concepts with technologies enabling 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) and 6Rs (reuse, recycle, redesign, remanufacture, reduce, recover). Studies estimate that the transition to a CE would save the world in excess of a trillion dollars annually while creating new jobs, business opportunities and economic growth. The emerging industrial revolution will enhance the symbiotic pursuit of new technologies and CE to transform extant production systems and business models for sustainability. This article examines the trends, availability and readiness of fourth industrial revolution (4IR or industry 4.0) technologies (for example, Internet of Things [IoT], artificial intelligence [AI] and nanotechnology) to support and promote CE transitions within the higher education institutional context. Furthermore, it elucidates the role of universities as living laboratories for experimenting the utility of industry 4.0 technologies in driving the shift towards CE futures. The article concludes that universities should play a pivotal role in engendering CE transitions.

scholarly journals Green Deal as a Climate Changes Dam on the Road to Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Jevtic ◽  
C Bouland
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Clinical Medicine ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Road ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
On The Road ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Public health professionals (PHP) have a dual task in climate change. They should persuade their colleagues in clinical medicine of the importance of all the issues covered by the GD. The fact that the health sector contributes to the overall emissions of 4.4% speaks to the lack of awareness within the health sector itself. The issue of providing adequate infrastructure for the health sector is essential. Strengthening the opportunities and development of the circular economy within healthcare is more than just a current issue. The second task of PHP is targeting the broader population. The public health mission is being implemented, inter alia, through numerous activities related to environmental monitoring and assessment of the impact on health. GD should be a roadmap for priorities and actions in public health, bearing in mind: an ambitious goal of climate neutrality, an insistence on clean, affordable and safe energy, a strategy for a clean and circular economy. GD provides a framework for the development of sustainable and smart transport, the development of green agriculture and policies from field to table. It also insists on biodiversity conservation and protection actions. The pursuit of zero pollution and an environment free of toxic chemicals, as well as incorporating sustainability into all policies, is also an indispensable part of GD. GD represents a leadership step in the global framework towards a healthier future and comprises all the non-EU members as well. The public health sector should consider the GD as an argument for achieving goals at national levels, and align national public health policies with the goals of this document. There is a need for stronger advocacy of health and public-health interests along with incorporating sustainability into all policies. Achieving goals requires the education process for healthcare professionals covering all of topics of climate change, energy and air pollution to a much greater extent than before.

scholarly journals The “ReWaste4.0” Project—A Review

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 764
Author(s):  
Renato Sarc
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Digital Communication ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Energy Materials ◽  
Treatment Processes ◽  
Mixed Waste ◽  
Further Development

ReWaste4.0 is an innovative and cooperative K-Project in the period 2017–2021. Through ReWaste4.0 the transformation of the non-hazardous mixed municipal and commercial waste treatment industry towards a circular economy has started by investigating and applying the new approaches of the Industry 4.0. Vision of the ReWaste4.0 is, among others, the development of treatment plants for non-hazardous waste into a “Smart Waste Factory” in which a digital communication and interconnection between material quality and machine as well as plant performance is reached. After four years of research and development, various results have been gained and the present review article summarizes, links and discuss the outputs (especially from peer-reviewed papers) of seven sub-projects, in total, within the K-project and discusses the main findings and their relevance and importance for further development of the waste treatment sector. Results are allocated into three areas, namely: contaminants in mixed waste and technical possibilities for their reduction as well as removal; secondary raw and energy materials in mixed waste and digitalization in waste characterization and treatment processes for mixed waste. The research conducted in ReWaste4.0 will be continued in ReWaste F for further development towards a particle-, sensor- and data-based circular economy in the period 2021–2025.

scholarly journals Development of the Circular Bioeconomy: Drivers and Indicators

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 413
Author(s):  
Maximilian Kardung ◽  
Kutay Cingiz ◽  
Ortwin Costenoble ◽  
Roel Delahaye ◽  
Wim Heijman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Green Economy ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
Analysis Framework ◽  
Stakeholder Consultation ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

The EU’s 2018 Bioeconomy Strategy Update and the European Green Deal recently confirmed that the bioeconomy is high on the political agenda in Europe. Here, we propose a conceptual analysis framework for quantifying and analyzing the development of the EU bioeconomy. The bioeconomy has several related concepts (e.g., bio-based economy, green economy, and circular economy) and there are clear synergies between these concepts, especially between the bioeconomy and circular economy concepts. Analyzing the driving factors provides important information for monitoring activities. We first derive the scope of the bioeconomy framework in terms of bioeconomy sectors and products to be involved, the needed geographical coverage and resolution, and time period. Furthermore, we outline a set of indicators linked to the objectives of the EU’s bioeconomy strategy. In our framework, measuring developments will, in particular, focus on the bio-based sectors within the bioeconomy as biomass and food production is already monitored. The selected indicators commit to the EU Bioeconomy Strategy objectives and conform with findings from previous studies and stakeholder consultation. Additionally, several new indicators have been suggested and they are related to measuring the impact of changes in supply, demand drivers, resource availability, and policies on sustainability goals.

scholarly journals Connectivity as a Design Feature for Industry 4.0 Production Equipment: Application for the Development of an In-Line Metrology System

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 1312
Author(s):  
Ana Pamela Castro-Martin ◽  
Horacio Ahuett-Garza ◽  
Darío Guamán-Lozada ◽  
Maria F. Márquez-Alderete ◽  
Pedro D. Urbina Coronado ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Design Feature ◽  
Production Equipment ◽  
Smart Manufacturing ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Advanced Manufacturing Technologies ◽  
Manufacturing Technologies ◽  
Equipment Application ◽  
The Impact

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is built upon the capabilities of Internet of Things technologies that facilitate the recollection and processing of data. Originally conceived to improve the performance of manufacturing facilities, the field of application for I4.0 has expanded to reach most industrial sectors. To make the best use of the capabilities of I4.0, machine architectures and design paradigms have had to evolve. This is particularly important as the development of certain advanced manufacturing technologies has been passed from large companies to their subsidiaries and suppliers from around the world. This work discusses how design methodologies, such as those based on functional analysis, can incorporate new functions to enhance the architecture of machines. In particular, the article discusses how connectivity facilitates the development of smart manufacturing capabilities through the incorporation of I4.0 principles and resources that in turn improve the computing capacity available to machine controls and edge devices. These concepts are applied to the development of an in-line metrology station for automotive components. The impact on the design of the machine, particularly on the conception of the control, is analyzed. The resulting machine architecture allows for measurement of critical features of all parts as they are processed at the manufacturing floor, a critical operation in smart factories. Finally, this article discusses how the I4.0 infrastructure can be used to collect and process data to obtain useful information about the process.

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