Future perspectives of sustainable manufacturing and applications based on research databases

Abstract

Recent legislation and initiatives have precipitated a considerable shift toward sustainable development. Accordingly, studies into green manufacturing and applications have been conducted by numerous researchers. In this review, future perspectives of sustainable manufacturing and applications are evaluated and analyzed based on research databases. More specifically, the current status and historical trajectory of selected research areas are evaluated using data from the Web of Science library and the Journal Citation Reports (JCR). State-of-the-art sustainable manufacturing research is presented, and related journals are discussed according to research area. Selected journals and research subjects are assessed in terms of H-indices and the number of published articles, to evaluate the attention paid to, and importance of, each subject. To further the discussion on future perspectives, the historical trajectories of the research areas are explored. For example, technologies described in a greener machine tool review article were classified according to a technology hierarchy, and their historical changes were evaluated. Selected journals and subjects were matched to categorical hierarchies, and the development stages were assessed based on a four-stage model (early, emerging, developed, and saturated stages). The results showed that sustainable manufacturing and applications have dramatically emerged in the last decade. In this review, insights are provided into the status and future of sustainable technologies through the suggestion of evaluation methods and provision of examples.