Abstract
Nowadays, sustainability and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) are trending concepts used in the literature on industrial processes. Industry 4.0 has been mainly addressed by the current literature from a technological perspective, overlooking sustainability challenges regarding this recent paradigm. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the state of the art of relations between sustainability and I4.0. The goal will be met by (1) mapping and summarizing existing research efforts, (2) identifying research agendas, (3) examining gaps and opportunities for further research. Web of Science, Scopus, and a set of specific keywords were used to select peer-reviewed papers presenting evidence on the relationship between sustainability and I4.0. To achieve this goal, it was decided to use a dynamic methodology called “systematic literature network analysis”. This methodology combines a systematic literature review approach with the analysis of bibliographic networks. Selected papers were used to build a reference framework formed by I4.0 technologies and sustainability issues. The paper contributes to the Sustainable Industry 4.0 reference framework with application procedures. It aims to show how I4.0 can support ideas of sustainability. The results showed that apart from a huge contribution to both concepts, many papers do not provide an insight into realization of initiatives to introduce Sustainable Industry 4.0.
Highlights
Industry 4.0 (I4.0) as a term and strategic initiative of the German government was introduced in 2011 [1,2]
How applications of Industry 4.0 can contribute to sustainable development?
How Industry 4.0 technologies and tools can be integrated into sustainability practices on a theoretical and practical basis?
Summary
Industry 4.0 (I4.0) as a term and strategic initiative of the German government was introduced in 2011 [1,2]. Many similar transforming actions towards Industry 4.0 were taken in other developed countries, e.g., US Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, Chinese Made in China, British Smart Factory and others [3]. Speaking of Industry 4.0, it should be considered as the applying of flexible automation, cyber-physical systems, (industrial) Internet of Things, sensors, collaborative and cognitive robotics, cloud computing, big data, computer modelling and simulations, additive manufacturing (3D printing) [5]. This picture clearly shows the technology-driven nature of I4.0 on the one hand.
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