Local Productive Systems’ Transitions to Industry 4.0+

Marco Bellandi,Lisa De Propris

doi:10.3390/su132313052

Abstract

The paper is positioned in the emerging debate on the technological change brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, often referred to as Industry 4.0. Our analysis is at the local, sub-national level. The aim is to explore what drivers and barriers local productive systems might face when seeking to embark on transitions that reconcile smart, equitable, and sustainable priorities, under enhanced models called Industry 4.0+. The novelty of the paper is to develop such models by designing a conceptual framework that juxtaposes the drivers and the barriers of sustainability transitions with local productive systems. This novel framework suggests possible pathways that local productive systems can initiate to achieve more equitable and green outcomes for their economy and society by directing the development of digital-related solutions.

Highlights

There appears a gap in the identification of the problems of sustainability transitions led by comprehensive I4.0+ models in contemporary Local Productive Systems (LPSs), which we propose to try and fill, referring mainly to the EU context
In quadrant IV, we find LPSs characterized by a pool of differentiated natural and cultural resources being associated more with bio- and cultural paths
The novel conceptual framework presented in this paper provides a tool to generate taxonomical tables of LPSs undergoing different types of sustainability transitions

Summary

Introduction

In A Handbook of Industrial Districts; Edward Elgar: Cheltenham, UK, 2009; pp. xv–xxxv. A Place-Based View on Industry 4.0 in Local Productive Systems. In Industry 4.0 and Regional Transformations; De Propris, L., Bailey, D., Eds.; Routledge: London, UK, 2020; pp. Regional Innovation Systems, Clean Technology & Jacobian Cluster-Platform Policies. Partnerships and Sustainable Regional Innovation Systems: Special Roles for Universities?. Environmental Innovation and Sustainability Transitions in Regional studies. (Eds.) Sustainable Innovation and Regional Development: Rethinking Innovative. Place-Based Value Creation in Sustainability Transitions; Sedita, S.R., Blasi, S., Eds.; Springer Nature Switzerland AG: Cham, Switzerland, 2021; pp. Place-Based Value Creation in Sustainability Transitions; Sedita, S.R., Blasi, S., Eds.; Springer Nature. Social Innovation for Sustainability: The Case of Oil Producing Communities in the Niger Delta region.

A Literature Review

Greening Local Productive Systems and Sustainable Regional Innovation Systems

Legenda

Case Studies

Conclusions and a Look Forward