Current international issues include the emergence and application of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), a cutting-edge manufacturing system powered by information technology (IT), as well as the development of a sustainable society. The implications for sustainable development (SD) from the perspectives of sustainable manufacturing (SM), sustainable business models (SBM), and the circular economy (CE) have received a lot of attention. I4.0 adoption and implementation, sustainable supply chains, and smart factories are frequently the subjects of studies on sustainable manufacturing. Two recently developed research areas that concentrate on I4.0 adoption and implementation as well as sustainable supply chains are the circular economy and sustainable business models. This chapter combines recent research developments in the disciplines of I4.0 and sustainability with the aid of the literature on the CE, SM, and SBM.
Top1. Introduction
In the modern world, there are many concerns that must be tackled, including the enhancement of a sustainable society and the rise and use of I4.0, an innovative manufacturing process driven by information technology (IT). New technologies that optimise outputs while effectively using resources have been brought by I4.0 to the manufacturing industry (Kamble et al., 2018). Cyber-physical systems (CPSs), the Internet of Things (IoT), and other modern technologies open up opportunities for technological advancement that allow for higher efficiency and productivity in a range of businesses. I4.0 combines big data (BD), IoT, with artificial intelligence (AI) to leverage production operations. I4.0 has a great deal of promise to enable the development of environmentally friendly manufacturing value in the economic, social, and environmental sectors by improving resource efficiency. The concept of sustainability within I4.0 raises concerns conventional methods to emerge handling and imposes more systemic attitudes to allocate with change (Trivedi et al., 2023). This indicates that for sustainability and green economies to advance, systems of “doing things better” must go from homogenous to comprehensive (Sterling, 2004; McKibben & McKibben, 2007; Bahuguna et al., 2022).
For manufacturers to succeed in achieving the objectives of sustainable development, they should accept a new viewpoint recognized as the CE (Blunck and Werthmann, 2017). However, there are some obstacles preventing the adoption and development of CE. Some of the main problems include higher initial installation costs, supply chain complexity, an absence of corporate teamwork, knowledge gaps for goods development and manufacturing procedures, insufficient expertise, quality modifications, lengthy turnaround periods for dismantling, and extraordinary costs associated with such operations. These problems can be solved with I4.0 technology. Making use of a CPS be able to assist with efficient job organizing and completing, saving time, money, and resources (Tiwari et al., 2022a; Kusiak, 2018), which increases the availability of environmental sources and lowers ecological budget. Less significant collections can result in reduced manufacturing waste and a additional accurate reaction to client requirement turns. I4.0 principles include service orientation, actual time capabilities, decentralisation, virtualization, and connectivity. A sustained equipment life cycle and a decrease in industrial waste output can be attributed to interoperability, and improved local resource and asset utilisation can be attributed to decentralisation. Real-time capabilities lead to enhanced demand curve adaptation, better utilisation of resources, and a faster reaction to alterations in the energy supply. Virtualisation can reduce waste from industries, make it simpler to encourage innovative ecological practises, and increase recycling possibilities. Modularity results in greater industrial resource utilisation and longer machine life cycles; and service orientation can boost options for recycling and reuse, as well as the use of final products.
The definition of SD comprehends a extensive extent of ideas, such as source utilisation, economic relationships, and human advancement. The three fundamental elements of sustainability, according to Elkington (1998), are social, economic, and the preservation of the environment. These pillars make up the triple bottom line, whose objective is to satisfy the source needs of generations to come without endangering the environment. I4.0 has a lot of promise for collecting sustainable economic generation that results in SM. SBMs take into consideration all parties involved in addition to the environment and the community at large. They are crucial in guiding and implementing into practise new company procedures for sustainability by adopting CE methods including enlargement, decreasing, and closing the asset loop, resulting in important factors of business competitiveness and complete SD.