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Sustainability
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Industry 4.0 Technologies for Sustainable Manufacturing and Supply Chain Operations
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Industry 4.0 Technologies for Sustainable Manufacturing and Supply Chain Operations

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 27 May 2025 | Viewed by 4112

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Filippo Marciano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Università degli Studi di Brescia, Via Branze 38, 25123 Brescia, Italy
Interests: occupational health and safety; ergonomics; social sustainability; energy and environmental management; industry 4.0; systematic review; multi-criteria decision making
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Giuseppe Tomasoni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, University of Brescia, 25121 Brescia, Italy
Interests: sustainability assessment of new technologies; green energy technologies; industrial sustainability; energy management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Paola Cocca

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Università degli Studi di Brescia, Via Branze 38, 25123 Brescia, Italy
Interests: sustainability; knowledge management; performance measurement; Industry 4.0
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The interest of companies in the sustainability performance of their operations and products, as well as of their suppliers and customers, has grown strongly in recent years. At the same time, the concept of Industry 4.0 has matured, and its enabling technologies are widely used, allowing companies and supply chains to be more smart, efficient, and productive. In this context, one of the most interesting challenges for researchers and managers is the definition of ways to direct technological innovation towards the improvement of sustainability performance, both from an economic, environmental, and social point of view.

The objective of this Special Issue is to promote research concerning the linkage between Industry 4.0 technologies and the sustainability of manufacturing and supply chain operations.

This Special Issue invites original papers dealing with, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Impacts of Industry 4.0-enabling technologies on sustainability;
  • Sustainability impacts of new technologies at an early technology readiness level;
  • Life cycle sustainability approaches of technological improvements in products and processes;
  • Contribution of technologies to the Sustainable Development Goals;
  • Role of Industry 4.0 technologies on the definition and measurement of sustainability performance indicators;
  • Sustainability assessment, management, and performance of smart production and smart logistics;
  • Sustainability performance benchmarking.

The papers should adopt one or more of the following (methodological, conceptual, empirical) approaches:

  • development of new metrics and/or methods;
  • consolidation or validation of existing metrics and/or methods;
  • analysis of case studies;
  • proposal of best practices;
  • analysis and development of supporting IT tools;
  • systematic literature reviews.

Other topics and approaches relevant to this Special Issue but not included in the list above will also be considered.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Filippo Marciano
Dr. Giuseppe Tomasoni
Dr. Paola Cocca
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Industry 4.0
  • I4.0 technologies
  • sustainability
  • sustainability performance
  • smart manufacturing
  • smart supply chain
  • sustainable manufacturing
  • sustainable supply chain

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 2750 KiB  
Article
The Procurement 4.0 Contributions to Circular Economy
by Robson Elias Bueno, Mayara Neves Pohlmann, Helton Almeida dos Santos and Rodrigo Franco Gonçalves
Sustainability 2024, 16(14), 5838; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16145838 - 9 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1126
Abstract
This study examines the potential of Procurement 4.0 as a driving force for the circular economy. While the circular economy’s principles are gaining increasing importance, their impact on established procurement practices necessitates exploration. This research investigates how Procurement 4.0 contributes to circularity within [...] Read more.
This study examines the potential of Procurement 4.0 as a driving force for the circular economy. While the circular economy’s principles are gaining increasing importance, their impact on established procurement practices necessitates exploration. This research investigates how Procurement 4.0 contributes to circularity within business processes. By employing the Delphi Method, the study identifies Industry 4.0 applications that hold promise for optimizing procurement within a circular economy framework. The findings demonstrate that Procurement 4.0, aligned with sustainability goals and leveraging enabling technologies, can enhance business competitiveness in a circular economy context. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industry 4.0 Technologies for Sustainable Manufacturing and Supply Chain Operations)
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25 pages, 2281 KiB  
Article
Assessment of the Level of Digitalization of Polish Enterprises in the Context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
by Dominik Kowal, Małgorzata Radzik and Lucia Domaracká
Sustainability 2024, 16(13), 5718; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135718 - 4 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1234
Abstract
Due to the dynamic development of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the operation of enterprises, and the increasing demands of customers, more and more companies have taken and continue to take action [...] Read more.
Due to the dynamic development of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the operation of enterprises, and the increasing demands of customers, more and more companies have taken and continue to take action to increase the level of digitalization. The implementation of innovative solutions contributes to the sustainability development of enterprises in various areas (economic, environmental, and social), streamlining processes and increasing effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of work. Such activities also contribute to the effective use of new opportunities by companies and strengthen their competitiveness and market position. The use of digital technologies increases the capacity of companies to innovate and grow, which brings significant benefits in terms of efficiency and competitiveness. The authors attempted to analyze and assess the level of digital transformation in enterprises in Poland. This study aimed to review the current state of digitization of companies, which made it possible to diagnose the level of digital maturity of Polish enterprises and to identify areas that will determine the activities of companies to quickly increase their competitiveness or improve internal processes. Qualitative and comparable methods were used in the analysis. The results show that the degree of digitization of Polish enterprises is increasing, and, in particular, was influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly half of the companies analyzed declared that they are increasing their budget for digitalization. The presented study has cognitive value regarding the assessment of the level of digitization of Polish enterprises. Both managers and decision-makers can benefit from the results of the study because decision-making regarding the development of SMEs is crucial to the effectiveness of the industrial strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industry 4.0 Technologies for Sustainable Manufacturing and Supply Chain Operations)
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20 pages, 4977 KiB  
Systematic Review
Simulation of Hospital Waste Supply Chain in the Context of Industry 4.0—A Systematic Literature Review
by André Ferreira, Ana L. Ramos, José V. Ferreira and Luís P. Ferreira
Sustainability 2024, 16(14), 6187; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16146187 - 19 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1042
Abstract
Supply chain management is a crucial task for all companies, as it is essential to respond to increased demand and competitiveness. An exponential increase in hospital waste can cause very significant risks to both humans and the environment if it is not treated [...] Read more.
Supply chain management is a crucial task for all companies, as it is essential to respond to increased demand and competitiveness. An exponential increase in hospital waste can cause very significant risks to both humans and the environment if it is not treated adequately. In this way, the efficient management of this waste can bring benefits and prevent an increase in the likelihood of disease occurring. With the growth of technology, there are various tools available to improve decision-making in the supply chain. Simulation, one of the pillars of Industry 4.0, is one of the tools being used. With the complexity of systems increasing, hybrid simulation provides more precise solutions to problems. The aim of this article is therefore to systematically research and analyze the literature on the use of simulation/hybrid simulation in supply chains in the health sector. In this way, 20 articles that approach simulation as a decision support tool in hospital waste supply chains were analyzed in the context of Industry 4.0. The results indicate that the years 2020 and 2023 had the highest number of publications (with five each) and that countries such as China and Indonesia had the highest number of documents on this topic (with five each). The topics in this research area with more related documents were environmental sciences, computer sciences and medicine. This research highlights the fundamental role of simulation approaches in improving the performance of supply chains in the healthcare sector, promoting resilience and improving healthcare outcomes for patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industry 4.0 Technologies for Sustainable Manufacturing and Supply Chain Operations)
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