Industry 4.0 and sustainable development: A systematic mapping of triple bottom line, Circular Economy and Sustainable Business Models perspectives

Abstract

Industry 4.0 has been identified as a major contributor to the era of digitalisation. Its implications for sustainable development have gained widespread attention from the perspectives of the triple bottom line, sustainable business models and circular economy. The purpose of this paper is to map the broad field of sustainable development and investigate the key research areas which comprises the aforementioned perspectives under Industry 4.0 framework. A systematic mapping review was conducted by searching five databases for relevant literature published between January 1, 2012 and April 17, 2020. The search yielded 4291 papers of which 81 were identified as primary papers relevant to the research herein. The primary findings are that the majority of sustainability research focuses on conceptual analysis, and the Internet of Things is dominantly cited with an emphasis on achieving the triple bottom line benefits. Sustainable development in the Industry 4.0 context contributes to circular economic objectives by achieving social, economic, and environmental benefits. Triple bottom line studies mainly focus on Industry 4.0 adoption and implementation, sustainable supply chains, smart and sustainable cities, and smart factories. Circular economy and sustainable business models as emerging research themes that focus on Industry 4.0 adoption and implementation, as well as sustainable supply chains. Our analysis consolidates emerging research patterns areas in both the Industry 4.0 and sustainability literature. Furthermore, it identifies salient research gaps and suggests future research.