Understanding the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in improving environmental sustainability

Abstract

Industry 4.0 technologies provide critical perspectives for future innovation and business growth. Technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Big data, Machine Learning (ML), and other advanced upcoming technologies are being used to implement Industry 4.0. This paper explores how Industry 4.0 technologies help create a sustainable environment in manufacturing and other industries. Industry 4.0 technologies and the crucial interrelationships through advanced technologies should impact the environment positively. In the age of Industry 4.0, manufacturing is tightly interlinked with information and communication systems, making it more scalable, competitive, and knowledgeable. Industry 4.0 provides a range of principles, instructions, and technology for constructing new and existing factories, enabling consumers to choose different models at production rates with scalable robotics, information, and communications technology. This paper aims to study the significant benefits of Industry 4.0 for sustainable manufacturing and identifies tools and elements of Industry 4.0 for developing environmental sustainability. This literature review-based research is undertaken to identify how Industry 4.0 technologies can help to improve environmental sustainability. It also details the capabilities of Industry 4.0 in dealing with environmental aspects. Twenty major applications of Industry 4.0 to create a sustainable environment are identified and discussed. Thus, it gives a better understanding of the production environment, the supply chains, the delivery chains, and market results. Overall, Industry 4.0 technology seems environmentally sustainable while manufacturing goods with better efficiency and reducing resource consumption.