The world is facing deep economic, climate and technological changes that are opening uncertainties and new opportunities. Among these challenges, climate change threatens future development, particularly in the industrial sector. Thanks to digitalization, however, a convergence between productivity and eco-sustainability seems possible. In this panorama, two paradigms are emerging: Circular Economy and Industry 4.0. The Circular Economy was born to shift from a linear "make - use - dispose" model to a "make - use - return" solution. Industry 4.0 is based on integrated, optimized and interoperable processes thanks to digital technologies. Recently, connections between the two paradigms have been investigated. However, from a systematic literature review it emerged a lack of holistic studies of correlation between the two themes, and models to offer future indications. Hence, this work provides an integrated framework to analyze the relationship among 9 Digital Technologies with 36 circular practices. Through 11 case studies original insights emerged. The most promising technologies on specific practices are indicated and the fact that different technologies relate with different practices is highlighted. Thus, it is no longer possible to treat as a single block the Circular Economy and Industry 4.0. Circular practices and digital technologies are implemented mainly for economic reasons, improving the eco-efficiency. Nevertheless, Industry 4.0 indirectly help to spread the attention towards the Circular Economy, as it provides companies with tools to measure and control processes. From these results, possible future research, as well as contributions for scholars, policymakers and industrial decision-makers are offered.
Il mondo sta affrontando profondi cambiamenti economici, climatici e tecnologici che stanno aprendo incertezze e nuove opportunità. Tra queste sfide, il cambiamento climatico minaccia lo sviluppo futuro, in particolare nel settore industriale. Grazie alla digitalizzazione, tuttavia, sembra possibile una convergenza tra produttività ed ecosostenibilità. In questo panorama, stanno emergendo due paradigmi: l’Economia Circolare e l’Industria 4.0. L'Economia Circolare nasce per passare da un modello "fare - usare - smaltire" a una soluzione "fare - usare - restituire". L’industria 4.0 si basa su processi integrati, ottimizzati e interoperabili grazie alle tecnologie digitali. Recentemente possibili connessioni tra i due paradigmi sono state studiate. Tuttavia, da una revisione sistematica della letteratura è emersa la mancanza di studi olistici sulla correlazione tra i due temi e di modelli che offrano indicazioni per il futuro. Questo lavoro fornisce quindi un framework integrato per analizzare la relazione tra 9 tecnologie digitali con 36 pratiche circolari. Attraverso 11 case studies risultati originali sono emersi. Sono state evidenziate le tecnologie più promettenti su pratiche specifiche e il fatto che tecnologie diverse si relazionano con differenti pratiche. Pertanto, non è più possibile trattare l’Economia Circolare e l’Industria 4.0 come un unico blocco. Le pratiche circolari e le tecnologie digitali sono attuate principalmente per ragioni economiche, migliorando l'eco-efficienza. Nonostante ciò, l'Industria 4.0 contribuisce indirettamente a diffondere l'attenzione verso l'Economia Circolare, in quanto fornisce alle aziende strumenti per misurare e controllare i processi. Dai risultati sono indicate possibili ricerche future, così come contributi per studiosi, politici e decisori industriali.
Investigating the role of digital technologies in enabling industrial circular economy through a comprehensive framework : from a systematic literature review to empirical evidence
Bassani, Carlo Andrea;Lampertico, Tommaso
2019/2020
Abstract
The world is facing deep economic, climate and technological changes that are opening uncertainties and new opportunities. Among these challenges, climate change threatens future development, particularly in the industrial sector. Thanks to digitalization, however, a convergence between productivity and eco-sustainability seems possible. In this panorama, two paradigms are emerging: Circular Economy and Industry 4.0. The Circular Economy was born to shift from a linear "make - use - dispose" model to a "make - use - return" solution. Industry 4.0 is based on integrated, optimized and interoperable processes thanks to digital technologies. Recently, connections between the two paradigms have been investigated. However, from a systematic literature review it emerged a lack of holistic studies of correlation between the two themes, and models to offer future indications. Hence, this work provides an integrated framework to analyze the relationship among 9 Digital Technologies with 36 circular practices. Through 11 case studies original insights emerged. The most promising technologies on specific practices are indicated and the fact that different technologies relate with different practices is highlighted. Thus, it is no longer possible to treat as a single block the Circular Economy and Industry 4.0. Circular practices and digital technologies are implemented mainly for economic reasons, improving the eco-efficiency. Nevertheless, Industry 4.0 indirectly help to spread the attention towards the Circular Economy, as it provides companies with tools to measure and control processes. From these results, possible future research, as well as contributions for scholars, policymakers and industrial decision-makers are offered.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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2020_12_BASSANI_LAMPERTICO.pdf
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/175379