How the combination of Circular Economy and Industry 4.0 can contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Abstract The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are an interconnected strategy for the promotion of sustainable practices and solutions that addresses the main issues faced by our society. Concomitantly, two emerging topics are currently gaining interest due to their potential to implement systematic shifts and contribute to achieving the SDG – Circular Economy (CE) and Industry 4.0 (I4.0). This research performed a systematic literature review to identify how the CE-I4.0 nexus, the combination of CE practices and I4.0 technologies, could contribute to achieving the SDG. A total of 50 peer-review articles that addressed the simultaneous or individual link between CE and I4.0 to sustainability form the review portfolio. The articles were first screened with regard to the I4.0 technologies and CE practices applied, and further analyzed in order to understand the stronger links to the SDG. Findings show that the CE-I4.0 nexus directly benefits SDG 7, SDG 8, SDG 9, SDG 11, SDG 12, and SDG 13. The specific targets addressed by the combined implementation of CE practices and I4.0 technologies are disclosed and discussed. We argue that the CE-I4.0 nexus is pivotal in the endeavors to reach the SDG, as it connects innovative technologies with novel circular production and business models, which ultimately brings the opportunity to tackle the SDG targets intensified in this study. Further research could quantitatively address the impacts of the CE-I4.0 nexus, investigate secondary effects on the SDG, or develop further case studies under the CE-I4.0 umbrella.