ArticlePublisher preview available

Integrating Sustainability and Industry 4.0: A Framework for Sustainable Logistics 4.0

Authors:
Mario Di Nardo at Pegaso University
Mario Di Nardo
Maryam Gallab at National School of Mineral Industry
Maryam Gallab
Teresa Murino
Teresa Murino
Teresa Murino
  • This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.
Jing Wu
Jing Wu
Jing Wu
  • This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.
Show all 5 authorsHide
Read publisher preview
Download citation
To read the full-text of this research, you can request a copy directly from the authors.

Abstract and Figures

As society becomes more aware of environmental and social issues, supply chain stakeholders increasingly consider these factors alongside efficiency, cost, and time. The logistics industry must adapt by integrating Industry 4.0 technologies and sustainability practices. Sustainable Logistics 4.0, though nascent, is gaining traction for enhancing sustainability through digital interventions. This study conducted a comprehensive literature review and bibliometric network analysis using data extracted from the Scopus and Google Scholar databases, covering the period from 2013 to 2023, focusing on the integration of sustainability, Industry 4.0, and logistics. Noting a gap in conceptual frameworks, the paper performs a SWOT analysis to identify key factors and proposes a framework for digitalizing sustainable logistics and addressing emerging challenges.
Figures - available from: Circular Economy and Sustainability
This content is subject to copyright. Terms and conditions apply.
A preview of this full-text is provided by Springer Nature.
Learn more
Content available from Circular Economy and Sustainability
This content is subject to copyright. Terms and conditions apply.
REVIEW PAPER
Received: 10 September 2024 / Accepted: 21 December 2024
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025
Mario Di Nardo
mario.dinardo@unipegaso.it
Shatrudhan Pandey
er.shatrudhanp@gmail.com
1 Facoltàdi Ingegneria, Università Telematica Pegaso, Rome 00186, Italy
2 MIS-LISTD Laboratory, Computer Science Department, Mines-Rabat School (ENSMR),
Rabat 10000, Morocco
3 Department of Chemical, Materials and Industrial Production Engineering, University of
Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
4 Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark,
Kgs. Lyngby 2800, Denmark
5 Marwadi University Research Center, Faculty of Management Studies, Marwadi University,
Rajkot 360003, Gujarat, India
Integrating Sustainability and Industry 4.0: A Framework for
Sustainable Logistics 4.0
MarioDi Nardo1· MaryamGallab2· TeresaMurino3· JingWu4·
ShatrudhanPandey5
Circular Economy and Sustainability
https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-024-00492-1
Abstract
As society becomes more aware of environmental and social issues, supply chain stake-
holders increasingly consider these factors alongside eciency, cost, and time. The lo-
gistics industry must adapt by integrating Industry 4.0 technologies and sustainability
practices. Sustainable Logistics 4.0, though nascent, is gaining traction for enhancing
sustainability through digital interventions. This study conducted a comprehensive litera-
ture review and bibliometric network analysis using data extracted from the Scopus and
Google Scholar databases, covering the period from 2013 to 2023, focusing on the integra-
tion of sustainability, Industry 4.0, and logistics. Noting a gap in conceptual frameworks,
the paper performs a SWOT analysis to identify key factors and proposes a framework for
digitalizing sustainable logistics and addressing emerging challenges.
Keywords Industry 4.0 · Sustainability · Logistics · Circular Economy · TBL
Abbreviations
AI Articial Intelligence
SDGS Sustainable Development Goals
CE Circular Economy
1 3
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
Operationalizing sustainability in pharmaceuticals: Green supply chain metrics for circular economy
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2025
The increasing population and rapid industrialization have driven material consumption to a level that surpasses the environment's capacity to cope with the resulting pollution. The circular economy offers a new business model, contrasting the traditional take-make-waste approach. In this context, the present study seeks to identify barriers at operational, strategic, and tactical levels in transition towards circular economy. The article focuses on recognizing barriers from an organizational viewpoint, using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to help decision-makers identify obstacles in implementing circularity principles. A total of 24 barriers, grouped into five categories, were identified for a pharmaceutical company. Findings reveal numerous barriers, including technology, finances, return on investment, policies and regulations, stakeholder management, and corporate strategy, all of which impact organizational sustainability efforts. Reverse logistics emerged as a critical concern due to the toxic nature of products, requiring stringent take-back mechanisms. This study is unique in assessing parameters within the framework of the triple bottom line and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production) and SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure). The research evaluates GSM implementation challenges using circular and sustainable criteria to support achieving SDG 12.
View
Investigating Organizational Transformations on the Path to Sustainable Supply Chain 4.0 Implementation
Article
Full-text available
  • Sep 2024
This research investigates the multifaceted landscape of organizational transformations in the context of Sustainable Supply Chain 4.0 (SSC 4.0). In an era marked by rapid technological advancements and a heightened focus on sustainability, it is crucial to understand how organizations navigate and adapt to the evolving paradigm of SSC 4.0. The study identifies significant research gaps, including inadequate coverage of key drivers, the absence of a generalized model applicable across various industries, underutilization of the Neutrosophic Best‒Worst Method (NBWM) for driver prioritization, and a lack of comprehensive studies addressing the extraction, validation, prioritization, and interrelationships of these drivers. This research presents novel contributions by utilizing the Neutrosophic Best‒Worst Method (NBWM) in the context of SSC 4.0, providing a pioneering approach to driver prioritization. The development of a generalized model applicable across diverse industries also represents a significant advancement, filling a critical gap in the existing literature. The study aims to systematically address these gaps by extracting drivers of SSC 4.0, validating them using the Delphi method, prioritizing the validated drivers through the NBWM, and uncovering the interrelationships among these drivers. These contributions lead to a deeper understanding of the critical components driving SSC 4.0 and provide a robust framework for future research in sustainable supply chain transformations. By achieving these objectives, this research offers a comprehensive understanding of the critical components driving SSC 4.0 and presents a robust methodological framework that can be applied to similar studies in the broader context of organizational transformations towards sustainable supply chains.
View
Circular Economy Integration in the Indian FMCG Supply Chain: Unveiling Strategic Hurdles and Pathways to Sustainable Transformation
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2024
The Circular Economy (CE) concept has gained substantial momentum, particularly in its transformative impact on supply chains. It has generated considerable interest among practitioners and researchers seeking to address the complex challenges confronting fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) supply chains today. However, the integration of CE practices in this context remains relatively unexplored in the existing literature. This research is motivated by the need to uncover and elucidate the barriers hindering the implementation of CE within FMCG supply chains in India. Drawing from a synthesis of prior academic literature and employing the fuzzy-Delphi method, the study identifies these barriers, establishing significance through applying threshold value and quantifying the similarity between identified obstacles using Jaccard Similarity and Cosine Similarity metrics. Informed by the insights of six subject matter experts, the research findings emphasize the critical role of decision-making within supply chains to adopt CE principles effectively. Additionally, the study highlights the imperative of crafting robust business models and implementation frameworks to embed CE principles within FMCG supply chains in India. The findings of this study hold promise in assisting industry professionals in devising strategic approaches to embrace CE, thereby securing a sustained competitive advantage within FMCG supply chains. This research also offers valuable guidance to managers and planners in comprehending and executing CE strategies in FMCG supply chains, ultimately contributing to enhancing sustainability within these supply chains by applying CE concepts.
View
How can the circular economy support the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? A comprehensive analysis
Article
Full-text available
  • Jul 2023
As the Circular Economy (CE) moves up in the agenda of research, policy, and businesses, understanding its impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) becomes more important. This research analyzed the potential impact that 27 circularity strategies have on each of the 17 SDGs and their associated 169 targets. The results suggest that CE strategies can contribute to all SDGs, but most effectively to SDGs 8, 12, and 13, and least to SDGs 4, 5, 10, and 16. However, for these relationships to exist, CE strategies must follow one or more of the seven pathways that have been identified: 1) Reduced, traceable extraction; 2) Regenerative, biobased production; 3) Human inclusive industries; 4) Shareable longevity; 5) Consumers at the center, not consumerism; 6) Clean and effective end of life, and 7) Reduced and clean energy and transport. Among them, pathways 2, 4, and 6 proved to be the most influential, accounting for 66 % of the potential contributions to the SDGs. Conversely, the results of this analysis revealed that, while the CE mostly focuses on products and materials, the SDGs emphasize people and places (the environment). The results of this research, in particular the identified pathways, can help practitioners and policymakers to evaluate the contribution of current CE approaches to the SDGs, and guide them in the design of better strategies for leveraging the potential of a CE as a transition tool to advance the SDGs. Overall, this research sets the basis for a deeper understanding of the opportunities and limitations of the Circular Economy as a framework to advance the SDGs.
View
Implementation and Use of Digital, Green and Sustainable Technologies in Internal and External Transport of Manufacturing Companies
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2023
The concept of Industry 5.0 provides a human-centered, sustainable, and resilient manufacturing system with a high emphasis on green technologies. This paper will examine the current use and perception of the green and digital technologies in the internal and external transport systems of Croatian manufacturing companies, relying on the continuous work of the authors in the field of local manufacturing industry development and digitalization. On a sample of 112 companies, statistical analysis of the results has shown that the greatest challenge in the digital technologies implementation is the unavailability of the technology on the market and employee resistance to change. The companies perceive benefits of renewable resource usage in internal transport in the rise in environmental awareness and increased flexibility, while the productivity increase and human safety improvement are the crucial reasons for the digitalization of internal transport in Croatian manufacturing companies. In external transport, the use of renewable energy sources is very rare, due to high price and low endurance of the vehicles, but the main reasons for its future possible implementation are environmental awareness, profitability, and sustainability. The majority of the companies in Croatia are still not familiar with Industry 4.0 or 5.0 concept but have shown a high interest for digital and green technology implementation to enable sustainable future development.
View
Blockchain-Based Architecture for a Sustainable Supply Chain in Cloud Architecture
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2023
Blockchain technology, as a well-known technology in financial spaces, has many advantages in non-financial industries and supply chains. Two of the main benefits of blockchain technology are smart contracts and distributed decision-making processes. These features can be especially useful in implementing Industry 4.0. Moreover, this technology can increase productivity in supply chains by enhancing transparency, reducing operational costs, and improving monitoring and supervision throughout the lifecycle of products. In this paper, we introduce a blockchain-based architecture for a supply chain in cloud architecture. This approach leads to the more efficient implementation of Industry 4.0 and increases sustainability in the supply chain. In this study, we aim to investigate whether the proposed blockchain-based platform affects sustainability in the supply chain. From a sustainability perspective, we solve the large-scale problem of a cloud-based production–distribution system in centralized and distributed states. The results of the solution indicate a significant improvement in the decentralized state compared to the centralized state and this improvement enhances sustainability in the supply chain. We verify the proposed model by considering an axiomatic design algorithm. In the distributed model, the system cost is reduced by up to 45%, and the solving time is decreased by approximately 51% in pessimistic conditions and by about 87% in optimistic conditions. These improvements directly enhance economic and environmental sustainability, resulting in reduced energy consumption.
View
Core Competence—As a Key Factor for a Sustainable, Innovative and Resilient Development Model Based on Industry 5.0
Article
Full-text available
  • May 2023
The main objective of this paper is to highlight the importance of core competences as an important catalyst to enable a sustainable transition of business models to Industry 5.0. According to our research based on a scientific methodology, we illustrated that Industry 4.0 might greatly affect the labor market by introducing ITC, AI, IR and AR that will change many jobs in most areas of activity. One alternative solution to diminish these negative effects is to accommodate and prepare the shift to a more human-centric approach. In order to better implement this alternative solution and to generate mid- to long-run positive effects (from an economic, social and environmental perspective), we consider it is imperative that human resources be prepared to understand and to use new technologies. We have focused our research context on European countries. We found that only a part of the European Union Member Countries benefit from the use of human resources with advanced digital skills. Under these circumstances, we consider that only some countries will be able to face the challenges generated by the transition to Industry 5.0, while others, the emergent countries, such as Romania, will have to intensify the complex process of designing competitive and coherent strategies and implement a more efficient and effective mix of policies. This will help to better capitalize the potential sustainable competitive advantage of industries 4.0 and 5.0.
View
Sustainable Logistics 4.0: A Study on Selecting the Best Technology for Internal Material Handling
Article
Full-text available
  • Apr 2023
Logistics is a vital activity for the economic growth of an organization as it manages the flow of materials and information within, into, and out of the organization, as well as reverse flow. Like many other industrial processes, logistics has also been impacted by the rise of Industry 4.0 technologies, which has highlighted the significance of Logistics 4.0. However, Logistics 4.0 is mainly focused on economic benefits, while overlooking environmental and social concerns. To address this, a method is proposed that takes into account the three goals of sustainable development when selecting the best technology for internal material handling activities. Firstly, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to examine the application of 4.0 technologies in logistics processes and their impact on economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Secondly, based on the findings of the review, a three-level analytic hierarchy process was proposed to identify the optimal 4.0 technology for internal logistics. To demonstrate the practicality of the proposed method, it was tested on three companies. The results showed that additive manufacturing, exoskeletons, and collaborative robots are the most suitable options for achieving sustainable development goals within Logistics 4.0.
View
Comparing the Evolutionary Trajectories of Industry 4.0 and 5.0: A Management Fashion Perspective
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2023
The concept of Industry 4.0 has received enormous levels of attention since it was introduced in 2011 and continues to be a dominant management trend. However, during the last few years, Industry 5.0 has emerged as an alternative visionary management concept. Although Industry 5.0 builds on and is related to its predecessor, it provides a different vision of the future of industry. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to carry out an in-depth examination of these two related management concepts, using management fashion theory as an interpretive framework and lens. Viewing Industry 4.0 and 5.0 from this vantage point involves analyzing and tracing the involvement activities of the suppliers of the two concepts as well as gauging the concepts’ demand-side impact. Generally, the comparative analysis of the cases of Industry 4.0 and 5.0 indicates that, while the growth and popularity of Industry 4.0 appear to have plateaued, it remains at a high level. Although Industry 5.0 is growing in popularity and is gaining followers and supporters, it is still a much more marginal concept and movement. This study contributes to the management fashion literature by showing how two highly related but competing management concept movements coevolve. Furthermore, the two cases provide novel insights into the trajectories and lifecycles of fashionable management concepts, in particular, the early phase where actors are actively attempting to generate credibility and legitimacy and drum up support and enthusiasm for their preferred ideas.
View
View