Sustainable manufacturing and industry 4.0: what we know and what we don't

Abstract

Purpose

The emergence the fourth industrial revolution, known as well as industry 4.0, and its applications in the manufacturing sector ushered a new era for the business entities. It not only promises enhancement in operational efficiency but also magnify sustainable operations practices. This current paper provides a thorough bibliometric and network analysis of more than 600 articles highlighting the benefits in favor of the sustainability dimension in the industry 4.0 paradigm.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis begins by identifying over 1,000 published articles in Scopus, which were then refined to works of proven influence and those authored by influential researchers. Using rigorous bibliometric software, established and emergent research clusters were identified for intellectual network analysis, identification of key research topics, interrelations and collaboration patterns.

Findings

This bibliometric analysis of the field helps graphically to illustrate the publications evolution over time and identify areas of current research interests and potential directions for future research. The findings provide a robust roadmap for mapping the research territory in the field of industry 4.0 and sustainability.

Originality/value

As the literature on sustainability and industry 4.0 expands, reviews capable of systematizing the main trends and topics of this research field are relevant.

Citation

Sharma, R., Jabbour, C.J.C. and Lopes de Sousa Jabbour, A.B. (2021), "Sustainable manufacturing and industry 4.0: what we know and what we don't", Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Vol. 34 No. 1, pp. 230-266. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-01-2020-0024