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The purpose of this paper is to identify the Industry 4.0 barriers to achieve circular economy (CE). The study focuses on exploring the link between Industry 4.0 and CE. This leads to the implementation of integrated Industry 4.0-CE and attainment of sustainable production and consumption through analyzing the technological benefits of Industry 4.0.

Industry 4.0 barriers are identified from literature review and discussions with industry experts. Here, the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) technique is applied to develop the contextual relationship among the barriers and to identify the prominent barriers hindering the CE implementation.

The ISM hierarchical model and Matriced’ impacts croised-multiplication applique’ and classment analysis illustrate that the digitalization process and the semantic interoperability possess high driving power and low dependence. These barriers require keen attention to play a significant role in improving resource efficiency and sustainability, and absence of these barriers may not drive other barriers for CE. Apart from these barriers, cyber-physical systems standards and specifications, sensor technology and design challenges are also the most influential Industry 4.0 barriers for achieving CE.

The findings provide an opportunity for industry practitioners to explore the most driving Industry 4.0 barriers. The study confirms that integrated Industry 4.0-CE will maintain sustainable operations management by optimizing the production and consumption patterns. It will also provide an opportunity of customization where customers and products interact and can monitor the performance of the operations through the Internet of Things sensors.

The study provides integration of Industry 4.0 challenges to implement CE. However, the integration of the two burgeoning fields is still very scarce and lacks in adopting the technological benefits of the integrated Industry 4.0-CE.

This paper aims to find the best tools to influence the improvement of sustainability in food supply chains (FSCs) by conducting a systematic review of articles. The reader will learn how the different industry 4.0 tools (I4.0T) benefit the FSC and the limitations of each tool.

A review of 436 articles published during the period 2019 to 2022 referenced in the Scopus and Web of Science databases was performed. The review was limited to articles published in English and directly related to Industry 4.0, circular economy and sustainability in the food supply chain.

The results show different contributions of I4.0, with some being more influential than others in improving sustainability in FSCs; for example, Internet of Things and Blockchain have been shown to contribute more toward transparency, traceability, process optimization and waste reduction.

The paper's contribution consisted of ranking according to their importance and the I4.0T that affect sustainability in FSCs by classifying the aspects of each tool and the sustainability factors through a categorization by the Analysis Hierarchy Process.

This paper explores the relationships between Industry 4.0-driven technologies and the circular economy-driven business model (CEDBM) components of value creation, delivery and capture along manufacturing processes.

Based on the literature, a research model is developed in which the three CEBDM components are represented by five components: product service system (PSS), product design, industrial symbiosis (IS), consumer interaction and pay-per-use/rental. For each of these five components, enabling Industry 4.0 technologies are identified and vague interdependence relationships were assessed using a fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method.

This paper contributes to the literature by exploring the relationships of the CEDBM components of value creation, value delivery and value capture with Industry 4.0-driven technological enablers. In addition, causal relationships between Industry 4.0 technologies and their relevance for facilitating CE-enabled manufacturing processes are identified, and finally, Industry 4.0-driven technological enablers of CE are categorized as base and front-end technologies.

The findings suggest that value delivery-based differentiation provides new avenues for value creation and innovative forms of value capture in CEDBMs.

Practitioners can use the findings to develop a roadmap for Industry 4.0-driven technological solutions for CE.

CE-driven processes of manufacturing provide not only opportunities for value capture, creation and delivery but also avenues for customer-centric product and service development and effective resource utilization.

This paper is the first to identify value creation, delivery and capture processes along with Industry 4.0-enabled manufacturing processes.

The purpose of this study is to present Industry 4.0 technologies for advancing the circular economy (CE) adaption in manufacturing industry’s supply chain (SC) network. To pursue the same, Industry 4.0 technological aspects were recognized as solution measures to overcome the challenges for CE implementation in SC.

A new hierarchical framework containing 13 leading CE challenges and eight promising Industry 4.0 technological aspects had been proposed, representing their mutual relationship. The proposed framework was analysed using a hybrid approach of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and combinative distance-based assessment (CODAS) under interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy (IVIF) environment. The IVIF-AHP was used to acquire the priority weights of the CE challenges, whereas the IVIF-CODAS was used to attain the preference order of the proposed technological aspects.

The key findings of the present work indicate that “Information disruptions among the SC members due to multiple channels” and “Manpower inability to handle the toxic materials” are the two most critical challenges hindering the adoption of CE practices in SC. Along with, the results also demonstrate that to overcome these challenges, “Smarter equipment to empower flexibility and mass customization” and “Big data driven decision-making system” are the two most significant Industry 4.0 technological solutions, adoption of which might encourage the organizations to align their operations with CE philosophies.

The sample size of the experts engaged in work was limited; however, big data studies could be conducted in future to capture more insights of the stated topic. In addition to this, to understand the implication of CE on Industry 4.0-based manufacturing, a separate study can be synthesised in future.

The proposed work facilitates a new framework consolidating various perspectives associated with CE implementation into a manufacturing industry considering the scenario of Indian rubber industry. This study enables the decision-makers to recognize the challenging factors for CE implementation into their organizations and up-taking the proposed Industry 4.0 practices as technological measures for improving the organization overall performance.

This paper explores how Industry 4.0 facilitates small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets to gain and maintain organizational legitimacy from the government and market and capture value from circular economy (CE) adoption in their businesses.

The authors conduct an in-depth, multistakeholder case study in an SME in China’s hazardous waste recycling and re-utilization industry and apply a qualitative analysis.

The findings show that Industry 4.0 could facilitate SMEs to gain organizational legitimacy through two mechanisms, namely conforming and transcending. Conforming results in baseline-level outcomes to obtain legitimacy while transcending leads to ecosystem value-cocreation, which goes beyond government expectations and reinforces SMEs' legitimacy.

The authors validated the enabling role of Industry 4.0 in CE adoption in SMEs and have generated legitimation processes and strategies that facilitate SMEs to capture value from CE adoption.

This paper aims to contribute significantly to the empirical investigations on adopting Industry 4.0–circular economy in the Malaysian palm oil industry. The paper also aims to theorise and empirically assess a comprehensive model incorporating three aspects and 51 criteria.

A two-stage methodology is proposed using the fuzzy Delphi method and the fuzzy-based analytical network process. Twenty-seven criteria on adoptability of industry 4.0–circular economy were selected for the first-stage methodology, followed by identifying each criteria's intersection with the overall objectives.

The findings indicate that financial constraints, the lack of a collaborative I4.0–CE model, laws and policy, low management support and the training of dedicated employers in I4.0–CE-application are the top five criteria requiring critical attention from the POI.

The overall sustainability advantages of the POI are identified and discussed in depth to establish criteria for industry 4.0–circular economy applications.

This study fills the previous research gap by theoretically explaining POI's industry 4.0 adoption–circular economy from the perspective of two underpinning theories. Due to the pressure towards sustainability, the industry must be ready to adopt industry 4.0–circular economy applications, and resources must be managed appropriately and effectively by sharing and integrating. Advanced industry 4.0 technologies and pragmatic practices such as a circular economy are needed to achieve optimal sustainable development while retaining commercial success.

The study aims to map the links between Industry 4.0 (I-4.0) technologies and circular economy (CE) for sustainable operations and their role to achieving the selected number of sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The study adopts a systematic literature review method to identify 76 primary studies that were published between January 2010 and December 2020. The authors synthesized the existing literature using Scopus database to investigate I-4.0 technologies and CE to select SDGs.

The findings of the study bridge the gap in the literature at the intersection between I-4.0 and sustainable operations in line with the regenerate, share, optimize, loop, virtualize and exchange (ReSOLVE) framework leading to CE practices. Further, the study also depicts the CE practices leading to the select SDGs (“SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation,” “SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy,” “SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure,” “SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production” and “SDG 13: Climate Action”). The study proposes a conceptual framework based on the linkages above, which can help organizations to realign their management practices, thereby achieving specific SDGs.

The originality of the study is substantiated by a unique I-4.0-sustainable operations-CE-SDGs (ISOCES) framework that integrates I-4.0 and CE for sustainable development. The framework is unique, as it is based on an in-depth and systematic review of the literature that maps the links between I-4.0, CE and sustainability.

Industries and businesses are pursuing Industry 4.0 technologies as well as adopting a circular approach focused on improving manufacturing processes through the reduction of wastes, CO₂ emissions and mineral exploration to mitigate the impact of climate change. In this sense, additive manufacturing (AM), often referred to as 3D printing, can play a key role in the closed-loop of operations. However, academics and practitioners have scarcely discussed the feasibility of implementing AM alongside circular economy (CE) practices, the techniques and methods that this would require, or how AM could benefit sustainability and circularity. To address these gaps, this paper proposes a novel circular sustainable 3D printing model for scrap recycling in the automotive industry.

The methodology uses a literature review-based approach followed by empirical research using metal scraps as the raw material for fabricating a powder to input a metal 3D printer for generating sustainable automotive components. A conceptual sustainable circular model for the automotive industry is proposed. Next, is conducted a focus group comprises AM and automotive industry experts for evaluations.

The results indicate that the proposed model can be used to reintroduce waste back into the manufacturing chain as raw material for the on-demand manufacture and supply of automotive components and that it may also have social and environmental implications.

This paper’s contributions are threefold: it explores the combined use of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), CE and sustainability in the automotive industry, develops a new model to support the circularity and sustainability of the scrap chain and proposes the use of AM as a catalyst of CE practices by reproducing recycled components with a 3D printer for prototypes or fully functioning components.

The purpose of this research is to establish a conceptual model to understand the impact of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) on the transition of a Circular Economy (CE). Also, the paper explores the combined impact of TPM, I4.0 and CE on the sustainability performance (SP) of manufacturing firms.

The conceptual model is proposed using the dynamic capability view (DCV) and empirically validated by partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) using 304 responses from Indian manufacturing firms.

The results suggest that I4.0 positively impacts TPM, CE and SP, also showing TPM's positive impact on CE and SP. In addition, CE has a positive influence on the SP of manufacturing firms. Furthermore, CE partially mediates the relationship between I4.0 and SP with TPM and SP. The study also identifies TPM, I4.0 and CE as a new bundle of dynamic capabilities to deliver SP in manufacturing firms.

The present research adds to the knowledge and literature on DCV by identifying the importance of CE in the settings of I4.0 and TPM, especially in the context of sustainability. Also, the current study offers a new set of dynamic capabilities and provides some significant future recommendations for researchers and practitioners.

This study aims to investigate the direct nexus between board characteristics, corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure and the cost of equity capital (CEQ). This is done by using agency theory, stakeholder theory and signalling theory, followed by an investigation into the indirect mediation impact of CSR disclosure in the board characteristics-CEQ nexus. It intends to present new experimental evidence from Jordan’s developing economy.

The study’s target population was services companies registered on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) between 2012 and 2020. As a result, the population and sampling of this study are represented by all services companies for whom complete data are available over the period, with a total of 43 services companies yielding 387 company-year observations. Data for our study were obtained from their annual disclosures and the ASE’s database.

The main findings demonstrated that board size, board gender variety and the number of board sessions positively affect CSR disclosure significantly. In addition, three board characteristics (i.e. board size, board independence and board gender variety) significantly negatively affect CEQ. Besides, CSR disclosure significantly negatively affects CEQ and it fully mediates the relationship between two board characteristics (i.e. board size and board gender variety) and CEQ, whereas it partially mediates the nexus between board independence, CEO/Chairman duality and the number of board sessions of board characteristics and CEQ.

This study varies from earlier studies, in that it builds a new research model by looking at the mediating role of CSR disclosure in the nexus among board characteristics and the CEQ.