Exploring the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on social sustainability through a circular economy approach

Lack of verified knowledge makes it difficult to determine whether and how emerging and disruptive Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies enable social sustainability. The circular economy (CE) might represent an effective approach to integrate I4.0 technologies into practices and business to improve sustainability. This paper explores how I4.0 technologies might contribute to achieve the United Nations' sustainable development goals (SDGs) through a CE approach. This paper introduces a framework to evaluate I4.0 technology relationships with SDGs and CE. A predictive method is introduced to evaluate I4.0 technologies by integrating DEMATEL and a linear model. The proposed method is used to evaluate the relationship between I4.0 technologies, SDGs, and CE using secondary data from the electronics industry. This study identifies CE practices as a critical link connecting I4.0 technologies and SDGs. The study further builds on the research foundation linking I4.0, sustainability, and CE domains. It will also benefit practitioners formulating sustainability strategies for I4.0 adoption.