Industry 4.0 in the European union: Policies and national strategies

Implementation of digital technologies for a circular economy and sustainability management in the manufacturing sector

“…The focus on Austria allows insights into how DTs are utilized for a CE in OECD countries, based on the example of a country that (1) ranks among the top industries of the EU, according to its contribution to global GDP (i.e. rank 13 among EU member states), ( 2) is among the most advanced EU countries in terms of CE adoption (Mazur-Wierzbicka, 2021), (3) and demonstrates consistent support to Industry 4.0 implementation, besides Germany Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain or Sweden (Teixeira and Tavares-Lehmann, 2022). The telephone survey was conducted between February and December 2021.…”

Assessing the Industry 4.0 European divide through the country/industry dichotomy

“…The Industry 4.0 label was created as a policy-driven innovation discourse directed to the German high-tech manufacturing sector, supported by innovation encompassing enterprises, academia, and politics (Reischauer, 2018). European countries have been implementing public policies to develop Industry 4.0 with a strategic focus on technological development and innovation (Teixeira & Tavares-Lehmann, 2022). As one of the outcomes of the 4 th IR, Industry 4.0 is grounded on the concept of the smart factory: the possibilities allowed by the new technologies to connect the physical and digital components of the factory, further allowing for greater automation and autonomy in the production and decision-making processes (Kagermann et al, 2013;Osterrieder et al, 2020).…”

“…The study is based on Eurostat data collected through the European Statistical System (ESS), which ensures comparability across countries and industries. By performing two analyses simultaneously, the study exposes the partial nature of an analysis focused solely on the country or region level, which is the standard practice in the literature (Castelo-Branco et al, 2019;Teixeira & Tavares-Lehmann, 2022), susceptible to hiding domestic divides. One country may be performing well in a specific industry in which Industry 4.0 is concerned but, at the same time, lagging in another.…”

How Can Hybrid Materials Enable a Circular Economy?

“…We are already in a huge transformation regarding the way we fabricate products thanks to the digitisation of manufacturing. This transition is so compelling that it is being called the fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) [6]. What is now needed is "Industry 5.0" to enable a further transition to a more sustainable economy that fits within the constraints of the single planet we all live on [7].…”