Modeling and Analyzing the Impact of the Internet of Things-Based Industry 4.0 on Circular Economy Practices for Sustainable Development: Evidence From the Food Processing Industry of China

Abstract

The Industry 4.0 concept proposes that new cutting-edge technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), will grow. The acceptance of IoT in the circular economy (CE) is still in its infancy, despite its enormous potential. In the face of growing environmental affairs, IoT based Industry 4.0 technologies are altering CE practices and existing business models, according to the World Economic Forum. This research investigates the function of IoT-based Industry 4.0 in circular CE practices, as well as their impact on economic and environmental performance, which in turn influences overall organizational performance. China-based enterprises provide information for the study, which includes data from 300 companies. Utilizing a structural equation modeling framework known as partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The major findings are presented in the study: (I) the IoT significantly improves the activities of the CE; (II) the IoT significantly improves the practices of the CE; and (III) the IoT meaningfully advances the practices of CE (green manufacturing, circular design, remanufacturing, and recycling). Moreover, the findings shows that environmentally friendly business practices help enhance environmental performance of firm, while also stimulating their economic performance; and improved environmental performance has a significant positive influence on firm performance. This research lays the groundwork for contributing nations/companies to attain economic and long-term sustainability goals at the same time by incorporating IoT-based Industry 4.0 technology into CE practices.

A Conceptual Model Relationship between Industry 4.0—Food-Agriculture Nexus and Agroecosystem: A Literature Review and Knowledge Gaps

“…The studies and discussions on the use of I4 in the food sectors in particular have been reported in the literature [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 ,…”

“…There have been increasing numbers of countries employing I4 in their food agricultural activities to cost-effectively supply the increasing demand for food among their increasing population sizes ( Figure 8 a). The following papers [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , …”

“…Those countries that have started implementing I4 elements into their food agricultural production (in the phases from planting to marketing) included India [ 13 , 16 , 17 , 31 ], Russia [ 12 , 64 ], the UK [ 67 , 87 ], Italy [ 74 ], Australia [ 28 , 57 ], Indonesia [ 71 ], the European Union (EU) [ 79 ], Malaysia [ 88 ], Poland [ 42 ], Spain [ 44 ], Poland and Israel [ 19 ], Moldova [ 89 ], China [ 27 ], and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) [ 85 ] ( Figure 9 and Figure 10 ).…”

“…The topics of Agriculture-Industry 4.0 (I4) [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ] and Foods-I4 [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 ,…”

Charging Stations and Electromobility Development: A Cross-Country Comparative Analysis

“…This perspective opens the door to a potential discussion regarding the application of foreign solutions in domestic electromobility development programs, such as incentives or energy infrastructure modernization [47] and national strategies [48,49]. On the other hand, potential drivers of electric vehicles are concerned about the lack of charging stations [50,51], while facilities owners, where stations would be useful, are hesitant to build because of the low number of electric cars [52]. Although there are multiple challenges related to very specific solutions related to the availability of electricity production from different sources or to the energy storage for charging stations, they are not subject of this research.…”