Standardization Framework for Sustainability from Circular Economy 4.0

Abstract

The circular economy (CE) is widely known as a way to implement and achieve sustainability, mainly due to its contribution towards the separation of biological and technical nutrients under cyclic industrial metabolism. The incorporation of the principles of the CE in the links of the value chain of the various sectors of the economy strives to ensure circularity, safety, and efficiency. The framework proposed is aligned with the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development regarding the orientation towards the mitigation and regeneration of the metabolic rift by considering a double perspective. Firstly, it strives to conceptualize the CE as a paradigm of sustainability. Its principles are established, and its techniques and tools are organized into two frameworks oriented towards causes (cradle to cradle) and effects (life cycle assessment), and these are structured under the three pillars of sustainability, for their projection within the proposed framework. Secondly, a framework is established to facilitate the implementation of the CE with the use of standards, which constitute the requirements, tools, and indicators to control each life cycle phase, and of key enabling technologies (KETs) that add circular value 4.0 to the socio-ecological transition.

Integrating Virtual Reality and Digital Twin in Circular Economy Practices: A Laboratory Application Case

“…Trying to include all these digital solutions under the same umbrella, the paradigm of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) has been recently invented, entailing the development of high-tech strategies and internet-based technologies enabling the creation and delivery of added value for organizations and society [3]. Together, CE and I4.0 are forcing companies to re-think their business strategies and models, since both these strategies are complementary, and synergistic effects can be established between them [4]. However, despite many works dealing with the interaction between I4.0 and CE [5], the way in which digital technologies can favor the transition toward CE has been rarely assessed in a real context [6].…”

“…However, despite many works dealing with the interaction between I4.0 and CE [5], the way in which digital technologies can favor the transition toward CE has been rarely assessed in a real context [6]. Previous studies [4] have looked at various aspects of the CE and digital transformation, structuring a work frameworks under the principles of the CE and the pillars of sustainability and proposing the development of standardization of the CE as a paradigm for sustainability under the potential offered by digital transformation. The proposed framework is composed by four dimension of interest (i.e., product, process, facilities, and business) and by three levels-(i) CE strategy standards; (ii) CE standards; (iii) CE maturity norms.…”

Application of IoT in Healthcare: Keys to Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

“…The use of intelligent systems, IoT, and advanced engineering systems has played an essential role in the solutions put forward for pandemic management and will continue to gain importance in the future. Institutions at all levels are committed to the energy transition and sustainable development, and we must take them into account in any smart environment developments, research, and implementations [ 18 , 19 , 20 ].…”

Holonic Reengineering to Foster Sustainable Cyber-Physical Systems Design in Cognitive Manufacturing

“…The above must be considered simultaneously with the possibility of embedding intelligence in the physical dimension that constitute the CPS, enabling the dimension of cognitive computing not only for optimization and local control, but for the intention with humans in the natural way, improving social sustainability. A natural extension of cognitive computing and artificial intelligence is its application to carry out the transition from a linear to a circular model of appropriation from the paradigm of the circular economy and the pillars of sustainability [4], to mitigate the metabolic rift that has originated the transformation of the value chain by separating the social and natural dimension [5]. The above requires frameworks to carry out the reengineering of the existing value chain under the principles of the circular economy, among which are solutions based on natural systems, considering nature as a model, measure and mentor.…”