Investigating the Integration of Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy Practices for Sustainable Manufacturing

With increasing industrialisation and changing consumption patterns, environmental damage is increasing. In order to attain competitive edge, increase the effectiveness of the supply chains and minimize the environmental impact organizations are increasingly encouraged to adopt sustainable practices. Scholars have explored how technology can be leveraged for accelerating the shift towards Circular Economy (CE), however the extant research lacks a clear cognizance of the association, challenges and impact on sustainability. While techno solutions for the circular economy may offer good opportunities for sustainable manufacturing, certain barriers such as limited infrastructure, resources, lack of trust and collaboration are likely to impede the effective rollout of the circular economy model. This study aims to present the I4.0 and CE paradigms and discuss the associations and related challenges to accomplish the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the realm of sustainable manufacturing. The study further delves into the directions for overcoming these challenges while underlining the future research avenues. This research finds implications for industry practitioners and decision makers for developing insights for realizing SDGs through technology enabled circular economy and identifying the ways to deal with related roadblocks.