Industry 4.0 solutions supporting Circular Economy

Abstract

Industrial automation supported by the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) paradigm has become a driving force in production systems. According to current product lifecycles and mass customization, I4.0 technologies, architectures and services offer a new perspective on automated and flexible production systems. Within this context, smart sustainability represents a new way for making goods and managing processes with a lower environmental impact. Experts already assessed the relation between I4.0 and Circular Economy (CE), but practical demonstrations are lacking. The aim of this paper is presenting a laboratory application case showing the integration of I4.0 and CE, specifically at product End-of-Life stage.