posted on 2021-03-01, 11:40authored byMabkhot M. MabkhotMabkhot M. Mabkhot, Pedro FerreiraPedro Ferreira, Antonio Maffei, Primož Podržaj, Maksymilian Mądziel, Dario Antonelli, Michele Lanzetta, Jose Barata, Eleonora Boffa, Miha Finžgar, Łukasz Paśko, Paolo Minetola, Riccardo Chelli, Sanaz Nikghadam-Hojjati, Xi Vincent Wang, Paolo C Priarone, Paweł Litwin, Dorota Stadnicka, Niels Lohse
The emerging of the fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0 (I4.0), from
the advancement in several technologies is viewed not only to promote economic growth, but also
to enable a greener future. The 2030 Agenda of the United Nations for sustainable development sets
out clear goals for the industry to foster the economy, while preserving social well-being and ecological validity. However, the influence of I4.0 technologies on the achievement of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDG) has not been conclusively or systematically investigated. By understanding the link between the I4.0 technologies and the SDGs, researchers can better support policymakers to consider the technological advancement in updating and harmonizing policies and strategies
in different sectors (i.e., education, industry, and governmental) with the SDGs. To address this gap,
academic experts in this paper have investigated the influence of I4.0 technologies on the sustainability targets identified by the UN. Key I4.0 element technologies have been classified to enable a
quantitative mapping with the 17 SDGs. The results indicate that the majority of the I4.0 technologies can contribute positively to achieving the UN agenda. It was also found that the effects of the
technologies on individual goals varies between direct and strong, and indirect and weak influences. The main insights and lessons learned from the mapping are provided to support future
policy.
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