Paper: Industry 4.0-based dynamic Social Organizational Life Cycle Assessment to target the social circular economy in manufacturing

At the end of 2021, the team continued with the publication of project results. The newly published paper dealt with social sustainability and was entitled ‘Industry 4.0-based dynamic Social Organizational Life Cycle Assessment to target the social circular economy in manufacturing’. Although environmental sustainability is the most widely discussed topic, social sustainability is an equally fundamental aspect. In this context, the paper tried to answer the following questions:

RQ 1: How can Industry 4.0 digital technologies enable social impact assessment in a manufacturing environment?
RQ 2: What metrics can help identify the contribution of social sustainability to CE from a life-cycle perspective?

The study reported how project results filled these gaps by integrating Social Organizational Life Cycle Assessment (SO-LCA) and Industry 4.0 technologies in a blended methodological approach designed to dynamically monitor the social performance.

Paper link: D1.JournalofCleanerProduction 101221