Role of Digitization in the Transition toward a Circular Economy

Dear Colleagues,

The potential role of Industry 4.0 in driving the transition towards a circular economy by harnessing the power of digital technologies, data analytics, and automation has already been established. Recent advancements in technology and Internet of Things have empowered industries to optimize resource usage, reduce waste, and enhance sustainability across the entire value chain. Through real-time monitoring and data analytics, Industry 4.0 minimizes resource-intensive breakdowns and extends the life of industrial assets. IoT-enabled product tracking facilitates efficient product recovery, refurbishment, and recycling, thereby promoting circularity. Moreover, Industry 4.0 enables agile, localized production, and supports circular business models such as product-as-a-service and sharing platforms. With data-driven insights, collaborative ecosystems, and circular design innovation, Industry 4.0 can become a driving force in reshaping industries toward a more sustainable and circular future, aligning economic growth with environmental protection.

This Special Issue, titled ‘Role of Digitization in the Transition Toward a Circular Economy’, aims to publish original papers, reviews, as well as pilot studies on innovative technological developments, new knowledge and near-to market solutions in the domain of circular economy in the modern digital era. Through this, we seek to facilitate enhanced scientific and multi-disciplinary knowledge, boost the performance efficiency of circular economy and support policy-making endeavors.

Dr. Charisios Achillas
Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Aidonis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• Industry 4.0
• IoT
• circular economy
• environmental impact reduction
• life cycle assessment, value chain
• automation
• resource efficiency
• sufficiency
• sharing economy