Achieving environmental sustainability through Industry 4.0 tools

Almost all firms are involved in challenges linked to Industry 4.0 that represent a new logic for business models focused on innovation, technology, and sustainability. In this domain, the support and integration of digital innovations is assuming ever greater importance and a key role is played by the so-called “industrial symbiosis.” Looking more in depth at industrial symbiosis literature, which practically developed within the engineering domain, it is clear that most of its particular traits can also be found in management literature when referring to value co-creation, especially in the business to business domain. Given the above, the aim of this work is twofold: to analyze the role of Industry 4.0 digital platforms as a tool for the development of environmental sustainability and to understand how Industry 4.0 as a whole can support the achievement of environmental sustainability goals. The only Italian case will be used to validate the proposed theoretical framework

'Net' Social Change: Grassroots Empowerment for Sustainable Development

The notion of empowerment broadly refers to the ability of actors to fulfil their missions. However, assessing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) specific contributions to this remains an exigent task in the context of grassroots organizations. The objective of this chapter is to analyse the differences in levels of empowerment between ICT adopters and non-adopters Grassroots Environmental Organizations (GEOs) in Perth, Western Australia. The chapter draws on organizational empowerment theory and proposes an evaluation framework to assess ICT-mediated empowerment for sustainable development. Utilizing a survey of GEOs and interviews with leaders, the chapter unravels the contributions of ICTs in enabling these grassroots actors. The chapter ends with the discussion on the need for overcoming digital divide and recommends strategic support for GEOs that are either not able to or not willing to keep up with the emerging trend of ICTs

A Study About Perceptions of Portuguese Students

Designing circular economy (CE) implies the adoption of a set of circular principles that support a society for the future. Understanding how CE principles influence attitudes to consume green products is a key factor aligned with consumer trends. This chapter aims to study how CE principles influence attitudes to consume green products in a particular case of fashion industry. Very few empirical studies on the perceptions of the fashion “users” exist. This chapter aims to bring some inputs to this topic. The methodology uses a path analysis study based on a sample of 110 respondents collected in a higher education institution in Portugal. The estimated model allows to test the relation between a set of variables, and the study reveals that: CE principles have a direct effect on the attitudes on the green products consumption in fashion industry in the sample considered.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio