Sustainability aspects of a digitalized industry – A comparative study from China and Germany

TLDR

Industrial production is undergoing a fundamental transformation toward a digitalized and interconnected system, known as the Industrial Internet of Things or Industrie 4.0. The study examines how digitalization is expected to transform the industrial sector by comparing Germany and China, and empirically investigates its impact on sustainability aspects of manufacturing companies. The authors surveyed manufacturing firms in Germany and China, using questionnaires that addressed future work and production to assess expected effects of digitalization. Findings indicate that digitalization will affect ecological aspects such as resource efficiency and renewable energy, while also driving social transformations, providing insights for policymakers to shape sustainable industrial pathways.

Abstract

Abstract Industrial production is currently undergoing a fundamental transformation, leading towards a digitalized and interconnected industrial production, which is subsumed under the term Industrial Internet (of Things) or Industrie 4.0. This paper discusses the changes that digitalization is expected to bring about in the industrial sector by comparing a highly industrialized (Germany) with a major emerging industrial economy (China). We conducted two empirical surveys asking manufacturing companies from different sectors in Germany and China respectively, how they expect the digitalization of their processes will affect them. Both questionnaires addressed the future of work in production and the future of production itself. The main contribution of this paper is its empirical investigation of how the digitalization of industry is likely to affect sustainability aspects of manufacturing companies in two countries with very different industrial structures. Our findings suggest that this transformation will not only impact the ecological dimension (resource efficiency, renewable energy), but that the technical transformation is likely to be accompanied by social transformations. The findings of this paper will help decision-makers in the political sphere to anticipate and shape pathways towards a more sustainable future in the industrial sector.