Industrie 4.0 and a sustainable development: a short study on the perception and expectations of experts in Germany

Abstract

Trends are predicting a further 'industrial revolution' based on digitalisation. The industry has always had an influence on the sustainable development and it, therefore, seems essential to better understand and monitor the transformations in the industry from a sustainability science perspective. This short study intends to provide a starting point for research focused specifically on the environmental dimension of the triple bottom line. Based on a survey conducted among 100 participants from companies and research institutions and complemented by two semi-structured interviews, this study provides the first set of ideas and insights. Our results suggest that digitalisation has the potential to positively affect the environmental dimension of a sustainable development. However, the overall sustainability of digitalised industry has to receive more attention from researchers as well as from companies, in order to better understand and quantify this potential, and avoid a mere problem shifting as well as rebound effects.