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.