Evaluating the effects of Industry 5.0 from a social life cycle assessment perspective. The importance of human-centricity

Industry 4.0 refers to a set of recent technologies (e.g., big data, blockchain, IoT, AI, and machine learning) that are meant to increase manufacturing process efficiency. However, while useful in production, its dark side lies mainly in the gradual replacement of human workers by automated processes, which could induce issues of social unsustainability related to the loss of workforce. At the same time, the mental health and well-being of workers has proved to be increasingly at risk in hyper-connected environments. Industry 5.0 has recently emerged, which, conversely, defines a synergy between humans and technologies in which the workforce is not replaced but works alongside robotic systems, toward a sustainable, human-centered production system. This arises primarily because at no time can technological progress come at the expense of human rights. Thus, motivated by human value and social equity, Industry 5.0 is proposed to increase the centrality of humans by placing them at the center of production processes, addressing multiple levels of human needs ranging from health and safety to self-actualization and personal growth. Since the Industry 5.0 paradigm can be seen as a movement to address social sustainability issues, the authors found it interesting to test its effects through the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) methodology, which is strongly recognized internationally for assessing social sustainability. In light of the above, this exploratory article quantitatively assesses the effects of Industry 5.0 using an S-LCA approach to verify its aspects from a holistic perspective.