There is an increasing interest in sustainability practices for organizations. Organizations act sustainably when they support the three dimensions \of the triple bottom line. Industry 4.0 (I40) promises to afford organizations to act sustainably. However, few empirical pieces of research targeted the impact of I40 on the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Our investigation considered the adoption of I40 in a manufacturing company which we analyzed as a single case study. We describe the level of I40 adoption and the process through which the unit has adopted them. Our case confirms that I40 applications support the triple bottom line through the improvement of productivity and product quality (economic), continuous energy consumption monitoring (environmental), and safer work environment and less intense work-load and job enrichment (social). We contribute to the literature by identifying two trajectories of interaction among the three dimensions of the triple bottom line in the shift from a traditional manufacturing company to a knowledge-intense organization. In the trajectories found, the three dimensions of sustainability influence and reinforce each other.Sustainability 2019, 11, 36 2 of 17 investigations of sustainability in I40. Section 3 introduces the research design. Section 4 illustrates the single case study analysis. Section 5 illustrates the results of the case analysis discussing them regarding sustainability and the interaction among the TBL dimensions and I40. The article concludes in Section 6, proposing implications both for research and practice.
Related LiteratureOur work is framed within the concept of sustainability and develops on the literature discussing I40 applications, and the sustainability potential of I40 applications.
SustainabilityThe United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development first introduced the sustainability concept in 1987. In that year, the commission defined sustainability as an economic development model that allows to "meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future ones to meet their own needs" [11]. Sustainability is a multi-dimensional concept encompassing environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Such dimensions form the TBL view of sustainability (as shown in Figure 1) [2,3].Sustainability 2018, 10, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 17 the single case study analysis. Section 5 illustrates the results of the case analysis discussing them regarding sustainability and the interaction among the TBL dimensions and I40. The article concludes in Section 6, proposing implications both for research and practice.
Related LiteratureOur work is framed within the concept of sustainability and develops on the literature discussing I40 applications, and the sustainability potential of I40 applications.