Towards Sustainable Industry 4.0: An MCDA-Based Assessment Framework for Manufacturing and Logistics

Witold Torbacki ()
Additional contact information
Witold Torbacki: Faculty of Engineering and Economics of Transport, Maritime University of Szczecin, 70-507 Szczecin, Poland

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-28

Abstract: Industrial enterprises and their supply chain partners are increasingly seeking methods to optimise production and logistics processes while pursuing sustainable development goals. The complexity and high risk associated with implementing Industry 4.0 technologies calls for structured decision-making support. This study presents a novel multi-criteria evaluation framework that integrates technological, organisational, and sustainability dimensions to support strategic transformation efforts. The proposed model comprises four subspheres of manufacturing, four subspheres of supply chain and logistics, twenty-three emerging technologies, and four sustainability perspectives adapted to industrial contexts. A hybrid MCDM approach combining DEMATEL and PROMETHEE II is applied to identify causal relationships, prioritise technologies, and rank sustainability priorities across different dimensions. The methodology enables companies to determine which technologies should be implemented first and how these relate to broader sustainability objectives. The results provide a structured roadmap for decision-makers, highlighting five key strategic areas for the sustainable implementation of Industry 4.0. In addition to its managerial relevance, the proposed model offers scientific novelty by bridging previously siloed research areas and demonstrating a data-driven approach to transformation planning.

Keywords: sustainable development; Industry 4.0; logistics; manufacturing; MCDM; implementation strategy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/11/5082/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/11/5082/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:11:p:5082-:d:1669941

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().