Circular Economy and Industry 4.0: Enhancing Sustainability in Manufacturing Sector
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Systematic Review
Abstract: Through this research, the development and the intellectual framework of research based on circular economy (CE) and Industry 4.0 technologies are explored concerning sustainability. Even though the digitally enabled circular transformation attracts great interest, the domain of research does not have any systematic synthesis of thematic development and research gaps. To address this, 506 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2017 and 2026 and indexed in the Scopus database were included in a bibliometric analysis. The document selection process was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA framework. Using the Biblioshiny (R package), the data were analysed to achieve the objective. The results indicate significant growth in the number of publications, with the themes of the CE, Industry 4.0, and sustainable development emerging as the leading and most closely related. Digital technologies are increasingly presented as means of enabling closed-loop supply chains, resource optimisation, and sustainable production systems. The research is valuable because it elucidates the intellectual context, outlines new research areas, and suggests a conceptual model of the connection among Industry 4.0 technologies, circular approaches, and sustainability implications, thereby providing theoretical and managerial implications for digitally enabled sustainability change. JEL Classification: 044
Authors: Savita, Anshu Bhardwaj
Institution: Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya
Language: English
Subfield: Strategy and Management
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7160663579