Search

Circular economy and Industry 4.0 are two of the most hotly debated topics in recent decades. They gradually attracted the attention of academics, practitioners, and policymakers from around the globe. The current research looks at the impact of Industry 4.0 on circular economy practices and blockchain technology in order to boost firm performance. The closed questionnaire was used to collect cross-sectional data of 330 respondents, and the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) modeling framework was used to demonstrate the findings of the study. The results show that blockchain technology improves circular economy practices significantly in terms of green manufacturing (GM), recycling and remanufacturing (RR), and green design (GD) in India. In addition, Industry 4.0 has the potential to improve business operations as well as financial performance and environmental performance significantly. As a result, the current research work offers recommendations for businesses to achieve long-term goals by incorporating Industry 4.0 into manufacturing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Industry 4.0 technology and circular economy practices: business management strategies for environmental sustainability" has been retracted by the publisher due to concerns regarding the peer review process, inappropriate references, nonstandard phrases, and the article's alignment with the journal's scope. The publisher, in consultation with the Editor-in-Chief, no longer has confidence in the article's results and conclusions. The authors have expressed disagreement with the retraction. Springer Nature, the publisher, remains neutral regarding jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. [Extracted from the article]

The production of bacterial cellulose has gained prominence in recent years as an alternative for the sustainable production of materials that might be used in diverse processes and applications. The present study discusses the possibility of producing tailored bacterial cellulose membranes in situ , that present relevant characteristics for potential use in air/gas filtration. Various cultivation processes and characterization studies were performed to ascertain the suitability of Komagataeibacter sp. FXV3, Komagataeibacter sp. NFXK3, and K. intermedius LMG 18909 bacterial strains to produce cellulose membranes with diverse properties. Subsequently, the bacterial cellulose films produced were freeze-dried to obtain stable membranes, and extensively characterized for their physicochemical properties. The results obtained showed that different strains enabled the synthesis of membranes with distinctive morphological properties. Moreover, the different carbon sources and ethanol concentrations employed in the cultivation media led to modifications in the cellulose membranes produced by the different Komagataeibacter strains, which further impacted membrane morphology and, ultimately, gas filtration behavior. All the synthesized membranes were fully characterized, showing adequate mechanical properties, and tested for permeance of N 2 , CO 2 and O 2 , opening perspectives for their use in air/gas filtration. [Display omitted] • Bacterial cellulose (BC) membranes were produced in situ by Komagataeibacter. • Cultivation conditions were optimized to obtain high bacterial cellulose yield. • Bacterial strains produced distinctive porous membrane structures. • Biodegradable and mechanically stable BC membranes were produced. • Gas permeation results showed BC membranes potential for air/gas filtration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industry is gradually forced to integrate socially sustainable development practices and cross-social issues. Although researchers and practitioners emphasize environmental and economic sustainability in supply chain management (SCM). This is unfortunate because not only social sustainable development plays an important role in promoting other sustainable development programs, but social injustice at one level in the supply chain may also cause significant losses to companies throughout the chain. This article aimed to consolidate the literature on the responsibilities of suppliers, manufacturers, and customers and to adopt sustainable supply chain management (SSSCM) practices in the Pakistani industry to identify all possible aspects of sustainable social development in the supply chain by investigating the relationship between survey variables and structure. This work went beyond the limits of regulations and showed the status of maintaining sustainable social issues. Based on semi-structured interviews, a comprehensive questionnaire was developed. The data was collected through a survey of the head of the supply chain in Karachi, Pakistan. The results of this paper showed that organizational learning was the most important dimension of supplier social sustainability with a value of 40.5% as compared to the effectiveness of the supply chain and the supplier performance with values 37.7 and 9.6%, respectively. In terms of the manufacturer's social responsibility, the highest score for operational performance was 47%, while productivity was 20%, and corporate social demonstration was 20%. Finally, for the customers' social sustainability, two dimensions were determined, namely, customer satisfaction and customer commitment with scores of 47 and 40%, respectively. We also solved sustainable social problems from the perspective of suppliers, manufacturers, and customers. The study would help professionals anywhere to emphasize their considerations and would improve the management of social sustainability in their supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]