The role of people and digitalization as an enabler of resource efficiency in manufacturing

Global sustainability challenges have been escalating in recent times, resulting in climate change, pollution, and resource scarcity. Reducing the amount of resources being used can help to mitigate these challenges by lowering our carbon footprint, reducing waste and improving our economic resilience. To achieve these benefits, researchers and industries have begun looking into Industry 4.0 technologies as a tool to drive resource efficiency gains. In this paper, the research question explores the challenges that hinder companies from adopting digital technologies. Other topics discussed include how digital technologies can support resource efficiency, and how people can support resource efficiency. Data for this study was collected from a face-to-face workshop event which included expert participants from industry, academia, and the UK Government. This workshop aimed to gain insights into the adoption barriers and opportunities for digital technology to target environmental performance. The main adoption barrier identified was lack of knowledge. Other barriers include lack of trust, lack of finance and lack of expertise. Environmental performance is usually not targeted because it is not a priority for many organizations. Nevertheless, external stakeholders are putting pressure on companies to incentivize sustainable change. This paper identifies the challenges that hinder companies from adopting digital technologies and gives insights into how digital technologies can support people for resource efficiency.