Industrial sustainability: challenges, perspectives, actions

TLDR: In this article, the authors present a vision of a future industrial system that delivers high value to its growing base of customers around the globe, while using, at most, a quarter of the current resources.

Abstract: Our vision is a future industrial system that delivers high value to its growing base of customers around the globe, while using, at most, a quarter of the current resources. The urgency for change is now feeding through from scientists into mainstream government, business and academic thinking. This sustainable industrial system would be very different to today’s global industry – less homogenous with different business models and different relationships, creating different products and services – requiring new strategies, frameworks, and tools. In order to achieve this target a system design approach is required. Systemic implications for sustainable manufacturing, supply chain design, sustainability performance measurement and management, and organisational change are provided in this paper. Open questions and discussion about tomorrow activities are derived, providing recommendations for educators, researchers, industrialists, and policy makers.