A Big Data analytics and Artificial Intelligence framework to enhance industrial sustainability

Purpose: This article aims to examine how emerging technologies related to Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can contribute to improving sustainability in the industrial sector and to analyze the methods of integrating such technologies to develop an intelligent sustainability framework. Method: Big Data and AI offers numerous advantages, like better resource management, increased energy efficiency, and waste reduction, consequently leading to improved environmental sustainability. The authors, following an in-depth literature review, investigated how the analysis of Big Data, collected through a multitude of sensors and analyzed using machine learning algorithms, neural networks, and deep learning, can identify patterns to optimize production and maintenance processes. Results: such technologies can be employed to predict machine failures, optimize production processes, and improve product quality, thus contributing to the economic and environmental sustainability of manufacturing companies, with also reference to reducing carbon footprint. Furthermore, the implementation of an intelligent sustainability framework not only brings immediate benefits in terms of operational efficiency but also helps improve the position of companies facing future challenges such as climate change and increasingly stringent regulatory pressures. Conclusions: Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is an innovative paradigm promising to revolutionize various sectors, requiring an in-depth understanding of its applications. Its implementation requires a gradual approach, starting from small pilots to prove rapid and significant results. Among the sectors that can benefit most from this transformation, the manufacturing industry emerges as one of the main candidates, especially regarding sustainability. Ultimately, the integration of such technologies represents an opportunity to enhance the competitiveness of businesses towards a more sustainable industrial future.