Circular economy and the role of Industry 4.0: developing a sustainable supply chain in the eyewear industry

The ongoing climate change, and the consequent repercussions it will have for future generations, is alerting society at a global level, becoming a priority issue to be addressed at multiple levels. The traditional linear economic pattern, based on a “take-make-dispose” philosophy, is irreversibly impacting the Earth, making necessary the development of an alternative model. In this context, the circular economy represents a possible and viable alternative, based on a reduction of pollution and waste, keeping materials and product in use over time. The environmental benefits provided by this approach gain more value since are integrated with enormous potential for innovation and economic growth. The diffusion and adoption of new technologies, known as Industry 4.0, support the implementation of this sustainable business model, developing new processes with advanced operations and integrating different players among the value chain. This interconnection can encourage greener solutions to reduce the industrial systems impact, stimulating organizational systems to pursue a new vision of production and consumption habits. This paper, starting from a more general analysis of the environmental issues, analyzes these two topics, and natural resources that are occurring at a global level in an increasingly worrying way, studying a specific model put in place by a primary Italian company to increase efficiency and reduce production impact. Chapter One – Environmental Concerns and Green Economy – The first chapter provides an overview on environmental concerns caused by the exponential growth of human impact on Earth-system. The Green Growth supports the hypothesis that a continued economic expansion can be compatible with a sustainable planet ecology, by proposing the Green Economy. The chapter, assessed the inefficiency of the linear model in today’s competitive context, proposes the Circular Economy as one of the solutions to a wide range of challenges. Chapter Two – Digital Technologies and Industry 4.0: an enabler for Circular Economy – The second chapter introduces the major features of the Industry 4.0 and its key enabling technologies. The capacity of integrate multiple resources and actors allows real-time exchange of information, can support the transition to a supply chain based on circular economy, increasing traceability over the entire process, and making it faster, more flexible, granular, accurate and efficient. Chapter Three – Industrial Districts evolution: between Circular Economy and Industry 4.0 – The fourth chapter examines the industrial district concept, analyzing its evolution from Marshall interpretation to Porter idea of cluster. This model is historically an important, dynamic element of the Italian economy, providing the success of its products on the global market. After globalization, industrial districts need to consolidate their successful organizational model by constantly adapting it to external macro-economic factors and technological innovations, preserving their traditional socio-economic values. Chapter Four ¬– Develop a Circular Supply Chain: the relevance of Cellulose Acetate processing in Eyewear Industry¬ – The fourth chapter reports my personal experience in eyewear industry, examining the cellulose acetate process along its supply chain. The Acetate Renew produced through Eastman recycling technologies, introduces a sustainable material can viable several times with constant quality. Its adoption together with the establishment of new technologies, made possible for Luxottica the implementation of a more sustainable business model, cooperating with key suppliers as Mazzucchelli.