A critical review of Industry 4.0 technologies for sustainable manufacturing in remanufacturing development

Remanufacturing is one of the fast-growing industries for sustainable manufacturing (SM) development. However, there is still lack of attention given to Industry 4.0 technologies application, specifically in the remanufacturing industry. This study explicitly performed a content analysis of Industry 4.0 technologies in the remanufacturing context. Thirty-six relevant studies from 2017 to 2021 were selected for critical review. The identified research gaps for future study are: The existing studies only take into account single elements of SM, not the three integrated elements of SM in Industry 4.0 technologies on the development of remanufacturing. There is a need to identify the integrated product and process data-driven sharing method to improve the efficiency in remanufacturing operations throughout the supply chain management system. It is suggested that a framework for the implementation of sustainable remanufacturing that incorporates the key elements of Industry 4.0 technology to promote SM advancement toward the circular economy should be developed. © 2022 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.