Aligning sustainable development goals with Industry 4.0 for the design of business model for printing and packaging companies

Growing concern for Industry 4.0 (I4.0) motivates to examine I4.0 technologies under the lens of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the context of digital technologies. The goal of the paper is to align SDGs with selected I4.0 technologies to conceptualize a digital business model for printing and packaging companies. In this perspective, a comprehensive literature review, quantitative survey and qualitative individual in-depth interviews were conducted as a research approach. Findings revealed that printing and packaging companies achieved SDGs (8, 9 and 12) mostly through their value proposition by supporting I4.0 components (cybersecurity, system integration, cloud computing, big data and Internet of things [IoT]). The business model affirms a digital-oriented transition towards sustainability, fostering further development of I4.0. It also highlights the importance of redesigning traditional business models to embrace digitalization. Despite the study limitations, the business model can be adapted to other companies of various sectors, improving their 'profit centres'.