Speakers

Myriam Ertz

Associate Professor in Marketing, Head of LaboNFC (Laboratory of research on New Forms of Consumption), Department of economics and administrative sciences, University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (UQAC), Canada – Co-responsible Axis 1 of the Quebec Circular Economy Research Network (RRECQ).

Biography: Myriam Ertz, Ph.D., PCM®, CDMP, is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi, Director of LaboNFC, and a recipient of MDPI’s Social Sciences 2020 Young Investigator Award in 2021, as well as of University of Quebec’s (UQ) Succession in Research Award, in 2022. Her research interests include technology, innovation, the platform economy, the sharing / collaborative economy, responsible consumption and marketing, sustainability, and the circular economy. She has published over 80 research articles in top-quality journals, including Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Journal of Cleaner Production, Sustainable Cities & Society, Industrial Marketing Management, and Business Strategy & the Environment, among others. Professor Ertz is also a book author (Marketing responsible, JFD Editions) and has extensive editorial experience as a book editor (PUQ, IGI Global), journal associate editor (Frontiers in Psychology, Frontiers in Sustainability), and special issue guest editor for several journals, including Sustainability and Revue Organisations & Territoires.

Title: Industry 4.0 at the service of product sustainability

Abstract: The exacerbated growth in production and consumption is beneficial while posing some risks to climate and the environment. Sustainable development embodied in circular economy strategies has therefore gained traction in academia, decision-making, practice, and overall society to consolidate economic growth while ensuring favorable socioecological impacts. Meanwhile, information technologies have matured into sophisticated systems paving the way for a 4th industrial revolution. Due to its heightened diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive capabilities, this technological nexus has gradually become a key asset to be harnessed for tackling socioecological challenges. More specifically, the use of advanced hardware and software has become tantamount to improved control, prevision, and subsequent adjustments, especially within the production process. In other words, technology might enable better control of a product throughout its life cycle, which may ultimately heighten the capability of extending product lifetime. Despite conceptual assumptions pointing in that direction, few empirical works have investigated more deeply how advanced technologies might contribute to extending product lifecycle. The communication presents the result of a qualitative study exploring the extent to which four Industry 4.0 technologies (i.e., Additive Manufacturing, Internet of Things, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence) contribute to product lifetime extension business models. The findings highlight three main areas of support provided by Industry 4.0 technologies for product sustainability: 1) identification; 2) validation; and 3) prediction. This field of research is still in a nascent stage and requires that several additional studies be carried out to confirm the concepts, assess quantitatively the effects, and spur the development of tools, practices, procedures, and systems to stimulate product lifetime extension.