Digital technologies for sustainable development of agri-food: implementation guidelines toward industry 5.0

Recent environmental and socio-economic issues, required companies to adopt sustainability practices safeguarding the ecosystem. Agri-food is particularly concerned, since food production and delivery have a high impact on the environment and society. Companies are investing in a digitization journey, surfing the flow of the transition from the technocentric vision of technology to a synergistic one, which involves the social and environmental dimensions of sustainability, promoting the shirt of Industry 4.0 paradigm toward the new Industry 5.0. The purpose of this article is to explore the role of Industry 4.0 technologies during the implementation of sustainability practices in the agri-food industry. A systematic literature review was carried out, according to the PRISMA flowchart and ten several data sets were analyzed using scientometric analysis and Bibliometrix. The main characteristics of the research field, the current research routes and the capability of each Industry 4.0 pillar to drive sustainability were identified. A synthesis map of the current agri-food sustainability practices technology-based and a list of suggestions to apply Industry 4.0 technologies in social and economic dimensions of sustainability were proposed. All these results contribute to the foundation for the young research field of Industry 5.0. Theoretical and practical implications, limits, and follow-ups were debated.