Evaluation of Sustainability 4.0 Practices in Service Companies

Industry 4.0, Sustainability, and the service sector are topics that have been explored little in the literature. Thus, this article aims to evaluate Sustainability 4.0 practices in service companies in Pernambuco, a state located in northeastern Brazil. The choice to investigate the connections between Industry 4.0 technologies and the adoption of sustainability practices in the service sector in Pernambuco, Brazil, is justified by the growing relevance of these areas for the economic and environmental development of the region. Pernambuco, with its significant industrial development and strong presence in the service sector, represents a fertile field for the implementation of innovative technologies. The service sector, although less explored in comparative studies with other sectors, offers numerous opportunities for the application of these technologies in favor of sustainability, from improving energy efficiency to optimizing logistics. This combination of local and sectoral factors makes the study relevant and urgent, in addition to filling a gap in the existing literature, contributing to the advancement of knowledge on the intersection between technological innovation and sustainable practices. Through the existing literature, it was possible to identify 27 impacts that technologies have on the sustainability of service companies. Thus, the survey method was used, with the application of a structured questionnaire based on the impacts found. Thus, a total of 22 responses were collected from companies in Pernambuco, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Kendall coefficient. Among the results obtained, it was found that the factors that had the greatest impact were more related to economic and environmental gains, while social factors were less evident. In addition, the analysis demonstrated that impacts such as the reduction in the use of materials, reduction of waste and costs, generation of less waste, and improvement in the quality of life at work were among the most relevant for companies. Therefore, the research contributes to expanding this line of studies, offers insights into Sustainability 4.0 practices in services, and promotes sustainable development in services, benefiting both academia and society.