Driving Industry 5.0 Success: How Theory Meets Practice in Europe's Industrial Evolution

As industries move beyond the digital focus of Industry 4.0, Industry 5.0 emerges as a new paradigm prioritizing human-centricity, sustainability, and resilience in production processes. However, a significant gap remains in translating these theoretical advancements into practical implementation. This paper addresses this gap by combining a Systematic Literature Review of 879 articles with a two-round Delphi study involving 14 experts from diverse European sectors, including Consumer Goods, Life Sciences, and Heavy Industry. The resulting framework, organized around strategic objectives, triggers, and enablers, synthesizes theoretical insights with sector-specific perspectives. Through the Delphi process, 32 hypotheses were refined to 24 consensus-based findings, creating a robust, evidence-backed foundation. This research offers actionable insights for industry and academia, bridging theoretical and practical dimensions of Industry 5.0.