Toward Cyber-Physical Sustainability Assessment in Biobased Manufacturing: A Cloud-Enabled Tool Demonstrated for Hemp Decortication

Abstract Sustainability assessment in biobased manufacturing is commonly performed as a retrospective, static analysis, limiting its usefulness for operational decision-making and stakeholder engagement. This study advances cyber-physical sustainability assessment as an emerging paradigm in which life cycle-based sustainability evaluation is embedded within digitally connected manufacturing systems. A cloud-enabled sustainability assessment tool is developed that integrates automated life cycle inventory importation, life cycle impact assessment using Brightway2-based module, Industry 4.0-informed scenario modeling, and interactive decision support through a web-based dashboard. The approach enables multi-pillar evaluation across environmental, economic, and social dimensions while supporting near-real-time updates, transparent computation, and stakeholder-accessible visualization. The proposed system is demonstrated for the industrial hemp straw production and decortication process, assessing fiber and hurd production under cradle-to-gate system boundaries. Environmental indicators include global warming potential, acidification, cumulative energy demand, land use, and water use; economic performance is evaluated through energy, labor, logistics, and total production costs; and social performance is represented using operational metrics such as labor hours, overtime, training, and safety incidents. By coupling open-source life cycle modeling with cloud-based data infrastructure and actionable visualization, this work demonstrates how sustainability assessment can transition from post hoc reporting to a cyber-physical decision-support capability for biobased manufacturing. The proposed approach improves transparency, responsiveness, and stakeholder engagement, offering a scalable foundation for data-driven sustainability management in emerging biobased value chains.