Recently, the European Commission (EC) published a report entitled “Industry 5.0 – Towards a sustainable, human centric and resilient European industry“, in which it explains that between 2009 and 2019, the industrial sector accounted for 20% of the European Union’s GDP.
In order to face the economic, political and social challenges, industrial companies have been forced to make progress in the continuous innovation of their processes. According to the EC report, Artificial Intelligence, and other technologies, are optimising the competitiveness of industrial operations, something “highly transformative”, according to the EC, and comparable to a “fourth industrial revolution”.
In the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, a new concept has emerged: Industry 5.0, which places importance not only on innovation, but also on people and their environment.
What is Industry 5.0?
The term “Industry 5.0” refers to how the industrial sector is moving towards a production model that uses technology to be more competitive, but also to generate a positive impact on society. Thus, Industry 5.0 complements Industry 4.0, without replacing it, and complements the progress brought by different technologies by enhancing the positive relationship between humans and machines.
Sustainability, people and resilience
Sustainability, the role of people and resilience are the three main axes of Industry 5.0:
– Sustainability: this is about the commitment and actions taken to reduce the carbon footprint and encourage the use of renewable energies.
– People-centredness: this is about putting human and fundamental rights as a priority, putting Data Protection before the use that workers make of technology.
– Resilience: this is about the ability to adapt to difficult situations and take action for recovery based on ecological, digital and social priorities.
