# Support of Advanced Technologies in Supply Chain Processes and Sustainability Impact
## 1 Introduction  
The supply chain is fundamental to connect suppliers, producers and clients. It works like the arteries and veins that transport the blood to and from all cells in the human body. Currently, supply chains are highly complex enlarged networks that could start in one point of the planet and finish in another. This is only possible due to the available technologies, some provided by the Industry 4.0 concept [1]. Such supply chains have impact on the planet's sustainability, so it is mandatory that their operations become sustainable. The industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies as a support to the sustainability of supply chains have recently gained importance due to delivering sustainable outputs and reducing man-machine interaction, if some barriers (e.g., ineffective performance framework) are overcome [2]. Specifically, these outputs are achieved by focusing on cyber physical systems (CPS) to create sustainable smart factories in future [3]. However, the digital transformation under Industry 4.0 relies on the implementation and integration of a variety of simple to advanced Information, Digital, and Operation Technologies (IDOT) such as industrial sensors, industrial controllers, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV), robots, Augmentedand Virtual Reality (AVR), data analytics, cloud computing, Internet of Services (IoS), High-Performance Computing-powered, Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing (HPCCADM), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) [4,5]. Despite that many of these enabling IDOTs of Industry 4.0 have been available during the past four decades [6], only recently have they reached a maturity level in terms of interoperability [7]. The concept of sustainability in SC has also gained also relevance during recent decades [8], motivated by the continuous growth in competition at global level which has led to a shift in sustainability practices in order to remain stable [9]. Sustainability concerns should start from product idea generation until delivery of final product to the final user [10]. To support this, several researchers working on Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) have proposed frameworks for improving the SSCM implementation rate [11,12]. However, it is important to notice that at present industry is switching quickly towards digitalization and it has become difficult for organizations to adopt SSCM effectively using traditional SC practices [13]. According to [PERSON] [14] and [PERSON] et al. [15] the goal of a SC is the management of upstream and downstream relationships in order to create value at less cost for all stakeholders. The use of advanced technologies represents an important contribution to achieve this purpose. The enhanced automation and advanced technologies used help practitioners to develop strategies to face these challenges and to achieve effective sustainability in their existing SC systems [16]. [PERSON] et al. [17] argue that the literature strongly demands innovative solution measures that help organizations to easily adopt SSCM according to a changing industry environment, which includes industry 4.0 [18]. The research on the economic, environmental, and social sustainability impact of the fourth industrial revolution is still a recent topic requiring further investigation. Digitalization of SCs will result in output optimization through removing various types of waste and non-value-added activities [19]. A SC can also be considered as adopting a sustainable behavior if sustainability concerns are identified at each level [20]. For this identification, the availability of a performance measurement system formed by economic, environmental and social indicators [21] is very important to assess this kind of information. Many studies [22,23] have pointed to industry 4.0 and sustainability as the future of organizations in achieving competitiveness [4].