Sustainability of reconfigurable manufacturing systems: what are we really measuring and what are the research priorities?

Abstract

Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (RMS) are widely recognised for their ability to enhance economic performance by enabling rapid adaptation to market and product changes. More recently, RMS have increasingly been associated with sustainability objectives. However, despite frequent references to sustainability, the literature lacks a coherent and systematic understanding of how sustainability is actually assessed in RMS, which indicators are used, and how these indicators relate to life-cycle phases of RMS. This paper addresses this gap through a systematic literature review that explicitly examines the sustainability indicators used in the evaluation of RMS from a triple bottom line perspective and links them to RMS life-cycle phases. The analysis of 245 journal articles reveals a strong and persistent dominance of economic indicators, a growing but uneven integration of environmental indicators, and a systematic neglect of social sustainability considerations. Building on these findings, the paper proposes a structured classification framework and a sustainability maturity model that together clarify the current state of research and identify pathways toward more comprehensive and life-cycle-oriented sustainability assessment of RMS. The results contribute to both theory and practice by establishing a clearer foundation for future research and by supporting more informed sustainability-driven decision-making in reconfigurable manufacturing.