The ceramic and glass industries, integral to the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), face significant challenges in achieving decarbonization despite advancements in energy efficiency. The circular economy offers a promising pathway, emphasizing the reuse and recycling of waste materials into secondary raw materials (SRMs) to reduce resource consumption and emissions. This study investigates a standardized waste supply chain framework, developed collaboratively with stakeholders, tailored for the ceramic sector. The Waste Resource Platform (WRP) integrates Industry 4.0 paradigms, utilizing a modular, layered architecture and a process-centric design. The framework includes experimental tests and co-creation methodologies to refine a digital marketplace that connects stakeholders, facilitates SRM exchange, and fosters industrial symbiosis. The WRP demonstrates the potential for SRMs to replace virgin materials, reducing environmental impacts and production costs. It enhances supply chain transparency through digital traceability, promotes predictive material sourcing, and streamlines logistics via algorithmic optimization. Challenges such as regulatory gaps and quality standards are addressed through standardized processes, open data governance, and innovative algorithms. The WRP project advances circular economy goals in the ceramic sector, promoting waste reuse, industrial symbiosis, and supply chain resilience. Its standardized, open-access platform offers a scalable model for other industries, fostering sustainable practices and resource efficiency while addressing global climate targets.

Industry 4.0 presents new challenges for traditional sectors of the economy, for example, the production of ceramic products. This chapter reveals how traditional ceramic industries can (1) assess, (2) plan, and (3) execute Industry 4.0 adoption. The findings are based on the Portuguese ceramic sector. Three interrelated dimensions of the fourth industrial revolution are studied, namely, (1) digital ecosystems, (2) security and safety, and (3) digital sustainability. Industry 4.0 is not restricted to high-tech products and cannot be addressed by one-size-fits-all solutions. Moreover, it requires cooperation within business ecosystems. The authors propose a model for Ceramic Industry 4.0 and accessible guidelines for managers involved in global supply chains. This chapter suggests emergent research opportunities for (1) sectorial maturity models, (2) data quality and regulatory compliance, (3) cyber-security and risk management, and (4) an integrated vision of sustainability in the digital era.

This paper presents the design and validation of the ResourceNet platform, a digital solution with an architecture developed to support the circular economy by valorizing ceramic waste as Secondary Raw Materials (SRMs). Aligned with the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and the Waste Declassification Framework, the platform addresses the logistical and compliance challenges faced by SMEs in remote regions by facilitating the structured exchange of SRM data via an omnichannel digital marketplace. The proposed architecture integrates formal visual modeling techniques and complies with existing standards to ensure transparency, modularity, and traceability. The research adopts a Process-Driven Architecture (PDA) approach, complemented by a Model-Driven Architecture (MDA), to model the digital logistics of the SRM supply chain. The methodology utilizes BPMN and UML to map business workflows, data interactions, and system behavior. A context diagram anchors the architectural views, supporting alignment between stakeholder concerns and system capabilities. The findings, validated through a case study in the ceramics sector, demonstrate that integrating PDA and MDA enables an interoperable, standards-based platform that supports waste declassification, facilitates SRM traceability, and fosters industrial symbiosis. This positions ResourceNet and the corresponding lessons learned as a scalable solution for advancing digital circular economy ecosystems.