Integrating Sustainability and SDGs into Higher Education Curricula via Learning Factories: Industry 4.0 & 5.0 Perspectives

The emergence of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and the evolution toward Industry 5.0 (I5.0) are reshaping the competencies required from engineering graduates. While I4.0 emphasizes digital integration and automation, I5.0 introduces a human-centric focus on sustainability, resilience, and well-being. This shift necessitates a transformation in higher education, calling for curricula that strike a balance between technical proficiency and sustainability and social responsibility. Simultaneously, the integration of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into university programs is gaining importance, urging institutions to prepare students to tackle global challenges. This paper examines the potential of Learning Factories (LFs) as platforms for embedding sustainability and SDGs into engineering education. LFs enable hands-on, interdisciplinary learning by integrating advanced technologies. The study provides an overview of how students engage with smart manufacturing technologies to learn sustainable practices in the context of I5.0 along with its challenges. By aligning curricula with industrial needs and sustainability imperatives, LFs bridge the gap between academic knowledge and workforce expectations. It further emphasizes the importance of faculty development and institutional commitment to implementing a whole-system approach to sustainability education.