Blockchain for circular economy in the furniture sector: the case of Cubo Design S.r.l

The research aims at examining the potential use of blockchain technology in the furniture sector's supply chain. To better understand how the furniture sector is articulated, Cubo design S.r.l and its new 4.0 production plant are used as a case study. Cubo design is an SME from Abruzzo active in the manufacture of parts and accessories of furniture. The authors describe the switch the furniture sector has undergone from “old” handicraft production with a high presence of labor and with a significant presence of external suppliers and manual production methods to the new paradigm based on smart factories. From this point, they evaluate the possible and future adoption of blockchain technologies in terms of the benefits the technology could bring to the sector, how it can be combined with 4.0 logic, and what improvements it would create to support the furniture circular economy.