Computational Intelligence for Sustainable Operations and Circular Economy

Dear Colleagues,

The advancement and implementation of sophisticated algorithms play a crucial role in tackling challenges related to sustainable operations and the circular economy. As industries strive to improve resource efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance overall operational effectiveness, innovative algorithmic solutions are essential for optimizing decision-making and system performance. This Special Issue aims to showcase the latest developments in computational techniques, including heuristic and metaheuristic optimization, machine learning applications, and operations research methodologies, all of which contribute to the digital transformation of sustainability-driven systems.

The primary focus is on algorithmic innovations that address key areas such as supply chain optimization, green logistics, resource efficiency, energy management, and sustainable manufacturing. By integrating computational intelligence and data-driven strategies, these algorithms enable enhanced predictive modeling, real-time decision adjustments, and adaptive system controls. Contributions to this Special Issue will emphasize algorithm design, mathematical modeling, complexity analysis, and computational performance, aligning with the theoretical and applied focus of the Algorithms journal.

Topics of Interest:

Authors are invited to submit high-quality, original manuscripts that have not been previously published or are not currently under review by other journals or conferences. All submissions will undergo a rigorous peer-review process to ensure the quality and relevance of the published articles. We invite original research articles, reviews, and case studies on topics including, but not limited to, the following:

• Algorithmic approaches for circular supply chains and reverse logistics;
• Heuristic and metaheuristic optimization for green logistics and waste reduction;
• AI-driven decision support systems for sustainability and energy efficiency;
• Machine learning and deep learning in the optimization of sustainable systems;
• Operations research algorithms for dynamic scheduling in sustainable manufacturing;
• Multi-agent and game-theoretic models for optimizing sustainable operations;
• Digital twin and IoT-based resource optimization in industrial systems;
• Complexity analysis and efficiency evaluation of sustainability-focused algorithms;
• Blockchain for transparency and sustainability in supply chains;
• Big data analytics and computational techniques for life cycle assessment (LCA);
• Big data for circular economy and sustainable design;
• AI-driven optimization for waste management and recycling;
• Computational approaches to eco-design and sustainable product development;
• Collaborative multi-agent systems for circular economy optimization.

Prof. Dr. Frank Werner
Dr. Vahid Kayvanfar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Algorithms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.