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Advances in Sustainability, Digital Transformation, and Supply Chain Maturity

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 1187

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Production Systems Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
Interests: reverse logistics; sustainable supply chain; circular economy; project management

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Guest Editor
Department of Production Systems Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
Interests: product and service development management; smart product development; statistical modeling and inference; stated preference models
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Business Administration and Marketing, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
Interests: digital transformation; supply chain sustainability; supply chain resilience; maturity models; MCDM

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global supply chains and logistics are undergoing a dramatic transition due to the convergence of sustainability and digital revolution. Digital technologies are playing a bigger role as companies are under increased pressure to fulfill environmental regulations, improve transparency, and lower their carbon footprints. AI, IoT, and blockchain technologies provide new avenues for streamlining supply chain processes, cutting waste, and building more resilient, adaptable networks. The success and scalability of these programs are influenced by the significant industry variations in the maturity level of digital adoption and sustainability practices.

This Special Issue seeks to compile original research on the increasing maturity of supply chain sustainability integration and digital transformation. We encourage studies that assess how the level of maturity impacts the efficiency, effectiveness, and scalability of sustainable supply chain models, as well as research that explores frameworks for measuring and improving maturity in these areas.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but need not be limited to) the following: 

  • Maturity models for the integration of digital transformation and sustainability in supply chains;
  • The role of digital technologies in advancing sustainability maturity in logistics (e.g., IoT for real-time monitoring, AI for resource optimization);
  • The evaluation of supply chain maturity in adopting circular economy principles and reverse logistics;
  • Case studies on the drivers and barriers of firms at different maturity levels in achieving sustainable supply chain goals;
  • Frameworks for assessing digital and sustainability maturity and their impact on global supply chain resilience;
  • Digital transformation maturity in sustainable procurement and green logistics;
  • Research on how supply chain maturity influences the ability to identify, assess, and mitigate risks (i.e. what are the key risk factors that organizations at different maturity levels should prioritize?). 

We aim to create a space where researchers and practitioners can explore the varying stages of maturity in digital and sustainable supply chain practices, sharing insights that can help accelerate progress across industries, particularly towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of ONU.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Prof. Dr. Marina Bouzon
Prof. Dr. Diego Castro Fettermann
Prof. Dr. Cristina López
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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.

Keywords

  • supply chain maturity
  • digital transformation
  • sustainability integration
  • green logistics
  • circular economy
  • risk mitigation
  • supply chain resilience

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

22 pages, 575 KiB  
Article
Digitalization and Firm Value: The Evidence from China’s Manufacturing Enterprises
by Yan Zhang, Jiao Zhang, Yang Lu and Feng Ji
Sustainability 2025, 17(6), 2623; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062623 - 17 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 843
Abstract
In the context of digital transformation, the varying dimensions of digital maturity significantly influence value creation enhancement for enterprises. Optimizing these dimensions to augment corporate value represents an urgent challenge for manufacturing enterprises. This study examines 355 listed automotive manufacturing enterprises (including auto [...] Read more.
In the context of digital transformation, the varying dimensions of digital maturity significantly influence value creation enhancement for enterprises. Optimizing these dimensions to augment corporate value represents an urgent challenge for manufacturing enterprises. This study examines 355 listed automotive manufacturing enterprises (including auto parts and related businesses) through multi-case analysis, grounded theory, and QCA methodology to investigate the intrinsic mechanisms and pathways linking digital transformation with value enhancement in automotive manufacturing. The sample enterprises were categorized by industry type into capital-intensive, technology-intensive, and labor-technology-intensive manufacturers, and were then further segmented into complete vehicle manufacturers, component manufacturers, and related industry manufacturers. The selection criteria emphasized enterprises with explicit digital transformation strategies, sufficient transformation documentation, complete annual reports, stable core operations, and anomaly-free key data. The key findings include the following: (1) Grounded theory identified service digitalization, environmental digitalization, middleware digitalization, marketing digitalization, and R&D digitalization as critical variables, with enterprise value enhancement requiring multi-dimensional synergies rather than single-factor determinants. (2) Configuration analysis revealed that comprehensive empowerment type (consistency > 0.8, coverage 35.9%) drives high-value enhancement, while service-deficiency, R&D-deficiency, and marketing-deficiency configurations characterize non-high-value scenarios. Service, R&D, and marketing digitalization emerge as core-value-enhancing competencies (consistency 0.817, coverage 75.9%). (3) Heterogeneous driving forces were observed across vehicle manufacturers, component manufacturers, and related industry manufacturers, though service digitalization constitutes a common-value-enhancing element. This research provides theoretical insights into manufacturing digital transformation’s value creation mechanisms and strategic implications, addressing current academic gaps. However, the automotive industry focus limits generalizability despite its concrete exploration of industry-specific digital transformation. Future studies should expand industry coverage and conduct comparative analyses to enhance theoretical robustness. Full article
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