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Opportunities and Challenges in Managing Circular Economy and Sustainable Development Goals for a Better and Cleaner Future

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: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 1516

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Quality Assurance and Internal Managerial Control Service, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550024 Sibiu, Romania
Interests: management; economics; project management; quality management; integrated management systems; environmental management systems; environmental economics; sustainable tourism management; circular economy; sustainability; education for sustainable development

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Guest Editor
Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Insubria University, 21100 Varese, Italy
Interests: circular economy; sustainable development goals; resources; renewable energy; environmental sustainability; environmental impact assessment; pollution; waste management; wastewater management; human health; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Food Industry and Environmental Protection, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550012 Sibiu, Romania
Interests: quality assurance and quality control in the food industry; human health; product quality assurance; quality management; food quality; food safety; food waste; sustainable food systems; sustainability
Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
Interests: circular economy; clean technologies; SDGs; resources; renewable energy; environmental sustainability; environmental impact assessment; environmental pollution; planning; waste management; water management; human health; sustainability

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Focus, Scope, and Purpose:

This issue will explore the opportunities and challenges in adopting circular economy practices across various sectors. The primary focus is to investigate how businesses, industries, and communities can implement sustainable strategies to minimize waste water, optimize resources, and reduce environmental impacts while maintaining economic competitiveness. The scope includes, but is not limited to, case studies, theoretical frameworks, policy analysis, and empirical research that examine the practical implications of circular economy principles. The purpose is to foster a deeper understanding of how integrated management systems (including waste and water management), renewable energy sources, food systems, and sustainable tourism can contribute to global sustainability goals, decrease environmental pollution, and improve the human health.

Contribution to the Existing Literature:

While the literature on sustainability and circular economy has grown significantly in recent years, there remains a need for interdisciplinary perspectives that bridge the gap between theory and practice. This Special Issue will contribute by showcasing research that integrates the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability. By addressing emerging challenges such as waste and water management, pollution, resource optimization, and the role of education in promoting sustainable development, we aim to advance scholarly discourse and provide practical insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers.

We welcome contributions that examine various aspects of circular economy, including quality management, environmental economics, sustainable food systems, and renewable energy. Research employing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches are all encouraged, as are comparative studies across different geographic, sectoral, and institutional contexts.

Dr. Ramona Giurea
Dr. Elena Rada
Dr. Anca Tulbure
Dr. Luca Adami
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. 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

  • circular economy
  • sustainable development
  • resource efficiency
  • environmental management systems
  • quality management
  • renewable energy
  • waste management
  • water management
  • wastewater management
  • sustainable food systems
  • environmental economics
  • environmental pollution
  • sustainable tourism
  • human health

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

32 pages, 2080 KB  
Article
Critical Success Factors for Digitalisation in the Circular Economy Transition for Agri-Food SMEs: An SF-AHP Approach
by Esra Aydın Göktepe, Sinem Onat, Celil Uğur Özgöker and Burak Buğrahan Devran
Sustainability 2026, 18(10), 4741; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18104741 - 9 May 2026
Viewed by 808
Abstract
While the circular economy offers a new perspective for achieving sustainability goals, digital technologies have become key enablers of this transformation. However, few studies in the literature address the identification and prioritisation of critical success factors for digitalisation that support the transition to [...] Read more.
While the circular economy offers a new perspective for achieving sustainability goals, digital technologies have become key enablers of this transformation. However, few studies in the literature address the identification and prioritisation of critical success factors for digitalisation that support the transition to a circular economy, particularly for agri-food SMEs operating in developing countries. This study proposes an integrated PESTEL-based and Spherical Fuzzy AHP (SF-AHP) framework to identify and prioritise critical success factors for digitalisation in the circular economy transition of agri-food SMEs. First, the literature-derived critical success factors were identified and structured according to the PESTEL framework. The TOE framework was then employed as a theoretical lens to interpret these factors at the firm level in terms of technological, organisational, and environmental dimensions. A five-member expert panel evaluated the factors in the context of Türkiye, and their relative importance was analysed using a weighted SF-AHP approach. Quantitative results reveal that ‘Data analytics to boost agricultural output’ is the most significant factor (w = 0.128), followed by ‘High investment costs’ (w = 0.123) and ‘Efficient technology for the CE process’ (w = 0.114). To ensure the robustness of the findings, a comparative analysis was performed; the results revealed a strong alignment between SF-AHP and Fuzzy AHP (r = 0.986), as well as a high degree of consistency with AHP (r = 0.910), validating the methodological stability of the proposed framework. This study contributes to the identification of strategic priorities for digitalisation in the transition to a circular economy among agri-food SMEs in developing countries and provides policymakers and practitioners with a guiding framework. Full article
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