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Digital Innovation in Sustainable Economics and Business

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: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 1458

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Salerno, Salerno 84084, Italy
Interests: labor economics; psychological economics; innovation; green, circular and sharing economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Departement of Economics and Statistics, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
Interests: environmental economics; environmental innovation; macroeconomics; chaos theory; complexity economics

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Guest Editor
Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy
Interests: economic policy; public economics; green economy; circular economy; economics of innovation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Digital innovation presents a significant challenge and opportunity for both economics and business. While innovation drives economic growth and business development, new digital products and processes can have complex effects on environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT) have the potential to enhance resource efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and promote inclusive economic growth. However, these innovations may also lead to increased inequality, labour market displacements, and higher energy consumption.

Businesses strategies play a crucial role in fostering digital sustainability by optimizing supply chain management, reducing carbon footprints, and promoting circular economy principles. Despite these benefits, barriers such as high implementation costs and the need for a skilled workforce can hinder the adoption of new technologies.

Thus, this Special Issue aims to explore the intersection of digital technology and sustainability, focusing on how innovative digital solutions can drive sustainable practices in economics and business.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The role of digital transformation in promoting sustainable economic growth;
  • The impact of digital technologies on sustainable business practices and organizational challenges;
  • Business strategies to meet regulatory requirements and consumer demands for sustainability;
  • Public policies to promote sustainable digital transformation;
  • Labour market and social issue sustainability in the digital era.

Dr. Bruna Bruno
Prof. Dr. Marisa Faggini
Dr. Anna Parziale
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

  • digital innovation
  • sustainable innovation
  • environmental innovations
  • sustainable business strategies
  • economic growth and labour markets

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

25 pages, 1661 KB  
Article
AI-Driven Energy Optimization in Urban Logistics: Implications for Smart SCM in Dubai
by Baha M. Mohsen and Mohamad Mohsen
Sustainability 2025, 17(18), 8301; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17188301 - 16 Sep 2025
Viewed by 588
Abstract
This paper aims to explore the role artificial intelligence (AI) technologies play in optimizing energy consumption levels in urban logistical systems, including the strategic implications of such technologies on smart supply chain management (SCM) in Dubai. The mixed-methods study was adopted and applied, [...] Read more.
This paper aims to explore the role artificial intelligence (AI) technologies play in optimizing energy consumption levels in urban logistical systems, including the strategic implications of such technologies on smart supply chain management (SCM) in Dubai. The mixed-methods study was adopted and applied, in which quantitative measures of the performance of 16 public–private organizations were merged with qualitative evidence provided through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. AI solutions that were assessed in the research included the use of predictive routing, dynamic fleet scheduling, IoT-base monitoring, and smart warehousing. Results indicate an overall decrease of 13.9% in fuel consumption, 17.3% in energy and 259.4 kg in monthly CO2 emissions by the organization on average by adopting AI. These findings were proven by the simulation model, which estimated that the delivery efficiency would increase within an AI-driven scenario and be scalable in the future. Other important impediments were also outlined in the study, such as constraint of legacy systems, skills gap, and interoperability of data. Implications point to the necessity of the incorporation of digital governance, data protocol standardization, and AI-compatible city planning to improve the urban SCM of Dubai, through the terms of sustainability and resilience. In this study, a transferable structure is provided that can be utilized by cities that are interested in matching AI innovation and energy and logistics goals, in terms of policy objectives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Innovation in Sustainable Economics and Business)
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