Towards Net-Zero Industry X.0: Sustainable Governance, Smart Operations and Digital Twins
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: management operations
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: digital transformation and Industry 4.0; digital twin (DT); product lifecycle management (PLM); collaborative product development process; product design; semantic interoperability; applied ontology; assistive technology; model-based engineering (MBE); information formalization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue aims to explore how emerging technologies and governance models can accelerate the transition toward net-zero industrial systems in the context of Industry X.0. As digitalization, automation, and digital twin strategies reshape the industrial landscape, enterprises are under growing pressure to align innovation with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Central to this transformation are smart operations, digital twins, and sustainable governance frameworks, which together enable integrated planning, lifecycle optimization, and ESG-oriented decision-making. This Special Issue seeks to compile interdisciplinary contributions from the fields of industrial engineering, sustainability science, systems management, and information technologies.
We welcome conceptual, empirical, and methodological papers that address the integration of digital tools and sustainable practices in manufacturing, supply chain operations, product–service systems, and enterprise governance.
Special Issue welcomes the submission of original research articles and reviews whose scope includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:
- Net-Zero Manufacturing
- Industry 4.0/5.0/X.0
- Sustainable Governance
- Smart Operations
- Digital Twins
- Circular Economy
- ESG in Industrial Systems
- Lifecycle Assessment and Management
- Data-Driven Sustainability
- Intelligent Manufacturing Systems
- Sustainable Product-Service Systems
- Resilient Supply Chains
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Jones Luis Schaefer
Prof. Dr. Osiris Canciglieri Junior
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
- smart operations
- digital twins
- sustainable governance
- net-zero industrial systems
- Industry X.0
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
