Sustainability in the Digital Age: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Transforming Value Chains and Life Cycles
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: 18 March 2026 | Viewed by 125
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In an era where digital transformation is reshaping industries and societal structures, sustainability remains a critical and urgent challenge. The intersection between artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability presents a unique opportunity to redefine value chains and life cycles, fostering more efficient, resilient, and environmentally responsible systems. However, the implementation of AI-driven sustainability solutions is not without its complexities. Real-world deployment involves significant challenges, including technological barriers, resource constraints, scalability concerns, and infrastructural prerequisites. This Special Issue, ‘Sustainability in the Digital Age: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Transforming Value Chains and Life Cycles’, aims to explore how AI-driven innovations can enhance sustainability across different sectors while critically assessing the challenges of practical implementation and the potential unintended consequences.
This Special Issue will examine AI’s role in driving sustainability transformations within modern value chains and life cycles, emphasizing its environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Topics of interest include AI applications in sustainable manufacturing, supply chain optimization, waste reduction, carbon footprint minimization, and energy efficiency. Additionally, we invite research addressing the computational requirements, data availability, technical expertise, and governance frameworks necessary for the successful adoption of AI-driven sustainability solutions. Ethical considerations, policy implications, and the potential risks—such as rebound effects and resource-intensive AI training processes—will also be explored.
While the literature on AI and sustainability has expanded in recent years, gaps remain in understanding how AI can holistically transform entire value chains and life cycles. Existing studies often focus on specific applications, but a more integrated approach and a high-level view are needed to assess AI’s potential or harm for a systemic sustainability. This Special Issue seeks to bridge this gap by encouraging submissions that go beyond technical contributions to critically examine policy, governance, and ethical considerations.
A crucial aspect of this discussion is the nuanced relationship between digital transformation and sustainability. While AI and other digital technologies can drive positive sustainability outcomes, they may also introduce new environmental and social challenges. We encourage contributions that scrutinize these complexities, offering empirical insights into both the enabling and limiting factors of AI adoption for sustainability.
We invite researchers from diverse disciplines—including computer science, environmental science, engineering, business, and social sciences—to contribute to this interdisciplinary dialogue. By addressing the interplay between AI, digital transformation, and sustainability, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive and critical perspective on AI’s transformative potential in creating sustainable value chains and life cycles.
Dr. Alessandro Tufano
Guest Editor
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
- sustainable AI
- digital transformation
- AI consumption
- AI in value chains
- AI carbon footprint
- AI technology
- AI energy efficiency
- sustainable supply chains
- smart manufacturing
- AI ethics and sustainability
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