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Sustainable Operations and Digital Innovation in the Era of Industry 4.0: A Trail Towards Industry 5.0

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2027 | Viewed by 2689

Editors

Dr. Muhammad Zeeshan Rafique

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Research & Doctoral Studies, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, Academic City, Dubai 71400, United Arab Emirates
Interests: Sustainability 4.0; Industry 4.0; Industry 5.0; sustainable operations management; sustainable business quality
Dr. Meera Al Marri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Business & Quality Management, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, Academic City, Dubai 71400, United Arab Emirates
Interests: project management; sustainability; management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aim and scope of this Special Issue is to explore the intersection of sustainable operations and digital innovation in the context of Industry 4.0 and its milieu towards Industry 5.0. The collection will serve as a platform for academics, practitioners, and policymakers to present pioneering research, methodologies, and case studies that highlight how Industry 4.0 and upcoming Industry 5.0 human-centric vision can contribute to sustainable business models, circular economy practices, and quality enhancement. This Special Issue aligns with the journal’s scope by addressing pressing global sustainability challenges and exploring how digital transformation can contribute to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Both original research articles and review papers are welcome. Interdisciplinary and applied studies from business, engineering, management, and education sectors are particularly encouraged.

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

  • Sustainable Operations Management in Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0.
  • Digital Transformation for Circular Economy and Green Manufacturing.
  • AI, IoT, and Data Analytics for Sustainable Business Excellence.
  • Project Management in Implementation of Sustainable Industry and Sustainable Innovation Practices.
  • Policy and Governance Challenges in Digital Sustainability.
  • Integration of Industry 4.0 and 5.0 concept with Sustainable Education and Smart Learning.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Muhammad Zeeshan Rafique
Dr. Meera Al Marri
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-anonymized 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

  • Sustainability 4.0
  • Industry 4.0
  • Industry 5.0
  • digital innovation
  • sustainable operations
  • quality control
  • smart learning
  • circular economy
  • AI for sustainability

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

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 1410 KB  
Article
Machine Learning the Future of Inclusive and Sustainable Growth: The Role of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
by Mohammad Aljaradin and Khatab Alqararah
Sustainability 2026, 18(16), 8353; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18168353 - 14 Aug 2026
Viewed by 261
Abstract
Entrepreneurial ecosystems are increasingly viewed as drivers of sustainable and inclusive development, yet their true capacity to translate entrepreneurship into inclusive outcomes remains insufficiently understood. This study addresses this gap by linking national-level entrepreneurship indicators to three dimensions of inclusive growth—decent work and [...] Read more.
Entrepreneurial ecosystems are increasingly viewed as drivers of sustainable and inclusive development, yet their true capacity to translate entrepreneurship into inclusive outcomes remains insufficiently understood. This study addresses this gap by linking national-level entrepreneurship indicators to three dimensions of inclusive growth—decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), and inequality reduction (SDG 10)—using data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s National Expert Survey (NES) for 37 countries over the period 2020 to 2024. By integrating multistage machine learning techniques with institutional and ecosystem theories, the study captures the nonlinear and interdependent dynamics among entrepreneurial framework conditions. The results reveal that development outcomes depend not on isolated factors but on complementarities among finance, infrastructure, and R&D transfer. Entrepreneurial ecosystems foster innovation and productive employment, yet their inclusiveness hinges on institutional efficiency, governance quality, and redistributive capacity. The findings show that policy intent diverges from policy impact, as governmental support and cultural norms exert adverse effects when institutional coherence and absorptive capacity are weak. The research advances entrepreneurship theory by moving beyond linear, additive models toward a systemic understanding of ecosystem complementarity, and offers policy insights, emphasizing that innovation-led growth must be embedded in institutional coherence and social inclusion to achieve sustainable and equitable development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Operations and Digital Innovation in the Era of Industry 4.0: A Trail Towards Industry 5.0)
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34 pages, 5299 KB  
Article
A Collaborative Energy Management and Price Prediction Framework for Multi-Microgrid Aggregated Virtual Power Plants
by Muhammad Waqas Khalil, Syed Ali Abbas Kazmi, Mustafa Anwar, Mahesh Kumar Rathi, Fahim Ahmed Ibupoto and Mukesh Kumar Maheshwari
Sustainability 2026, 18(1), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010275 - 26 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1357
Abstract
Rapid integration of renewable energy sources poses a serious problem to the functionality of microgrids since they are characterized by underlying uncertainties and variability. This paper proposes a multi-stage approach to energy management to overcome these issues in a virtual power plant that [...] Read more.
Rapid integration of renewable energy sources poses a serious problem to the functionality of microgrids since they are characterized by underlying uncertainties and variability. This paper proposes a multi-stage approach to energy management to overcome these issues in a virtual power plant that combines heterogeneous microgrids. The solution is based on multi-agent deep reinforcement learning to coordinate internal energy pricing, microgrid scheduling, and virtual power plant-level energy storage system management. The proposed model autonomously learns the optimal dynamic pricing strategies based on load and generation dynamics, which is efficient in dealing with operational uncertainties and maintaining microgrid privacy due to its decentralized structure. The efficiency of the proposed solution is tested on comparative simulations based on real-world data, which prove the superiority of the framework to the traditional operation modes, which are isolated microgrids and the energy sharing scenarios. The findings prove that the suggested solution has a dual beneficial impact on both virtual power plant operators and involved microgrids, as it leads to profit enhancement and, at the same time, system stability. This process facilitates the successful balancing of conflicting interests among the stakeholders at a time when the operation is low-carbon. The study offers an overall solution to dealing with complicated multi-microgrids and brings substantial changes in the integration of renewable energy, as well as the distributed management of energy resources. The framework is a scalable model that can be used in the future perspective of power systems with high-renewable penetration to address both economic and operational issues of the contemporary energy grids. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Operations and Digital Innovation in the Era of Industry 4.0: A Trail Towards Industry 5.0)
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Review

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16 pages, 1086 KB  
Review
A DMAIC-Based Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) Framework for Sustainable Industry 4.0 Adoption
by Muhammad Zeeshan Rafique, Meera Al Marri, Fahad Al Saadi, Moetaz ElSergany and Fawzi Dweikat
Sustainability 2026, 18(13), 6695; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18136695 - 2 Jul 2026
Viewed by 543
Abstract
The fourth industrial revolution has been discussed generously in literature, as it centers around offering high value and customized products or services to the consumer by harnessing the potential of cutting-edge technologies. It comes as no surprise that it has brought about a [...] Read more.
The fourth industrial revolution has been discussed generously in literature, as it centers around offering high value and customized products or services to the consumer by harnessing the potential of cutting-edge technologies. It comes as no surprise that it has brought about a paradigm shift in the manufacturing and services sector; however, it is imperative to analyze the variables which influence its adoption. Although there has been an increasing number of studies helping us to understand the adoption of Industry 4.0, there is no structured and process-oriented implementation roadmap that brings together contextual factors for the adoption, nor a step-by-step methodology regarding improvements. Therefore, the authors have conducted a review in which the barriers to Industry 4.0 adoption have been analyzed in a manufacturing context and their corresponding drivers have been discussed. The study reveals that top management commitment, clear strategy, and a skilled workforce play a significant role in the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies. Afterwards, the authors have developed a conceptual framework for Industry 4.0 adoption by combining DMAIC with a Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework. The recommended framework is designed to facilitate sustainable digital transformation, helping organizations navigate through a structured ability-building process, upskill their workforce, and embrace technologies that align with sustainability objectives. From an academic perspective, the research makes key contributions to technology management literature by utilizing the TOE approach in a proper manner through DMAIC principles. For practitioners, the research work provides an easy four-step process that can assist them in adopting Industry 4.0 technologies in a proper manner. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Operations and Digital Innovation in the Era of Industry 4.0: A Trail Towards Industry 5.0)
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