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: 29 August 2026 | Viewed by 194
Special Issue Editors
Interests: Sustainability 4.0; Industry 4.0; Industry 5.0; sustainable operations management; sustainable business quality
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-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
- 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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