Productivity, Efficiency, and Green Growth for Sustainability
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: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 47
Special Issue Editor
Interests: productivity analysis; green indicators; industrial policy; technological efficiency; management of technology; applied microeconomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The pursuit of sustainability requires a delicate balance between economic growth, environmental stewardship, and social well-being. Productivity and efficiency have traditionally been regarded as drivers of competitiveness and development, yet their role in enabling green growth and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is now of critical importance. In an era of resource constraints, climate change, and ecological pressures, productivity gains must be redefined to incorporate environmental and social dimensions. This Special Issue invites theoretical, empirical, and policy-oriented contributions that examine how productivity and efficiency can be aligned with sustainability transitions across industries, regions, and nations.
We welcome studies that advance the measurement of green productivity, eco-efficiency, and environmentally adjusted performance indicators. Methodological innovations—including frontier analysis, stochastic approaches, life-cycle assessments, and applications of big data or machine learning—are especially encouraged. Equally, empirical studies and case analyses that assess the compatibility (or conflict) between productivity improvements and reductions in carbon emissions, resource use, or ecological footprints will be highly valued. Contributions may highlight how energy, water, and manufacturing sectors are undergoing transformation, how circular economy practices can enhance resource efficiency, and how public policy can integrate productivity and efficiency into strategies for sustainable industrial development.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Concepts and measures of green productivity and eco-efficiency;
- Methodological advances in productivity and efficiency analysis;
- Technology, innovation, and digitalization as enablers of green growth;
- Firm-, industry-, or country-level evidence on the sustainability–productivity nexus;
- Policy frameworks aligning productivity, efficiency, and the SDGs.
Dr. Dong-hyun Oh
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
- sustainability
- productivity
- efficiency
- green growth
- eco-efficiency
- green productivity
- sustainable development goals (SDGs)
- environmental performance
- frontier analysis
- circular economy
- innovation and technology
- energy and resource efficiency
- sustainable industrial transformation
- policy and governance
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