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Sustainability
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Sustainable Future: Circular Economy and Green Industry
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Sustainable Future: Circular Economy and Green Industry

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 August 2025 | Viewed by 929

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Irina Georgescu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Informatics and Economic Cybernetics, Bucharest University of Economics, 010374 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: consumer behaviour; social media; customer segmentation; data analysis; social networks
Dr. Ionut Nica

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economic Informatics and Cybernetics, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010552 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: economic cybernetics; complex adaptive systems; artificial intelligence; agent-based modeling; sustainable development; circular economy; operational research; applied mathematics; risk management; financial contagion; business analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jani Kinnunen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Information Systems, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
Interests: real option investments; geopolitical risks; public polic; computational intelligence; fuzzy logic; environmental economics; data mining; financial economics;

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The transition to a Circular Economy and the Development of Green Industries are critical to achieving a sustainable future in the face of global environmental challenges. By promoting resource efficiency, waste reduction, and environmental regeneration, the Circular Economy offers innovative solutions for aligning industrial processes with sustainability goals. Green industries, powered by eco-innovation and clean technologies, play a key role in this transformation, enabling sustainable production systems that reduce carbon footprints and foster long-term resilience.

This Special Issue, “Sustainable Future: Circular Economy and Green Industry”, aims to bring together cutting-edge research that examines the integration of Circular Economy principles and green industrial practices in driving sustainability. We welcome submissions that explore multidisciplinary approaches, including advanced technologies, policy frameworks, and practical applications, to address challenges and opportunities in this evolving field.

Original research articles and reviews are welcome, covering a wide range of themes, including but not limited to:

  • Circular Economy and Industrial Ecology;
  • Green Technologies and Renewable Energy;
  • Eco-innovation and Sustainable Business Models;
  • Policy and Governance for a Circular Economy;
  • Sustainable Urban and Industrial Systems;
  • Digital Transformation and Circular Economy;
  • Sustainability Metrics and Decision-Making Tools;
  • Waste Management and Resource Recovery;
  • Finance and Investment for Green Industry;
  • Emerging Trends and Innovation in Circular Economy;
  • Climate Adaptation and Circular Practices;
  • Digital Twins and Circular Economy;
  • Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Decision-Making;
  • Cybernetics in Circular Economy Systems;
  • Cybernetics Modeling in Green Industry Dynamics;

We encourage submissions of original research articles and comprehensive reviews that advance the knowledge and practice of building a sustainable future through circular economy and green industry innovations.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Irina Georgescu
Dr. Ionut Nica
Dr. Jani Kinnunen
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

  • circular economy
  • green industry
  • sustainable development
  • renewable energy
  • eco-innovation
  • resource efficiency
  • waste management
  • climate adaption
  • artificial intelligence in sustainability
  • cybernetics in circular systems

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 999 KiB  
Article
Industrial Green Innovation Efficiency: Spatial Patterns, Evolution, and Convergence in the Yangtze River Economic Belt
by Mengchao Yao and Jingjing Pan
Sustainability 2025, 17(11), 4880; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17114880 - 26 May 2025
Viewed by 244
Abstract
This study examines the relationship between technological innovation and economic development in the Yangtze River economic belt context. Specifically, the study employs the SBM-GML model to assess the efficiency of industrial green technology innovation across 110 prefecture-level cities between 2006 and 2022. The [...] Read more.
This study examines the relationship between technological innovation and economic development in the Yangtze River economic belt context. Specifically, the study employs the SBM-GML model to assess the efficiency of industrial green technology innovation across 110 prefecture-level cities between 2006 and 2022. The study also employs exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) and the Spatio-temporal transition method to analyze the spatial evolution pattern of the GML index of industrial green technology innovation. In addition, the study investigates the convergence mechanism using absolute and conditional β convergence models. The findings reveal that the GML index of industrial green technology innovation in the Yangtze River Economic Belt exhibits an upward trend, and technological progress is a key driver. Moreover, the spatial and temporal transition of the GML index of industrial green technology innovation shows substantial spatial dependence and solid spatial stability. The study also finds regional heterogeneity in the absolute and conditional β convergence characteristics and their influencing factors. Considering regional differences, the results suggest differentiated policy recommendations to promote the coordinated development of industrial green technological innovation efficiency in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The study contributes to the literature on the relationship between technological innovation and economic development, highlighting the importance of spatial considerations and regional heterogeneity in promoting sustainable economic growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Future: Circular Economy and Green Industry)
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38 pages, 6115 KiB  
Article
Economic Growth, Innovation, and CO2 Emissions: Analyzing the Environmental Kuznets Curve and the Innovation Claudia Curve in BRICS Countries
by Ionuț Nica, Irina Georgescu and Jani Kinnunen
Sustainability 2025, 17(8), 3507; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083507 - 14 Apr 2025
Viewed by 377
Abstract
This study explores the dynamic relationship between economic growth, technological innovation, and CO2 emissions in BRICS nations, integrating the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) and Innovation Claudia Curve (ICC) frameworks. Using a panel ARDL approach on data from 1991 to 2023, we [...] Read more.
This study explores the dynamic relationship between economic growth, technological innovation, and CO2 emissions in BRICS nations, integrating the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) and Innovation Claudia Curve (ICC) frameworks. Using a panel ARDL approach on data from 1991 to 2023, we investigate the long-run and short-run interactions between GDP, renewable energy consumption (RENC), foreign direct investment (FDI), urbanization (URB), and patent applications (PAs) in shaping environmental outcomes. The findings confirm the EKC hypothesis, revealing an N-shaped relationship between GDP and emissions, indicating that while economic growth initially leads to higher CO2 emissions, this trend reverses at a critical threshold before a secondary increase occurs at higher income levels. The ICC framework identifies a cubic relationship between innovation and emissions, where technological advancements initially drive higher emissions before contributing to sustainability at later stages, though an excessive scale of innovation may reintroduce environmental pressures. RENC is found to significantly mitigate emissions, while URB and FDI display dual and context-dependent effects, highlighting the multidimensionality of sustainable transitions in emerging economies. These results underscore the importance of targeted policy interventions, such as scaling renewable energy infrastructure, promoting green innovation, guiding urban expansion, and aligning FDI with environmental objectives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Future: Circular Economy and Green Industry)
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