Green Development, Digital Ecosystem and Sustainability in Industry 4.0
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 48
Special Issue Editors
Interests: production; maintenance; logistic; optimization; IA
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: rescheduling; linear programming; scheduling; operational research
Interests: mathematical modeling and optimization of logistics and supply chain management; deterministic and stochastic optimization of network designs and supply chains; manufacturing and service operations management; impacts of smart logistics and digitalized supply chains
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce the launch of our Special Issue entitled “Green Development, Digital Ecosystem and Sustainability in Industry 4.0”, hosted by the journal Sustainability. This Special Issue aims to bring together leading academic and industry researchers to explore how digital transformation and Industry 4.0 technologies can serve as catalysts for sustainable and environmentally responsible industrial development.
As global industries face mounting pressure to reduce their carbon footprints, adopt circular economy practices, and embrace ethical innovation, the integration of green development principles into the digital revolution becomes not just an opportunity, but a necessity. This Special Issue will serve as a forum for presenting forward-thinking research that connects smart manufacturing, energy efficiency, data-driven decision-making, and environmental resilience.
We encourage contributions that into the following topics:
- Green innovation enabled by Industry 4.0 technologies (IoT, AI, digital twins, etc.);
- Intelligent energy management and smart grid systems;
- Sustainable supply chain and logistics optimization;
- Cyber–physical systems and circular economy applications;
- Blockchain and transparency in green industrial operations;
- Predictive maintenance for energy efficiency and waste reduction;
- Digital ecosystems fostering low-carbon manufacturing;
- Life cycle assessment in digitalized industrial systems;
- Policy frameworks and business models supporting digital sustainability.
This Special Issue also welcomes interdisciplinary approaches that combine technical, managerial, and socio-economic perspectives. Whether your work focuses on empirical results, conceptual frameworks, simulation-based analyses, or case studies from industry, we believe your research can significantly contribute to this evolving and urgent discourse.
Let us collaboratively explore how the digital era can support green transitions and sustainable industrial ecosystems that align with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We warmly invite researchers, practitioners, engineers, and policymakers from academia and industry to contribute original research articles, reviews, and case studies to this Special Issue. Your submissions will shape a dynamic knowledge base that informs practice and drives innovation in green and digital industry development.
Dr. Zied Hajej
Dr. Ayoub Tighazoui
Prof. Dr. Laoucine Kerbache
Prof. Dr. Ali Gharbi
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
- green development
- Industry 4.0
- digital ecosystems
- smart manufacturing
- sustainable innovation
- energy management
- environmental sustainability
- circular economy
- low-carbon technologies
- digital transformation
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
