Smart Innovation as a New Economic Engine: Digital Empowerment for Sustainable Growth
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: 25 July 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: sustainability; digital transformation; design and innovation; communication; digital engagement; leadership; management; strategic management; digital transformation and innovation; tourism; business communication; entrepreneurship; innovation
Interests: sustainability; transition economies; communicating effectively; innovation statistics; AI and consumer behavior; digital engagement; leadership; management; strategic management; digital transformation; innovation
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue aims to explore the intersection of sustainability and economic development from multidisciplinary perspectives alongside the critical role of digital technologies in advancing sustainability and fostering responsible economic growth in an era of rapid technological change. We encourage researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to contribute empirical studies, theoretical papers, and real-world applications that discuss how digital tools and data-driven approaches can encourage sustainable consumption, foster consumer trust, support organizations in aligning with ESG principles, and promote digital transformation, consumption pattern analysis, and resource management optimization. This Special Issue also encourages exploration into emerging fields such as AI-driven sustainability analytics, blockchain for transparent supply chains, and smart city solutions for circular economies. Contributions that propose new conceptual frameworks, evaluate digital sustainability initiatives, or offer data-driven insights for guiding future practices are particularly welcome.
Prof. Dr. António Cardoso
Prof. Dr. Manuel Sousa Pereira
Dr. Sílvia Faria
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
- sustainable economic development
- economic growth
- data-driven approaches
- sustainable digital transformation
- ESG
- conscious consumption
- digital engagement
- ethical AI
- greenwashing
- circular economy
- online communities
- data-driven sustainability
- digital technologies
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