Digital Supply Chains Management and Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid convergence of digital technologies and supply chain management is fundamentally reshaping how organizations design, operate, and sustain their value chains. Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, cloud computing, and digital twins are enabling unprecedented levels of visibility, agility, and efficiency across global supply networks. Simultaneously, mounting pressures from regulatory frameworks, stakeholder expectations, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are compelling organizations to embed Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into every facet of supply chain operations. The intersection of digital transformation and sustainability in supply chain management represents one of the most consequential research frontiers in contemporary business and information systems scholarship.

Despite growing scholarly interest, significant knowledge gaps persist regarding how digital technologies can be strategically leveraged to advance sustainability outcomes across supply chains. Challenges such as data interoperability, cybersecurity risks, the digital divide among supply chain partners, ethical implications of algorithmic decision-making, and the measurement of sustainability performance in digitalized supply chains remain insufficiently understood. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent geopolitical disruptions have underscored the fragility of global supply chains and the urgent need for resilient, digitally enabled, and sustainable supply chain architectures.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of Sustainability, titled "Digital Supply Chains Management and Sustainability." This Special Issue aims to advance theoretical understanding and empirical knowledge at the nexus of digital transformation and sustainable supply chain management. It seeks to bring together high-quality research that investigates how emerging digital technologies reshape supply chain processes, enable ESG compliance, foster circular economy practices, and contribute to achieving the SDGs. The scope aligns with the journal’s commitment to interdisciplinary research on sustainability across economic, environmental, and social dimensions.

In this Special Issue, original research articles, systematic reviews, and case studies are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• AI and machine learning applications for sustainable supply chain optimization and demand forecasting;
• Blockchain-enabled traceability, transparency, and ESG compliance in supply chains;
• IoT and sensor technologies for real-time supply chain monitoring and environmental impact reduction;
• Big data analytics for sustainable procurement, logistics, and distribution decision-making;
• Digital twins and simulation models for resilient and sustainable supply chain design;
• Cybersecurity challenges and risk management in digitalized supply chain ecosystems;
• ESG performance measurement frameworks and digital reporting tools for supply chain sustainability;
• Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 paradigms in the context of sustainable manufacturing and supply chains;
• Digital transformation strategies for SME supply chain sustainability in developing economies;
• Ethical and governance dimensions of algorithmic decision-making in supply chain management;
• Circular economy and reverse logistics enabled by digital platforms and technologies;
• Post-pandemic supply chain resilience: the role of digitalization in sustainable recovery strategies.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Narasimha Rao Vajjhala
Prof. Dr. Kenneth David Strang
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-anonymized 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.

• digital supply chain management
• sustainability
• ESG compliance
• blockchain
• artificial intelligence
• Internet of Things
• big data analytics
• circular economy
• Industry 4.0
• supply chain resilience