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Sustainability
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Design and Industry: Innovation for Sustainable Futures
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Design and Industry: Innovation for Sustainable Futures

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: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 1506

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. María João Félix

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Design School, Polytechnic Institute of Cavado and Ave, 4750-810 Barcelos, Portugal
Interests: industrial design; product development; innovative technologies; industry; sustainability
Prof. Dr. Gilberto Santos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Design School, Polytechnic Institute of Cavado and Ave, 4750-810 Barcelos, Portugal
Interests: innovation; innovative technologies; patents; quality management; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues:

The world is at a critical juncture where sustainable innovation is not only desired, but essential for the continued growth of economies and societies. Design, coupled with industry, plays a fundamental role in driving innovation towards sustainable futures. Developed countries often lead the way in technological advancements, designing and branding products that dominate global markets. The challenge, now, is to empower both developed and developing nations to innovate through design, bringing together creativity, industry, and sustainability.

1. Importance of Design and Industry for Sustainable Development

In developed countries, research and technological innovation foster the creation of high-value products, while developing nations often serve as the production base. However, to truly close the gap and promote global equity, developing countries must focus on designing and innovating their own products. This Special Issue will explore the role of design and industry in fostering sustainable innovations that can drive economic growth, while ensuring environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

2. Objective of This Special Issue

The primary aim of this Special Issue is to address how design and industrial practices can come together to create innovative, sustainable futures. We seek contributions that highlight the importance of innovation in both the design process and industrial applications, emphasizing the role of sustainability as a key driver. Furthermore, the issue will explore how industry and academia can collaborate to solve global challenges through disruptive technologies and design excellence. 

3. Suggested Themes

In this Special Issue, we welcome original research articles and reviews that explore the nexus of design, industry, and sustainability. Possible research areas include, but are not limited to, the following themes:

  • Sustainable Design: How can design innovation drive sustainability in industrial practices?
  • Circular Economy: Exploring the role of design and industry in promoting circular economy models.
  • Innovative Technologies in Design: The impact of emerging technologies on sustainable product development.
  • Industrial Innovation: How can industries adopt new methods and designs to promote sustainable futures?
  • Collaboration Between Design and Industry: Case studies and research on partnerships that bridge design excellence with industrial needs.
  • Sustainability and Quality Management: Ensuring that innovative products meet sustainability and quality standards.
  • Technological Development and Sustainability: The intersection of technological advances and sustainable practices in design and industry.
  • Patents and Intellectual Property: The role of patents in protecting and fostering innovative designs that contribute to sustainability.
  • Resilience and Innovation in Industrial Design: How industries can create products that are resilient and sustainable in an evolving global market.

We look forward to receiving your contributions to this exciting and critical field of research.

For more information https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/11/6149.

Prof. Dr. María João Félix
Prof. Dr. Gilberto Santos
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

  • sustainable design
  • industrial innovation
  • circular economy
  • design–industry collaboration
  • emerging technologies

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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28 pages, 2272 KiB  
Article
Multi-Dimensional Evaluation and Promotion Path of High-Quality Employment in China’s Environmental Protection Industry Under the “Dual-Carbon” Goals
by Chengyu Li, Zuhui Xia and Jiayi Sun
Sustainability 2025, 17(7), 3123; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17073123 - 1 Apr 2025
Viewed by 294
Abstract
The environmental protection industry is central to China’s green transition and essential for achieving the “Dual Carbon” goals. Through the policy logic of expected environmental governance, high-quality employment in this sector serves as a demonstrative model for overall employment changes across society and [...] Read more.
The environmental protection industry is central to China’s green transition and essential for achieving the “Dual Carbon” goals. Through the policy logic of expected environmental governance, high-quality employment in this sector serves as a demonstrative model for overall employment changes across society and plays a key role in coordinating the achievement of both environmental and economic objectives. This study proposes a comprehensive evaluation framework for assessing high-quality employment in the environmental protection industry. Using the entropy method, Moran’s Index, and spatial econometric models, we analyze data from 31 Chinese provinces over the period from 2011 to 2022. The results show a steady improvement in employment quality within the industry, although significant regional disparities persist, with eastern coastal provinces outperforming the western regions. Spatial autocorrelation analysis further reveals a positive spatial relationship in high-quality employment levels, indicating that neighboring provinces tend to exhibit similar employment quality. Additionally, factors such as economic development, fixed asset investment, government support, and R&D investment were found to significantly influence employment quality in the sector. These findings enrich the research on high-quality employment in specific industry sectors and improve the theoretical system of research on social employment quality under the “Dual-Carbon” policy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Industry: Innovation for Sustainable Futures)
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Review

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26 pages, 1639 KiB  
Review
Integrating Industry 4.0, Circular Economy, and Green HRM: A Framework for Sustainable Transformation
by Rubee Singh, Amit Joshi, Hiranya Dissanayake, Anuradha Iddagoda, Shahbaz Khan, Maria João Félix and Gilberto Santos
Sustainability 2025, 17(7), 3082; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17073082 - 31 Mar 2025
Viewed by 629
Abstract
The integration of Industry 4.0 technologies, Circular Economy (CE) principles, and Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) offers transformative potential to address global sustainability challenges. Industry 4.0, characterized by advanced digital technologies like IoT, Additive Manufacturing (AM), and Big Data Analytics (BDAA), enhances operational [...] Read more.
The integration of Industry 4.0 technologies, Circular Economy (CE) principles, and Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) offers transformative potential to address global sustainability challenges. Industry 4.0, characterized by advanced digital technologies like IoT, Additive Manufacturing (AM), and Big Data Analytics (BDAA), enhances operational efficiency, resource optimization, and waste minimization. Concurrently, CE redefines economic models through resource conservation, lifecycle extension, and reduced environmental impact, supported by frameworks like ReSOLVE. GHRM aligns human resource practices with sustainability objectives, fostering Green behaviors and embedding environmental considerations into organizational culture. Despite the individual benefits of these frameworks, their combined application remains underexplored, with limited research on their systemic integration. This study addresses this gap by examining the synergies between Industry 4.0 technologies, CE principles, and GHRM strategies, identifying opportunities and challenges in their implementation. A theoretical model is proposed, emphasizing systemic innovation, resource efficiency, and collaborative value chains as key enablers of sustainable development. The model highlights the necessity of aligning technological advancements with human-centric approaches to overcome behavioral, organizational, and infrastructural barriers in transitioning toward sustainability. The findings offer practical insights for policymakers and industry leaders, outlining strategies for integrating Industry 4.0 with CE and GHRM to drive sustainability transitions. By synthesizing technological, environmental, and human resource dimensions, this research contributes both theoretically and practically, positioning organizations to enhance sustainability while maintaining competitiveness in evolving economic landscapes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Industry: Innovation for Sustainable Futures)
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