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Digital Technology-Enabled Sustainable Supply Chain Management
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Digital Technology-Enabled Sustainable Supply Chain Management

A Special Issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050) belonging to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 3517

Editors

Dr. Pengwen Hou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Business School, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
Interests: supply chain management; blockchain; online platform
Prof. Dr. Liangjie Xia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Business School, MBA Education Center, Tianjin University of Finance and Economics, Tianjin 300222, China
Interests: sustainable supply chain management; behavioral operation; digital supply chain
Dr. Lei Xie

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Management, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
Interests: green supply chain management; value chain management
Dr. Jun Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Management Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Finance and Economics, Tianjin 300222, China
Interests: supply chain management; electronic commerce; sustainable operations management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) is recognized as an effective approach to managing supply chains by integrating economic, social, and environmental considerations, meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. SSCM coordinates key inter-organizational business processes to enhance the long-term economic performances of both individual companies and their value networks, garnering significant attention from scholars. In the current era of digital intelligence, SSCM is confronted with new challenges such as data reliability and privacy concerns. Digital technology, encompassing tools such as blockchain, IoT, AI and big data, enables real-time data collection, analysis, and decentralized coordination to enhance supply chain visibility and decision-making, which may provide possible solutions for those above problems. However, research on digital technology-enabled sustainable supply chain management has yet to attract substantial attention. This Special Issue aims to bridge this gap.

Dr. Pengwen Hou
Prof. Dr. Liangjie Xia
Dr. Lei Xie
Dr. Jun Wang
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.

Keywords

  • sustainable supply chain
  • circular economy
  • carbon emissions
  • ESG
  • reversed logistics
  • green manufacturing
  • digital technology
  • blockchain
  • IoT
  • AI and big data

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 426 KB  
Article
The Impact of the Digital Transformation of Focal Firms on Carbon Emission Reduction in Supply Chains
by Yanan Li, Dan Shi, Xiaojiao Qiao and Yuting Huang
Sustainability 2026, 18(16), 8233; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18168233 - 11 Aug 2026
Viewed by 439
Abstract
Although digital transformation is increasingly regarded as a vital pathway toward corporate decarbonization, its environmental impacts can spread beyond the boundaries of the undergoing firms. This study explores whether digital transformation implemented by focal firms affects the carbon emission intensity of their upstream [...] Read more.
Although digital transformation is increasingly regarded as a vital pathway toward corporate decarbonization, its environmental impacts can spread beyond the boundaries of the undergoing firms. This study explores whether digital transformation implemented by focal firms affects the carbon emission intensity of their upstream suppliers and downstream customers. Using data from Chinese A-share-listed companies over the period of 2009–2023, we find that focal firms’ digital transformation significantly reduces the carbon emission intensity of upstream and downstream partners. Supply chain concentration and partner digitalization partially mediate this relation, indicating that changes in supply chain structure and the diffusion of digital capabilities constitute important channels through which carbon reduction effects are transmitted. The effect is stronger for partners with higher total factor productivity, demonstrating that the efficacy of digital spillovers depends partly on firms’ productive efficiency and absorptive capacity. Further analysis shows that such effects are more prominent with heavily polluting industries, among smaller firms, and in industries with weaker competition. The results remain robust to alternative variable measurements, model specification, and treatments for potential endogeneity. These findings show that digital transformation generates environmental spillovers through vertical supply chain relationships and highlight the role of focal firms in facilitating supply chain carbon emission reduction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technology-Enabled Sustainable Supply Chain Management)
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23 pages, 5089 KB  
Article
Energy and Operational-Carbon Coupling for Sustainable Beijing Hotel Design: Parametric EnergyPlus Simulation and Machine-Learning Surrogate Analysis
by Yuxiang Xiao and Xiong Zheng
Sustainability 2026, 18(15), 7697; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18157697 - 29 Jul 2026
Viewed by 379
Abstract
Improving the operational energy and carbon performance of hotel buildings is an important environmental dimension of sustainable building design. This study develops a reproducible EnergyPlus-based framework that combines parametric simulation, interpretable sensitivity analysis, machine learning surrogates, and carrier-resolved operational carbon accounting for Beijing [...] Read more.
Improving the operational energy and carbon performance of hotel buildings is an important environmental dimension of sustainable building design. This study develops a reproducible EnergyPlus-based framework that combines parametric simulation, interpretable sensitivity analysis, machine learning surrogates, and carrier-resolved operational carbon accounting for Beijing hotel buildings. From 20,000 Latin hypercube candidates, input-side physical and functional screening retained 4640 successful EnergyPlus simulations. The simulated EUI mean was 140.6 kWh/(m2·a), 14.3% above the published Beijing hotel mean; surrogate performance is therefore interpreted as fidelity to the simulator rather than direct measured-building prediction. SRC with bootstrap uncertainty and a SHAP cross-check identified the main domestic-hot-water, building-form, and HVAC drivers. Of 17 models, Poly3-RidgeCV achieved the highest held-out fidelity (R2 = 0.9976; RMSE = 1.72 kWh/(m2·a)). Baseline OCEI averaged 48.20 kgCO2e/(m2·a); EUI and OCEI were strongly correlated (r = 0.954) but not interchangeable, with 71.8% overlap between the top-10% low-EUI and top-10% low-OCEI cases. Emission-factor scenarios showed robust but non-static energy-carbon coupling. The framework supports early-stage comparison of energy-efficient alternatives with comparatively lower operational carbon emissions within the stated accounting boundary, contributing to sustainable hotel design without constituting a whole-life or measured-building sustainability assessment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technology-Enabled Sustainable Supply Chain Management)
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50 pages, 1757 KB  
Article
How Is Digital Development Configured to Agricultural Product Supply Chain Resilience? A Configurational Analysis of Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong Provinces
by Juanjuan Zhou, Yuxin Zhao and Yinglin Wang
Sustainability 2026, 18(15), 7663; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18157663 - 28 Jul 2026
Viewed by 559
Abstract
Digital development is becoming increasingly embedded in agricultural production, agricultural product circulation, and market service systems. The relationship between digital resources and the stable operation, coordinated response, and recovery adjustment of agricultural product supply chains under external shocks has become an important issue [...] Read more.
Digital development is becoming increasingly embedded in agricultural production, agricultural product circulation, and market service systems. The relationship between digital resources and the stable operation, coordinated response, and recovery adjustment of agricultural product supply chains under external shocks has become an important issue in agricultural modernization and sustainable agricultural development. Using provincial-level data from Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong covering the period from 2014 to 2023, this study applies the entropy weight method, necessary condition analysis (NCA), and fsQCA. Based on the resource-based view and dynamic capability theory, this study constructs an analytical framework linking resource configuration, scenario embeddedness, and capability transformation for agricultural product supply chain resilience, and examines multiple configurational paths through which different digital conditions are associated with agricultural product supply chain resilience. The results show that high agricultural product supply chain resilience is closely related to the coordinated matching of digital infrastructure, rural logistics networks, information and communication services, digital finance, and governance support. Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong present three paths: information service and circulation synergy, logistics network support, and digital circulation synergy. The degree of fit between digital resources and specific supply chain scenarios, including agricultural production, agricultural product circulation, financial services, and governance support, helps explain differences in agricultural product supply chain resilience among the three provinces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technology-Enabled Sustainable Supply Chain Management)
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Other

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29 pages, 1958 KB  
Systematic Review
The Role of Industry 4.0 Technologies for Circular Economy Ecosystem in European Perspective: A Systematic Review and Future Research Directions
by Zuhair Abbas and Rasa Smaliukiene
Sustainability 2026, 18(11), 5350; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18115350 - 26 May 2026
Viewed by 1023
Abstract
This research synthesizes a more than a decade of empirical and conceptual research on Industry 4.0 technologies with circular economy ecosystem in the European context. The shifting from linear to circular economy requires adoption of I4.0 technologies in particular Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet [...] Read more.
This research synthesizes a more than a decade of empirical and conceptual research on Industry 4.0 technologies with circular economy ecosystem in the European context. The shifting from linear to circular economy requires adoption of I4.0 technologies in particular Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and Virtual Reality (VR). Yet current scholarship on circular economy ecosystems (CEE) remains theoretically fragmented. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) of 94 peer-reviewed journal articles (2010–2025) using the Web of Science (WoS) database following the PRISMA protocol by deploying theories, contexts, methods (TCM) framework and thematic analysis. We developed a comprehensive framework based on addressing key barriers e.g., diverse expectations of stakeholders, resistance to change, sustainable leadership challenges, lack of digitally enabled-capabilities and institutional pressure with the help of important enablers such as AI capabilities, collaboration with stakeholders, frugal innovation and supportive government policies. Our findings contribute to the emerging discourse on how combining digital technologies with circular economy practices can support the development of low emission manufacturing systems, in line with current zero-emission policy goals in the European Union. This review contributes fragmented literature by highlighting theoretical, contextual and methodological gaps as previously disparate perspectives to help align and move research forward. This research contributes to SDG 9- “Industry, innovation and infrastructure” and SDG 12 “Responsible Consumption and Production”. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technology-Enabled Sustainable Supply Chain Management)
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