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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: closed (31 March 2026) | Viewed by 5666

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luna Leoni

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Guest Editor

Department of Management and Law, Tor Vergata University of Rome, 00133 Rome, Italy
Interests: sustainability; knowledge management; creativity management; tourism management; servitization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Marco Ardolino

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, 25121 Brescia, Italy
Interests: sustainability; digital technologies; industry 4.0; engineering; manufacturing companies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a Call for Papers for the Special Issue "Knowledge Management and Digital Transformation in Sustainability". This Special Issue aims to explore the intersection of knowledge management (KM), digital transformation (DT), and sustainability, focusing on how organizations leverage knowledge and technology to achieve sustainable development goals.

As the world faces increasing challenges, organizations—of any size and in any sector—need to be able to rely on specific tools and strategies to optimize their operations, reduce waste, and achieve long-term sustainability goals (Awan and Sroufe, 2022; Baiocco et al., 2023; Barbosa et al., 2020). In this vein, KM and DT can play a central role, especially when appropriately combined with each other (Del Giudice et al., 2023; Leoni et al., 2022), to powerfully drive sustainability (Di Vaio et al., 2021; Gupta et al., 2023; Hellemans et al., 2022; Lima et al., 2024; Shahzad et al., 2020; Smuts & Van der Merwe, 2022).

Thus, this Special Issue aims to explore their critical role in driving sustainable practices across various sectors, disciplines, and perspectives to provide a comprehensive view of their intersection.

References

Awan, U., & Sroufe, R. (2022). Sustainability in the circular economy: insights and dynamics of designing circular business models. Applied Sciences, 12(3), 1521.

Baiocco S., Leoni L., Paniccia P.M.A. (2023), Entrepreneurship for sustainable development: Co-evolutionary evidence from the tourism sector, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development. Vol. 30 No. 7, pp. 1521-1546. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-01-2023-0003

Barbosa, M., Castañeda-Ayarza, J. A., & Ferreira, D. H. L. (2020). Sustainable strategic management (GES): Sustainability in small business. Journal of cleaner production, 258, 120880.

Del Giudice, M., Scuotto, V., & Papa, A. (2023). Knowledge Management and AI in Society 5.0. Routledge.

Di Vaio, A., Palladino, R., Pezzi, A., & Kalisz, D. E. (2021). The role of digital innovation in knowledge management systems: A systematic literature review. Journal of business research, 123, 220-231.

Gupta, S., Tuunanen, T., Kar, A. K., & Modgil, S. (2023). Managing digital knowledge for ensuring business efficiency and continuity. Journal of Knowledge Management, 27(2), 245-263.

Hellemans, I., Porter, A. J., & Diriker, D. (2022). Harnessing digitalization for sustainable development: Understanding how interactions on sustainability‐oriented digital platforms manage tensions and paradoxes. Business Strategy and the Environment, 31(2), 668-683.

Leoni, L., Ardolino, M., El Baz, J., Gueli, G., & Bacchetti, A. (2022). The mediating role of knowledge management processes in the effective use of artificial intelligence in manufacturing firms. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 42(13), 411-437.

Lima P.A., Furlan M., Leoni L., Domingues A.M., Jorge C.F.B., Jugend D. (2024), Relationships between knowledge management and ecodesign: A theoretical analysis, Knowledge Management Research & Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/14778238.2024.2325013

Smuts, H., & Van der Merwe, A. (2022). Knowledge management in society 5.0: A sustainability perspective. Sustainability, 14(11), 6878.

Dr. Luna Leoni
Dr. Marco Ardolino
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

knowledge management
knowledge management processes
digital transformation
digital technologies
sustainability
sustainable development

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

29 pages, 343 KB

Open AccessArticle

Regulatory Fragmentation in Digital Services Trade and Carbon Intensity: Hard and Soft Barriers and the Role of Environmental Policy

by Xuan Liu, Min-Jae Lee and Tae-Hoo Kim

Sustainability 2026, 18(8), 4031; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18084031 - 18 Apr 2026

Viewed by 286

Abstract

This study examines how regulatory heterogeneity in digital services trade relates to the carbon intensity of bilateral trade flows. Using a structural gravity framework estimated with Poisson pseudo maximum likelihood (PPML), we analyzed 10,719 bilateral observations from the Eora Multi-Region Input–Output (MRIO) database over 2014–2020. Bilateral gaps in the OECD Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (DSTRI) were used as the main measure of regulatory heterogeneity, and the overall gap was decomposed into infrastructure-related hard barriers and institutional soft barriers. The results suggest that digital regulatory gaps are associated with a higher carbon intensity in trade while also being associated with lower total embodied emissions through reduced trade volumes. This indicates that lower aggregate emissions under regulatory divergence may reflect contraction in trade activity rather than genuine environmental improvement. The decomposition analysis further suggests that infrastructure-related misalignment is more closely associated with carbon inefficiency, whereas institutional divergence operates mainly through its association with trade volume. In addition, environmental policy stringency in the importing country appears to strengthen the positive association between institutional regulatory gaps and carbon intensity, consistent with the possibility of regulatory overload. The study contributes to the sustainability literature by showing that carbon intensity provides a more informative indicator of sustainable trade performance than aggregate emissions alone in fragmented regulatory environments. It also suggests that digital governance, trade policy, and environmental policy should be considered together in promoting more sustainable forms of international trade, particularly in the context of emerging policy frameworks such as WTO digital trade negotiations, OECD digital governance initiatives, and carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAMs). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Knowledge Management and Digital Transformation in Sustainability)

21 pages, 1095 KB

Open AccessArticle

Information Sustainability Beyond Digital Access: Machine Learning Evidence from Local Media Ecosystems in Ecuador

by Luis Saráuz-Estevez, Jessica Pupiales-Proaño and Danilo Cuaical-Tapia

Sustainability 2026, 18(8), 3988; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18083988 - 17 Apr 2026

Viewed by 239

Abstract

The sustainability of information poses an ever-greater challenge in the digital age, particularly within local media ecosystems, where access to technology does not necessarily lead to informed participation or stronger ties with institutions. In contexts such as Ecuador, persistent inequalities shape the way people access, use and trust information, reinforcing complex forms of the digital divide. This study analyses how the sustainability of information is reflected in media consumption patterns and levels of institutional engagement within a regional context. Based on a survey of 1784 people in the province of Imbabura, the study applies a combined approach using cluster analysis and random forest models to identify distinct audience profiles. The results reveal four distinct groups, demonstrating that the intensity and diversity of media use are more relevant than mere digital access. High levels of digital use do not guarantee greater institutional engagement; instead, hybrid patterns emerge that combine traditional, digital and institutional media in different ways. The findings show that digital access alone is not sufficient to ensure information sustainability or the formation of institutional opinion. From a public policy perspective, universities and public institutions should promote digital literacy, build trust and design more targeted communication strategies to reduce information inequalities and foster informed participation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Knowledge Management and Digital Transformation in Sustainability)

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32 pages, 800 KB

Open AccessArticle

Achieving Sustainable Performance Through Digital Knowledge Integration: The Roles of Green Knowledge Sharing and Digital Leadership in the Hospitality Industry

by Nour K M Bahar, Cem Tanova and Mehmet Yeşiltaş

Sustainability 2026, 18(4), 1813; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18041813 - 10 Feb 2026

Viewed by 735

Abstract

Sustainable performance in today’s digital world relies on understanding how technology supports sustainability through organisational processes and leadership. This study applies the Knowledge-Based View and Dynamic Capabilities Theory. It assesses how digital knowledge integration impacts sustainable performance in the hospitality sector. The study examines whether green knowledge sharing mediates the link between digital knowledge integration and sustainable performance. It also explores whether digital leadership strengthens this link. The research team collected data from 373 hotel and restaurant managers in Jordan and analysed the results using SmartPLS version 4. The analysis shows that digital knowledge integration enhances both sustainable performance and green knowledge sharing. Green knowledge sharing strongly associates with sustainable performance. Mediation analysis shows that green knowledge sharing partly explains the effect of digital knowledge integration on sustainable performance. Moderation analysis reveals that digital leadership amplifies the link between digital knowledge integration and sustainable performance. However, digital knowledge integration does not significantly affect the relationship between green knowledge sharing and sustainable performance. These findings clarify how digital knowledge integration, green knowledge sharing, and digital leadership interact to affect sustainable performance. The study provides practical and theoretical implications for hospitality managers aiming to leverage digital transformation and leadership to achieve sustainability goals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Knowledge Management and Digital Transformation in Sustainability)

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20 pages, 2325 KB

Open AccessArticle

Knowledge Management in Environmental Sustainability: The Roles of Financial and Social Integration

by Aldawaib Kriym and Hasan Yousef Aljuhmani

Sustainability 2026, 18(2), 735; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18020735 - 10 Jan 2026

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 721

Abstract

This study investigates how economic growth, financial integration, social integration, and knowledge management shape CO₂ emissions in Saudi Arabia using quarterly data from 1995Q1 to 2024Q4. It applies kernel-regularized quantile regression to capture nonlinear and state-dependent effects across the conditional distribution of emissions without imposing restrictive parametric assumptions, while regularization mitigates overfitting and multicollinearity. The results reveal strong distributional heterogeneity. Economic growth is emission-augmenting and is strongest at the lower tail, weaker around the median, and positive again in the upper tail. Financial integration reduces emissions across quantiles, most strongly under low-emission states, while social integration is mostly near-neutral beyond the lower tail. Knowledge management increases emissions throughout, and quantile Granger causality is concentrated in the upper quantiles, indicating stronger predictive linkages when emissions are high. Based on these findings, this study proposes precise, quantile-specific policy guidelines across the distribution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Knowledge Management and Digital Transformation in Sustainability)

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28 pages, 10019 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Urban Knowledge Networks in Facilitating Green Innovation Diffusion: A Multi-Layer Network Study

by Xiaoyi Shi, Feixue Sui and Chenhui Ding

Sustainability 2025, 17(17), 7672; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17177672 - 26 Aug 2025

Viewed by 1613

Abstract

Against the backdrop of green and sustainable development, green innovation has become a central issue of concern for both society and academia. Based on regional innovation system and network theories, this study conceptualizes the urban knowledge base as a network structure rather than a simple collection of isolated knowledge elements. Using green patent licensing data, a multi-layer network is constructed, and the Exponential Random Graph Model (ERGM) is employed to examine the impact of urban knowledge network structures on city-level innovation diffusion. The study finds that in the green ICT field, cities’ deep embedding in knowledge networks weakens their ability to absorb external innovations, while broad embedding facilitates the introduction of external innovations. In the green transportation field, deep embedding in knowledge networks enhances the absorption of external innovations, whereas broad embedding has no significant effect. In both fields, knowledge combination potential and knowledge uniqueness promote the outward diffusion of local innovations but weaken the inflow of external innovations. This study not only offers theoretical insights into innovation diffusion at the city level but also provides guidance for policymakers in developing targeted urban sustainable development strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Knowledge Management and Digital Transformation in Sustainability)

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