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Digital Transformation in Sustainable Supply Chain and Service Operations

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 4469

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Economics and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Interests: virtual business, retail and e-commerce; supply chain management; operation management

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Guest Editor
Department of Economics and Management, Ningbo University of Technology, Ningbo, China
Interests: digital economy; supply chain management; supply chain finance

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Guest Editor
School of Management, Guangxi Minzu University, Nanning 530006, China
Interests: retail and e-commerce; supply chain management; operation management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Digital technologies, represented by artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things, are accelerating the digitization of global supply chains. By improving efficiency, enhancing visibility, and bolstering resilience, digital technologies are enabling enterprises to build smarter, more agile, and more sustainable supply chains. While the digital transformation drives the enhancement of supply chain efficiency, it also poses multiple challenges, including data privacy and security, system integration and compatibility, organizational structure and cultural adjustment, talent development and recruitment, cost control versus investment returns, accuracy of market forecasting, green supply chain establishment, and resource optimization.

This Special Issue of Sustainability titled "Digital Transformation in Sustainable Supply Chain and Service Operations" is dedicated to examining the pivotal role of digitization in augmenting the transparency, efficiency, flexibility, and resilience of sustainable supply chains and service operations. Recent research has indicated that the strategic integration of digital transformation and sustainable policies within organizational settings is crucial for boosting business performance and attaining a high level of operational efficiency. Therefore, this Special Issue focuses on the intersection of digital technologies and sustainable supply chain, exploring how these technologies can facilitate more sustainable practices across diverse sectors, encompassing retail, e-commerce, mobile commerce, logistics, ports, and beyond. By addressing socio-economic considerations, scientific methodologies, and integrated approaches to sustainable development, the Special Issue aims to illuminate the multifaceted ways in which digitization can contribute to achieving broader sustainability goals. 

Consequently, the Guest Editor invites contributions of related research papers focusing on the digital transformation, sustainability of supply chain, supply chain management, and service operations.

Potential topic areas of relevance to this Special Issue include but are not limited to:

  • AI/Big data-driven supply chain optimization for sustainability;
  • IoT applications in sustainable logistics and transportation;
  • Resource optimization through digital supply chain management;
  • Sustainable supply chain practices in retail and e-commerce;
  • Digitalization in warehousing, logistics, and transportation;
  • Digital supply chain and environmental sustainability;
  • Socio-economic impacts of digital transformation in supply chains;
  • Digitalization of logistics systems;
  • Digital transformation and supply chain flexibility;
  • Digital transformation for supply chain innovation;
  • Impact of digital transformation on supply chain competitive performance;
  • Digital transformation of supply chain and demand management;
  • Digital transformation in retail, e-commerce, and mobile commerce;
  • Digital transformation in manufacturing systems;
  • Digital transformation in service systems;
  • Digital transformation in port logistics and supply chain;
  • Digital transformation in other operation systems;
  • Digitalization theory and methods.

Prof. Dr. Xin Tian
Dr. Qiang Cai
Dr. Erjiang E
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

  • digital transformation
  • digitalization
  • sustainable supply chain
  • AI/big data-driven
  • IoT applications
  • supply chain management
  • supply chain optimization
  • environmental sustainability
  • socio-economic impacts
  • service
  • operations management

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 1171 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Influence of AI Adoption and Technological Readiness on Sustainable Performance in Pakistani Export Sector Manufacturing Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
by Khalid Jamil, Wen Zhang, Aliya Anwar and Sohaib Mustafa
Sustainability 2025, 17(8), 3599; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083599 - 16 Apr 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2014
Abstract
This study examines the impact of technological integration on sustainable performance in Pakistani manufacturing SMEs from the export sector, focusing on the mediating role of employee capacity building and the moderating role of organizational learning, drawing on dynamic capabilities theory. Data were collected [...] Read more.
This study examines the impact of technological integration on sustainable performance in Pakistani manufacturing SMEs from the export sector, focusing on the mediating role of employee capacity building and the moderating role of organizational learning, drawing on dynamic capabilities theory. Data were collected from manufacturing SMEs in Pakistan via a structured questionnaire, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed using Smart-PLS (4.1) for analysis. The results reveal that both AI adoption and technological readiness significantly enhance employee capacity building, which, in turn, positively impacts sustainable performance. Employee capacity building significantly mediates the relationships between both AI adoption and sustainable performance as well as between technological readiness and sustainable performance. Notably, organizational learning shows a significant moderating effect between technological readiness and employee capacity building but an insignificant moderating effect between AI adoption and employee capacity building. These findings offer actionable insights for managers in optimizing AI and readiness strategies to enhance capacity building and sustainable outcomes. This study contributes to the literature by being one of the first to integrate AI adoption and technological readiness with employee capacity building as a mediator and organizational learning as a moderator in the context of SMEs. Unlike prior research, which typically examines these factors independently, our framework offers a holistic approach to understanding sustainable performance. Full article
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18 pages, 2519 KiB  
Article
How Climate Risk Affects Enterprise Liquidity: Configuration Effects Based on NCA and fsQCA
by Yong Shi and Junjie Liu
Sustainability 2025, 17(3), 1199; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17031199 - 2 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1244
Abstract
Climate risk, within the context of environmental sustainability, is profoundly affecting global development trends. As critical organizations, enterprises play an irreplaceable role in various stages of economic development, with liquidity being a vital capability for their survival, growth, and sustained value creation. This [...] Read more.
Climate risk, within the context of environmental sustainability, is profoundly affecting global development trends. As critical organizations, enterprises play an irreplaceable role in various stages of economic development, with liquidity being a vital capability for their survival, growth, and sustained value creation. This paper innovatively constructs a framework of climate risk, encompassing three levels: macro background, industry environment, and corporate operation. Focusing on publicly listed companies in China’s eight high energy-consuming industries, this paper employs fsQCA and NCA methods to investigate the factors influencing enterprise liquidity in the context of climate risk. Finally, the study finds and concludes with three main patterns: macro-oriented, industry-adaptive, and management-optimized. These findings suggest related policy recommendations and key strategies to enhance economic resilience by adjusting climate policy uncertainty, controlling technical personnel proportion, and improving financial management. Full article
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