Sustainability Advances in Supply Chain and Operations Management

Dear Colleagues,

Companies engaging in design, implementation and operation in modern production and manufacturing environments require investment in a range of technical, human and financial resources. Therefore, the need to develop new and innovative manufacturing, operations and supply chain systems, and the associated management approaches, should not only focus on the systems’ performance but should also focus on the cultural and human issues that emerge from the adoption and use of such systems. Likewise, researchers also need to address the impact on society and the environment from the implementation of new advancements in technology such as IE4.0 and IE5.0.

A significant body of research has been developed to assist engineers and managers in finding effective ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations, and has primarily focussed on new technologies and the integration of such technologies into production systems and supply chains. However, a frequently overlooked area of research lies in understanding and characterising the societal, economic and environmental impacts that arise as a consequence of these advances in technology, and how society is able to embrace these technologies and systems (such as through competency and knowledge management, organisational learning, supply chain and supplier development and knowledge engineering).

The aim of this Special Issue is to disseminate research from the development of real-life sustainability advances in supply chain and operational systems, where new theories and approaches have been applied successfully to foster the improvement of sustainability in all its forms. We invite high-quality research articles that focus on detailed explorations of the application and impact of sustainable supply chain systems, along with their connections to the development of sustainable futures by both industry professionals and academic researchers. The Special Issue will extend an opportunity to academic and industry researchers to share real-life applications and investigations.

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

• Reviews of the current attitudes, cultures and societal impacts on the application and implementation of sustainable supply chain practices and systems;
• Reviews that focus on the impact of technologies such as IE 4.0/IE 5.0 on business sustainability;
• The evaluation of projects with industry, focusing on addressing sustainability needs (such as impact on SDGs);
• New applications and implementations of sustainable supply chain practices and systems (for example, applications in the renewable energy sector, the digital sector, and the more traditional manufacturing and construction sectors, etc.);
• Redesigning/reconfiguring business processes and supply chains for the implementation of IE 4.0/5.0 through the adoption of new management paradigms such as Leadership 4.0/5.0;
• Knowledge management and competency development pertaining to the implementation and use of advanced technologies and systems;
• Societal and cultural change—managing the disruptive impact of advanced technologies and systems;
• The integration of the technological, sustainable and societal aspects of technology and systems research; ensuring technologies are developed with people in mind so as to improve their adoption and the acceptance of new ways of working.

Prof. Dr. Andrew Thomas
Dr. Rachel Mason-Jones
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-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.

• supply chain systems
• operations management
• sustainability
• societal impacts