Advancing Sustainable Practices and Innovations Across Manufacturing Systems and Integrated Supply Chains for Resource Efficiency

Dear Colleagues, 

Recent contributions in the operations management literature underline the central role of operations strategy, supply chain configuration, and managerial decision processes in determining both environmental outcomes and operational performance. A growing body of work shows how decisions related to logistics network design, sourcing and procurement, capacity and process planning, the use of management standards, and the deployment of digital technologies shape patterns of resource use, cost efficiency, and system robustness. In parallel, an expanding stream of research highlights the relevance of data-driven methods, Industry 4.0 applications, artificial intelligence, and advanced performance measurement systems as enablers of more sustainable operational practices in contexts characterized by volatility and uncertainty. 

Notwithstanding these developments, existing studies remain dispersed across different theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and application settings. This Special Issue aims to address this fragmentation by offering a coherent platform for research that advances both theory and practice at the intersection of operations management, sustainability, and resource-efficient supply chain design, with the objective of supporting cumulative knowledge building and providing insights of direct relevance for managerial decision making. 

This Special Issue aims to advance research in operations management by focusing on sustainable and resource-efficient manufacturing systems and integrated supply chains. It brings together strategic operations management perspectives and operational decision making, with the objective of understanding how design and management choices shape both environmental performance and operational competitiveness. Contributions are invited that examine decisions related to operations and supply chain management, logistics network design, sourcing and procurement, capacity and process planning, and the use of ISO management systems. Particular attention is given to the alignment between operations strategy and execution, as well as to trade-offs among efficiency, flexibility, resilience, and resource utilization. 

The Special Issue adopts a decision-oriented, system-level perspective consistent with the scope of Sustainability. It welcomes analytical, empirical, and data-driven studies that investigate how digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and Industry 4.0 solutions support sustainable operations under uncertainty. Research on lean operations, business process management, and their integration with sustainability objectives is especially encouraged. The Special Issue also invites contributions on advanced cost and performance measurement systems in manufacturing, including approaches that support operational control, investment decisions, and sustainability-related trade-off analysis. Studies that link operational practices to measurable outcomes in efficiency, robustness, and resource performance are particularly welcome. 

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

• Sustainable and resource-efficient manufacturing systems design;
• Strategic operations management for sustainability and competitiveness;
• Sustainable logistics network design and transportation planning;
• Sourcing and procurement strategies under environmental and resource constraints;
• Capacity planning, process design, and operations planning for sustainable manufacturing;
• Integrated supply chain management and coordination mechanisms;
• ISO management systems (e.g., ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001) and their role in operational performance;
• Lean operations, business process management, and continuous improvement for sustainability;
• Digital transformation, Industry 4.0, and artificial intelligence in sustainable operations;
• Data-driven decision support and analytics for resource-efficient operations;
• Advanced cost accounting and performance measurement systems in manufacturing;
• Trade-offs among efficiency, flexibility, resilience, and resource utilization;
• Closed-loop and reverse logistics from an operations management perspective.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Prof. Dr. Alberto Petroni
Dr. Giovanni Romagnoli
Prof. Dr. Barbara Bigliardi
Dr. Francesco Zammori
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.

• operations management
• sustainable manufacturing
• resource efficiency
• integrated supply chains
• sustainable logistics
• strategic operations management
• Industry 4.0
• artificial intelligence in operations
• ISO management systems
• operational performance