Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.8
3.9
Journals
Sustainability
Special Issues
Advancing Sustainable Supply Chain Management and Circular Economy through Industry...
sustainability-logo
Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Advancing Sustainable Supply Chain Management and Circular Economy through Industry 4.0 Technologies

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 (6 March 2024) | Viewed by 5873

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Reza Akbari

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Business, Law and Governance, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
Interests: logistics and supply chain management; integrated, reverse and green logistics; sustainable development; corporate social responsibility (CSR); emerging Industry 4.0 technologies; operations management; strategic outsourcing; business process reengineering (BPR); pollution reduction, anywhere working; smart cities; teaching pedagogies
Dr. Huy Truong Quang

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
The Business School, RMIT International University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Interests: supply chain risk management; quality and control; sustainability; Industry 4.0
Dr. An Duong Thi Binh

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Faculty of Business, FPT University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Interests: supply chain management; risk and quality management; sustainability; statistics; data science
Dr. Tho Pham

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Faculty of Business Administration, Tokyo Keizai University, Tokyo, Japan
Interests: international business; globalization; global supply chain management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world is facing pressing challenges in terms of sustainability, resource depletion, and waste management. To address these challenges, sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) and circular economy (CE) have emerged as critical concepts in the business world. SSCM aims to reduce negative environmental and social impacts caused by supply chain activities, while CE aims to reduce waste and promote the reuse of materials to create a more sustainable economy. Industry 4.0 technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and blockchain, can play a significant role in advancing SSCM and CE.

This call for papers invites submissions that address the role of Industry 4.0 technologies in advancing SSCM and CE. Papers should contribute to the development of new insights, theories, and frameworks that can enhance the understanding of how Industry 4.0 technologies can be leveraged to promote SSCM and CE.

In this Special Issue, we welcome original research articles, case studies, and literature reviews that contribute to the advancement of the field. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Integration of Industry 4.0 technologies in SSCM and CE;
  • The impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on the environmental and social performance of supply chains;
  • The use of Industry 4.0 technologies (e.g., AI, IoT, blockchain, drones, 3D printing, machine learning) in supply chain transparency and traceability, sustainability measurement, CE business models, and beyond;
  • The potential of Industry 4.0 technologies in promoting closed-loop supply chains;
  • The use of digital twins in supply chain optimization for sustainability and circularity;
  • The impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on the resilience of supply chains in the face of climate change and other disruptions.

We encourage submissions from scholars, practitioners, and policymakers from various disciplines, including supply chain management, operations management, sustainability, circular economy, information systems, and engineering.

Dr. Reza Akbari
Dr. Huy Truong Quang
Dr. An Duong Thi Binh
Dr. Tho Pham
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

  • circular economy
  • climate change
  • closed-loop supply chains
  • digital twins
  • Industry 4.0
  • resilience
  • sustainable development
  • transparency and traceability
  • urban and rural logistics
  • waste management

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

15 pages, 5506 KiB  
Article
Utilising Digital Twins to Bolster the Sustainability of Logistics Processes in Industry 4.0
by Ladislav Rigó, Jana Fabianová, Milan Lokšík and Nikoleta Mikušová
Sustainability 2024, 16(6), 2575; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062575 - 21 Mar 2024
Viewed by 538
Abstract
Industry 4.0, characterized by the integration of advanced technologies, has allowed industries to optimise operations, reduce waste, and minimize environmental impact. Digitalization has become a cornerstone for achieving sustainability goals, and one of the key enablers of Industry 4.0 is the digital twin. [...] Read more.
Industry 4.0, characterized by the integration of advanced technologies, has allowed industries to optimise operations, reduce waste, and minimize environmental impact. Digitalization has become a cornerstone for achieving sustainability goals, and one of the key enablers of Industry 4.0 is the digital twin. The digital twin provides real-time insights and simulations to optimise processes. Organizations can thus optimise not only their operations but also contribute to a more resilient global supply chain. The aim of the paper is to present a comprehensive methodology for implementing the digital twin principle in the Tecnomatix environment. The Tecnomatix model is connected to Siemens PLC SIMATIC S7-1200 utilizing the OPC UA (Unified Architecture) method and through KEPServerEX, V6.14.263.0. The described approach enables continuous monitoring of critical indicators to optimise production efficiency and address downtime issues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Sustainable Supply Chain Management and Circular Economy through Industry 4.0 Technologies)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 1682 KiB  
Article
A Traceability Platform for Monitoring Environmental and Social Sustainability in the Textile and Clothing Value Chain: Towards a Digital Passport for Textiles and Clothing
by Luís Alves, Miguel Sá, Estrela Ferreira Cruz, Toni Alves, Marcelo Alves, João Oliveira, Manuel Santos and António Miguel Rosado da Cruz
Sustainability 2024, 16(1), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010082 - 21 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1453
Abstract
Textile and clothing is one of the most important industrial sectors, not only due to the significant number of jobs generated, but also because it addresses one of the people’s fundamental needs (clothing). It is, however, a sector with a huge global environmental [...] Read more.
Textile and clothing is one of the most important industrial sectors, not only due to the significant number of jobs generated, but also because it addresses one of the people’s fundamental needs (clothing). It is, however, a sector with a huge global environmental impact, and also an important negative social impact, especially in developing countries. Sustainability in the textile and clothing value chain is a known issue, concerning both environmental and economic-social facets of sustainability. One way to improve sustainability in this sector is by measuring and monitoring the environmental, economic and social impacts of activities along the value chain and, ultimately, computing an environmental and circular score for each batch of textile and clothing product, and an economic and social score for each involved company, reflected in their products. The consumer will then have the opportunity and responsibility for selecting products with the least negative environmental, economic and social impact. This article aims to propose a decentralized traceability platform for the textile and clothing value chain, based on blockchain technology, for tracing textile product batches and activities, along the value chain, classifying them with a score, which measures their environmental and social impact. The environmental, economic and social impact scores are based on a set of proposed indicators. The results are assessed through two test scenarios, namely a face towel (home textile) and a T-shirt (clothing). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Sustainable Supply Chain Management and Circular Economy through Industry 4.0 Technologies)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

28 pages, 4531 KiB  
Article
Integrated Lean-Green Practices and Supply Chain Sustainability for Manufacturing SMEs: A Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda
by Wilson Kosasih, I Nyoman Pujawan and Putu Dana Karningsih
Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12192; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612192 - 09 Aug 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2513
Abstract
While it is understandable that lean and green practices are mostly sensible for large companies, it is also important to bring these practices to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as they are the dominant players in various industry sectors. SMEs are part of [...] Read more.
While it is understandable that lean and green practices are mostly sensible for large companies, it is also important to bring these practices to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as they are the dominant players in various industry sectors. SMEs are part of larger supply chains and contribute substantially to the economy, and thus perhaps there is a need for a workable model that attracts them to the lean and green practices. This study aims to find gaps in the lean-green research area that require development in future studies, especially for SMEs. This study uses an analysis of systematic literature reviews (SLR) and involves carefully selected articles from different databases or sources. This SLR was conducted in an effective and structured way using keywords entered into the search engine and found as many as 157 peer-reviewed journal articles, which were studied further using quantitative and qualitative approaches. The bibliometric analysis carried out made it possible to observe research trends on lean and green from 1996 to 2022. To find different research dimensions on lean and green topics, an in-depth evaluation was carried out on the linkage between lean, green, supply chain management, sustainability, and other management approaches. This study finds a lack of empirical research studies that comprehensively focus on investigating the impact of lean and green practices on the supply chain sustainability performance of manufacturing SMEs and involve all three aspects of the triple bottom line (3BL). Our review suggests such a robust and workable model for SMEs is not currently available. A limitation of our review is the use of keywords or “terms” to select articles, as well as the subjectivity of the researcher. Finally, we identify the research streams, criteria, findings, limitations, and enablers or challenges of 17 selected published journal papers on lean-green studies in SMEs and propose a number of research questions for future research directions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Sustainable Supply Chain Management and Circular Economy through Industry 4.0 Technologies)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

26 pages, 2170 KiB  
Review
Forging Pathways to Circular Economy Excellence: Integrating Industry 4.0 with Quality Management
by An Duong Thi Binh, Mohammadreza Akbari, Huong Le Thi Cam, Lam Nguyen Canh and Huy Truong Quang
Sustainability 2024, 16(7), 3053; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16073053 - 06 Apr 2024
Viewed by 443
Abstract
The convergence of industry 4.0 technologies with supply chain operations and sustainability initiatives has sparked interest in integrating supply chain quality management with these advancements, termed SCQM 4.0. A comprehensive literature review spanning 1998 to 2023, analyzing 232 papers, unveiled key trends, identified [...] Read more.
The convergence of industry 4.0 technologies with supply chain operations and sustainability initiatives has sparked interest in integrating supply chain quality management with these advancements, termed SCQM 4.0. A comprehensive literature review spanning 1998 to 2023, analyzing 232 papers, unveiled key trends, identified research gaps, and outlined a future research agenda for SCQM 4.0. The review culminated in the development of a comprehensive theoretical framework for SCQM 4.0 geared towards fostering sustainability within a circular economy framework, encompassing economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Notably, the study implies a rising enthusiasm for leveraging industry 4.0 tools such as the internet of things, blockchain, traceability systems, and smart packaging to enhance quality management within circular supply chain operations. Additionally, it proposes SCQM 4.0 strategies aimed at achieving holistic sustainability objectives in circular economies, underscoring implications for further scholarly inquiry in this dynamic field. To promote supply chain quality management digitalization, supply chain stakeholders should analyze research gaps and develop practical implementation plans using the SCQM 4.0 framework. Additionally, exploratory qualitative investigations among organizations and industries should be conducted to identify essential components in sustainable SCQM 4.0. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Sustainable Supply Chain Management and Circular Economy through Industry 4.0 Technologies)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop