SMEs and the Green Digital Revolution: Strategies for Sustainable Development

Dear Colleagues,

It is commonly acknowledged that the adoption of digital technology by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is one of the key forces that promote sustainable growth. The way that SMEs undertake operations and compete on the global market has been significantly impacted by the rapid evolution of digital technology. Studies have demonstrated that SMEs' competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency may all be increased by implementing digital technologies (Bagale et al., 2021). Digital technologies, such as cloud computing, big data analytics, and the Internet of things (IoT), have the potential to significantly improve the efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness of SMEs (Soni, G. et al., 2022). Additionally, the use of digital technologies can also support the implementation of sustainable practices, such as reducing environmental impact and promoting social responsibility (Abbas et al., 2019).

Utilizing digital technology could help SMEs monitor and report on their environmental as well as social performance, something that stakeholders and customers are increasingly expecting (Qureshi and Khan, 2022). Similarly, real-time resource management, monitoring, and optimization can enable SMEs to reduce their negative environmental impacts (Mahdiraji et al., 2022). Digital technologies also give SMEs access to new markets and customers, which can increase their sales and strengthen their financial viability (Zahoor and Lew 2023). Users can adopt sustainable behaviors with the use of digital technology, such as those that encourage social responsibility and minimize negative environmental effects (Vadakkepatt et al., 2021).

However, the adoption and implementation of digital technologies in SMEs can also pose challenges. These challenges include a lack of digital skills and knowledge, limited access to finance, and a lack of trust in digital technologies (Sikandar et al., 2021). Therefore, it is crucial for policymakers and practitioners to provide SMEs with the necessary support and resources to overcome these challenges and enable them; as the necessity to address environmental issues becomes more serious, it is essential for SMEs to achieve both economic success and sustainability as primary concerns. Thus, it is essential to understand the efficacy and pitfalls of the digitalization of SMEs in order to enable sustainable growth. This Special Issue aims to explore the intersection of digital technology and sustainability in SMEs, with a focus on strategies for promoting environmentally friendly practices in the digital era.

Focus Areas:

• Green digital technologies.
• Digitalization and sustainability.
• Government policies and regulations.
• SMEs’ green digital adoption.
• Green digital entrepreneurship.
• Green digital marketing.
• Big data and sustainability.
• Digital transformation for sustainability.
• Sustainable supply chains.
• Circular economy and SMEs.
• Internal and external environmental management.

This Special Issue seeks to bring together a diverse set of perspectives from academia, industry, and policymakers in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities and challenges of promoting sustainability through digital technology in SMEs. We welcome quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method research or systematic literature reviews that expose the use of digital technologies in the sustainable growth of SMEs.

References

1. Bagale, G.S.; Vandadi, V.R.; Singh, D.; Sharma, D.K.; Garlapati, D.V.K.; Bommisetti, R.K.; Sengan, S. Small and medium-sized enterprises' contribution in digital technology. Ann. Oper. Res. 2021, 1–24.
2. Soni, G.; Kumar, S.; Mahto, R.V.; Mangla, S.K.; Mittal, M.L.; Lim, W.M. A decision-making framework for Industry 4.0 technology implementation: The case of FinTech and sustainable supply chain finance for SMEs. Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change 2022, 180, 121686.
3. Abbas, J.; Mahmood, S.; Ali, H.; Ali Raza, M.; Ali, G.; Aman, J.; Nurunnabi, M. The effects of corporate social responsibility practices and environmental factors through a moderating role of social media marketing on sustainable performance of business firms. Sustainability 2019, 11, 3434.
4. Mahdiraji, H.A.; Yaftiyan, F.; Abbasi-Kamardi, A.; Garza-Reyes, J.A. Investigating potential interventions on disruptive impacts of Industry 4.0 technologies in circular supply chains: Evidence from SMEs of an emerging economy. Comput. Ind. Eng. 2022, 174, 108753.
5. Qureshi, M.I.; Khan, N. Business disruptions and innovations beyond COVID-19. Foresight 2022, 24, 297–300.
6. Zahoor, N.; Lew, Y.K. Enhancing international marketing capability and export performance of emerging market SMEs in crises: Strategic flexibility and digital technologies. Int. Mark. Rev. 2023, ahead-of-print.
7. Vadakkepatt, G.G.; Winterich, K.P.; Mittal, V.; Zinn, W.; Beitelspacher, L.; Aloysius, J.; Reilman, J. Sustainable retailing. J. Retail. 2021, 97, 62–80.
8. Sikandar, H.; Vaicondam, Y.; Khan, N.; Qureshi, M.I.; Ullah, A. Scientific mapping of industry 4.0 research: A bibliometric analysis. Int. J. Interact. Mob. Technol. 2021, 15, 129–147.

Dr. Muhammad Imran Qureshi
Dr. Mansoor Ahmed Soomro
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.

• digital transformation
• circular economy
• environmental management
• sustainability
• big data