Digital Transformation for a Sustainable World: Trends and Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

Digital transformation is revolutionizing the world in many ways, and its integration with sustainability has been recently observed in different areas. As society progressively embraces a conscientious and ecologically mindful future, important opportunities and challenges arise in this journey toward sustainability.

A notable trend in this trajectory is the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), to monitor, optimize, and automate processes in various key sectors, such as agriculture, energy, transport, and waste management. These advancements enable the real-time collection of data, and data-driven decision making, leading to, among others, reduced resource waste and decreased emission of pollutants. A crucial step in this direction involves the transition to clean energy sources, essential for curbing the global carbon footprint and combating climate change. In this area, digital disruption can play an essential role, particularly in the intelligent management of electricity grids, enabling the efficient integration of intermittent renewable energies and energy storage to guarantee supply stability.

Furthermore, digital transformation also influences responsible consumption, encouraging the circular economy, in which products are reused, recycled, and restored, thereby minimizing waste and environmental impact. However, alongside these positive developments, we also face significant challenges. The escalating concerns surrounding data privacy and cybersecurity become even more critical as more sensitive information is collected and shared. Furthermore, the persisting digital divide and unequal access to technology can potentially create wider social and economic divisions, making it difficult to realize a sustainable transition for all. Additionally, the responsible management of electronic waste and the carbon footprint generated by the technology industry necessitates immediate attention, given that the unabated demand for this type of device and digital infrastructure continues to grow.

Digital transformation presents substantial opportunities to promote sustainability worldwide, impacting the economic, social, and environmental dimensions. The fusion of technological innovation with environmental awareness can accelerate our transition toward a more sustainable future. However, we must not underestimate the magnitude of the challenges. It is imperative to approach them responsibly, ensuring that the benefits of digital transformation extend inclusively and do not jeopardize our social aspects or the environment over the long term.

This Special Issue invites submission of both original research articles and reviews. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Blockchain for sustainability;
• Circular economy;
• City logistics;
• Climate data analytics;
• Data security and privacy in sustainability;
• Disaster preparedness;
• Digital education for sustainability ;
• Digital inclusion and equity;
• Environmental monitoring;
• Ethical AI and automation;
• Green data centres;
• Circular economy;
• Green logistics;
• Healthcare industry;
• Mobility in smart cities;
• Participation and inclusion;
• Renewable energy management;
• Resilience and disaster preparedness;
• Shared economy;
• Smart cities and IoT;
• Smart mobility;
• Smart waste management;
• Supply chain sustainability;
• Sustainable agriculture;
• Sustainable business models;
• Sustainable development.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Leonor Teixeira
Prof. Dr. João Reis
Dr. Pedro Fonseca
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.

• digitalization
• sustainability
• green footprint
• green computing
• inclusion
• participatory
• circular economy
• carbon footprint
• green technology
• renewable energy