During the last 20 years, sustainable development has been a core pillar in European Union strategies, as an overarching objective of the EU 2020 Strategy, the 7th Environment Action Programme, and the 2030 Agenda. In this context, one of the greatest challenges for addressing environmental and climate objectives is to obtain and implement technological solutions to achieve deep decarbonation for a new low-carbon economy. It is well-known that the transition towards sustainable production patterns is often characterized by relatively long development periods in which the economic, social, and environmental dimensions have to be tackled together. The development of sustainable technology involves changes in the traditional industrial processes, in the type and amount of resources used, and in the products that are manufactured, removing inefficiencies across the entire product lifecycle. Examples of such sustainable technologies include carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture and utilization systems, renewable energy production, sustainable food production, diet and packaging, solutions in energy-intensive industry, household water purification devices, manufacturing processes that minimize waste and CO₂ emissions, efficient irrigation methods, and sustainable public infrastructure and information technologies. All of these sustainable developments must be disseminated widely and implemented in the coming years. This Special Issue Innovative and Sustainable Technology in Carbon Emission Reduction to be published in the Sustainability journal will combine different research areas of knowledge that are focused on the development of sustainable technologies. This Special Issue will identify and disseminate high-quality research papers on the environmental impacts and techno-economic results of innovative technologies that are focused on decarbonizing the economy. Some of the major areas in which papers are solicited are as follows: CO₂ capture and utilization technology; Energy storage; Sustainable food production, diet, and packaging; Water purification; Low-waste technology; Infrastructure. Contributions to this Special Issue should focus on the technology evaluation, environmental impact assessment, social impact, and/or economics of the presented innovations.
Keywords: technology innovation; decarbonization; sustainable development; life cycle assessment; techno-economic assessment; carbon footprint; CO2 utilization; CO₂ reduction; renewable energy; food production; packaging; pharmaceutical industry; water purification; low-waste technology.