Sustainable business models have become a phenomenon of global interest. Since the beginning of the 21st century, companies have sought to shift from traditional business models towards sustainable ones in order to leverage their sustainable performance and increase their competitive advantage. The aim of this paper is to provide an extensive overview of the academic research on sustainable business models with the focus on inquiry of main trends related to business and economics studies and identification of future research directions. This paper reviews existing literature on sustainable business models in order to map this research stream and identify the most substantial contributors to the advances of research in this field. It contributes to the existing body of knowledge on sustainable business models by: (1) describing the most influential and high-impact researchers/authors, journals, and papers; (2) highlighting main and most important research trends related to sustainable business models in studies on business and economics; and (3) identifying future research agendas in investigating sustainable business models from business and economics perspectives.

In the Industry 4.0 era, the Digital Twin has become one of the most promising enabling technologies supporting material flow. Although the literature on the Digital Twin is becoming relatively well explored, including a certain number of review papers, the context of the Digital Twins application in internal transport systems has not been investigated so far. This paper thoroughly reviews the research on the Digital Twins applied in internal transport systems concerning major research trends within this research area and identification of future research directions. It provides clarification of various definitions related to the Digital Twin concept, including misconceptions such as a digital shadow, a digital model, and a digital mirror. Additionally, the relationships between terms such as material handling, material flow, and intralogistics in the context of internal transport systems coupled with the Digital Twin are explained. This paper’s contribution to the current state of the art of the Digital Twins is three-fold: (1) recognition of the most influential and high-impact journals, papers, and researchers; (2) identification of the major research trends related to the Digital Twins applications in internal transport systems, and (3) presentation of future research agendas in investigating Digital Twins applied for internal transport systems.

Sensory evaluation plays an important role in New Product Development (NPD) in food industry. In the present study, the current trends of using sensory evaluation in NPD in the food industry in countries that belong to EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) were identified. The research was conducted in the first quarter of 2020. Computer assisted self-interviewing (CASI) technique for survey data collection was used. The sample included 122 respondents representing RIS countries that are the EU Member States and European Horizon 2020 Associated Countries that are classified as modest and moderate innovators according to European Innovation Scoreboard. The analysis presented in the paper allowed to describe the methods of sensory evaluation that can be used to support NPD in the food industry, identify the trends of using sensory evaluation in NPD in the food industry companies in RIS countries. The research results showed that almost 70% of companies apply sensory evaluation methods in NPD. The larger the company, the more often the methods of sensory evaluation are used in NPDs. Almost 60% of companies employing 51-100, 101-1000 and more than 5000 people, respectively declare the use of expert (analytical) test. However, regardless of size, most companies prefer consumer (affective) test to expert tests. Based on the results, it seems that the potential of usage sensory evaluation methods is not yet fully exploited in the food industry.

The article deals with the issue of competitive advantages based on the knowledge of Polish green-technology companies. It aims to identify the sources of knowledge and indicate companies’ competences in acquiring knowledge, which are believed to be the basis of their market success. Empirical research presented in this article was based on qualitative studies using in-depth interviews. The obtained results allowed to identify the most important sources of knowledge that can be structured into the following pillars: research and development works, knowledge on the competitors, customers and recipients, green technology domestic market, and foreign markets for green technologies. Moreover, it allowed to identify the competences of green-technology companies in Poland and describe the process of acquiring these competences. The analysis of the collected data and the obtained results allowed to create a model of acquiring new knowledge by green-technology companies in Poland, which serves as a basis for these companies to gain distinctive competences.

Innovation is believed to be a key driver of societal and economic well being.In many cases, it has also led to changes towards more sustainable lifestyles, and to more efficient use of natural resources. But despite the relevance of innovation as a tool to support sustainable development, there is a need for research which analyses current trends in order to guide future efforts.The paper addresses this research need. It examines existing methods and tools for fostering social innovation on matters related to sustainable development, within the framework of the SDGs. By means of an online survey undertaken among sustainability and innovation experts in a sample of industralised and developing nations, some of the means via which social innovation is being pursued, its applications and limitations have been identified. A number of case studies showing example of sustainable innovation have been mapped to demonstrate its usefulness. A causal loop diagram, which links the factors associated with social innovation in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, is also presented, offering a greater undertanding of their interconnections. The paper concludes by outlining some measures which may help to take better advantage of the many opportunities offered by social innovation, in putting the principles of sustainable development into practice.