In an era marked by rapid technological advancements, the relationships among organizational digitalization, innovation, and sustainability are receiving growing academic and managerial attention. This paper employs bibliometric analysis to examine the scientific literature on these interconnected terms, based on 775 relevant publications retrieved from the Web of Science database and analyzed using MS Excel, Bibliometrix, and VOSviewer software packages. The findings reveal a rapid increase in research on digital transformation and sustainability since 2017, with key themes including Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and circular economy. However, the analysis also highlights notable conceptual fragmentation, emphasizing the need for a more integrated theoretical framework, especially in fields such as performance measurement and corporate social responsibility. From a practical standpoint, the study identifies research gaps—including CSR alignment, SME digitalization, and evaluation metrics—where organizations and policymakers continue to face challenges. These findings can support targeted capacity building, policy development, and strategic research funding aligned with sustainability-oriented innovation. By synthesizing key patterns from the literature, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how digital transformation drives sustainable innovation, while suggesting several directions for further investigation in both academia and practice.

As the EU strives to achieve its climate goals, it is becoming increasingly crucial to understand the complex relationships between economic activity, energy consumption, and carbon emissions. In this context, our paper aims to investigate the correlation between carbon emissions, energy consumption, and economic development. To fulfill our aim, we have used Eurostat and OECD data for the EU-27 member states for a period of 13 years (2010–2022), using a linear regression as the main analysis method. Our results have shown that there is a strong correlation between demand-based and production-based CO₂ emissions as well as between production-based CO₂ emissions and final energy consumption, while at the same time, our findings have shown that there is no direct correlation between energy consumption and economic development, aligning our study with the neutrality hypothesis of the energy growth nexus. This paper expands the ongoing discussion on sustainable development and climate change mitigation by conducting a thorough analysis of the EU-27 countries over a span of thirteen years. The results emphasize the need for integrated strategies that address both production and consumption emissions, emphasize the vital role of energy efficiency, and raise questions about the effectiveness of increasing energy consumption to enhance economic productivity or CO₂ efficiency.