Human-centricity, a cornerstone of Industry 5.0, emphasizes the central role of human needs and capabilities in the technological landscape of modern manufacturing. As Digital Twins (DTs) become a core technology of Industry 4.0, the evolution towards Human Digital Twins (HDTs) marks a significant shift to enhance human-system integration. HDTs serve as digital replicas that mirror human characteristics directly in system design and performance, facilitating a more nuanced approach to smart manufacturing. This paper addresses the critical need for deeper investigation into HDTs to fully leverage their potential in promoting human-centric manufacturing. Through a comprehensive review, the current state and rapid evolution of HDT frameworks and architectures within Industry 5.0 settings are explored. The enabling technologies that underpin HDTs, their applications across various industrial scenarios, and the challenges in their development are discussed. The analysis not only underscores the importance of HDTs in meeting the diverse needs of workers but also outlines future research directions to further empower individuals within the adaptive and intelligent manufacturing systems shaped by Industry 5.0.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to clarify how Quality 5.0 is conceptualised in the emerging literature and to consolidate a coherent research agenda. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopts a systematic literature review of 37 selected contributions that are analysed along four dimensions: Industry 5.0 pillars, quality aspects, human roles and enabling technologies. A qualitative gap analysis is then conducted to identify limitations, which are synthesised into higher-level research avenues. Findings: The findings indicate that Quality 5.0 research is predominantly shaped by human-centric perspectives and hybrid human–technology configurations. Human roles are mainly framed as decision maker and knowledge provider supported by AI, IoT and data-driven technologies. Major gaps persist, including missing operational metrics, weak integration with quality practices, limited empirical validation, insufficient data and AI governance and unresolved interoperability and capability challenges. These gaps are consolidated into a gap-driven research agenda around three research avenues: (1) operationalising human-centric and sustainable quality, (2) validation, capability building, and organisational change and (3) governance and integration of Quality 5.0 Systems. Originality/value: This paper advances the Quality 5.0 discourse by moving beyond fragmented conceptualisations and proposing an integrated, gap-driven research agenda that systematically links Industry 5.0 principles, human roles, quality dimensions and enabling technologies. By doing so, it provides structured guidance for both researchers and practitioners to implement Quality 5.0 as a coherent socio-technical quality management paradigm, supporting the integration of human-centric and sustainability indicators, digital technologies and governance mechanisms within quality management systems.

The twin transition toward sustainability and digitalization has attracted growing scholarly attention, yet limited empirical evidence explains how these dimensions are implemented and integrated within organizations. In particular, little is known about how sustainability, digital technologies, and human capital configurations interact and are integrated in practice. This study addresses this gap through a multiple case study of five companies in the fashion industry, based primarily on semi-structured interviews. The findings identify four recurring cross-case patterns. First, sustainability practices remain predominantly human-driven and largely predate digitalization, being embedded in design decisions, material sourcing, and relational supply chain coordination. Second, digital technologies are mainly adopted for compliance, monitoring, and reporting purposes, generating a persistent data-decision gap in which increasing data availability does not translate into improved managerial decision-making. Third, a systematic mismatch emerges between the current compliance-oriented role of digital systems and organizations' expectations of more integrative and strategic digital support. Fourth, the effectiveness of the twin transition depends less on the mere presence of digital or sustainability skills than on how competences are configured and integrated across functions. In this context, human capital performs a bridging and compensatory role, connecting fragmented systems and enabling cross-functional alignment. The study contributes theoretically by challenging techno-centric interpretations of digital transformation and conceptualizing the twin transition as an organizational capability-building process shaped by competence configuration rather than technology adoption alone. Accordingly, the proposed roadmap suggests that managers should prioritize integrative capability development and cross-functional coordination over further stand-alone investments in digital infrastructure.