The GCSM serves as a global forum for academics, researchers, and specialists from universities, research institutes and industry across the globe, working on topics related to sustainable manufacturing. A unique feature of the GCSM conference series is its integration of industrial engineering perspectives, sustainable manufacturing applications in emerging and developing countries, as well as education and workforce development for advancing sustainable manufacturing.

Sustainable Manufacturing is the buzzword for our global conference, taking place annually since 2003 and coming to Italy for the first time. The conference aims to exploit manufacturing engineering potentials for bridging the gap between awareness on sustainability challenges and means to systematically and concretely cope with them.

To overcome the challenges of global sustainability becomes an ever more urgent task, as the awareness about imbalanced wealth distribution, climate change and lack of holistic responsibility in investments are considerably rising. Interdisciplinary discourse and reasonable action in learning and teaching on topics such as circular technology and economy, distribution of labor for comprehensive human development, careful use of natural resources and prudence are responsibilities of global citizens.

We are very much looking forward to meeting you in Bologna for the 21^st GCSM.

Best regards,

Holger Kohl, Günther Seliger, Franz Dietrich and Giampaolo Campana