Digital Twins and innovation in sustainability management: a bibliometric analysis, challenges and future directions

This paper systematically explores the current research status and application potential of digital twin technologies (DTs) in sustainable development management, using bibliometric and segmented regression analyses to reveal the field's dynamic trends and research hotspots.Based on the analysis of 421 papers extracted from the Scopus database, this paper summarises the vital role of DTs in smart cities, circular economy, and Industry 4.0.It identifies the key challenges to their implementation, including the digital divide, high cost, data privacy protection, and technical complexity.The paper further suggests future research directions through case studies and theory: exploring the integration of DTs with AI, enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration, and developing low-cost implementations.The contribution of this paper is to provide comprehensive academic support and practical suggestions for the application and development of DTs.