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ESG-Driven Sustainable Green Economy: Innovation Management and Policy
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ESG-Driven Sustainable Green Economy: Innovation Management and Policy

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 October 2025 | Viewed by 4146

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Chao Lu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
Interests: innovation management and policy; responsible innovation; green innovation
Dr. Xiaodong Lai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Economics and Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Interests: ESG; low-carbon economics; sustainable project management; green technology innovation
Dr. Yixi Xue

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
Interests: sustainability transitions; industrial innovation and policy; business model innovation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the problem of how to build sustainable production and consumption patterns. The unsustainability of production and consumption patterns has become a major global challenge. Although there is some literature on sustainable production, responsible production, and sustainable consumption, it is relatively scarce and lacks specificity and systematicity. Therefore, the purpose of this Special Issue is to explore this problem from a systematic and comprehensive perspective through seven specific themes, including the following:

(1) Platform Innovation: Investigate how digital platforms can drive the sustainable transformation of production and consumption patterns.

(2) Responsible Innovation: Study the strategies and effects of innovation within the framework of corporate social responsibility.

(3) Green Innovation: Analyze the development and market promotion of green technologies and products.

(4) Sustainable Supply Chain: Explore how to build and manage sustainable supply chains throughout their entire lifecycle.

(5) Recycling of Waste Products: Research strategies for recycling and reusing waste products in a circular economy.

(6) Promotion of New Energy Vehicles: Analyze the potential and challenges of new energy vehicles in reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption.

(7) Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG): Examine how companies balance and optimize environmental protection, social responsibility, and corporate governance.

By delving into these seven themes, this Special Issue aims to fill gaps in the existing literature and provide new theoretical and empirical research. It seeks to offer valuable insights and recommendations for both academia and industry, with the hope that these studies will promote the establishment of more sustainable production and consumption patterns and drive the global transition to a green economy.

Prof. Dr. Chao Lu
Dr. Xiaodong Lai
Dr. Yixi Xue
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • responsible innovation and sustainability
  • digital innovation and sustainability
  • green innovation and sustainability
  • frugal innovation and sustainability
  • low-carbon economy and sustainable development
  • ESG and sustainable development
  • sustainable supply chain
  • cleaner production and sustainable development
  • green building and sustainable development
  • low-carbon and intelligent transportation management

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 1379 KiB  
Article
Driving Factors of Corporate Responsible Innovation: An Exploratory Multiple-Case Study of Technological Enterprises
by Lu Jiang, Jianxin You, Jiaojiao Yu, Tao Xu and Yixi Xue
Sustainability 2025, 17(10), 4364; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104364 - 12 May 2025
Viewed by 300
Abstract
Responsible innovation originated from concerns about the responsibilities of technological innovation from a strategic and policy perspective in European and American countries in the early 21st century and has expanded to developing countries in recent years, becoming an essential path for global innovation [...] Read more.
Responsible innovation originated from concerns about the responsibilities of technological innovation from a strategic and policy perspective in European and American countries in the early 21st century and has expanded to developing countries in recent years, becoming an essential path for global innovation transformation and sustainable development. However, with the deepening of enterprises’ positioning as the “main body of technological innovation”, theoretical research focusing on corporate responsible innovation (CRI) remains inadequate, and its driving mechanisms have yet to be clarified. Addressing this gap, we adopt an exploratory multiple-case study method, selecting three Chinese technology-innovative enterprises for grounded theory analysis, constructing a driving factor model through three-level coding. The findings reveal that instrumental motivation, relational motivation, and moral motivation constitute the internal driving factors of CRI; market pressure, policy pressure, and normative pressure constitute the external driving factors. When external pressure levels are high, they significantly enhance the effectiveness of internal motivations in driving responsible innovation. This study unveils the synergistic mechanism of multi-dimensional motivations and pressures, providing a theoretical framework and practical implications for guiding and driving enterprises to practice responsible innovation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue ESG-Driven Sustainable Green Economy: Innovation Management and Policy)
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22 pages, 267 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Corporate ESG Performance on Regional Energy Efficiency in China from the Perspective of Green Development
by Linan Wang, Rixin Li and Ruotong Zhao
Sustainability 2025, 17(6), 2465; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062465 - 11 Mar 2025
Viewed by 742
Abstract
In the context of pursuing green and low-carbon transformation, exploring how to improve regional energy efficiency in China is significant. This paper takes the Chinese A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2009 to 2023 as the research object to empirically test [...] Read more.
In the context of pursuing green and low-carbon transformation, exploring how to improve regional energy efficiency in China is significant. This paper takes the Chinese A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2009 to 2023 as the research object to empirically test the relationship between corporate ESG performance and regional energy efficiency. The results show that the ESG performance of enterprises has significantly improved energy efficiency in China. A mechanism analysis reveals that corporate ESG practices help alleviate financing constraints, reduce agency costs, and enhance information transparency, promoting regional energy efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue ESG-Driven Sustainable Green Economy: Innovation Management and Policy)
28 pages, 4943 KiB  
Article
Research on the Efficiency and Synergistic Effect of Industrial Green Innovation Development in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Urban Agglomeration
by Hong Wu and Xuewei Wen
Sustainability 2025, 17(3), 1244; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17031244 - 4 Feb 2025
Viewed by 849
Abstract
This research centers on one of northern China’s most crucial economic regions—the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration. This paper primarily addresses the present circumstances, developments, and obstacles pertaining to industrial green development and industrial innovation in the region, with a particular focus on its role [...] Read more.
This research centers on one of northern China’s most crucial economic regions—the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration. This paper primarily addresses the present circumstances, developments, and obstacles pertaining to industrial green development and industrial innovation in the region, with a particular focus on its role in fostering integrated economic and environmental growth. This study utilizes a global super-efficiency SBM model and a coupled coordination model, along with a panel data analysis technique, to determine the extent of green development, innovation, and green innovation collaboration in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration cluster between 2018 and 2022. The study revealed that, despite notable advancements in industrial green development in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration in recent years, the disparity in urban development persists, with some cities exhibiting a relatively low input–output ratio for green innovation. There is a pressing need to enhance overall efficiency through policy guidance and technical support. Furthermore, the study underscores the significance of bolstering regional collaboration and facilitating the sharing of resources and technological exchange to attain harmonized regional development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue ESG-Driven Sustainable Green Economy: Innovation Management and Policy)
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Graphical abstract

19 pages, 3054 KiB  
Article
The Impacts of the US Inflation Reduction Act on EV Supply Chains
by Linghong Zhang and Wence Shi
Sustainability 2025, 17(2), 653; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020653 - 16 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1674
Abstract
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed by the United States in 2022 affected the global layout of electric vehicle (EV) supply chains. This paper explores the impacts of the IRA on the decisions of overseas battery suppliers and domestic EV manufacturers in the [...] Read more.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed by the United States in 2022 affected the global layout of electric vehicle (EV) supply chains. This paper explores the impacts of the IRA on the decisions of overseas battery suppliers and domestic EV manufacturers in the US. The main findings are that (1) the suppliers’ and manufacturers’ optimal decisions depend on the local subsidy, tariff, and battery R&D costs: tariffs (subsidies) reduce (increase) the battery R&D level for overseas (local) suppliers, EV prices, and supply chain members’ profits; (2) subsidies and tariffs are key factors in distinguishing manufacturers from overseas procurement and local procurement when R&D cost coefficients are determined; cost coefficients and service fees are the key factors for manufacturers to choose local procurement or R&D cooperation strategies; and (3) when local supply chains compete with overseas supply chains, subsidies will give the local supply chains a sales advantage while giving overseas supply chains a price advantage, and when local supply chains compete with cooperative supply chains, subsidies will give local supply chains a price disadvantage and a sales disadvantage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue ESG-Driven Sustainable Green Economy: Innovation Management and Policy)
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