Special Issue "From Words to Deeds: Sustainable Consumption and Strategic Management"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marjan S. Jalali
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Business Research Unit (BRU-IUL), ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon(ISCTE-IUL), 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: social responsibility and sustainability; consumer ethics; strategic management; strategy
Dr. Ana Simaens
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Business Research Unit (BRU-IUL), ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon(ISCTE-IUL), 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: sustainability; ethics; social responsibility; strategic management; strategy
Dr. Marco Escadas
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Economics and Management, University of Minho, 4704-553 Braga, Portugal
Interests: sustainability; consumer ethics; consumer behaviour; strategy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainability is everywhere—from research in a wide variety of fields to company websites, from government (and intergovernmental) documents, aims and pledges to influencer social media pages. Yet, notwithstanding all that has been written on the topic, the field appears to be riddled with paradoxes. Sustainability is by definition a buzzword; however, it cannot be treated as such to be truly effective. Consumers are increasingly aware of and demanding sustainable behaviours, yet they are hard-pressed to compensate firms for such behaviours by voting with their purse strings. Firms are encouraged to pursue sustainability on the premise that consumers say they will reward them, but there is often a chasm between consumer attitudes and their behaviours. And arguably the biggest paradox of all is the fact that sustainability is a necessity, not an option, yet we are far from doing enough about it. As we enter the decade of action for the achievement of Agenda 2030, Sustainable Development Goal 12—responsible consumption and production—can play a crucial role in shifting firms’ strategies in response to consumer pressure or even working together with consumers to achieve the global goals.

So how can firms and consumers do more? How can we rethink consumption patterns and strategic decisions with sustainability in mind? How can we move away from sporadic or short-term activities to consistent patterns of action with a long-term perspective? How can the gap between sustainable consumer intentions and behaviours be reduced? And what role can firms’ sustainability strategies play in reducing this gap?

This Special Issue welcomes contributions from both the firm and the consumer perspectives that can help answer these questions and help overcome some of the paradoxes of the field. We invite papers on topics including, but not limited to, the following:

  • The impact of sustainable consumer behaviour on strategy
  • The link between responsible consumption and responsible production
  • Sustainable co-creation between consumers and companies
  • Sustainable lifestyles and business strategies
  • Sustainable consumer intentions and behaviours—bridging the gap
  • Modelling sustainable consumption and sustainable strategies
  • The COVID-19 outbreak and sustainability—lessons for the future

Dr. Marjan S. Jalali
Dr. Ana Simaens
Dr. Marco Escadas
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 papers will be 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 1900 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

  • sustainability
  • sustainable strategies
  • sustainable consumption
  • sustainable decisions and behaviours
  • SDGs

Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
Back to TopTop