Sustainability Management Forum: Call for Papers

14. Oktober 2017, von Tobias Wegener

The journal Sustainability Management Forum (SMF) was originally founded in Germany as the “Umweltwirtschaftsforum” in 1993 and has a proven tradition in environmental, business, and sustainability management. The journals’ spectrum includes inter alia the following areas of interest: circular economy, CSR management, integration management for renewable energies, climate change adaptation and resilience, resource efficiency, sharing economy, sustainability assessment, sustainability management, sustainability management systems, sustainability-oriented product-design, sustainability liability law and risk management.

Papers for the following issues can now be submitted:

Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting

This special issue solicits papers dealing with any relevant topics and solutions of CSR reporting. Examples of relevant issues are:

• How are qualitative and quantitative factors presented?
• How is CSR reporting included in management systems, continual improvement procedures, and everyday decision-making?
• How does obligatory CSR reporting change the reporting arena?
• What are requirements, limitations, or future research areas of obligatory CSR reporting?
• What are lessons learned from corporate insides on CSR reporting?

The deadline for submissions is 15 January 2018. Link to the call
Guest Editor: Remmer Sassen (UHH, Coordinator of HOCH^N working group Sustainability Reporting)

Sustainable Development Goals

This special issue solicits papers dealing with any relevant topics and solutions to pursue the SDGs. It will focus on conceptual and empirical research studies of emerging practice following the publication of SDGs. Application-oriented topics and discussion papers are also welcome. Examples of relevant issues are:

• How are the SDGs included in management systems, continual improvement procedures, and everyday decision-making?
• How can the development in relation to the SDGs and their impact on the dimensions of sustainability be measured?
• How do the SDGs change the business, legislative, and policy arena?
• What are requirements, limitations, and future research areas of SDGs?
• What are lessons learned on SDGs from corporations, and policy-makers?
• What are the roles and responsibilities of higher education institutions in promoting the SDGs?

The deadline for submissions is 15 January 2018. Link to the call

Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy

This special issue calls for papers that explore the interplay of resource efficiency and circular economy, and thus of the efficiency and consistency strategy. The main question is how a sustainable management of natural resources should be designed and implemented and which role efficiency and consistency play in this context. Examples of relevant issues are:

• How do the concepts resource efficiency and circular economy respectively efficiency and consistency interact? What are the synergies, areas of tension, and the limitations of resource efficiency and circular economy concepts?
• How can the concepts contribute to a sustainable development?
• To what extent and how are resource efficiency measures and circular economy implemented in practice?
• By which means, methods, or systems can resource efficiency and circular economy be managed in companies, networks, or the value chain?
• Which role do innovations, networks, or cooperations play for increasing resource efficiency and for creating a circular economy?
• What is the role of different actors (politics, business, ...) in promoting resource efficiency and circular economy and in creating a balanced approach for a sustainable management of natural resources?

The deadline for submissions is 15 March 2018. Link to the call

Sharing Economy – Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainability

This special issue solicits papers that explore opportunities and challenges of the Sharing Economy with regard to economic, social, and ecological sustainability. Observing a renewed interest in and growth of the Sharing Economy, a key question is, how and to what extent the upscaling of sharing business models can produce overall sustainable outcomes. Examples of relevant issues are:

• How to leverage the potential of the Sharing Economy concerning ecological and/or social sustainability?
• To what extent are social/ecological sustainability and economic sustainability of sharing business models compatible?
• What are the potentials of digitalization for broadening the impact of sustainable sharing practices?
• What is the role of different actors – politics, business, civil society, individuals - in aligning sharing and sustainability objectives?
• How can regulation help to lead the sharing economy onto a sustainable trajectory? How can the potential of the sharing economy be utilized by city governments/administration and in the context of urban sustainability transitions?
• Platform-cooperativism, blockchain etc.: What are the potentials of new technological and organizational approaches to make sharing more sustainable?

The deadline for submissions is 15 June 2018. Link to the call