This special issue seeks qualitative research on how organizations and societies can achieve and scale sustainability transitions—fundamental shifts toward more efficient, circular, and equitable production and consumption systems. While regulatory pressures and sustainability initiatives have prompted many organizations to adopt greener practices, significant gaps remain in understanding how sustainable business models are implemented across different organizational types and global contexts, particularly in smaller enterprises and non-industrialized regions.
The issue welcomes critical and reflective contributions examining sustainability from multiple angles: theoretical developments, consumer behavior, circular economy implementation, leadership approaches, waste management, and the interaction between policy and practice. Submissions may explore tensions, failures, unintended consequences, and alternative pathways to environmental and social wellbeing that extend beyond dominant circular economy models, using rigorous qualitative research methods.