The term “sustainability” has been used interchangeably with sustainable development, ecological/green system, and triple bottom line. The concept of sustainability can be described as maximizing the positive impact and minimizing the negative impact of environmental, social, ethical, and economic effects. In recent years, a substantial amount of research has focused on “sustainable production and consumption”. The motives of developing and promoting sustainable practices are not limited to enhancing profitable growth, but also extend to raising sustainability concerns and public awareness. As many prior studies have primarily focused on environmental issues, it is imperative to advance our knowledge in sustainable practices through collaboration, investigation, reflection, and a diversity of academic lenses that intertwines social, cultural, ethical, environmental, financial, and psychological aspects. Sociocultural and ethical consumption issues have received relatively less attention in consumer behavior, marketing, and environmental literature, particularly through a multifaceted and interdisciplinary approach. Research questions of inquiry may include the following: how can sustainable practices enhance business performance, improve productivity/technologies, and benefit societal well-being? What is the relationship between sustainable attributes, product typologies, and consumer characteristics? The aims of this Special Issue seek (1) to provide practical, conceptual, and/or theoretical insights into the field of sustainability through different lenses – social, cultural, ethical, environmental, psychological, etc.; (2) to gain a deeper understanding of sustainable practices from different perspectives – producers’, consumers’, and prosumers’; and (3) to expand and challenge the frontier of sustainability research by generating new knowledge, sharing innovative ideas, and identifying a new direction for future research. This Special Issue focuses on fusing new developments and research in sustainability. Submissions should explicitly speak to one or more of the following themes: Sustainability development in emerging and transition economies; Cross-national research of sustainable practices; Opportunities and challenges in sustainable business; Sustainability policy, regulation, and governance; Green production methods and technologies; Social and ethical manufacturing; Closed-loop supply chain management; Recycling: up-cycling or down-cycling?; Culture and sustainable consumption; Consumer behavior and circular economy; Fast fashion/food versus slow fashion/food consumption; Sustainable lifestyles and practices; Sustainability and millennials’ consumption practices; Sustainability and aging population; Other topics related to sustainable production, consumption, and prosumption.
Keywords: sustainability; sustainable practices; production; consumption; presumption; consumer behavior; sustainable lifestyle; fast/slow consumption; social/ethical manufacturing; circular economy.