Environmental Sustainability, Society, and Businesses: Public and Managerial Opinions on Environmental Issues

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental sustainability is at the forefront of global discourse, driven by urgent issues such as climate crisis, natural disasters, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion. Both society and businesses play crucial roles in addressing these environmental challenges, but their approaches and priorities often differ. Society, represented by consumers, communities, and civil organizations, tends to prioritize ethical responsibility, long-term environmental preservation, and equitable resource use. Businesses, on the other hand, must balance sustainability goals with economic performance, growth, and operational efficiency.  

In recent years, businesses have increasingly incorporated sustainability into their strategies, influenced by both societal pressure and regulatory requirements. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations provide a framework for businesses to integrate sustainability into their operations, reflecting both ethical and financial motivations. However, businesses and society may still hold differing viewpoints on what constitutes meaningful environmental action.

Understanding these differing viewpoints and how they influence each other is essential for advancing more effective and collaborative sustainability solutions. By exploring the intersections and divergences between societal and managerial opinions, this Special Issue seeks to uncover how these distinct perspectives can contribute to a more sustainable future.

This Special Issue aims to explore the varied perspectives of both society and businesses on environmental sustainability, providing evidence on the differences in their viewpoints and the implications these have for environmental policy and practice. This exploration of different viewpoints can provide insights into how they can shape environmental sustainability outcomes. 

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Societal expectations and corporate sustainability efforts;
• Societal perceptions on climate crisis;
• Natural disasters mitigation;
• Corporate views on environmental responsibility;
• Public perception of corporate sustainability;
• Influence of consumer behavior on business sustainability;
• Managerial challenges in implementing sustainability;
• The role of ESG in shaping business and public perspectives;
• Collaborative approaches to sustainability;
• Impact of ESG on corporate financial performance;
• Sustainability reporting and financial outcomes;
• Tourism and environmental sustainability;
• Cultural dimensions of sustainability;
• The role of ESG in shaping business and public perspectives.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Michalis Skordoulis
Prof. Dr. Petros Kalantonis
Prof. Dr. Garyfallos Arabatzis
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.

• environmental sustainability
• corporate social responsibility (CSR)
• ESG
• sustainability reporting
• public opinion
• financial performance
• green tourism
• cultural sustainability
• consumer behavior
• stakeholder engagement