Accelerating Sustainable Innovation through ESG Integration: Driving Value Creation and Social Impact in Firms

Dear Colleagues,

The integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into business practices has emerged as a critical driver of sustainable innovation and value creation. As firms increasingly recognize the importance of aligning their strategies with ESG principles, there is a growing need for research exploring the theoretical foundations, practical applications, and impact of ESG-driven innovation.

This Special Issue aims to advance the discourse concerning how firms can accelerate sustainable innovation by integrating ESG factors into their decision-making processes, product development, and organizational practices. We invite contributions that investigate the relationship between ESG and innovation, with a focus on how this integration can create both business value and positive social impact.

We welcome theoretical and empirical papers that address a range of topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Conceptual frameworks linking ESG and sustainable innovation;
• Empirical studies on the impact of ESG integration on firm innovation performance;
• Case studies showcasing successful ESG-driven innovation in firms;
• Strategies for embedding ESG considerations into innovation processes;
• The role of stakeholder engagement in driving ESG-oriented innovation;
• Measuring and reporting the social and environmental impact of ESG-driven innovation;
• Barriers and enablers of ESG integration in innovation practices;
• The influence of institutional and regulatory factors on ESG-driven innovation;
• Comparative analyses of ESG-driven innovation across industries or regions.

We encourage submissions from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including management, sustainability, innovation studies, and other related fields. Both conceptual and empirical papers using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method approaches are welcome.

Submitted papers will undergo a rigorous peer-review process in line with the journal's standards. Manuscripts should be prepared according to the journal's guidelines and submitted through the online system.

We look forward to your contributions to this timely and important Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Young-Chan Lee
Prof. Dr. Runhui Lin
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.

• ESG integration
• sustainable innovation
• value creation
• social impact
• stakeholder engagement
• innovation processes
• sustainability reporting
• institutional factors
• comparative analysis