Businesses today face unprecedented pressure to transform their operations in response to environmental crises, particularly climate change, and government policy. With the transformation of old and rise of new “green” industries, we are potentially witnessing what may be the most significant industrial transformation since World War II. While business history research exploring the role of business in creating and addressing environmental challenges has expanded in recent years, the field has yet to fully engage with the growing academic and public conversation about sustainability transitions, i.e. systemic changes needed to address environmental crises. This special issue aims to take stock of how these processes affect business and how business are shaping the trajectory of sustainability transitions by assembling contributions that conceptually and empirically address sustainability transitions from a business history perspective. We invite submissions that explore how businesses have responded to, shaped, or resisted transformatory pressures toward sustainability, as well as those historicizing the current transition.

Guest editors
Mattias Näsman, Umeå University
Odinn Melsted, Maastricht University
Mar Rubio Varas, Universidad Pública de Navarra

Timeline

• Abstract submission deadline: January 30, 2025
• Notification of acceptance: February 28, 2025
• Authors’ workshop: June/July 2025
• Full paper submission: September 2025
• Publication expected: Early 2026

Full information in: https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issues/sustainability-transitions-in-business-history/?_ga=2.101873347.357504885.1731625088-1730475657.1731625087