Sustainability Transitions Research Articles

Domesticating sustainability transitions: Spatial and temporal variation of industrial eco-efficiency in China

This study analyses regional industrial sustainability transitions from global and local perspectives. We measure industrial eco-efficiency (IEE) of 280 cities in China from 2010 to 2020 and analyze potential influencing factors using geographical and temporal weighted regression model. We find that foreign investment and international trade are positively associated with IEE with diminishing effects, and then local household consumption enhances IEE on the basis of local environmental governance. The effects of international environmental regulations and technology spillover on IEE are positive, as they align with China's drive for innovation. We further categorize cities into five distinct types based on the influences of both global and local factors—dominated by local environmental regulations, driven by international standards, propelled by foreign investment, shaped by local market dynamics, and affected by multiple factors. We conclude that regional industrial sustainability transitions in China are influenced by forces operating at various scales and exhibit distinct spatiotemporal variation. The drivers of these transitions have shifted from a global scale to a local scale, and both regional conditions and the stage of industrialization significantly affect the intensity of actions undertaken by different scale factors. Finally, we propose policy recommendations, considering regional heterogeneity and the stages of industrialization.

Developing the industrial capacity for energy transitions: Resource formation for offshore wind in Europe

As energy transitions progress from formative to growth or acceleration phases, issues related to resource formation increase in importance. In this paper we address a type of resource formation that has received scant attention in the sustainability transitions literature to date: developing the industrial capacity to manufacture and deliver key complementary assets (i.e. components and services) to large energy projects. Such supply chain elements constitute a significant share of investment, are crucial for the upscaling of low-carbon technologies, and offer important job and value creation opportunities for different regions and countries. Empirically we study the build-up of industrial capacity to supply key complementary assets to the European offshore wind power market in the 2000–2019 period through three phases (formative, take-off, growth) of development. We provide explanations to observed spatio-temporal patterns of industrial capacity development by considering 1) industry life-cycle dynamics, 2) pre-existing assets and industrial relatedness, and 3) home market opportunities.

Overtourism perception among residents in a rural proximity destination during the COVID-19-pandemic – The writing on the wall for a sustainability transition of tourism?

Abstract This contribution investigates overtourism perceptions among residents in a rural German destination during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a qualitative approach, it examines the impact of these perceptions on residents’ quality of life and subjective well-being in the Allgäu. As international travel declined due to pandemic-induced travel restrictions, domestic tourism surged, potentially foreshadowing effects of a net-zero transformation in global tourism on rural proximity destinations. Semi-structured interviews with 12 residents reveal that most respondents perceived tourism levels as excessive, negatively impacting their subjective well-being. Changed spatio-temporal visitor behavior patterns, with tourists venturing into previously less frequented areas, often felt intrusive to locals. This shift in tourism dynamics from urban hotspots to rural destinations challenges the notion that overtourism disappeared during the pandemic. Notably, the contribution introduces subjective well-being as a reliable indicator for overtourism and explores a novel notion of overtourism resulting from the interrelationship between perception, subjective well-being, and attitudes. The findings suggest that increased proximity tourism, while reducing carbon footprints, may lead to perceived overtourism and declining tourism acceptance in substitute destinations. The study underscores the necessity for participatory destination management approaches that balance sustainability goals with resident well-being to facilitate a broader sustainability transition in tourism.

Localized environmental governance for carbon dioxide removal in small island developing states: Challenges and opportunities

Accelerating the net-zero economy requires understanding energy consumption patterns, renewable technology attitudes, and acceptance of sustainable energy systems. This study explores how behavioral modification campaigns reduce residential energy use, promote energy-efficient products, and improve consumption patterns. Decentralization and digitization of energy infrastructure have spawned new markets and business models, giving customers more energy control and improving efficiency. The unique regulatory structure of Ireland's single power market makes it a compelling case study. The study examines Irish consumers' sustainable energy beliefs and behaviors from 1992 to 2022 using a 40-question survey. The data show that smart energy solutions for carbon-conscious families have pros and cons. Consumer knowledge of environmental issues and willingness to accept new energy technology are high, but cost and perceived complexity remain impediments to wider implementation. The research emphasizes technical innovation and behavioral change in energy reduction and greener energy promotion. These findings can help engineers, industry stakeholders, and politicians reach climate policy goals and carbon neutrality. Policymakers should support smart energy adoption, reduce cost barriers, and simplify the process. A fair and sustainable net-zero economy transition requires consumer education and decentralized energy market policies. This research underscores the importance of customized policies that leverage technology and behavior to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Just Sustainability Transitions: Politics, Power, and Prefiguration in Transformative Change Toward Justice and Sustainability

Facing the world's ecological, economic, and social challenges requires us to connect the concepts of justice, sustainability, and transitions. Bridging and discussing heterogeneous fields, we argue that these concepts need to complement each other, and we present just sustainability transitions (JUSTRAs) to do so. To define JUSTRAs, we review the state-of-the-art literature, focusing on the understanding of these three concepts and their pairings in various disciplinary fields and empirical settings (e.g., environmental justice, just transitions, sustainability transitions, energy justice, food justice, urban justice). We center marginalized voices to highlight the processes of radical transformative change that JUSTRAs seek. We offer three analytical lenses that further the understanding of JUSTRAs: politics, power, and prefiguration. We argue that these complementary lenses are necessary to remake the world in both critical and pragmatic ways. Finally, we present a research agenda on JUSTRAs, foregrounding three complementary modes of inquiry: analyzing, critiquing, designing.

Innovations for Holistic and Sustainable Transitions

Energy system planning has evolved from a narrow focus on engineering and supply works towards addressing more complex, multifactorial challenges. Increasingly challenged by climate change, extreme events, economic shocks, and altered supply demand patterns, the analysis of energy systems requires holistic approaches based on data-driven models, taking into account key socio-economic factors. We draw insights from reviewing the literature, indicating the need to cover the following major gaps: the shift to transdisciplinary approaches, incorporating environmental system analysis; resilient and sustainable energy designs based on flexible portfolios of renewable mixes; the integration of socio-economic aspects, economic analyses and behavioural models to ensure energy systems are not only technically sound but socially acceptable and viable; the need for stakeholder engagement considering the human angle in energy security and behavioural shifts. Responding to these pressing challenges and emerging needs, the Global Climate Hub (GCH) initiative, operating under the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, offers a conceptual framework, leveraging transdisciplinary approaches. In this Concept Paper, we present for the first time the idea of the GCH as a framework that we believe has the potential to address the modern holistic needs for energy system analysis and policymaking. By setting the conceptual/theoretical ground of our suggested approach, we aim to provide guidance for innovative combinations of cutting-edge models, socio-economic narratives, and inclusive interaction with relevant stakeholders for the development and the long-term implementation of sustainable pathways.

Do citizens’ perspectives matter? A comparison of formal planning and local preferences for the deployment of renewable energies

ABSTRACT The aim of the study is to analyse the extent to which the spatial planning guidelines for renewable energies address the local people’s perception of a sustainable energy transition. Using the example of the municipality of Tettnang in southern Germany, the study focuses on GIS-based visualisations to investigate the spatial intensity to which the overarching formal specifications on land use have been imprinted on the local contexts and what options for alternative spatial concepts are left for the local population to promote the expansion of wind turbines and photovoltaics. In a further step, the methods of participatory mapping and supplementary interviews are used to analyse which spatial perceptions of a spatially balanced energy transition prevail at the local level. The study sample indicates that the specifications of higher-level spatial planning for renewable energies are not so far away from the spatial ideas of the local population as theoretical concepts assume. Rather, a high degree of criterial congruence was found between the interviewees informal and the overarching formal spatial concepts.

Exploring the role of governance in determining public-private investment in energy: New empirical insights from ASEAN

The energy sector plays a pivotal role in driving economic growth and enhancing social welfare. However, the mobilization of sufficient investment including public and private remains crucial for advancing energy infrastructure development. Against this backdrop, this study aims to explore the role of governance in determining public-private investment in energy (PPE). The empirical analysis leverages a comprehensive dataset spanning 25 years from 1998 to 2022 and covering ASEAN nations. The study employs the CS-ARDL (cross-sectionally augmented autoregressive distributed lag) model for regression analysis to assess governance dimensions' long-term and short-term effects on PPE. Additionally, the study conducts robustness analysis by using the FMOLS (fully modified ordinary least square) model and an alternative proxy of governance i.e. EFI (economic freedom index) to validate the findings. The analysis reveals that governance exerts a significant and positive effect on PPE. Specifically, the dimensions of governance such as corruption control (COC), government effectiveness, political stability (POS), regulatory quality, etc. demonstrate robust positive associations with PPE. This positive relationship indicates that stronger governance institutions foster transparency, efficiency, and stability in the energy sector, attracting private-sector investments. The findings of this study have significant policy implications for policymakers, investors, and stakeholders seeking to promote sustainable energy transitions and socio-economic development within the ASEAN region. Specifically, it is essential to strengthen governance institutions, enhance regulatory frameworks, and foster public-private partnerships for energy investment. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing novel insights into the governance-energy investment nexus within the ASEAN region.

“ESG score” vs. “ESG rating”: a conceptual model for the sustainability assessment and self-assessment of European SMEs

This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse regarding the distinctions and application of scoring and rating systems by presenting a conceptual model designed to assess and self-assess small and medium-sized enterprises (hereinafter also “SMEs”) on their sustainability transition. Indeed, SMEs operate in very different economic contexts and have simplified organizational and governance structures. These characteristics can be effectively captured through this conceptual model based on a customized questionnaire tailored to the specificities of SMEs. Following an analysis of existing literature and regulatory frameworks, a conceptual model is proposed that includes a questionnaire that, unlike commonly proposed industry questionnaires, is designed to generate an Environmental, Social and Governance (hereinafter also “ESG”) Score complemented by a forward-looking perspective. This model can be useful for SMEs, as it allows them to self-assess their strengths and weaknesses in the sustainability transition process, highlighting specific needs and suggesting actions to improve their sustainability transition. It also allows banks to make a more accurate assessment of the sustainability of their customers, facilitating the redefinition of green and social credit products according to the needs of SMEs. Additionally, it also supports supply chain leaders in ensuring a sustainable supply chain by facilitating the sustainability assessment of SMEs. This is so that everything complies with the new European Union (hereinafter also “EU”) regulations. Finally, the questionnaire is currently being tested at a local bank and has been proposed to SME suppliers in a specific supply chain. It will be possible to make changes to the questionnaire based on the feedback received during the administration phase.

Dietary Pattern Trajectories in French Adults of the NutriNet-Santé Cohort Over Time (2014-2022): Role of Socioeconomic Factors.

While dietary transitions towards more plant-based diets are urgently needed, few studies have investigated current diet trajectories, based on observed longitudinal data. This study investigated current dietary transitions of French adults over an 8 years period (2014-2022), while assessing the diet quality and the role of diverse socio-economic factors.Consumption data from 17,187 NutriNet-Santé cohort participants weighted for the French Census were collected using a food frequency questionnaire in 2014, 2018, and 2022. Adopting a gender-specific approach, consumption changes in 23 food groups were assessed over time. The diet quality was evaluated using the Comprehensive Diet Quality Index (cDQI) score, categorizing foods into "healthy" and "unhealthy". The socioeconomic analysis targeted four food groups (red meat (including fresh beef, pork, offal, and lamb), processed meat (e.g. sausages, ham, and bacon), legumes, and wholegrain products), strongly linked to mortality risk and recognized as significant markers of the sustainable diet transition. All analyses were conducted using multi-adjusted mixed-effects models.Consumption of some healthy plant-based foods (nuts +59 %, legumes +22%, wholegrain products +7%) significantly increased over time; while consumption of some unhealthy foods (red meat -19%, refined cereals -18%, sweetened drinks -15%) decreased. Conversely, consumption of prepared and mixed dishes (+16%), and processed meat (+35%) increased. These changes differed in magnitude between genders and translated into an improved diet quality score (cDQI). Occupational status was linked to longitudinal changes in food consumption, showing increased consumption of plant-based foods among students and higher socio-professional categories.Our findings provide accurate data on trends and factors for targeted initiatives, guiding strategic interventions for a sustainable dietary transition.

Managing grid impacts from increased electric vehicle adoption in African cities

Electric vehicles are pivotal for global climate solutions, particularly in emerging markets like Africa. Despite the continent’s clean energy potential, electric vehicle adoption faces unique challenges due to inefficiencies and reliability issues of distribution power grids. Here, we analyze the impacts of expanding electric vehicle fleets—private, commercial, and paratransit—on Nairobi’s power grid. We simulate traffic patterns, charging behaviors, and transformer utilization using local mobility data. Our results show that while electric commercial and paratransit fleets may improve power system efficiency, widespread private EV adoption could significantly strain the grid, increasing peak loads and transformer aging. Smart charging strategies could mitigate these issues, reducing potential transformer replacement costs by up to 40%. Our study highlights the importance of tailored demand management and infrastructure planning to support EV growth in African cities, providing critical insights for policymakers, utilities, and transport planners to facilitate sustainable electric mobility transitions.

An innovative virtual sensing system for the vehicle-centric evaluation of emissions in the sustainable mobility transition

The objective of the research is to develop a new methodology capable of quantifying the emissions of internal combustion engine cars based not only on their technology but also on the dynamic behavior of the individual vehicle. No complicated exhaust measurement apparatus is needed. Employing just a telematic device equipped with GNSS and an inertial measurement unit, which can be easily attached to the vehicle, we demonstrate how individualised, accurate climate-altering emissions result by using figures extracted from European test databases, appropriately combined with real travelled distances, speeds, and driving style of each individual car. Pollutant emissions are, in this paper, also assessed though in a more general manner, and this represents a starting point for a future complete vehicle-centric emissions evaluation. This research demonstrates that circulating car emissions have to be assessed considering not only the Euro class and type of fuel, but also how the vehicle is driven. In this work a new, implementation oriented methodology is proposed in order to properly merge average European standard emission data with car-based telematic measures to highlight a new paradigm for regulating in a more conscious way the transition of the internal combustion engine car park towards a large scale, sustainable mobility ecosystem. This approach would place greater responsibility on the driver, without leaving anyone behind and without compelling the car scrapping solely based on the Euro class of its engine. The key contribution is ultimately to establish an easy to handle methodology enabling targeted and behavior-based traffic management policies. In fact, through a massive telematics recent dataset, the proposed virtual emission sensing system reveals that an extensive and inefficient use of eco-friendly vehicles produces much more greenhouse gas emissions than older vehicles driven in an environmentally responsible way.

Place-based sustainable urban mobility: a conceptual framework to spark local designs

ABSTRACT Sustainable urban mobility transitions take into account the transportation needs of users and utilities, locality, regional development, and social inclusiveness. This research investigates this complexity and details the planning pillars of ‘avoid, shift, improve’ in a conceptual framework with place-based considerations and prioritisations. Three UK cities provide empirical examples – Durham, Nottingham and London – to illustrate local priorities, governance and investment requirements, under the three inseparable planning pillars. Lessons from these case studies demonstrate the need for strong and aligned collaboration between public and private stakeholders, promoting urban mobility alternatives, infrastructure improvements and covering investment costs.

Understanding Ethiopia’s maize innovation system: Application of integrated innovation system and sustainability transition perspectives

Agricultural innovation is a top priority on the global sustainable development agenda to solve food insecurity, land degradation, climate-change issues, poverty, and unemployment. This paper aims to identify systemic problems and socio-technical transition factors that hinder the development, dissemination, and utilization of improved maize varieties in Ethiopia. Primary data were gathered through structured and semi-structured interview schedules, and then analyzed thematically. Results show that systemic failures such as the absence of key actors, institutional problems, lack of interaction between actors, and inadequate infrastructure are the major hindrances to the systems functioning. Three functions, including entrepreneurship, knowledge development, and creating legitimacy, were found to be weaker than others in the case of improved maize varieties released by Pioneer Hi-Bred Seeds Ethiopia Plc. However, these functions were stronger in the case of improved maize seed varieties released by public research centres. Knowledge dissemination and resource mobilization were the stronger functions of Pioneer Hi-Bred Seeds Ethiopia Plc., which were found to be weak in the public research centres. The result also shows that policies and governance affected the sustainable development of improved maize varieties released by Pioneer Hi-Bred Seeds Ethiopia Plc. Promoting knowledge development and resource mobilization within networks of policymakers, the public sector, and local and foreign private sectors, and a regulation on breeders’ rights to encourage the involvement of private companies in the sector are recommended to enable the innovation system to function sustainably.

Towards Regenerative Material Design and Innovation: Overcoming Multi-Level Barriers

The ecological impacts of industrial products are often locked in at the material design stage, requiring transformative changes to practices, mindsets and systems from the beginning of the innovation journey. This paper critically explores how such transformative shifts are being shaped by the application of regenerative principles to material design and innovation practices in the realm of entrepreneurship. It is based on a qualitative interview study with 12 material innovation companies. The study aims to understand the novel innovation practices they are fostering to catalyse regenerative and/or circular approaches that can address global plastic pollution – a major contributor to global GHG emissions. The analysis identifies seven perceived innovation barriers that complicate the full adoption of regenerative principles, including advocating for new product categories, educating B2B customers about novel materials and inventing appropriate scaling approaches. Overcoming these barriers requires mindset-related and systemic transformations, linking this research to broader innovation management, sustainability transitions and regeneration debates. The article concludes by articulating key insights and managerial implications for innovation leaders who are keen to further regenerative transitions through material innovations within (and beyond) their own organisations.

Catalysing Action and Transdisciplinary Pathways towards Sustainable Transitions

Prelude – Special Issue Motivation The year 2023 marked the 300th anniversary of the birth of Adam Smith, the Scottish economist whose work has impacted how we think about economic principles and the dynamics implied in politics, business, and society. Known for his seminal work “The Wealth of Nations” published in 1776, Smith argued for an economic system with little unnecessary government interference. A model built on the division of labor, guided by an ‘invisible hand’, is part of the argument for free markets directed through price mechanisms and the moral conscience of self-interested people to achieve outcomes that benefit society (Stevens, 2023). Smith’s intention to articulate a liberal economic model that prioritized contributing positively to society's welfare1 however, stands in contrast to 20th-century business doctrine, which asserted that ‘their sole social responsibility was to generate as much profit as possible for their stockholders’ (Friedman, 1962, p. 133). (Continues, please read PDF)

A System Dynamics Supply Chain Analysis for the Sustainability Transition of European Rolled Aluminum Products

This research presents a system dynamics model to study the interaction among demand and supply evolutions, government regulations, sustainable adoption trends, investments in different decarbonization technologies, and environmental requirements for the European Aluminum Rolled Product Supply Chain (ARPSC). It allows stakeholders to assess the quantitative impact of investing in decarbonization technologies on supply chain sustainability. Investing in decarbonization technologies reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The most substantial GHG emission reductions can be achieved if upstream ARPSC actors invest according to an aggressive investment strategy between 2031 and 2040. However, even with an aggressive investment strategy, investing in decarbonization technologies alone is likely to be insufficient to achieve the European Green Deal goals. Furthermore, barriers to investment in decarbonization technologies and a low rate of progress in doubling the European Union’s circularity rate may put extra stress on achieving the European Green Deal goals for the European ARPSC. Instead, ARPSC actors will additionally need to optimize the recycling of aluminum rolled products and adopt strategies for resource sufficiency, e.g., by sharing cars and using packaging multiple times.

Sustainable energy transition, knowledge co-creation and trade: the case of EU residential energy efficiency

ABSTRACT The European Union (EU) sustainable energy transition requires radical changes of economic, technological, societal and political systems. This paper empirically investigates the relationships among environmental policy, innovation and technological capabilities, and economic performances, in terms of country export competitiveness, focusing on residential energy efficiency goods, a core pillar of the EU energy and climate strategy. We combine network analysis with a gravity model to investigate the evolution of the EU bilateral trade and co-patenting activities from 1990 to 2015, based on a panel of 19 European countries. Our results show that the technological skills of the exporting country, related to the production of the households’ energy-consuming appliances, strongly enhance its export performances, and this effect is stronger when countries are EU members. Cooperation in knowledge creation and institutional proximities between trade partners are further key determinants of export performances of analysed countries.

What hinders the transition towards a bio-based construction sector? A global innovation system perspective on its value chain

The construction sector is heavily polluting and an actual threat to the natural environment, therefore its transition towards becoming bio-based is imperative. This transition is currently unfolding and it is driven in particular by innovation activities taking place along the sector’s value chain. In the upstream segment, bio-based materials are being improved, while novel building techniques in the core segment enable the use of these materials. In this paper, we utilize the global innovation systems (GIS) framework to examine these innovation activities and their valuation dynamics. In particular, we investigate how the GIS of the bio-based construction sector is organized along its value chain, providing insights into the barriers to the sector's sustainability transition. Our empirical analysis, based on a rich set of expert interviews, demonstrates that the GIS configuration changes along the value chain, driven by profound differences in the innovation mode. This situation creates a bottleneck that hinders the sector's transition, where knowledge about bio-based materials developed upstream fails to translate down the value chain. However, we also find that several niche firms cover and integrate multiple value chain segments and overcome this knowledge gap, suggesting that the transition towards a bio-based construction sector could accelerate with further innovation system reconfigurations.

A Global Perspective on Renewable Energy Implementation: Commitment Requires Action

Meeting renewable energy targets is one of the most significant global challenges to achieving SDG 7—Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. This study focuses on the global energy transition to understand the factors that influence success or failure in achieving targets. First, the gap between the stated targets and our predictions was calculated. Next, the roles of economic, political, and environmental variables in determining this gap were analyzed. Data were collected from 63 countries from 2000 to 2022, ensuring the global representativeness and robustness of the results. Many countries may struggle to meet their renewable energy targets. Political stability, regulatory quality, and investment freedom play a remarkable role in helping countries get closer to achieving their targets. More industrialized countries with large populations face greater challenges due to high energy intensity. This paper aims to predict the propensity of countries to meet their energy targets by integrating the forecasting and analysis of the economic, political, and geographical factors that influence a green transition. The results provide new insights into how socioeconomic and geopolitical differences influence the energy transition, offering insights for more effective policies. It is argued that accelerated administrative procedures are needed to reduce investment uncertainty and improve energy systems’ flexibility. In addition, involving local communities in the decision-making process is important to ensure the acceptance of RE projects. Finally, introducing energy markets that reflect the characteristics of renewable sources is recommended to facilitate a more rapid and sustainable transition.