The aim of the workshop is not only to have the opportunity to receive feedback on ongoing work but also to develop new ideas for future research about unlocking pathways for a sustainable future. Participants will receive in-depth feedback from their peers to further develop their research papers for publication and meet new potential co-authors to develop future research ideas.

The aim of the Centre for Sustainable Business is to address questions around how businesses can forge effective pathways to a sustainable future. We have now reached the point where our economic activities have done so much damage to the planet that the detrimental impacts of the climate emergency and biodiversity loss seem irreversible. Recent evidence shows that we have exceeded six of the nine planetary boundaries and are putting the future of our planet as a well-functioning system at risk.

The business world has woken up to the need to act. Across sectors, firms have made bold sustainability commitments, ranging from becoming net zero, climate positive, circular, to regenerative. While such ambitions are praiseworthy, there is still the question how firms can develop and effectively implement transition pathways to socially and environmentally sustainable practices. The aim of this paper development workshop is to find answers to this pressing question.

We welcome conceptual and empirical papers that create novel insights into the following transition pathways for businesses:

• Business model and ecosystem innovation
• Behavioural change
• A just transition
• A digital transition

Key information 

To apply for participation in the workshop, please submit a work-in-progress paper by sending it to sustainablebusiness@kcl.ac.uk, before the deadline of 31 January 2024. Only submissions meeting the following criteria will be considered for the workshop:

• Short papers must be work in progress, focus on the ‘how question’ of transition pathways to sustainable business, and fall broadly within one of the four themes.
• Paper length must be between 3,000 and 5,000 words, including references, tables, and figures.