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Risk Management Challenges for Sustainability and Wellbeing—2nd Edition

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Ecology and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 8007

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
1. Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy, Insurance and Risk Management Department, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, Malta
2. Faculty of Business, Management and Economics, University of Latvia, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia
Interests: financial technologies; financial management and asset management; risk management; compliance and regulations; corporate finance; corporate governance; audit management; financial services; behavioral economics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to continue the work of the previous Issue entitled “Risk Management Challenges for Sustainability and Wellbeing”.

The great challenge of our time is to create a sustainable and desirable future—one that the achieves the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In today’s “Anthropocene” world, human impacts on ecological life support systems are increasingly complex and far-reaching. At the same time, there are increased demands on the planet’s life support functions to maintain living standards in developed nations and to reduce poverty in developing nations. In this “full” world, the emphasis in research, education, and policy needs to shift from addressing problems in isolation to studying whole, complex, and interconnected systems and the dynamic interactions between their parts. Several scholars have focused on how the concepts of vulnerability and resilience may be employed in the analysis of future sustainability and wellbeing. Various approaches have been proposed to address different fields of application, raning from environmental concerns to financial settings. While much of the existing literature on vulnerability and resilience is sector- or country-specific, in this volume we propose a more holistic approach that allows for the sustainability of human well-being to be analyzed as a whole. Our understanding is that well-being, which involves multiple linked domains, equates to sustainability. Moreover, while the majority of studies consider vulnerability and resilience as aspects of the sustainability of a “system”, i.e., a society, a country, an organization, or even the whole planet, this volume’s focus is on the interrelated dimension of well-being. In particular, this publication considers the exposure to risk and the ability to manage it. We are seeking the use of both objective and subjective indicators of well-being in case studies, theory, and practice.

Prof. Dr. Simon Grima
Prof. Dr. Eleftherios I. Thalassinos
Prof. Dr. Inna Romānova
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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.

Keywords

  • air pollution
  • climate change
  • water pollution and sanitation
  • pandemics, finance and the economy
  • industrial development
  • energy crisis
  • toxic chemicals and hazardous and radioactive wastes
  • population explosion and urbanization
  • impact of globalization
  • degradation of ecosystems and species
  • education
  • health

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 470 KiB  
Article
Risk Challenges and Their Impact on the Sustainable Food Security System: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Katarzyna Boratyńska
Sustainability 2025, 17(1), 226; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17010226 - 31 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1232
Abstract
The aim of this study is to indicate and evaluate the main risk challenges for the food security system from the perspective of a sustainability and adaptation pillar of the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) in the COVID-19 pandemic. The study contributes to [...] Read more.
The aim of this study is to indicate and evaluate the main risk challenges for the food security system from the perspective of a sustainability and adaptation pillar of the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) in the COVID-19 pandemic. The study contributes to both theory and practice in addressing contemporary global challenges. The study systematically identifies and evaluates the multidimensional risks to sustainable food security systems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the role of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It employs innovative methodologies such as the integration of the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) and the PESTLE framework, extending the latter with governance considerations within the ESG concept, a novel approach in this context. The findings provide actionable insights into building resilience in food supply chains and adapting policies for future crises, thereby filling critical gaps in the literature. Moreover, the study focuses on the intersection of sustainability, risk challenges, and well-being, fostering research that drives sustainable development globally. Full article
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28 pages, 1699 KiB  
Article
Defining the Total CSR Z-Score: A Methodological Approach Using Regulations, Standards and Guidelines Through Application to the Greek Market
by Foteini I. Pagkalou, Konstantinos I. Liapis and Eleftherios I. Thalassinos
Sustainability 2024, 16(23), 10379; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310379 - 27 Nov 2024
Viewed by 704
Abstract
Corporate responsibility is a complex and multidimensional concept, and this is what makes it difficult to quantify. The main purpose of this article is to construct a composite, but easily applicable and interpretable index for measuring the corporate social responsibility of companies. By [...] Read more.
Corporate responsibility is a complex and multidimensional concept, and this is what makes it difficult to quantify. The main purpose of this article is to construct a composite, but easily applicable and interpretable index for measuring the corporate social responsibility of companies. By combining existing legislation, reporting and measurement standards, as well as reward criteria, we have created 44 variables which cover all dimensions of CSR, including sustainability, and apply to the whole range of business activities. In order to collect values for the remaining qualitative variables, a prototype questionnaire was drawn up and completed by the 100 largest companies operating in Greece for a period of 3 fiscal years. Through the categorical principal components analysis procedure, we converted the above variables from the increasing categorical type to quantitative. We then performed the elbow technique to find the optimal number of clusters in which the companies and organizations in the sample could be integrated, and then we applied a hierarchical cluster. The above is a necessary procedure to be able to perform discriminant analysis, and through it, to calculate the Total CSR (ESG and Internal CSR) z-score for each new company. The equation generated by the discriminant analysis to calculate the z-score can calculate the “Total CSR Z-Score” for the companies. The contribution of our work is to establish the variables that shape corporate social responsibility and, through them, to determine a comprehensive summary index for its calculation. The practical value of the article is that it proposes a quantitative measurement of the level of corporate responsibility of each company, allowing comparisons between companies. Full article
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20 pages, 1089 KiB  
Article
Transport-Related Emissions and Transition Strategies for Sustainability—A Case Study of the Fast Fashion Industry
by Alina Matuszak-Flejszman, Anna Preisner and Joanna Katarzyna Banach
Sustainability 2024, 16(17), 7749; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177749 - 5 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4263
Abstract
The fast fashion industry significantly impacts the environment at every stage of a product’s life cycle. The transport of products to wholesalers and stores, as one of the stages of the product life cycle, is often overlooked during the analysis of their carbon [...] Read more.
The fast fashion industry significantly impacts the environment at every stage of a product’s life cycle. The transport of products to wholesalers and stores, as one of the stages of the product life cycle, is often overlooked during the analysis of their carbon footprint. Therefore, research is needed on the impact of fast fashion on the environment through its logistics and transport, especially in relation to air emissions. This article attempts to determine how extensively fast fashion companies disclose the impact of their transport operations on their overall corporate carbon footprint, determine the proportion of total emissions attributed to transport, and evaluate the effectiveness of companies’ efforts to mitigate their transport-related environmental impact. This research used a case study method on selected brands (H&M Group, Inditex, Shein), using secondary data available in non-financial reports for 2023. As a result of the analysis of their non-financial reports on transport emissions, several key findings have been presented. Companies predominantly rely on external frameworks and standards, particularly the Global Reporting Initiative. However, the level of detail of the data presented varies. The priority for the surveyed companies is to reduce emissions from significant sources, such as production processes. The data disclosed in the reports (scope 1, 2, 3) must be clearly formulated and can be used to calculate the level of their CO2 emission reduction or increase. Companies should improve their environmental reporting by including indicators of their transport-related emissions. This approach provides a comprehensive view of their environmental impact, highlighting absolute values and efficiency metrics. Full article
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