Dear Colleagues,

The concept of innovation is no longer closely connected with the production process. By contrast, at present, innovations affect and are closely linked to all areas of society. Their interconnection has been very important in the concept of sustainable development, as economic growth has begun to be curbed by the limits of the natural environment, growing climate change, and environmental problems. Because of the deterioration of the environment, the environmental agenda has now become an important issue and part of innovation strategies. Within the conflict among economic progress and limited natural resources and environmental problems and threats, innovation has become a hot topic and a key driver of sustainable development. In this case, innovation can harmonize economic growth and the limits of natural resources. This link between economic and environmental performance represents environmental improvements as a tool for competitiveness in the form of eco-innovation. In this sense, innovation represents an opportunity to achieve sustainability in terms of efficient use of natural resources, elimination of environmental impacts, and environmental shock and market pressure, without slowing down overall economic growth. In other words, this relationship can lead to mutual benefits, while environmental constraints are transformed into sustainable opportunities through eco-innovation.

This Special Edition accepts studies that consider the environmental, social, and economic aspects of innovation and its development at different levels, from the perspective of products, processes, companies, sectors, supply chains, regions, or economies. In this context, studies on eco-innovation are acceptable as a positive change aimed at making significant or visible progress toward sustainable development by reducing environmental impacts or achieving a more efficient and responsible use of natural resources. It will also be open to studies dealing with eco-innovation focused on the re-use of natural resources according to the principle of the circular economy, as well as other related arguments in the form of specialized and interdisciplinary manuscripts.

Dr. Erika Loučanová
Guest Editor

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.

• ecological innovation
• sustainability
• development
• innovation management
• circular economy