In order for future sustainability leaders to stand a chance at tackling the sustainability challenge, they need to be skilled and capable enough to cope with them. Higher education for sustainable development (HESD) plays a crucial role in developing sustainability leaders. The intent of this research is to examine how contemplative practices (CPs) can be strategically used as a pedagogical tool to support the new leadership paradigm needed to move society towards sustainability. Through interviews, the study explored the current state of CPs in HESD by asking how and why they are used, and what barriers prevent them from being used more widely. Findings showed that: - CPs are not being used strategically as a tool in HESD - CPs can be used to support the development of sustainability leaders - HESD has a limited focus on inner transformation This study showed that the use of CPs as a pedagogical tool in HESD has significant impacts on individuals’ learning and inner transformation. At the same time, they support the development of individuals’ wellbeing and leadership skills towards sustainability. However, it was found that there are several barriers to overcome in order for this tool to be strategically used in HESD.

The rise in popularity of the concept of sustainability has brought along many theoretical models and tools that promise to facilitate the sustainability transition of those who use them. One of those tools is the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, which several organisations have already used. However, what happens to this framework once it leaves its written format and is used by actual organisations? To help us answer this question, we have conducted semi-structured interviews with six organisations with the support of documentary research. All of which have used the framework. We then used thematic analysis to analyse the data. To interpret the results, we combined the perspectives of Scandinavian Institutionalism theory with a focus on translation and Change Management. The findings suggest that the motivation before selecting the framework plays a critical role in the way it is translated to practice. Early communication efforts may also influence the way the employees of an organisation perceive the framework and hence influence if they will resist its adoption. The framework does not maintain its integral theoretical form when organisations adopt it. Most of the organisations completely discarded one of its components. One organisation changed another almost beyond recognition. But at the same time, they recognise it as a uniquely good guiding tool. It also appears that among the components, the sustainability principles and the ABCD-procedure are almost always effectively translated and serve organisations’ sustainability objectives.

Sustainable development (SD) in conflict analysis is rarely considered, given that older theories mainly inform conflict analysis. This research set out to establish the potential influence of combining Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD) and conflict analysis. The current situation and possible influence were assessed through the primary data source, which constituted practitioners and researchers in international political conflict analysis. That was then compared to existing data on both conflict analysis and SSD. It was evident that some aspects of sustainability are already present in current conflict analysis tools but highlighted either social or ecological components. The complexity of conflict was clearly identified due to its cyclical nature and the different stakeholders involved. A need for an analysis tool combining complexity and a sustainability perspective was seen. It was argued that power dynamics in conflict analysis and the applicability of conflict analysis frameworks must be considered. Our findings indicate a place for SSD in conflict analysis, which translates into multiple application modes (e.g., root cause identification). There is a need for further research on how these two fields can complement each other and how to represent the interconnection into a practical conflict analysis tool.

Multinational companies are one of the primary institutions that negatively impact the environment and society. On the other hand, they have the competence and the financial means to make significant positive contributions toward sustainability. Therefore, research has developed several concepts for integrating social and environmental concerns into business strategies. A commonly used concept in this regard is CSR. Despite its popularity, the different approaches to CSR are scattered and disconnected from practice.   This research uses the five-level model as a lens to categorize and make sense of CSR literature and its practical application in the sustainability strategies of MNCs. The findings of each level are compared. (Mis-) alignments between literature and practice are identified. Lastly, hypotheses are developed on making both more strategic to increase their contribution towards sustainability.   The results show that the most significant misalignment is the underrated significance of regulations and other external standards in literature. Both literature and practice show space for improvement in their impact on sustainable development. Especially, adjustments in the system and success level appear to be essential leverage points.

Global manufacturing accounted for 17% of global GDP in 2021. The heavy constructionequipment industry creates significant socio-ecological impacts through CO2 emissions, landdegradation and social risks. It is important to implement sustainability from the early phasesof product development. Research shows lack of cooperation between academia andbusinesses in testing to improve Sustainable Product Development (SPD) tools. The studyidentifies needs for implementing SPD and testing of relevant SPD tools for a heavyconstruction equipment manufacturer. It applies DSIP methodology as theoretical frameworkand focus group interviews / workshops, document content analysis and observation as datacollection methods. SAM4SIP supported in identifying the capability needs in relation toSPD implementation and informed the selection of the two SPD tools to be tested at the casecompany. First, the Leading Sustainability Criteria (LEASA) workshop generated 10measurable criteria covering all product life cycle phases which thereafter were furtherdeveloped in the Overall Sustainability Fingerprint template with respective compliancelevels to create design space. The results emphasize on the importance of taking a full-systemperspective to implement SPD on all decision levels of a company and giving opportunity tomanufacturers to utilise DSIP and find suitable tools to implement SPD.

In light of the pressing sustainability challenges, new solutions are needed in all aspects ofsociety. Sustainable public procurement (SPP) plays a crucial role in aligning publicorganizations' own actions with political goals and ambitions. In this paper, we focus on thefirst stages of procurement processes in order to realize the potential of SSP to contribute to amore sustainable society. We also acknowledge the potential advantages of the StrategicSustainable Development (SSD) approach, including a common definition for sustainability,promoting a more holistic understanding and these together enabling organizations to actmore strategically. To realize these advantages in practice, we propose an applicable tool for analyzingprocurement needs through an SSD lens. The tool guides procurers to consider sustainabilityaspects and to apply strategic and systemic thinking early on in procurement projects. Weargue that this supports more efficient use of resources, including not only the benefits ofincreased sustainability considerations, but also use of public funds. We further argue thatdespite current challenges of insufficient resources allocation to proper SPP considerations, itis essential to include foundational considerations such as what the need is and what optionsexist to meet the given need in every procurement project.

Municipal and regional actors, and in particular their respective governments, have key roles to play for society’s transition to sustainability, and many good efforts have been made. However, co-creating sustainable visions and effective governance towards such visions is a complex challenge and an overarching systems perspective is often lacking in the decision making. This is an often-forgotten piece in the sustainability discourse, which risks leading to ’solutions’ in one area that cause problems in another area. This, in turn, risks leading to unnecessary goal-conflicts, sub-optimizations, and slow progress. Despite good insights and actions on sub-parts of the sustainability challenge, capacity to coordinate efforts across sectors is generally missing. The overarching aim of this work was therefore to explore how practitioners, not the least leaders, in municipalities and regions can be sufficiently supported in their missions to enhance cross-sectoral strategic work for sustainability. The overall pursuit of this aim was undertaken through an action research approach with seven Swedish municipalities, two Swedish regions and one Finnish region. Initially, practitioners’ perspectives of what hinders effective sustainability transitions in their municipalities or regions were investigated through focus group discussions. In addition to many specific, context dependent barriers, a prevailing blindness to barriers that are directly linked to a lack of a sufficiently large systems perspective was found. Most of the action research was about testing an existing preliminary implementation model for multi-stakeholder co-creation and co-learning for strategic sustainable development. The model was evaluated in terms of strengths, weaknesses, barriers and enablers through observations, dialogues, round table discussions and a survey. The preliminary implementation model was generally appreciated by practitioners and was generally considered to fill its purpose. However, a need for additional support was pointed out, to assist continued work with the model in the absence of external expert facilitators. A key element of the asked-for support was ways to involve and engage top leaders into active participation already upfront. An approach to achieve this was explored in one of the participating municipalities. This included an initial assessment of current work and existing steering systems and their alignment with the preliminary implementation model, followed by a focus group discussion with political and administrative leaders. In combination with a comprehensive understanding of barriers to effective sustainability transitions, the result from the testing of the preliminary implementation model and the approach to engaging leaders have laid a foundation for methodological support for cross-sectoral municipal and regional strategic work for sustainability.

With the continued degradation of Earth’s natural resources and increasing social pressures, our global society is on a destructive trajectory. To avert societal collapse, it is crucial to halt this unsustainable path through strategic sustainable development. Educative spaces that cultivate sustainability leaders are essential in guiding this transition. Youth Empowerment Programs for Sustainability (YEPS) can play a pivotal role by fostering youth sustainability leaders. However, this field lacks a unified definition of sustainability and a coherent approach to empower youth to take action for sustainability.  This research provides a contemporary analysis of how YEPS can enhance their effectiveness as a strategic tool for sustainable development, through analysing how YEPS foster sustainability youth leaders. The Hummingbird Framework was developed to represent the necessary conditions for youth empowerment and sustainability competencies. Using this framework, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 program directors, designers and/or facilitators and 7 youth alumni from short-term, immersive, sustainability- focused youth programs within Europe. The findings, analysed through the Hummingbird Framework show that YEPS represent a critical avenue for fostering sustainability leaders through their participatory and creative approach to sustainability, equipping young individuals with the tools and mindset necessary to drive the sustainability transition. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement to align the field of YEPS with strategic sustainable development.

With the focus on addressing the sustainability challenge increases in the global agenda, the role of Indigenous communities and the knowledge they hold has been receiving increasing attention as a vital aspect in working towards sustainability. This research sought to bring forth the importance of Indigenous communities and their knowledge in addressing ecological and social sustainability. The research focused on practitioners` engagement with Indigenous communities with the objective of exploring their stories and experiences to offer learning and guidance to other sustainability practitioners. A pragmatic qualitative research approach was adopted in conjunction with literature review, collaborative autoethnography diaries by the authors and nineteen semi-structured interviews with practitioners with experience across sixteen different countries. The results revealed four themed lessons Indigenous communities offer in ecological sustainability, enhancing social sustainability, adaptive capacity in complex human systems, structural obstacles and definitions. Results also presented best practices and guidelines across four main themes for successful engagement with Indigenous communities. The discussion offers insights on what all sustainability practitioners can learn when working in the Indigenous context. Ultimately, becoming the bridge to foster mutual learning between Indigenous and Industrialized world toward global sustainability.

Our research paper looks at the sustainability challenge as an example of complexity in interrelated nested systems (or meta-problem) and we further explore the consequences of disruptive events induced by climate change (ie. Extreme Climate Events). Due to their potential effects on adaptive capacities of systems at all levels (macro, meso and micro) and the need for Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD) to develop meta-solutions (non-isolated, non-reinforcing) we focus on community-based interventions and participatory facilitation processes. Therefore, we enquire what might a process look like that supports a community’s psychological resilience and strategic sustainable development following a disruptive event. A way to reinforce a community’s adaptive capacities is through making meaning collaboratively and such a process can be supported by the use of stories and narrative. To this intent, we focus on the use of Collective Narrative Practices (CNP) within the implementation process (ABCD process) of the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD). CNP promote desired narratives and strengthen communities’ psychological resilience while the FSSD ensures the development of meta-solutions and their practical application (through the ABCD). Throughout a five-step exploration, we test their theoretical compatibility, interview FSSD and CNP practitioners, design an initial Process Prototype, test its validity by interviewing practitioners with expertise in both fields, and develop a final Process Prototype which embeds recommendations, guidelines and tools. Finally, our paper initiates the academic study of the linkage between FSSD and CNP and is aimed to guide practitioners of both fields to discern an effective way to facilitate the emergence of appropriate responses in a community, while maintaining or rebuilding its resilience and complying with SSD core principles.