Sustainable Service

Abstract

This special issue delves deeply into the pivotal challenge of sustainability, using the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Global Compact as its foundation. Emphasizing the multifaceted nature of sustainability, the discussion spotlights its interdisciplinary and multistakeholder character, making a strong case that services research should be the epicenter of sustainability research and action. We introduce a new definition of “service sustainability” that brings together diverse fields such as policymaking, engineering, resource management, and education. This definition is not just an academic construct; it carries important managerial and policy implications. Organizations, both in the corporate and governmental sectors, are urged to adapt services that cater to present-day demands with a foresight that ensures the flourishing of future generations. At its heart, this updated approach emphasizes improving services while being aware of the social, environmental, and economic aspects of our connected world.

Defining Sustainable Service

The scope and complexity of sustainability challenges, as highlighted by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and the UN Global Compact (https://www.unglobalcompact.org/), extend beyond the reach of any one discipline (Huang and Rust 2011). These guidelines represent a unified call-to-action for organizations—both corporate and governmental—to endorse sustainable and socially responsible policies, aiming to address key issues like climate change, pollution, economic well-being, and social inequality.

Sustainability issues are often complex and dynamic, involve multiple stakeholders, lack uniform and widely accepted metrics, have unintended long-term consequences, and can disrupt long-standing norms and relationships. Given this, it’s not surprising to see widespread disillusionment with the process and political pushback (even outright bans) on some sustainability-related practices, further complicating the path to sustainability.

Sustainability is inherently interdisciplinary, finding a natural home within services research as a hub for both study and action on this critical topic. Technological innovations, exemplified by developing renewable energy sources, carbon capture, and transportation solutions, play a central role in advancing sustainability. Equally influential are businesses, whose actions significantly impact environmental and social outcomes. Government policies, including tax incentives, regulations, and procurement procedures also affect sustainability outcomes. Furthermore, fostering progress toward sustainability necessitates a shift in consumer attitudes, underscoring the importance of understanding consumer attitudes and motivations to enable the creation of strategies to change their behaviors. Positioned at the convergence of these domains, the field of services sits at the intersection of these fields, and service scholars are ideally positioned to advance thinking around sustainability.

Although there have been numerous attempts to define “service sustainability” (e.g., Davis, Stavrulaki, and Wolfson 2018, p. 140)—which capture the foundational principles of sustainability—they fall short in encapsulating its holistic, forward-thinking, and global dimensions. In light of this, we offer the following definition:

Service sustainability is the strategic integration of various fields (e.g., policymaking, engineering, environmental economics, resource management, education, etc.) to ensure that services, irrespective of the presence of a tangible product, cater to current demands without jeopardizing the prospects of future generations. Crucially, it is about aligning these fields in a synergistic manner to continuously improve services, all while upholding the socio-cultural, environmental, and economic interdependencies of our global landscape. Integral to this concept is the recognition of the diverse interests of multiple stakeholders. It requires the delicate balance of addressing these interests to maximize societal benefit, acknowledging that not all stakeholders may benefit equally or in the short term. In some cases, certain stakeholders (e.g., fossil fuel suppliers in the transition to renewable energy) might face challenges, underscoring the need for thoughtful, inclusive strategies that serve the greater good.

Central to this definition is the notion that services should address today’s needs, yet always with an eye toward safeguarding the opportunities of tomorrow, which is inspired by Bruntland (1987, paragraph #27). This involves promoting long-term viability, environmental stewardship, social equity, economic viability, and fostering innovation within the provision of services.

The Special Issue

We issued an open call for papers (CFP) in August 2021 that address the UN’s SDGs. The response was enthusiastic with over 80 submissions. All papers went through the normal JSR review process. The most promising submissions were assigned to an associate editor from JSR’s editorial review board and most went through two rounds of double-blind peer review. This issue has eight accepted manuscripts.

The articles in this issue showcase the scope of service research theories and methods. Together, they exemplify how services can contribute to this vital issue. Berry, Yadav, and Hole (2024) open the special issue with a conceptual article that proposes a framework for making healthcare sustainable and returning it to its core mission of healing. The framework aligns the healing missions with healthcare resources, incentives, and policies. Mende et al., 2024 also addresses sustainable issues in the healthcare context by using experiments to study personalized service design and implementation for the inclusion of stigmatized consumers. The article explores different strategies for creating messages that improve service inclusiveness.

Additionally, the special issue features several articles that focus on circular economy (CE) ecosystems. Fehrer, Kemper, and Baker (2024) analyze blog posts and report the results of in-depth interviews with industry experts to create a framework that envisions the transition to a CE. They identify six shaping strategies that different decision-makers and other actors can apply to drive a transition to circular service ecosystems. They formulate a research agenda for CE ecosystems. Verleye et al., 2024 use an abductive analysis of circular business model papers to develop theories to achieve CE engagement. They identify specific strategies and provide illustrative cases for each. Anzivino et al., 2024 present two case studies that explore the related area of sustainable service ecosystem design. Their work proposes precise theoretical conceptualizations of the role of spaces and places in service design. Their work provides advice for how to design new and utilize existing spaces to address sustainability challenges.

We also include articles discussing sustainability in the context of retailing, especially in the grocery category. Koskela-Huotari et al., 2024 develop a framework for understanding the mechanisms that drive unsustainable service practices and suggest ways to become more sustainable. They contextualize their framework with an in-depth analysis of the grocery retailer-consumer interface. Fröberg et al., 2024 use behavioral data from a grocery retailer to study receptivity to sustainable product labels. They develop a conceptual framework that explains conditions (channel, type of good, and consumer benefit) when consumers will be receptive to sustainable labels. Finally, Ghanbarpour et al., 2024 apply econometric models to a large secondary dataset from Dow Jones to quantify how corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives affect firm value. Furthermore, they establish customer satisfaction as the mechanism and show how the relationships are moderated by firm type (B2B versus B2C).

Conclusion

Sustainability promises to become a fruitful research area within services. We hope this special issue inspires scholars to tackle the challenge of researching these pressing issues and provides concepts, theories, frameworks, and empirical insights that lay the groundwork for future research. We also hope that these articles will guide policymakers and managers attempting to navigate the changing business environment around sustainability. Research in this area not only addresses critical societal concerns but also has the potential to unlock competitive advantages for businesses and inform effective policy decisions. We encourage scholars, policymakers, and managers to actively engage with the content of this special issue, applying the insights, frameworks, and theories presented to tackle real-world sustainability challenges.