Novel approaches to sustainable consumption and production in the Global South: from challenging dominant assumptions to setting future debates (Editorial)

The urgency of sustainability transitions is widely recognised. Yet, prevailing frameworks are predominantly developed within Global North contexts, limiting their applicability to the diverse and often complex realities of the Global South. This special issue advances sustainable consumption and production research by critically examining context-specific and transformative approaches that challenge dominant assumptions. Through an interdisciplinary lens, the selected studies explore food citizenship in Brazil, circular economy business models, and ESG prioritisation in less affluent markets, highlighting the underpinning - and sometimes undermining - mechanisms that shape sustainability transitions in these regions. The findings emphasise the role of consumer mobilisation, informal economies, and corporate sustainability strategies in shaping new sustainability pathways. By advancing these discussions, this special issue challenges one-size-fits-all sustainability models and calls for research that bridges the gap between theory and practice, fostering sustainability frameworks that are locally relevant, behaviourally driven, and globally impactful.

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