“Global Impact, Local Action: Understanding Consumer Responses to Sustainability in a Globalized World”

Call for Papers – Special Issue: “Global Impact, Local Action: Understanding Consumer Responses to Sustainability in a Globalized World”

Journal: International Marketing Review
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Submission deadline: 31 January 2027

Overview

As global challenges like climate change and economic instability intensify, consumer purchasing decisions are increasingly driven by sustainability concerns. While research has documented how consumer behavior is shaped by individual characteristics and firm strategies, a significant gap remains in understanding these dynamics across diverse national and cultural markets. This special issue seeks to advance the study of sustainable consumption from a global perspective, exploring how consumers navigate the trade-offs, institutional frameworks, and cultural values that define sustainable choices in a globalized marketplace.

Key Research Themes

• International Marketing & Sustainability: Investigating how concepts such as consumer ethnocentrism, country-of-origin effects, and psychic distance influence evaluations of sustainable foreign versus domestic products.

• Cross-Cultural Perspectives: Comparative analyses of pro-environmental behavior, circular economy adoption (e.g., repairing, buying secondhand), and the effectiveness of sustainability appeals across different cultural and institutional contexts.

• Global vs. Local Brands: Exploring trust in sustainability promises of multinational corporations versus local firms and how they differentiate their green messaging.

• Greenwashing & Skepticism: Understanding how institutional trust and cultural background influence the detection of greenwashing and the perceived credibility of sustainability claims.

• Ethical Consumption: How consumers prioritize trade-offs between different dimensions of the "3Ps" (People, Planet, Profit) across varying economic and social landscapes.

Submission Details

• Submission window: 01 November 2026 – 31 January 2027.

• Submission portal: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/imrev

• Article Type: Select the special issue title from the dropdown menu during the submission process.

Guest Editors

• Ryuta Ishii, Ritsumeikan University, Japan (r-ishii@fc.ritsumei.ac.jp)

• İlayda İpek, Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey (ilayda.gungor@deu.edu.tr)

• Mai Kikumori, Ritsumeikan University, Japan (kikumori@fc.ritsumei.ac.jp)

• Fabian Bartsch, Munich Business School, Germany (f.bartsch@mbs-education.com)

Why This Issue Matters

Understanding how consumers verify sustainability claims and align purchases with their values in an international context is an urgent priority for both scholars and business leaders. This issue provides a critical forum for research that illuminates the multifaceted nature of the global sustainable consumer, offering insights essential for multinational corporations and smaller exporters operating in both developed and emerging markets.

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