Increasingly, organisations are interested in managing corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability as part of their operations management (OM). OM practices and research must respond to demands to address sustainability. This response is triggered by climate change and other environmental concerns, the well-being of workers and communities, and other broad social demands. We define sustainable OM as the pursuit of social, economic and environmental objectives—the triple bottom line [TBL]—within operations of a specific firm and operational linkages that extend beyond the firm to include the supply chain and communities. Many different aspects of OM can be considered from a sustainability perspective. These aspects encompass product design and eco-design, adoption of environmental and social standards, process improvement and lean operations, purchasing, supply chain management (SCM), logistics including recycling and closed-loop systems, performance measurement, and risk management.

Given the growth, importance and pervasiveness of OM sustainability concerns, a special issue focusing on these efforts is overdue. This need for currency is a reason for this special issue in the International Journal of Operations and Production Management (IJOPM).