The Evolution of the Sustainability Mindset in Retailing and Service Management

The topic of sustainability is getting increasing importance around the globe since the 1987 Brundtland Report, by the World Commission on Environment and Development, introduced the concept of sustainable development. The need for organizations to answer the call to sustainability has prompted academics to take up the topic to support them, providing interpretations and management models. However, many relevant questions about sustainability remain unanswered, especially with reference to the retail and services companies. Producing a service offer and being the interface between production and consumption, they can influence pro-sustainability behaviors both upstream and downstream, making a major contribution to sustainability dissemination and achievement.

This chapter deals with the evolution of the sustainability mindset in retailing and service management through a literature review using SCIMAT. The bibliographic research process led to the identification of 363 papers in the period 2006–2022. While there were few scientific contributions until 2015, it is from that date—the year in which the 2030 Agenda was launched—that the interest of researchers has grown exponentially. The analysis revealed four clusters of themes on sustainability topic: the themes of utmost importance which are well-developed by scholars, the niche or marginal themes, the emerging or declining themes, and, finally, the relevant but still underdeveloped themes. The authors of this book have focused their attention on the latter to provide a structural guide to sustainability in the service industry, with an eye to specific emerging service sectors.