Call for Abstracts

21st Corporate Responsibility Research Conference
 
Theme: Planetary Boundaries and the Sustainability Transition: The Great Disconnect?

Hosted by ESCP Business School (France),
in association with
the Sustainability Research Institute at the University of Leeds (UK)
and KEDGE Business School (France)
 
29–31 October 2025
(PhD workshop on afternoon of 29 October)
 
(Please click here for a PDF version of the Call for Abstracts)
 
*** Submission Deadline 15 July 2025 ***
 
 

The theme of the conference, “Planetary Boundaries and the Sustainability Transition: The Great Disconnect?” invites participants to explore the potential mismatch between organizational-level corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate sustainability practice and theorizing on the one hand, and the macro-level unsustainability on the other hand. CSR and corporate sustainability have gradually been mainstreamed and institutionalized in companies and higher education institutions. Many companies have a sustainability function in place, report on progress and set themselves long-term sustainability performance targets. Sustainability is becoming a legitimate career choice. There are unprecedented levels of public awareness and knowledge when it comes to sustainability.

Yet, whilst we are tootling along with our journey to sustainability, six out of nine planetary boundaries have been exceeded, global anthropogenic carbon emissions continue to rise (rather than fall), biodiversity continues to be in steep decline, and absolute poverty is on the rise again. We are on course to failing to meet roughly 90% of the 169 UN SDG targets by 2030. And these macro-level developments take place against a backdrop of rising populism, declining multilateralism, perceived overregulation and a feeling that sustainability is moving down the public agenda.

How do those two things go together?

Is it still realistic to hope for the measures we have put in place so far to trigger a step change towards sustainability, driven by a critical mass of proactive firms, conscious consumers and enlightened governments? Or is it rather a matter of wishful thinking overshadowing our theorizing? How can we explain this, and how can we effectively move forward towards an actual sustainability transition?

CRRC is a cross-disciplinary conference looking for both conceptual and empirical papers filling the research and knowledge gap in both theory and practice related to the impact of CSR on society. We are interested in contributions from different disciplines and fields of study. CRRC is the ideal place to test new ideas and to experiment with new formats. Therefore, we welcome suggestions for special workshop streams and innovative ideas. The tradition of CRRC is to focus on participants and the debate. We aim to create an environment that is welcoming and friendly yet succeeds in challenging the existing knowledge base and assumptions, and hence drives the debate around corporate responsibility forward.

We invite submissions addressing the following sub-themes and to the open call:
 
Sub-theme 1: CSR and Planetary Boundaries
Sub-theme 2: International CSR
Sub-theme 3: Social Impact and CSR
Sub-theme 4: Corruption and CSR
Sub-theme 5: Circular Economy
Sub-theme 6: CSR and Global Governance
Sub-theme 7: Sustainable Workplace
Sub-theme 8: CSR Communication
Sub-theme 9: Consumer Behaviour on Sustainability Issues
Sub-theme 10: Stakeholder Engagement for Sustainability
Sub-theme 11: Climate Change and CSR
Sub-theme 12: CSR and Diversity
Sub-theme 13: Business, Peace and ESG
Sub-theme 14: Open call for papers and sub-themes on CSR and Sustainability
ABSTRACTS
 

Initial abstracts should be emailed to crrconference2025@gmail.com by 15 July 2025. Files should be sent in MS Word format, and the file name should be first author’s surname. Please include names, affiliations and contact details of all authors. Please use a maximum of 500 words, answering the following questions:

  • Research Question: What is the research question that the submission aims to answer?
  • Theoretical Framework: What are the main concepts, models or theories used in the paper? Include 3-4 central references.
  • Method: Which method is used for the research work?
  • Findings: What are the main outcomes and results of the paper?
  • Which sub-theme is your paper aimed at or is it for the open call?
  • Up to 6 keywords

Abstracts will be reviewed and selected by the scientific committee of the conference. Authors will be notified of acceptance by late July 2025.

PAPERS
 

The conference papers of a maximum of 6,000 words including references should be emailed to crrconference2025@gmail.com no later than 15th September 2025. Please note that papers will not be accepted or appear in the programme unless speaker(s) have registered in full for the conference.

PRE-CONFERENCE PHD WORKSHOP
 
Our popular pre-conference PhD Workshop will be held on the afternoon of 29 October. It will appeal to first-time attendees as well as those who have attended throughout their PhD career. This annual workshop provides a relaxed environment to allow lively exchange and discussion between PhD students as well as the opportunity to gain helpful advice and feedback from a panel of experienced PhD supervisors in the field. We have expanded the PhD workshop last year and we want to continue talking about postdoctoral opportunities and we will of course cover needs of PhD students throughout their studies.
 
BEST PAPER AWARDS
 
The scientific committee of the conference will review all papers presented and award two prizes for the CRRC best overall paper and the CRRC best PhD paper at the conference dinner. Criteria for the selection process are contribution to the research field, quality of the research, innovativeness, and diversity of views.
 

IMPORTANT DATES

April 2025 Call for abstracts opens
15 July 2025 Deadline for abstract submissions
31 July 2025 Notification of accepted abstracts
Conference registration opens
15 September 2025 Deadline registration
Deadline for full paper submission
29 October 2025 Pre-Conference PhD Workshop
30/31 October 2025 Corporate Responsibility Research Conference
CONFERENCE FEES

[to be announced in late April]

 
For more information on the conference please visit www.crrconference.org or contact us at crrconference2025@gmail.com.
 
We look forward to welcoming you to Paris!
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