Special Issue: ESG and Business Ethics in Sustainable Coastal, Marine and Maritime Futures

Call for Papers Special Issue: ESG and Business Ethics in Sustainable Coastal, Marine and Maritime Futures Guest Editors: Dorothy Queiros, Department of Applied Management, College of Economic and Management Sciences, University of South Africa – Muckleneuk Campus, Pretoria, South Africa. Email: queirdr@unisa.ac.za   Yinka Moses, Wellington School of Business and Government, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and Professor Extraordinarius, Department of Financial Accounting, University of South Africa – Muckleneuk Campus, Pretoria, South Africa. Email: Yinka.moses@vuw.ac.nz   Leana Esterhuyse, Department of Financial Intelligence, College of Accounting Sciences, University of South Africa – Muckleneuk Campus, Pretoria, South Africa. Email: esterl@unisa.ac.za Overview The intensification of coastal populations and marine and maritime activities has heightened pressures on ecological systems and risks to human communities (Bennet et al., 2021; Cosby et al., 2024).  This amplification of risk has brought significant attention to concerns regarding sustainability, social justice and inclusive governance in ocean and coastal development (Bennett, 2018; Park & Hong, 2025). Notably, vulnerable coastal communities which face disproportionately adverse impacts from climate change, resource depletion and ocean pollution, are frequently excluded from decision-making processes that shape the governance and use of marine resources (Reis‐Filho et al., 2024; Stoltz et al., 2025). Within this evolving landscape, questions of business ethics, corporate responsibility, and ESG accountability are increasingly salient. Building on foundational insights by Schaltegger and Burritt (2015), who conceptualise why businesses engage with sustainability through reactionary, reputational, responsible, and collaborative motivations, there is a need to [re]examine how such orientations manifest within the blue economy. While much research on the blue economy has focused on environmental sustainability, comparatively limited attention has been directed towards ethical business considerations, blue justice, corporate responsibility, and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) accountability within ocean and coastal development (Askari et al., 2026; Ma et al., 2025). New understandings that position justice centrally are essential for the blue economy concept to remain credible (Morrissey, 2023). Encouragingly, emerging (albeit still limited) empirical studies in ports, shipping and fisheries suggest that sustainability is increasingly treated as a strategic tool for strengthening community relations (Ehalaiye et al., 2025), that is integrated into management systems, and capable of driving green or blue innovation, rather than being viewed merely as corporate philanthropy (Scarpato et al., 2020; Fasoulis & Kurt, 2019; Le et al., 2024). This special issue aims to advance ethical business perspectives on coastal, marine, and maritime futures, in line with how businesses, investors, governance institutions and communities can shape ethical outcomes in this space. It is offered in conjunction with the inaugural International Conference on Coastal, Marine and Maritime Research (COMMRE 2026) (Note that abstract submissions for COMMRE 2026 close on 30 June 2026). While linked to COMMRE 2026, submissions are also welcome from scholars who are not participating in the conference. We invite multidisciplinary contributions, including conceptual, empirical and interdisciplinary research from diverse methodological, theoretical and jurisdictional perspectives. Submission may examine organisational practices, governance structures, policy frameworks, community impacts, or ethical dilemmas across the coastal, marine and maritime sectors, as well as their accounting and accountability implications. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Ethical Governance and Regulation of Ocean and Coastal Systems Ocean ethics and ethical approaches to marine stewardship Ethical considerations in marine and coastal planning Governance of international waters and blue diplomacy Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and ethical accountability in fisheries Piracy, maritime crime and ethical challenges in maritime governance Decolonial perspectives on coastal and marine governance   ESG, Corporate Responsibility and Accountability in Maritime Industries Sustainability reporting, transparency and ESG accountability in marine and maritime industries Corporate governance and ethical leadership in ports, shipping and coastal industries Greenwashing and “bluewashing” in ocean-related sustainability initiatives Responsible investment and sustainable finance in the blue economy Ethical considerations in marine resource extraction, infrastructure development and biodiversity protection   Social Justice, Equity and Inclusion in the Blue Economy Just transitions in coastal communities Rights of coastal and indigenous communities in marine resource use Equity and access to opportunities in the blue economy Ethical distribution of benefits and burdens arising from ocean and coastal activities Ocean/blue justice and human rights at sea Intergenerational justice in marine, coastal and maritime contexts   Ethical Value Chains and Labour in Marine and Maritime Sectors Supply chain ethics in fisheries, shipping and port operations Labour rights and decent work in maritime industries Ethical sourcing, traceability and accountability in marine-based supply chains Submissions addressing related themes are also welcome. Peer review Please note that a full paper accepted for presentation at the conference does not guarantee that it will be accepted for publication in the journal after revisions. All submissions will be peer-reviewed on a double-blind basis. Plagiarism and use of AI in submissions All submissions must comply with the journal’s policies on plagiarism and the responsible use of generative AI. Authors who use AI-assisted tools must disclose this use in accordance with the journal’s guidelines. Format and Article Processing Charges For this special issue, abstracts should be 200 words maximum, and submitted papers limited to 8 000 words maximum, including all tables and references. Papers should be submitted in MS Word.  Article processing charges: R255 per submitted page with the following specifications: Arial font 12 pt size Double spacing 5cm margins All submissions must be anonymised. For further instructions and author guidelines, refer to the journal website:  https://ajobe.journals.ac.za/pub/about/submissions.  Important dates Open for submissions: 31 August 2026 Submissions close: 28 February 2027 References Askari, M., Ray, S. and Suri, S. 2026. Behavioral barriers to blue economy reform: A policy synthesis on ESG, emissions, and governance. Marine Policy, 184, 106938. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2025.106938 Bennett, N.J. 2018. Navigating a just and inclusive path towards sustainable oceans. Marine Policy, 97:139-146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.06.001 Bennett, N.J., Blythe, J., White, C.S. and Campero, C. 2021. Blue growth and blue justice: Ten risks and solutions for the ocean economy. Marine Policy, 125, 104387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104387 Cosby, A., Lebakula, V., Smith, C., Wanik, D., Bergene, K., Rose, A., Swanson, D. and Bloom, D. (2024). Accelerating growth of human coastal populations at the global and continent levels: 2000–2018. Scientific Reports, 14, 22489. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-73287-x Ehalaiye, D., Moses, O., Laswad, F. and Botica Redmayne, N. 2025. Local government enterprises climate action: An exploration of New Zealand container seaports’ climate-related disclosure practices. Financial Accountability & Management, 41, 60–88. https://doi.org/10.1111/faam.12406 Fasoulis, I. and Kurt, R. 2019. Reframing Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability in the Aftermath of United Nations 2030 Agenda: An Empirical Study into the Tanker and Dry Bulk Maritime Sector. Journal of Marine and Island Cultures, 8(1), 61-82. https://doi.org/10.21463/jmic.2019.08.1.06 Le, T.T., Tran, P.Q., Lam, N.P., Tra, M.N.L. and Uyen, P.H.P. 2024. Corporate social responsibility, green innovation, environment strategy and corporate sustainable development. Operations Management Research 17, 114–134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12063-023-00411-x Ma, Y., Yin, Z-J. and Fu, Q. 2025. A national Blue-ESG index: measurement of marine sustainability. Innovation and Green Development, 4, 100274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.igd.2025.100274 Morrissey, J. 2023. Coastal communities, blue economy and the climate crisis: Framing just disruptions. The Geographical Journal, 189(2):283-299. https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12419 Park, S-H. and Hong, C-Y. 2025. Deconstructing the Resort Development Cases through An Analytical Framework for Coastal Tourism. Journal of Marine and Island Cultures, 14(3), 145–165. https://doi.org/10.21463/jmic.2025.14.3.09 Reis‐Filho, J., Hatje, V. and Barros, F. 2024. Navigating blue justice: Policy gaps and conflicts in coastal development from small-scale fisher perspectives. One Earth, 7(10):1786-1802. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2024.07.014 Scarpato, D., Civero, G., Rusciano, V. and Risitano, M. 2020. Sustainable strategies and corporate social responsibility in the Italian fisheries companies. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 27, 2983-2990. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2016 Schaltegger, S. and Burritt, R. 2015. Business Cases and Corporate Engagement with Sustainability: Differentiating Ethical Motivations. Journal of Business Ethics, 147, 241-259. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2938-0 Stoltz, A.D., Won, O.M., Gee, E.K.C. and Seto, K.L. 2025. No coastal justice without environmental justice: a systematic literature review of climate and coasts. Climatic Change, 178, 206. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-025-03999-0