Governance is instrumental to the implementing sustainability in organisations (civil society, companies, and public sector ones). Seven governance factors have been identified to achieve this: vision and mission, policies, reporting, communication, board of directors, department, and person in charge. However, their importance and interrelations are still under-researched. A survey was sent to 5,299 organisations, with 305 responses. The responses were analysed using descriptive statistics, rankings, comparison between organisation types, correlations, and centrality. The results provide the ranking of the factors, where vision and mission, person in charge, and reporting were highest ranked. The analysis also reveals that the seven factors are interrelated, albeit some more than others. The research provides a comparison of the rankings and interrelations between the organisation types. Each factor and its relation to other factors can contribute to better governance for sustainability, and better governance can contribute to a more holistic implementation of sustainability in organisations.

Ports have increasingly been addressing sustainability issues; however, gender equality has been a low priority in such efforts. This paper is aimed at providing insights into how ports have been addressing gender equality to contribute to sustainability. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with top-level port managers from six European countries. The responses from the interviewees were analysed using Grounded Theory’s constant comparative analysis. The findings show that European ports have engaged in gender equality measures aimed at contributing to sustainability through gender equality in five stages: (1) Gender segregation, which needs to be overcome, and is, in many cases, the starting point; (2) Compliance with national laws and regulation; (3) Gender equity; (4) Gender equality; and (5) More sustainable ports. Internal and external forces affect each of the stages, where thrust forces help ports reduce gender segregation and advance towards becoming more sustainable and drag forces slow or block the efforts and may lead to returning to a previous stage of the framework. The findings were integrated to develop a “Gender equality for sustainability in ports” framework. Gender equality is a sine qua non for ports, and other male oriented industries, in becoming more sustainable.

Organizations have been integrating sustainability issues into their systems. Employees are a core component of the human dimension of the organizational systems; however, there has been limited research on the factors of employee participation (EP) for organizational sustainability. This article is aimed at investigating the importance of EP factors and how they are related. A survey was conducted to investigate the importance and relationships of EP factors for sustainability, and 305 full responses were received. The responses were analyzed using Friedman tests, Kruskal–Wallis test, correlation analysis, and centrality measures. The results highlight that all factors are important for organizational sustainability, albeit some more than others. The correlation and centrality analyses showed that all factors are interrelated. This article provides insights into EP factors by 1) ranking of EP factors in organizations, 2) analyzing the interrelations and centrality of the EP factors, and 3) comparing the rankings, the interrelations, and centrality measures. This research contributes to organizational sustainability by focusing on the human dimensions through the EP factors and their interrelations. The EP factors must be recognized and integrated to implement sustainability more efficiently in organizations. No organization exists without its employees, and no organization can become sustainable without engaging them.

Purpose

The objective of this paper is to provide insights into the significance of communication factors for sustainability practices and their interconnections within organisations. In order to achieve this, the paper explores the differences between civil society organisations (CSOs), corporations and public sector organisations (PSOs). Furthermore, it analyses the relationship between these factors and the performance of organisations in relation to environmental, social and economic sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review was conducted to identify eight relevant communication factors. A survey was then carried out to explore sustainability integration, focusing on communication factors and sustainability performance. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and ANOVA to identify patterns and relationships.

Findings

The results show that all communication factors are critical for organisational sustainability, with policies ranked first. The results of the correlation analyses indicate that all eight communication factors are interconnected, though the strength of these relationships varies. The reporting shows a low correlation with other communication factors. While there are statistical differences in communication factors across different types of organisations, the “policy” factor is ranked first in all three types. The results also indicate that employee engagement has a significant correlation with all three aspects of sustainability performance. The overall results show that communication factors, including leadership, employee engagement, training, diversity and inclusion, policies, vision and mission and support, have a significant impact on sustainability performance in organisations.

Practical implications

This paper explores key communication factors in sustainability, analysing their interrelations in different type of organisations and links to performance. By mapping factors such as policy, support, reporting and training, the paper highlights how integrated communication structures influence sustainability outcomes. The central roles of support and policy suggest that formal structures are vital for embedding sustainability. PSOs, CSOs and corporations can strengthen their impact through tailored strategies, such as mandatory training, cross-functional teams or incentive-based programs. Improving communication factors enables better alignment with sustainability goals, enhances employee engagement and supports more effective organisation-wide efforts to drive sustainability outcomes and broader societal impact.

Social implications

This study underscores the societal benefits of effective communication strategies for sustainability. Enhanced communication channels can promote transparency, inclusivity and stakeholder collaboration, shaping public policy and fostering community engagement. By integrating sustainability-focused factors, including leadership and support, into policy frameworks, organisations and policymakers can address sustainability challenges more cohesively. These strategies promote collective action and catalyse progress toward sustainable development goals through increased awareness and collaboration.

Originality/value

This paper provides insights into the interconnections of communication factors for sustainability in different types of organisations and their relationship with performance, emphasising the need for a holistic and integrated approach.