Publications

Astrid B. Nicolajsen, Anders Bjørn, Tim C. McAloone, Daniela C.A. Pigosso 

As companies increasingly set science-based climate targets, attention is shifting from commitments to credible plans for achieving them. This study analyses 14 leading climate transition planning frameworks and identifies a common structure of 13 key components covering areas such as emissions accounting, target setting, decarbonisation strategies, governance, financial planning, and stakeholder engagement. Despite differences in purpose, audience, and level of detail, the frameworks show strong convergence in their expectations that climate action should be integrated into core business operations. The findings provide clarity on what companies are expected to disclose and highlight both the growing complexity of transition planning and the need for guidance to support effective implementation.

Laura I. Acevedo, Daniela C.A. Pigosso, Tim C. McAloone 

Most sustainability efforts focus on making products, companies, or systems less environmentally harmful, but rarely ask whether they are sustainable enough to operate within the Earth's limits. This paper reviews the first decade of research explicitly framed as Absolute Sustainability, a philosophy that shifts the focus from incremental improvement to ensuring human activities remain within planetary boundaries. The review analyses 83 publications and organises the field around three complementary pillars: Systemic Modelling, which defines and allocates environmental limits; Systematic Engineering, which embeds these limits into technologies and industrial systems; and Strategic Implementation, which develops the policies, business models, and societal changes needed for large-scale transition. The study highlights significant progress in modelling sustainability limits, while identifying major challenges in translating these limits into engineering practice and real-world implementation.

Manon Villers, Thomas J. Howard, Daniela C.A. Pigosso, Daniel Guzzo, Tim C. McAloone 

Companies increasingly face the challenge of pursuing business growth while meeting science-based climate targets. This paper develops and evaluates a set of indicators for measuring Absolute Environmental Sustainability Decoupling (AESD), assessing whether business activity can grow while greenhouse gas emissions decline at a rate consistent with absolute sustainability goals. The analysis shows that no single indicator fully captures this performance. Instead, a combination of metrics and visualisation tools is needed to evaluate progress, identify gaps to required decarbonisation pathways, and support strategic decision-making. The proposed framework helps companies better integrate growth ambitions with science-based decarbonisation targets and monitor whether they are achieving sustainability within environmental limits.