Ecological sustainability in Project Management

Abstract

In an ever faster changing world, project management as an instrument of change is increasingly confronted with the needs and demands of stakeholders for economically, socially and environmentally sustainable approaches. Project management must take this into account, and to do so it is necessary to integrate sustainability into project management processes. This paper examines the extent to which the topic of sustainability in the project context has already established itself in science and practice. A particular focus was placed on the ecological dimension of sustainability. To this end, a systematic literature review was carried out, looking at 114 sources from 2009 to 2023 (with update 2024). It was found that the ecological dimension of sustainability receives little attention in the scientific discussion and in project management standards, although the number of publications on this topic is increasing.