Partnerships: a path to sustainability

The Seventh International Conference of the Greening of Industry Network (GIN), Partnership and Leadership: Building Alliances for a Sustainable Future, was held in Rome on 15–18 November 1998. This special issue of Business Strategy and the Environment reviews the conference’s contributions and discussions by presenting three edited papers1 and this introductory essay. The three papers provide provocative perspectives and research findings on the central ‘meta‐themes’ emerging from the conference concerning collaboration and collaborative leadership for sustainability. This essay summarizes some of the significant issues raised by these and other conference papers as they relate to on‐going debates and broader perspectives on sustainability and partnerships emerging in GIN and in the literature. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.