The comparative capitalisms literature has highlighted the potentially diverging effect of systemic crises on work and employment relations practice within and across settings, and the capacity for fundamental change in the relative competitiveness of firms, regions and nations

Introduction Recent recurring natural and economic crises have highlighted the need for a rethinking of socio-environmental relations. On the one hand, sustainable economic recovery requires the re-creation of a ‘durable basis of demand’ centred on re-formed employment relationships (Wilkinson et al. 2013: 1). On the other, such a reassessment of employment relations needs linking to a wider understanding of the sustainability of demand through examining different approaches to sustainable development and the regulation of environmental issues. The challenge of sustainability, both of employment and demand, presents an opportunity to investigate the sustainability agenda within different institutional contexts. In particular, it provides scope for the analysis of the capacity of corporations to take advantage of (and innovate around) changed circumstances for their employment and managerial practices.