Journal profile · Engineering, Environmental
Journal of Cleaner Production
ISSN 0959-6526 · eISSN 1879-1786 · Elsevier Ltd · UNITED STATES · Semimonthly · Founded 1993
Journal of Cleaner Production: CAS Zone 1 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 10.56; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,660; review about 160 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 2,746 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Cleaner Production is published by Elsevier Ltd and is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Environmental Impact and Sustainability, Sustainable Supply Chain Management and Environmental Sustainability in Business, together about 31.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The 2nd Global Cleaner Production Conference (GCPC) which will take place from 26-29 October 2026 in Melia Sitges, SpainGlobal Cleaner Production Conference | About | ElsevierThe Journal of Cleaner Production is an international, transdisciplinary journal focusing on Cleaner Production, Environmental, and Sustainability research and practice. Through our published articles, we aim at helping societies become more sustainable.'Cleaner Production' is a concept that aims at preventing the production of waste, while increasing efficiencies in the uses of energy, water, resources, and human capital.The Journal of Cleaner Production serves as a platform for addressing and discussing theoretical and practical cleaner production, encompassing environmental, and sustainability issues in corporations, governments, education institutions, regions, and societies.Subject areas include, but are not limited to:Cleaner production and technical processesSustainable Development and SustainabilitySustainable ConsumptionEnvironmental and sustainability assessmentSustainable Products and ServicesCorporate sustainability and Corporate Social ResponsibilityEducation for Sustainable DevelopmentGovernance, legislation, and policy for sustainabilityFor a full list of topics, please have a look here.To ensure homogeneous peer review standards and to help direct authors to the editors with the best expertise to handle their submission, we have launched a family of high-quality gold open access journals that jointly cover the sustainability discipline. Good niche papers may-be redirected from the Journal of Cleaner Production to one of these disciplinary companion journals of the Cleaner brand. Papers that are transferred to these companion journals will be handled by a team expert editors and reviewers providing authors with constructive reviews and well-informed decisions. The Journal of Cleaner Production has the following companion titles:Cleaner and Circular BioeconomyCleaner and Responsible ConsumptionCleaner Chemical EngineeringCleaner Energy SystemsCleaner Engineering and TechnologyCleaner Environmental SystemsCleaner Logistics and Supply ChainCleaner MaterialsCleaner Production LettersCleaner Waste SystemsCleaner WaterCleaner Food SystemsCleaner Cities
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Engineering, Environmental
Editor-in-chief Cecília Maria AlmeidaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 48 in mainland China (about 30%); most named Mainland China 48, United Kingdom 18, United States 14, Australia 9, Netherlands 9 (160 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Environmental Impact and SustainabilityEnvironmental Science12.5%
- Sustainable Supply Chain ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting11.6%
- Environmental Sustainability in BusinessBusiness, Management and Accounting7.8%
- Energy, Environment, Economic GrowthEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.8%
- Recycling and Waste Management TechniquesEnvironmental Science6.2%
- Concrete and Cement Materials ResearchEngineering3.8%
- Extraction and Separation ProcessesEngineering3.7%
- Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental ImpactEnvironmental Science3.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Green & Sustainable Science & Technology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Green & Sustainable Science & Technology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Green & Sustainable Science & Technology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 10.56LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 10.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 21.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 21.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.02LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.04LetPub ·
- h-index
- 150LetPub ·
- h-index
- 455OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 39,832OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 13.21OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 21.16%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 2,732LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 50,518 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2,128 | 714 | 2,301 |
| 2025 | 2,746 | 816 | 23,191 |
| 2024 | 4,141 | 1,236 | 93,592 |
| 2023 | 4,578 | 1,266 | 157,658 |
| 2022 | 4,944 | 1,197 | 225,784 |
| 2021 | 4,112 | 1,007 | 249,114 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with PubMed · to
Too few articlesOnly 1 articles from the last 24 months carry both submission and acceptance dates, too few for a median
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 64 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 160 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 4,660 / EUR 4,360 / GBP 3,730 / JPY 577,980 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,580 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Article types accepted9, with length limits
- hypothesisThe following types of contribution are published in The Journal of Cleaner Production:Original article: Standard research papers of 6000-8000 words in length, …Length not stated
- letterThe following types of contribution are published in The Journal of Cleaner Production:Original article: Standard research papers of 6000-8000 words in length, …Length not stated
- letters to the editorThe following types of contribution are published in The Journal of Cleaner Production:Original article: Standard research papers of 6000-8000 words in length, …Length not stated
- original articleThe following types of contribution are published in The Journal of Cleaner Production:Original article: Standard research papers of 6000-8000 words in length, …main text ≤ 8,000 words
- perspectiveThe following types of contribution are published in The Journal of Cleaner Production:Original article: Standard research papers of 6000-8000 words in length, …Length not stated
- reviewThe following types of contribution are published in The Journal of Cleaner Production:Original article: Standard research papers of 6000-8000 words in length, …Length not stated
- review articleThe following types of contribution are published in The Journal of Cleaner Production:Original article: Standard research papers of 6000-8000 words in length, …Length not stated
- standard research paperThe following types of contribution are published in The Journal of Cleaner Production:Original article: Standard research papers of 6000-8000 words in length, …Length not stated
- technical noteThe following types of contribution are published in The Journal of Cleaner Production:Original article: Standard research papers of 6000-8000 words in length, …main text ≤ 3,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- Founded
- 1993
- ISSN
- 0959-6526
- Electronic ISSN
- 1879-1786
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Cleaner Production
What CAS zone is Journal of Cleaner Production in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Cleaner Production is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Environmental Sciences / Engineering, Environmental / Green & Sustainable Science & Technology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Cleaner Production?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 10.56; CiteScore 21.3, h-index 455.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Cleaner Production?
The publisher reports about 160 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 50%”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Cleaner Production based?
Of the 160 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 48 (about 30%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (48), United Kingdom (18) and United States (14). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Cleaner Production?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Cleaner Production is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of Cleaner Production open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Cleaner Production is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,660.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-24). Last updated: .