Journal profile · Chemistry-Chemistry (miscellaneous)
RSC Sustainability
ISSN 2753-8125 · The Royal Society of Chemistry · United Kingdom
RSC Sustainability: CAS Zone 3 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2026 Xinrui edition); impact factor 6.6 (journal website); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 98 days to acceptance (14 articles, last 24 months); 432 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
RSC Sustainability is published by The Royal Society of Chemistry and is classed under Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Catalysis for Biomass Conversion and Extraction and Separation Processes, together about 22.5% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
RSC Sustainability welcomes all solutions-focused research dedicated to solving sustainability challenges. The journal reports advances in chemistry which also contribute to and enable one or more of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. As an inclusive journal, we celebrate multidisciplinary collaboration as well as traditional chemical science contributions. We seek contributions from the academic, industry, regulatory and government sectors. Our journal scope covers technologies to achieve responsible consumption and production of chemical products, including: Efficient use of natural resourcesElimination of hazardous substances in production and use (sustainable and green chemistry)Reuse and recycling of chemical products (circular economy)Methods to analyse these processes (techno-enviro-economics) Research claiming the greater sustainability of chemical entities should be evidence-based and include quantitative measurements of toxicity, environmental persistence, performance comparisons with existing technologies etc. We encourage authors to follow life cycle thinking, requesting side-by-side comparisons with existing technologies to demonstrate genuine improvements in sustainability. Papers that primarily aim to increase the economic exploitation of non-renewable resources fall outside our journal's scope. However, we welcome innovative research presenting chemical solutions for addressing legacy environmental pollutants, particularly those offering transformative approaches to environmental remediation.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Chemistry-Chemistry (miscellaneous)
Editor-in-chief Tom WeltonPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 25%); most named Mainland China 1, India 1, Spain 1, Australia 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringEnvironmental Science8.9%
- Catalysis for Biomass ConversionEngineering7.1%
- Extraction and Separation ProcessesEngineering6.5%
- Recycling and Waste Management TechniquesEnvironmental Science6.2%
- biodegradable polymer synthesis and propertiesMaterials Science5.9%
- Carbon dioxide utilization in catalysisChemical Engineering5.2%
- Lignin and Wood ChemistryEngineering5.1%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Green & Sustainable Science & Technology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Engineering, Chemical | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
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 (publisher) 2025
- 6.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.01LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.19LetPub ·
- h-index
- 46OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 419OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.85OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 358LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,364 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 265 | 265 | 330 |
| 2025 | 432 | 432 | 3,072 |
| 2024 | 398 | 398 | 5,199 |
| 2023 | 252 | 252 | 5,127 |
| 2022 | 17 | 16 | 356 |
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
98 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 87 days – 120 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 3 days (14 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 104 days
- Sample
- 14 articles with submission and acceptance dates (18 in the window); the latest was accepted on
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".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 23 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | GBP 2,100 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | GBP 2,200 | — | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteData availability, Open access, Peer review
- Data availability Data sharing
We want our authors and readers to trust the research that is published in our journals. Follow our guidance for best practice and reproducibility of experimental data, including recommended repositories. Find out more
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Find out more about open access at the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review model
Peer review model: single-anonymised; reviewers anonymous, authors known to reviewers. Model summary
Single-anonymised: reviewers are anonymous and author names and affiliations are known to reviewers. Double-anonymised: both the authors’ and reviewers’ identities are anonymous (opt in at submission). Transparent: the editor’s decision letter, reviewers’ comments, and authors’ response for all versions of the manuscript are published alongside the article (opt in at any point prior to acceptance)…
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
- The Royal Society of Chemistry
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2753-8125
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about RSC Sustainability
What CAS zone is RSC Sustainability in?
In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of RSC Sustainability?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 6.6 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 6.3, h-index 46.
How long does peer review take at RSC Sustainability?
Based on the dates recorded on 14 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 98 days (interquartile range 87–120 days); authors report an average review time of about 12 weeks. 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 RSC Sustainability based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 25%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (1), India (1) and Spain (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index RSC Sustainability?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, RSC Sustainability is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is RSC Sustainability open access, and what is the APC?
RSC Sustainability is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, DOAJ; 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .