Rejected from Journal of Cleaner Production? The 7 Best Journals to Submit Next

JCleP's scope is broad, but the editors have gotten stricter about what fits. Understanding the rejection reasons helps you target the right alternative.

The editorial bar

Clear connection to "cleaner production." The journal's name is its mission. Papers need to demonstrate how their findings contribute to making production processes cleaner, more efficient, or more sustainable. Pure environmental monitoring without a production angle, or pure management theory without environmental application, gets flagged as out of scope.

Quantitative evidence. JCleP increasingly favors papers with quantitative sustainability assessments: LCA data, environmental impact metrics, economic analysis of cleaner alternatives, or statistical modeling. Purely qualitative case studies face an uphill battle unless they introduce a genuinely new framework.

Practical applicability. The editors want research that industries, policymakers, or communities can actually use. Theoretical models without validation, lab-scale processes without scalability discussion, and policy recommendations without implementation pathways all trigger rejection.

Regional research with global lessons. JCleP publishes research from around the world, but studies focused on a single country or region need to explain what other regions can learn from the findings. A waste management study from one city needs to articulate transferable principles.

Common rejection scenarios

"The paper doesn't fall within the scope of JCleP." Scope rejections have increased as the journal tightens its boundaries. Papers about pure environmental science (without a production or industrial angle), pure management research, or pure materials synthesis often get this response.

"The contribution is incremental." JCleP sees many papers that apply existing methods (LCA, DEA, MCDM) to a new geographic context or industry without methodological innovation. These are technically competent but don't advance the field.

"The practical implications are unclear." Your paper presents interesting findings, but the "so what?" for practitioners isn't articulated. JCleP wants a clear bridge from research to practice.

"Similar studies have been published recently." JCleP's massive publication volume means many topics have been covered already. Your paper needs to offer something clearly different from what's already in the journal's archives.

1. Resources Conservation and Recycling

Resources Conservation and Recycling (RCR) has an IF around 11 and focuses specifically on circular economy, resource efficiency, and sustainable materials management. If your JCleP paper was about waste valorization, recycling technology, material flow analysis, or circular business models, RCR is the most natural alternative.

RCR is more focused than JCleP, which works in your favor if JCleP found your paper "too specialized." The journal's readership specifically wants circular economy research, so your niche expertise becomes an asset.

Best for: Circular economy models, waste valorization, resource efficiency, material flow analysis, recycling technology, secondary raw materials.

2. Science of the Total Environment

STOTEN (IF ~8) covers environmental science broadly, from pollution monitoring to ecological risk assessment to environmental health. If JCleP rejected your paper because the "cleaner production" angle was weak but the environmental science was strong, STOTEN is a natural fit.

STOTEN publishes a very large volume of articles (even more than JCleP), which means it's relatively accessible. The journal is less concerned with production processes and more focused on environmental outcomes, exposure pathways, and ecological effects.

Best for: Environmental monitoring, pollution assessment, ecological impact studies, environmental health, contaminant fate and transport.

3. Sustainable Production and Consumption

Sustainable Production and Consumption (SPC) is published by Elsevier, the same publisher as JCleP, and focuses specifically on the consumption side of sustainability. If your JCleP paper examined consumer behavior, sustainable business models, product-service systems, or the demand side of sustainability transitions, SPC is the most precisely matched alternative.

The journal has grown rapidly since its launch and now carries an IF around 8. Because it's from the same publisher, the formatting requirements are similar, which saves time on reformatting.

Best for: Sustainable consumption, consumer behavior, sustainable business models, sharing economy, product-service systems, food sustainability.

4. Environmental Science & Technology

ES&T (ACS, IF ~11) is the most prestigious environmental journal on this list. If your paper combines environmental chemistry or engineering with sustainability implications, ES&T is worth trying. The journal is more selective than JCleP but carries greater prestige in the environmental science community.

ES&T values rigorous environmental chemistry, quantitative risk assessment, and engineering solutions to environmental problems. The journal is less focused on business and management aspects of sustainability, so pure business-oriented papers won't fit.

Best for: Environmental chemistry, water and wastewater treatment, air quality, soil remediation, green engineering, environmental fate of pollutants.

5. Journal of Industrial Ecology

JIE (IF ~5) is the foundational journal for industrial ecology as a discipline. If your JCleP paper used industrial ecology methods (material flow analysis, industrial symbiosis, eco-industrial parks, urban metabolism), JIE is the natural home.

The journal is published by Yale's Center for Industrial Ecology and has a strong reputation in the field despite a lower IF. Papers in JIE tend to be methodologically sophisticated and systems-oriented. The readership is smaller but highly engaged.

Best for: Industrial ecology, material flow analysis, industrial symbiosis, urban metabolism, socio-metabolic research, eco-industrial systems.

6. Waste Management

Waste Management (IF ~7) focuses specifically on solid waste management, including collection, treatment, recycling, and disposal. If your JCleP paper was about waste topics (municipal solid waste, hazardous waste, construction and demolition waste, food waste, or electronic waste), Waste Management is the top specialty venue.

The journal values both technical and policy-oriented waste research, and it publishes experimental studies, modeling papers, and case studies. Its scope is narrower than JCleP's, which means less competition from unrelated fields.

Best for: Municipal solid waste, hazardous waste, food waste, electronic waste, waste-to-energy, landfill management, composting.

7. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment

IJLCA (IF ~5) is the specialty journal for life cycle assessment methodology and applications. If your JCleP paper was primarily an LCA study, IJLCA's specialist audience will appreciate the methodological details that JCleP's broader readership might not.

The journal publishes both methodological advances in LCA and applied LCA studies across various product systems and industries. Impact assessment methods, allocation procedures, and data quality analysis are all within scope.

Best for: Life cycle assessment, environmental footprinting, carbon footprinting, water footprinting, social LCA, consequential vs. attributional LCA.

Circular economy paper rejected? Resources Conservation and Recycling is the strongest alternative. Journal of Industrial Ecology is the backup for systems-level analysis.

Environmental monitoring paper rejected? Science of the Total Environment is the most direct match. Environmental Science & Technology is worth trying if the chemistry is strong.

Sustainability business model paper rejected? Sustainable Production and Consumption was designed for this content. Business Strategy and the Environment is another option.

LCA paper rejected? International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment is the specialty home. If the LCA has a strong industrial application, consider also trying the Journal of Industrial Ecology.

Waste management paper rejected? Waste Management is the obvious choice. Resources Conservation and Recycling works if there's a strong recycling or resource recovery angle.

Sharpen your scope alignment. Read the target journal's aims and scope carefully, and make sure your introduction explicitly connects your research to the journal's mission. Don't assume the editor will see the connection. Spell it out.

Strengthen your quantitative analysis. If JCleP flagged weak methodology, add quantitative rigor. Sensitivity analysis for LCA studies, statistical testing for empirical studies, and validation for models are all expected.

Add practical recommendations. Include a section on practical implications that identifies specific stakeholders (industry managers, policymakers, city planners) and explains what they should do differently based on your findings.

Compare to published work in the target journal. Before submitting, search the target journal for papers on your topic. Reference them in your introduction and explain how your work extends or complements what's already been published there.

Run your manuscript through a free Manusights scan to check formatting, reference accuracy, and structural coherence before your next submission. Sustainability papers often involve interdisciplinary terminology and methods, and a pre-submission check ensures consistency across sections.