Устойчиво производство и потребление – ролята на стандартизацията, ИК “Ран-Р”, София, 2018 (Sustainable production and consumption - the role of standardization, Ed. "Ran-R", Sofia, 2018)[Sustainable production and consumption - the role of standardization, Ed. "Ran-R", Sofia, 2018]

In 2015, the UN New Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030 was adopted and seventeen global goals were developed integrating the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainable development. Goal 12 is defined as "Ensuring Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns" (UN Global Goals 2030). It has a central role to play in tackling global consumption of resources and the environmental impacts associated with it, as well as numerous social and economic problems. The promotion of sustainable patterns of consumption and production and sustainable lifestyle is linked to the creation of policies involving a large number of stakeholders which in turn will offer innovative policy solutions to sustainable development problems. Against the backdrop of a variety of policy initiatives at international, European and national level, there is a need in Bulgaria for policies encouraging sustainable production and consumption. Standards have the potential to play a significant role in these processes, amid a wide range of regulations and existing social norms relating to sustainable consumption and production. A number of authors emphasize that the current development of standardization builds on its conventional focus on technical facilities or systems with the inclusion of social and environmental themes (Bistro and Klintman, 2011, Brunsson and Jacobson, 2000, Busch, 2000, Tamm Hallstrom, 2008). They support the idea that standardization emerges as a common new form of regulation in today's globalized world alongside traditional legislation and social norms (Bostrom and Klintman, 2011; Brunsson and Jacobson, 2000). In their entirety, standards build a "new institutional infrastructure" for organizational sustainability and social responsibility (Rasche 2015; Waddock, 2008). The monograph aims to identify the mechanisms by which standards support the implementation of sustainable patterns of consumption and production. In order to achieve the stated objective, the study examines the problems posed both theoretically and by providing a solid empirical material oriented to the Bulgarian organizations in their national context. The monographic work addresses current issues of sustainable consumption and production patterns through voluntary standardization mechanisms as "soft" regulatory instruments - an area still under-researched on a national and regional scale. The presented studies are among the few similar analyses in this field. They concern issues related to the management models of Bulgarian organizations placed under regulatory pressure in the field of environmental protection and social responsibility and the uncertain choice of the voluntary approaches proposed by international and European standards. At the same time, these studies also look at Bulgarian consumers who have the right to "be heard" in the development and implementation of government policies, laws and standards for sustainable consumption and production. The publication is a result of the author's constant interest in the scientific study of the problems of sustainable development in the country in the last ten years. The research work, both individual and joint in a team of fellow researchers – the University of National and World Economy - Sofia is manifested in the implementation of numerous projects, establishing cooperation and membership in the thematic networks in the field of sustainable consumption and production. The monograph could help all those interested in sustainable consumption and production problems - from Bulgarian consumers searching for their sustainable behaviour patterns, non-governmental organizations and consumer associations, through business organizations, certification and training organizations and reaches the state institutions setting out the policies and tools for implementation of these models.