"Challenges in Sustainability" operates under the Gold Open Access model, allowing immediate free access to its articles, with no subscription or reading fees. To support the costs associated with peer review, manuscript editing, typesetting, archiving, and journal management, we charge an Article Processing Charge (APC). This model facilitates our commitment to maintaining a sustainable and accessible platform for academic publishing and exchange in the field of sustainability.

APC fees are levied only on articles that have been accepted for publication after a rigorous peer review process. "Challenges in Sustainability" sets the APC at $800 per accepted article. This fee helps to cover the aforementioned publication costs and ensures the article's permanent availability online, open to all.

Recognizing the financial constraints that some authors may face, we offer waivers and discounts to ensure that financial barriers do not prevent important research from being published. Our policy is particularly aimed at supporting authors from low- and middle-income countries, as well as researchers without sufficient funding, including students and early-career scientists.

Researchers from low and middle-income countries, as per the World Bank classification. Authors without research funding or with limited financial resources. Circumstances of hardship, such as natural disasters or conflict situations.

Authors in need of financial assistance should apply for a waiver or discount at the time of their submission by contacting the editorial office. Applications must include: A brief explanation of the financial need. Supporting documents (e.g., location, status as a student or early-career researcher, evidence of lack of funding). Review and decision on waivers or discounts are made on a case-by-case basis, with the goal of promoting broad participation in our journal.

While "Challenges in Sustainability" has established its APC at $800, we are committed to reassessing our fees regularly to ensure they reflect the costs of publishing and the needs of our community.

We pledge to use the APCs transparently and responsibly, directly reinvesting them into the publishing process to ensure the highest standards of publication quality and accessibility.

"Challenges in Sustainability" adheres to the ethical and open access standards set by bodies like DOAJ and COPE, striving to meet the indexing criteria of Scopus and Web of Science, thereby ensuring the broad recognition and retrievability of our published research.

For any inquiries regarding our APC policy, or to apply for a waiver or discount, please contact our Editorial Office (cis@acadlore.com). We are dedicated to facilitating your research dissemination and supporting the advancement of sustainability studies.