Background and purpose The concept of quality accommodates a range of perspectives. Over the years, various conceptual definitions of quality have reflected the evolution and trends marking the history and development of quality management. The current and widely accepted understanding of the concept of quality focusses on customer centred notions, where meeting or preferably exceeding customer needs and expectations defines what quality is. 

However, with the advent of more holistic and integrated conceptualisations (e.g. “Quality 4.0” and “Quality 5.0”), emphasising the inclusion of a wider range of stakeholders and with quality also geared towards achieving societal and environmental sustainability, it can be argued that customer centred notions of quality may be somewhat misaligned, overly narrow and ill-served for current and future societal needs. Customer centred notions on quality are, by definition, subjective and relative and this paper argues that more holistic approaches to sustainable quality calls for a need to further explore objective and possible absolute notions of quality. 

The purpose of this paper is thus to elaborate on the underpinnings of the concept of quality and extend the conceptual understanding of quality more apt for holistic and integrative interpretations of quality.

Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper based on a literature review aiming for a conceptual reconfiguration that revises the current perspectives and understanding on quality. Cases from various sectors are used to illustrate the perspectives brought forward. 

Findings An integrated conceptual framework offering an expanded view on the foundations for the concept of quality is presented. This framework incorporates two dimensions for understanding quality; the subjective/objective dimension and the individual/societal (multi-actor) dimension. Derived from these dimensions, four major perspectives for perceiving and understanding quality are presented. The paper argues that any sustainable and viable notion on the practical realisation of actual quality, or quality-in-use, must be based on the relation and balance between four major perspectives.