Cleaner Production Letters最新文献

Climate change has become a global problem, and the construction industry (CI) contributes significantly to this challenge. To circumvent these effects, the circular economy (CE) concept should be implemented in the CI. Developing economies could possess significant potential for implementing CE principles to attain sustainability, particularly in the CI. However, achieving this would require professionals in the CI to adopt some key competencies that should propel success in circular construction. Therefore, this study aims to identify the key competencies required by professionals in the CI to attain circular construction using Ghana as a case study. A quantitative research approach and purposive sampling technique were adopted. After an extensive literature review which showed several key competencies, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among five large construction firms and fifty-two responses from experienced professionals in the industry were obtained. Relative importance index and principal component factor analysis (PCFA) were adopted to evaluate the obtained data. Key significant competency skills for construction professionals to propel circular construction were identified such as specification writing for components and materials, designing for multiple-use cycles, and designing for near-zero energy buildings, among others. Three components were extracted from the PCFA which served as the guidelines for enhancing the competency skills of construction professionals namely, implementing sustainable circular practices, embracing sustainable operations management techniques, and adopting sustainable design principles. In addition, to enhance its practical implications, a competency implementation framework was also developed for construction professionals of developing economies to propel the adoption and evaluation of their competency skills toward circular construction.

Urban activities currently consume 75% of global final energy demand, which is expected to increase given absolute and relative population growth in cities. Assessments of both producer (upstream) and consumer (downstream) ecological and socioeconomic impacts of urban inter-industry exchanges are needed to reduce energy consumption and resource use behind the industrial footprints of cities. Environmental extensions in the input-output analysis are designed from the user side perspective, focusing only on commercial energy supply and use. This study introduced emergy-evaluated supply-extended and use-extended carbon footprint models for Vienna and compared their empirical and conceptual implications. Emergy-evaluated footprints of Vienna's urban consumption were estimated by combining industrial and systems ecology approaches as per the research question, based on previous investigations of GHG emissions and energy supply- and use-extensions. Results showed that the ranking of footprints of final product categories is sensitive to the evaluation method, with products of extractive and manufacturing industries differing by more than 10% depending on whether emergy or carbon evaluation is chosen. The emergy-based comparison further reveals that for products of extractive industries, the difference between use and supply extension results can be more than 20% as opposed to carbon-based comparison with the difference between supply and use extension results for services not even amounting to 5%. Future studies could address the over-estimation of direct energy supply to the economy, under-estimation of product and service, inconsistency in standard use-extension design, and challenges in assembling emergy-evaluated supply and use extensions. Fundings are relevant for unified responsibility assessment of upstream and downstream sectors without prioritising structural features.

The impact of COVID-19 on different types of firm strategies, and how those firms responded to the effects of the pandemic is a subject of great interest for researchers, policymakers and firm managers. This paper studied the effects and response of eco-innovative Norwegian firms to the immediate effects of the pandemic. Given the strategy, structural, and leadership changes required for firms engaged in successful eco-innovation, such firms are assumed to possess a higher degree of dynamic capabilities that not only can mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic, but more importantly allow them to respond innovatively to those effects. Utilizing a dataset from a survey of Norwegian firms in 2020, the results of econometric modelling based on factor analysis of firm perception, showed that firms that introduced product/service eco-innovations, or process eco-innovations during COVID-19 were significantly positively affected by the pandemic compared to other firms. In addition, these firms significantly introduced more innovations in other areas of operations as a direct consequence of the pandemic. However, the results also showed that firms that introduced product/service eco-innovations were also more negatively affected by the pandemic. These results confirmed that while the higher degree of dynamic capabilities attributed to firms engaging in eco-innovations can significantly contribute to their ability to be positively affected and respond more innovatively to an unexpected external shock, it does not make them entirely immune to the negative effects.

Hydrogen is a promising alternative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and replace fossil fuels globally. However, the feasibility of this alternative is subject to various factors beyond market conditions, including political, economic, and technological conditions. The goal is to assess the potential opportunities and challenges the macroenvironment presents for developing hydrogen energy use in Brazil. The PESTEL framework was utilized, drawing on bibliographic, documentary, and survey data to evaluate the political (e.g., government management), economic (e.g., macro and microeconomic indicators), social (e.g., patterns and trends in social behavior), technological (e.g., research and innovation), environmental (e.g., characteristics and problems in the natural environment), and legal (e.g., rules, regulation and laws) segments from 2009 to 2021. The political segment significantly impacts the potential for developing the hydrogen sector. While the economic segment poses several threats, the technological, legal, and environmental segments represent significant opportunities. This analysis provides valuable insights into the macroenvironment's characteristics and its influence on developing hydrogen as a sustainable energy resource in Brazil.

Knowledge Exchange is a rapidly emerging phenomenon in the higher education sector. Nevertheless, it remains a niche area with limited studies examining the impact of knowledge exchange for sustainability on students. This research adopted a systematic literature review approach to review sustainability-oriented project-based learning and student knowledge exchange with a view to developing a framework to measure the impact of student knowledge exchange for sustainability. The literature review was based on 38 journal papers selected out of 3578 search results with an application of the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) flow chart methodology. A qualitative content analysis was used to identify and explore the main concepts and variables to evaluate the content of the articles selected by SLR. The results showed three main categories to be systematically measured to understand their impact: (i) capacity building, (ii) affective domain, and (iii) career readiness. Capacity building requires measuring students' sustainability knowledge, competence, and skill levels. The affective domain evaluates changes in students' perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours identified as affective learning outcomes for sustainability. Career readiness assesses a student's level of preparation for the workplace. These variables/constructs informed the development of a framework to measure the impact of student KE for sustainability in a systematic and comprehensive way. The proposed framework is the study's main contribution, supporting measuring the impact of student knowledge exchange for sustainability. It provides a way to address impact holistically and define what specific variables/constructors should be measured to quantify students' impact.

The shift from a linear economy to a circular bioeconomy comes with many challenges in culture, behavior, business, technology and institutions, requiring transformative change. Circular initiatives are considered starting points for such a transformation as they demonstrate tangible alternatives to a linear, fossil-based economy. However, detailed insights into the progress of circular impact made by these initiatives have been lacking. Furthermore, conceptualizations of their development have primarily focused on upscaling, neglecting the diverse and dynamic development trajectories these initiatives might take in practice. The research aim of this paper was to better understand how circular initiatives contribute to transformative change. This study empirically explored three different development trajectories of circular initiatives; deepening (become more radical and circular), broadening (connecting with other domains and agendas) and spreading (becoming larger and more numerous). Based on interviews and desk research, 31 circular initiatives in the Netherlands were studied– in the domains of agriculture, biobased materials, marine research, and nature. The results revealed eight configurations, which are combinations of mechanisms that together guided initiatives’ development: deepening of initiatives was triggered by 1) focus and 2) reorganization: broadening was driven by 3) unusual collaboration, 4) aligning interests and 5) establishing a focus; and spreading occurred through 6) increasing capacity, 7) credibility and 8) offering perspective. These eight configurations provided in-depth insights into the diverse and dynamic development of circular initiatives. The configurations highlighted the significance of the interplay of mechanisms in studying the development of initiatives and in designing strategies to guide current and future circular initiatives.

Coordinated and cooperative efforts among international actors are necessary for climate policy effectiveness. From a macroeconomic perspective, the greater the synchronization of business cycles, the greater the potential for policy coordination and joint decision making. In light of the procyclical behaviour between the business cycle and the carbon emission cycle, this work tries to shed light on carbon emission fluctuations of sixteen major developed and developing economies during 1946–2021. In analogy with “classical” business cycle research, the analysis dates expansionary and contractionary phases, determines their durations and amplitudes. It also inspects emission synchronization between pairs and groups of countries in order to assess their degree of carbon integration. Carbon emission fluctuations are mostly an expansionary phenomenon. Compared to developed countries, developing countries feature on average longer cycles (i.e., a lower number of full cycles), less time spent in contraction, longer expansionary phases, shorter contractionary phases and larger absolute amplitudes. Pairwise carbon emission fluctuations are synchronized in 34.2% cases. Developed economies have their own common emission cycle. As for developing economies, results are heterogeneous. Only part of them, in fact, shows evidence of a common carbon emission cycle despite a relatively recent history of cooperation, heterogeneous geographical locations and socio-cultural features.

The responsible handling of e-waste has become a critical worldwide concern since, as it is essential for both environmental protection and human health because. This is because it prevents the release of harmful chemicals and reduces the ecological impact associated with the electronic waste disposal. Despite efforts the e-waste collection remains low due to a variety of reasons, including inadequate collection systems and socio-economic disparities. The present study aims to investigate the socioeconomic determinants affecting the level of e-waste in a sample of 27 EU countries for the period 2005–2020. The empirical analysis contributes to the existing literature by estimating the short- and long-term relationship between e-waste collection and corruption, income inequalities, imperfect gas market structures and labor market conditions. For this purpose, the study employs panel data techniques and cointegration analysis. The findings robustly suggest that countries with higher levels of socio-economic justice tend to exhibit higher e-waste collection levels, while the concentration of market share among a few dominant natural gas companies decreases collection levels. Low e-waste collection is also associated with concentrated income in the hands of a few individuals in both the short-and long-run. By advocating for equitable resource allocation and establishing a supportive environment, we can encourage increased levels of e-waste collection. Encouraging gas market entries and discouraging anti-competitive practices through regulatory frameworks is also crucial. Strategies to reduce wealth disparities and promote income equality involve implementing progressive taxation systems, redistributive policies, and inclusive economic development initiatives.

As industries move actively towards sustainable operations, communicating the value created as a result of implementing social sustainability practices is still a challenge for researchers and practitioners. Understanding the rationale behind the implementation of sustainability practices can improve adoption and communication amongst supply chain actors. This study aims to investigate the drivers of social sustainability practices in the European Leather Supply chain through the lens of the stakeholder and institutional theory. A qualitative approach is applied in which primary and secondary data are used to achieve the study's aim and objectives in the context of the European leather supply chain. Data was thematically analysed based on the key themes developed in the initial conceptual framework. The study's key findings show that internal and external drivers that serve as antecedents for implementing social sustainability practices can be general or specific, providing another paradigm to Sustainability driver studies. Internal drivers rather than external drivers were observed to clearly relate to and explain sustainability practices implemented. The results from the study show that the application of the intersection between Institutional Theory and Stakeholder Theory can assist in explaining the relationship between social sustainability drivers and practices. The study proposes a framework for managers that can assist leather brands in understanding and explaining the importance of implementing social sustainability practices to key stakeholders whilst actualising short- and long-term business goals.