Pub Date : 2025-10-19DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.10.005
Yuning Zhang , Yanhua Wang , Yunsong Liang , Ke Wang , Hongxia Zhang
Demand-side strategies are vital for mitigating supply bottlenecks of critical materials in clean energy deployment. However, their potential remains unclear primarily due to the “black box” limitation of conventional material flow analysis (MFA) methods. This study develops a dynamic integrated assessment framework combining a hybrid input-output analysis, an optimized Markov model, a dynamic MFA approach, and Monte Carlo simulation. This framework is applied to quantify the anthropogenic metabolism of eight critical materials in China's solar power system toward 2060 and to assess the material-saving effects of five demand-side strategies, such as grid integration enhancement. Results show that cumulative demand for Tellurium, Selenium, Indium, and Germanium may exceed China's 2022 reserves by 2060 in baseline case. Fortunately, implementing demand-side strategies can reduce primary material inputs by 32.8–36.7 %, with maximum material-saving contributions of 3.5 Mt for Silicon, 10.6 kt for Germanium, 4.8 kt for Copper, 4.4 kt for Indium, 1.1 kt for Gallium, 11.2 kt for Selenium, 3.8 kt for Cadmium, and 4.3 kt for Tellurium. Furthermore, these strategies outperform recycling alone and resolve Selenium and Indium constraints, making CIGS the only materially sustainable thin-film technology in SSP2-CD and SSP5-CD scenarios. The proposed framework provides a systematic basis for China's demand-side policymaking to mitigate critical material supply bottlenecks in solar system, while offering scalable solutions to harmonize sustainable material consumption with low-carbon energy transitions in emerging economies.
{"title":"Demand-side strategies can mitigate critical material supply bottlenecks in China's solar photovoltaic deployment: A dynamic integrated assessment framework","authors":"Yuning Zhang , Yanhua Wang , Yunsong Liang , Ke Wang , Hongxia Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.10.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.10.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Demand-side strategies are vital for mitigating supply bottlenecks of critical materials in clean energy deployment. However, their potential remains unclear primarily due to the “black box” limitation of conventional material flow analysis (MFA) methods. This study develops a dynamic integrated assessment framework combining a hybrid input-output analysis, an optimized Markov model, a dynamic MFA approach, and Monte Carlo simulation. This framework is applied to quantify the anthropogenic metabolism of eight critical materials in China's solar power system toward 2060 and to assess the material-saving effects of five demand-side strategies, such as grid integration enhancement. Results show that cumulative demand for Tellurium, Selenium, Indium, and Germanium may exceed China's 2022 reserves by 2060 in baseline case. Fortunately, implementing demand-side strategies can reduce primary material inputs by 32.8–36.7 %, with maximum material-saving contributions of 3.5 Mt for Silicon, 10.6 kt for Germanium, 4.8 kt for Copper, 4.4 kt for Indium, 1.1 kt for Gallium, 11.2 kt for Selenium, 3.8 kt for Cadmium, and 4.3 kt for Tellurium. Furthermore, these strategies outperform recycling alone and resolve Selenium and Indium constraints, making CIGS the only materially sustainable thin-film technology in SSP2-CD and SSP5-CD scenarios. The proposed framework provides a systematic basis for China's demand-side policymaking to mitigate critical material supply bottlenecks in solar system, while offering scalable solutions to harmonize sustainable material consumption with low-carbon energy transitions in emerging economies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"61 ","pages":"Pages 48-65"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145425605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-17DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.10.004
Sara Rashidian , SK Tahsin Hossain , Kirsty Volz , Melissa Teo
<div><div>Integrating Construction 4.0 technologies—the construction-specific application of Industry 4.0—with circular economy (CE) principles presents a transformative opportunity for the construction sector to enhance sustainability, improve resource efficiency, and build long-term resilience. Construction 4.0 refers to the digitalisation and automation of processes through technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, digital twins, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI). Given the construction industry's significant environmental footprint and contribution to global waste, aligning Construction 4.0 with CE principles is essential for shifting from traditional linear practices towards regenerative, closed-loop systems. While sectors such as transport and manufacturing have already demonstrated the benefits of Industry 4.0 technologies in reducing waste and optimising resources, construction has been comparatively slow to embed these innovations across buildings and infrastructure. In addition, despite growing scholarly and industry interest, there remains no comprehensive framework that systematically integrates Construction 4.0 technologies with CE principles across all stages of the construction lifecycle.</div><div>This study addresses this gap through a systematic literature review of 58 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2024, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The review focused on English-language publications directly examining the intersection of Construction 4.0 and CE in the construction sector, while excluding non-peer-reviewed studies from unrelated industries. Thematic and co-occurrence analyses were applied to map the alignment of CE principles with Construction 4.0 technologies across seven phases of construction: Planning, Design, Tendering, Manufacturing, Construction, Operation, and End-of-Life. The study contributes a conceptual framework that visualises these alignments and highlights key opportunities and barriers for advancing circularity through digital transformation within the construction industry.</div><div>The findings highlight that BIM and IoT play pivotal roles in lifecycle planning, operational efficiency, and resource optimisation, while AI and digital twins support predictive maintenance, material recovery, and closed-loop optimisation. In contrast, robotics and blockchain remain underutilised in manufacturing and deconstruction, representing significant untapped potential to advance circularity. Persistent challenges, including fragmented stakeholder collaboration, siloed practices, and slow technological adoption, continue to impede the sector's ability to fully realise CE ambitions.</div><div>Future research should focus on fostering early stakeholder engagement and promoting cross-phase integration of Construction 4.0 technologies to enhance circular outcomes. Furth
{"title":"Enabling circularity in construction: A technology-phase alignment of construction 4.0 and circular economy principles","authors":"Sara Rashidian , SK Tahsin Hossain , Kirsty Volz , Melissa Teo","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.10.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.10.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Integrating Construction 4.0 technologies—the construction-specific application of Industry 4.0—with circular economy (CE) principles presents a transformative opportunity for the construction sector to enhance sustainability, improve resource efficiency, and build long-term resilience. Construction 4.0 refers to the digitalisation and automation of processes through technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, digital twins, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI). Given the construction industry's significant environmental footprint and contribution to global waste, aligning Construction 4.0 with CE principles is essential for shifting from traditional linear practices towards regenerative, closed-loop systems. While sectors such as transport and manufacturing have already demonstrated the benefits of Industry 4.0 technologies in reducing waste and optimising resources, construction has been comparatively slow to embed these innovations across buildings and infrastructure. In addition, despite growing scholarly and industry interest, there remains no comprehensive framework that systematically integrates Construction 4.0 technologies with CE principles across all stages of the construction lifecycle.</div><div>This study addresses this gap through a systematic literature review of 58 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2024, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The review focused on English-language publications directly examining the intersection of Construction 4.0 and CE in the construction sector, while excluding non-peer-reviewed studies from unrelated industries. Thematic and co-occurrence analyses were applied to map the alignment of CE principles with Construction 4.0 technologies across seven phases of construction: Planning, Design, Tendering, Manufacturing, Construction, Operation, and End-of-Life. The study contributes a conceptual framework that visualises these alignments and highlights key opportunities and barriers for advancing circularity through digital transformation within the construction industry.</div><div>The findings highlight that BIM and IoT play pivotal roles in lifecycle planning, operational efficiency, and resource optimisation, while AI and digital twins support predictive maintenance, material recovery, and closed-loop optimisation. In contrast, robotics and blockchain remain underutilised in manufacturing and deconstruction, representing significant untapped potential to advance circularity. Persistent challenges, including fragmented stakeholder collaboration, siloed practices, and slow technological adoption, continue to impede the sector's ability to fully realise CE ambitions.</div><div>Future research should focus on fostering early stakeholder engagement and promoting cross-phase integration of Construction 4.0 technologies to enhance circular outcomes. Furth","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"60 ","pages":"Pages 245-259"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145325693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-11DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.10.001
Lu Chen , Chenyang Shuai , Xi Chen , Bu Zhao
Effective monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is crucial for advancing global sustainable development. However, widespread data gaps continue to hinder the accurate assessment of SDG performance across countries and goals. To address this challenge, this study develops a data-driven integrated assessment framework combining dimensionality reduction and machine learning-based imputation techniques, based on 380 SDG indicators from the World Bank database covering the period 2000–2020. Principal indicators were selected using a combination of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and multiple regression, and missing data were imputed using the random forest (RF)-based missForest algorithm. Based on the completed dataset, the SDG index and performance of 17 individual SDGs were assessed for 215 countries and regions worldwide from 2000 to 2020. The results show that: (1) identification of 218 principal indicators covering over 90 % of the information in the initial set; (2) robust imputation of missing values with a Normalized Root Mean Squared Error (NRMSE) of approximately 0.2 and a Proportion of Falsely Classified (PFC) around 0.08; (3) a steady global improvement in SDG performance with significant regional disparities—Europe leading, Africa lagging, and Asia progressing most rapidly; and (4) uneven development across different goals, with some facing considerable challenges. This study enhances the completeness and applicability of global SDG performance assessment and provides empirical evidence to support more targeted sustainable development policymaking.
{"title":"A data-driven framework for assessing global progress towards sustainable development goals","authors":"Lu Chen , Chenyang Shuai , Xi Chen , Bu Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.10.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.10.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Effective monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is crucial for advancing global sustainable development. However, widespread data gaps continue to hinder the accurate assessment of SDG performance across countries and goals. To address this challenge, this study develops a data-driven integrated assessment framework combining dimensionality reduction and machine learning-based imputation techniques, based on 380 SDG indicators from the World Bank database covering the period 2000–2020. Principal indicators were selected using a combination of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and multiple regression, and missing data were imputed using the random forest (RF)-based missForest algorithm. Based on the completed dataset, the SDG index and performance of 17 individual SDGs were assessed for 215 countries and regions worldwide from 2000 to 2020. The results show that: (1) identification of 218 principal indicators covering over 90 % of the information in the initial set; (2) robust imputation of missing values with a Normalized Root Mean Squared Error (NRMSE) of approximately 0.2 and a Proportion of Falsely Classified (PFC) around 0.08; (3) a steady global improvement in SDG performance with significant regional disparities—Europe leading, Africa lagging, and Asia progressing most rapidly; and (4) uneven development across different goals, with some facing considerable challenges. This study enhances the completeness and applicability of global SDG performance assessment and provides empirical evidence to support more targeted sustainable development policymaking.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"60 ","pages":"Pages 217-228"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145325692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-09DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.10.002
Qingjuan Chen , Chengzhen Xu , Qunwei Wang
Unequal exchanges of energy consumption and economic benefits among provinces hinder sustainable development, underscoring the need to evaluate trade-induced disparities. Using the latest multiregional input–output tables, we examine the transfers of energy consumption and value-added embodied in China's interregional trade. We then develop a mutual EEI index and an extended EEI index to quantify bilateral and aggregate energy–economic inequality (EEI). Finally, we employ energy-related Gini coefficients to evaluate overall inequality and identify its drivers. The results reveal that: (1) in 2017, 41.12 % of energy consumption and 32.29 % of value-added were transferred across provinces, with the north, northeast, and northwest being major net exporters of energy consumption, while the southwest and northwest were net importers of value-added; (2) the highest EEI mainly occurs between developed and less developed regions, where trade benefits concentrate in more developed regions but diminish over time, whereas disadvantaged provinces are often located in the northwest; and (3) overall EEI has widened, with heavy industry and construction as the primary contributors on the production and consumption sides, respectively, and significant influences from between-group effects and coal consumption. These findings provide insights for allocating energy-saving responsibilities and distributing economic benefits more equitably, ultimately supporting sustainable trade patterns.
{"title":"Revealing energy-economic inequality in China: A quantification and decomposition analysis","authors":"Qingjuan Chen , Chengzhen Xu , Qunwei Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.10.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.10.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Unequal exchanges of energy consumption and economic benefits among provinces hinder sustainable development, underscoring the need to evaluate trade-induced disparities. Using the latest multiregional input–output tables, we examine the transfers of energy consumption and value-added embodied in China's interregional trade. We then develop a mutual EEI index and an extended EEI index to quantify bilateral and aggregate energy–economic inequality (EEI). Finally, we employ energy-related Gini coefficients to evaluate overall inequality and identify its drivers. The results reveal that: (1) in 2017, 41.12 % of energy consumption and 32.29 % of value-added were transferred across provinces, with the north, northeast, and northwest being major net exporters of energy consumption, while the southwest and northwest were net importers of value-added; (2) the highest EEI mainly occurs between developed and less developed regions, where trade benefits concentrate in more developed regions but diminish over time, whereas disadvantaged provinces are often located in the northwest; and (3) overall EEI has widened, with heavy industry and construction as the primary contributors on the production and consumption sides, respectively, and significant influences from between-group effects and coal consumption. These findings provide insights for allocating energy-saving responsibilities and distributing economic benefits more equitably, ultimately supporting sustainable trade patterns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"60 ","pages":"Pages 200-216"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145269706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-09DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.012
Raphael Apeaning , Puneet Kamboj , Mohamad Issa Hejazi
The Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 °C, ideally 1.5 °C, places significant emphasis on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies. However, the global landscape for CDR deployment remains uneven, with significant disparities in technological capacity, economic readiness, and regional ambition. This study investigates how limited access to CDR technologies could exacerbate global economic inequality under a 1.5 °C pathway. Using the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM v6.0), six scenarios ranging from unrestricted CDR availability to constrained deployment are evaluated. Our findings reveal that constrained CDR availability significantly increases median global carbon prices, rising from $588/tCO2 under the full CDR portfolio scenario to $937/tCO2 by 2055 in the most restrictive scenario. By 2100, some regions face prices exceeding $3000/tCO2, underscoring stark regional inequalities. These elevated carbon prices could deepen economic disparities—particularly in developing nations and fossil fuel-dependent economies. Furthermore, constrained CDR availability could also amplify inequalities in energy and food security, disproportionately affecting poorer regions. The study underscores the need for equitable CDR access to support a just global transition to a low-carbon future, offering valuable insights for policymakers designing more equitable climate strategies.
{"title":"Bridging the divide: How unequal carbon dioxide removal deployment threatens climate equity and global mitigation feasibility","authors":"Raphael Apeaning , Puneet Kamboj , Mohamad Issa Hejazi","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 °C, ideally 1.5 °C, places significant emphasis on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies. However, the global landscape for CDR deployment remains uneven, with significant disparities in technological capacity, economic readiness, and regional ambition. This study investigates how limited access to CDR technologies could exacerbate global economic inequality under a 1.5 °C pathway. Using the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM v6.0), six scenarios ranging from unrestricted CDR availability to constrained deployment are evaluated. Our findings reveal that constrained CDR availability significantly increases median global carbon prices, rising from $588/tCO<sub>2</sub> under the full CDR portfolio scenario to $937/tCO<sub>2</sub> by 2055 in the most restrictive scenario. By 2100, some regions face prices exceeding $3000/tCO<sub>2</sub>, underscoring stark regional inequalities. These elevated carbon prices could deepen economic disparities—particularly in developing nations and fossil fuel-dependent economies. Furthermore, constrained CDR availability could also amplify inequalities in energy and food security, disproportionately affecting poorer regions. The study underscores the need for equitable CDR access to support a just global transition to a low-carbon future, offering valuable insights for policymakers designing more equitable climate strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"60 ","pages":"Pages 229-244"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145325691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-08DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.014
Bo Wang , Jianlong Zhou , Fang Chen , Heimo Müller , Andreas Holzinger
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming technology in society and is increasingly seen as a critical tool for addressing complex global challenges, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These seventeen goals, grouped into societal, economic, and environmental domains, present both opportunities and risks when intersecting with artificial intelligence. While artificial intelligence has the capacity to accelerate sustainable development, it may also exacerbate inequalities, environmental degradation, or other unintended harms if ethical concerns are not adequately addressed. Despite a growing body of research on ethical frameworks for artificial intelligence, there remains a lack of empirical understanding of how users perceive its potential, its ethical implications, and the principles that should guide its deployment in sustainable development contexts. It is natural to raise the questions: How do Sustainable Development Goals and goal groups affect these user perceptions? To answer these questions, we conducted a comprehensive human-subject study examining variations in user perceptions across 17 Sustainable Development Goals and three overarching goal groups. Our findings reveal substantial variation in perceived potential and ethical priorities depending on the specific goal, while the perceived importance of ethical considerations remains consistent across goal groups. The novelty of this study lies in combining the AI–SDG context with empirical and perception-based evidence, and our results highlight the necessity of incorporating user perspectives into the design and governance of artificial intelligence systems to ensure ethically aligned and socially accepted progress toward sustainable development.
{"title":"Ethical AI for sustainable development: User perceptions across the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals","authors":"Bo Wang , Jianlong Zhou , Fang Chen , Heimo Müller , Andreas Holzinger","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming technology in society and is increasingly seen as a critical tool for addressing complex global challenges, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These seventeen goals, grouped into societal, economic, and environmental domains, present both opportunities and risks when intersecting with artificial intelligence. While artificial intelligence has the capacity to accelerate sustainable development, it may also exacerbate inequalities, environmental degradation, or other unintended harms if ethical concerns are not adequately addressed. Despite a growing body of research on ethical frameworks for artificial intelligence, there remains a lack of empirical understanding of how users perceive its potential, its ethical implications, and the principles that should guide its deployment in sustainable development contexts. It is natural to raise the questions: <strong>How do Sustainable Development Goals and goal groups affect these user perceptions?</strong> To answer these questions, we conducted a comprehensive human-subject study examining variations in user perceptions across 17 Sustainable Development Goals and three overarching goal groups. Our findings reveal substantial variation in perceived potential and ethical priorities depending on the specific goal, while the perceived importance of ethical considerations remains consistent across goal groups. The novelty of this study lies in combining the AI–SDG context with empirical and perception-based evidence, and our results highlight the necessity of incorporating user perspectives into the design and governance of artificial intelligence systems to ensure ethically aligned and socially accepted progress toward sustainable development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"60 ","pages":"Pages 176-185"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145269704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-08DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.016
Leonardo Vásquez-Ibarra , Ricardo Rebolledo-Leiva , Pedro Vargas-Ferrer , Antonio Carlos Farrapo Junior , Diogo A. Lopes Silva
Assessing the environmental performance of systems from an absolute perspective is a recent trend for achieving a sustainable world. We present a framework for evaluating different power generation scenarios for Chile and their effects in terms of absolute sustainability performance. In this context, seven energy transition scenarios to 2060 are analyzed, including a business-as-usual scenario, high fossil fuel prices, climatic variability in terms of extreme droughts, a fully renewable system, different levels of hydrogen production, and a conservative case considering a low growth in electricity demand. The scenarios were modeled using the Open Source Energy Modeling System (OSeMOSYS), while environmental impacts were calculated using life cycle assessment methodology for five midpoint categories: global warming, freshwater eutrophication, marine eutrophication, ozone depletion, and water consumption. The planetary boundaries were calculated following a top-down approach under different downscaling-upscaling methods. Electricity demand ranges from 121 TWh in the conservative scenario to 353 TWh in the case of high (2.72 Mton) hydrogen production by 2060. For the remaining scenarios, electricity demand is around 205 TWh, aligned with projections from the Chilean government. In terms of environmental impacts, all prospective scenarios showed an average reduction of 66 % across all evaluated categories, shifting the main contributor to these impacts from fossil fuels (baseline scenario) to photovoltaic and wind energy. Although none of the scenarios fully operate within the safe operating space of the planetary boundaries, a fully renewable matrix and a conservative increase in electricity demand are identified as the most favorable scenarios. To operate within the planetary boundaries across all categories, the Chilean electricity mix must not only increase the share of renewable sources but also reduce per capita electricity consumption by up to one-half by 2060, relying exclusively on renewable sources. This research is expected to have implications for policymaking and research on the transition of power generation towards the climate targets of Chile.
{"title":"Absolute sustainability assessment of the power generation sector: a prospective insight towards the Chilean decarbonization targets","authors":"Leonardo Vásquez-Ibarra , Ricardo Rebolledo-Leiva , Pedro Vargas-Ferrer , Antonio Carlos Farrapo Junior , Diogo A. Lopes Silva","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.016","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.016","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Assessing the environmental performance of systems from an absolute perspective is a recent trend for achieving a sustainable world. We present a framework for evaluating different power generation scenarios for Chile and their effects in terms of absolute sustainability performance. In this context, seven energy transition scenarios to 2060 are analyzed, including a business-as-usual scenario, high fossil fuel prices, climatic variability in terms of extreme droughts, a fully renewable system, different levels of hydrogen production, and a conservative case considering a low growth in electricity demand. The scenarios were modeled using the Open Source Energy Modeling System (OSeMOSYS), while environmental impacts were calculated using life cycle assessment methodology for five midpoint categories: global warming, freshwater eutrophication, marine eutrophication, ozone depletion, and water consumption. The planetary boundaries were calculated following a top-down approach under different downscaling-upscaling methods. Electricity demand ranges from 121 TWh in the conservative scenario to 353 TWh in the case of high (2.72 Mton) hydrogen production by 2060. For the remaining scenarios, electricity demand is around 205 TWh, aligned with projections from the Chilean government. In terms of environmental impacts, all prospective scenarios showed an average reduction of 66 % across all evaluated categories, shifting the main contributor to these impacts from fossil fuels (baseline scenario) to photovoltaic and wind energy. Although none of the scenarios fully operate within the safe operating space of the planetary boundaries, a fully renewable matrix and a conservative increase in electricity demand are identified as the most favorable scenarios. To operate within the planetary boundaries across all categories, the Chilean electricity mix must not only increase the share of renewable sources but also reduce per capita electricity consumption by up to one-half by 2060, relying exclusively on renewable sources. This research is expected to have implications for policymaking and research on the transition of power generation towards the climate targets of Chile.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"60 ","pages":"Pages 186-199"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145269705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-02DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.013
Giuseppe de Leo, Giovanni Miragliotta
Autonomous cars are increasingly promoted as transformative technologies for urban mobility, yet their sustainability implications remain contested. Existing studies often focus on isolated aspects like environmental, social, or economic implications without providing an integrated perspective. This study addresses this gap by systematically reviewing existing review papers on this topic through the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, 49 review articles published between 2009 and 2024 were identified, screened, and analysed. The results highlight that environmental benefits mainly stem from improved traffic efficiency, optimized driving behaviour, and reduced emissions, especially when combined with electrification. However, rebound effects, resource-intensive production, and unregulated usage may limit net gains. Socially, autonomous cars promise improved safety and greater mobility access for elderly and disabled populations, yet concerns about affordability, trust, labour displacement, and ethical dilemmas persist. Economically, they offer potential cost reductions, productivity gains, and new service models, but high capital costs, regulatory uncertainty, and limited evidence on long-term viability constrain widespread adoption. Overall, the TBL framework reveals strong synergies - such as shared autonomous cars enhancing both environmental and social outcomes - alongside trade-offs where benefits in one domain may create risks in another. The study concludes that the sustainability of these vehicles depends less on technological performance than on governance, deployment strategies, and societal acceptance. Future research should prioritize longitudinal analyses of pilot projects, cross-pillar trade-off assessments, and regionally grounded perspectives beyond high-income contexts.
{"title":"Sustainability of autonomous cars: Environmental, social, and economic insights from a systematic review","authors":"Giuseppe de Leo, Giovanni Miragliotta","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Autonomous cars are increasingly promoted as transformative technologies for urban mobility, yet their sustainability implications remain contested. Existing studies often focus on isolated aspects like environmental, social, or economic implications without providing an integrated perspective. This study addresses this gap by systematically reviewing existing review papers on this topic through the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, 49 review articles published between 2009 and 2024 were identified, screened, and analysed. The results highlight that environmental benefits mainly stem from improved traffic efficiency, optimized driving behaviour, and reduced emissions, especially when combined with electrification. However, rebound effects, resource-intensive production, and unregulated usage may limit net gains. Socially, autonomous cars promise improved safety and greater mobility access for elderly and disabled populations, yet concerns about affordability, trust, labour displacement, and ethical dilemmas persist. Economically, they offer potential cost reductions, productivity gains, and new service models, but high capital costs, regulatory uncertainty, and limited evidence on long-term viability constrain widespread adoption. Overall, the TBL framework reveals strong synergies - such as shared autonomous cars enhancing both environmental and social outcomes - alongside trade-offs where benefits in one domain may create risks in another. The study concludes that the sustainability of these vehicles depends less on technological performance than on governance, deployment strategies, and societal acceptance. Future research should prioritize longitudinal analyses of pilot projects, cross-pillar trade-off assessments, and regionally grounded perspectives beyond high-income contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"60 ","pages":"Pages 159-175"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145269703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-27DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.009
Utkarsh S. Chaudhari , David W. Watkins , Robert M. Handler , Barbara K. Reck , Anne T. Johnson , Tasmin Hossain , Damon S. Hartley , Vicki S. Thompson , David R. Shonnard
Various recycling technologies are emerging to implement circular economy in plastics supply chain systems. However, the environmental and socio-economic trade-offs of plastics in circular economy are not well understood at a systems level. Particularly, quantifying these trade-offs as a function of end-of-life (EOL) management decisions, including transition of recycling technologies, systems level metrics such as circularity, recycled content, and the need for fossil-derived plastics are not well understood. The present study addressed these research gaps by applying a systems analysis modeling approach that utilizes material flow analysis, life cycle assessment, socio-economic data, and system optimization techniques for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging supply chains in the United States. Pareto-front trade-offs between conflicting environmental and socio-economic impacts as well as those between socio-economic impacts and circularity were explored using the epsilon constraint method. The Pareto-front trade-off analysis revealed the transition of EOL management strategies for PET packaging systems, including changes in selection of recycling technologies, to aid decision making process by quantifying studied system metrics. Transitioning from environmentally optimal to socio-economically optimal systems led to increased employment (by 17 %), wages (by 26 %), and revenues (by 6 %) but also led to increased global warming potential (GWP; by 65 %), energy consumption (by 59 %), and reliance on fossil PET in the system (by 78 %). Finally, the results show that there is not a unique set of recycling technologies to achieve a sustainable circular economy of PET packaging system, instead it depends on the decision maker's objectives and targeted metrics of the system.
{"title":"Environmental and socio-economic Pareto-front trade-off analysis of U.S. PET packaging material in a circular economy","authors":"Utkarsh S. Chaudhari , David W. Watkins , Robert M. Handler , Barbara K. Reck , Anne T. Johnson , Tasmin Hossain , Damon S. Hartley , Vicki S. Thompson , David R. Shonnard","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Various recycling technologies are emerging to implement circular economy in plastics supply chain systems. However, the environmental and socio-economic trade-offs of plastics in circular economy are not well understood at a systems level. Particularly, quantifying these trade-offs as a function of end-of-life (EOL) management decisions, including transition of recycling technologies, systems level metrics such as circularity, recycled content, and the need for fossil-derived plastics are not well understood. The present study addressed these research gaps by applying a systems analysis modeling approach that utilizes material flow analysis, life cycle assessment, socio-economic data, and system optimization techniques for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging supply chains in the United States. Pareto-front trade-offs between conflicting environmental and socio-economic impacts as well as those between socio-economic impacts and circularity were explored using the epsilon constraint method. The Pareto-front trade-off analysis revealed the transition of EOL management strategies for PET packaging systems, including changes in selection of recycling technologies, to aid decision making process by quantifying studied system metrics. Transitioning from environmentally optimal to socio-economically optimal systems led to increased employment (by 17 %), wages (by 26 %), and revenues (by 6 %) but also led to increased global warming potential (GWP; by 65 %), energy consumption (by 59 %), and reliance on fossil PET in the system (by 78 %). Finally, the results show that there is not a unique set of recycling technologies to achieve a sustainable circular economy of PET packaging system, instead it depends on the decision maker's objectives and targeted metrics of the system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"60 ","pages":"Pages 141-158"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145222564","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-25DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.011
Anna Boncompagni, Guido Cristini, Cristina Zerbini
Research has identified a “halo effect” in consumer perceptions, whereby sustainable products are often seen as healthier than conventional alternatives. When consumers perceive a food product as sustainable, they are more likely to associate it with health benefits as well. This study investigates the presence of this sustainability-halo effect by examining the relationship between consumer sensitivity to sustainable eating and the choices consumers make in relation to healthy food. Specifically, we assess whether sensitivity to sustainability in food consumption enhances sensitivity to healthy eating, attitudes toward healthy foods, and purchase intentions. Additionally, we also examine the potential correlation between sensitivity to healthy eating and sensitivity to sustainable eating. To test those relationships, we applied an extended conceptual model of the intention to buy healthy products, sending a structured questionnaire to a sample of 1100 respondents. The data were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The findings confirm the existence of a sustainability-halo effect, demonstrating that greater sensitivity to sustainable eating positively influences attitudes toward healthier food choices and the intention to purchase healthier food products. The results also show that the two variables, sensitivity to healthy eating and sensitivity to sustainable eating, are positively correlated. This effect underscores the interconnected nature of sustainability and health-conscious consumption, suggesting that promoting one aspect may naturally reinforce the other. These insights have significant implications for policy development and dietary guidelines, advocating for an integrated approach to health and sustainability rather than treating them in isolation. Moreover, this finding presents a strategic opportunity for food producers and marketers to align sustainability and nutrition in their messaging, fostering both health-conscious and environmentally responsible consumption behavior.
{"title":"From sustainability to health: Investigating the halo effect in food consumption behavior","authors":"Anna Boncompagni, Guido Cristini, Cristina Zerbini","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.09.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Research has identified a “halo effect” in consumer perceptions, whereby sustainable products are often seen as healthier than conventional alternatives. When consumers perceive a food product as sustainable, they are more likely to associate it with health benefits as well. This study investigates the presence of this sustainability-halo effect by examining the relationship between consumer sensitivity to sustainable eating and the choices consumers make in relation to healthy food. Specifically, we assess whether sensitivity to sustainability in food consumption enhances sensitivity to healthy eating, attitudes toward healthy foods, and purchase intentions. Additionally, we also examine the potential correlation between sensitivity to healthy eating and sensitivity to sustainable eating. To test those relationships, we applied an extended conceptual model of the intention to buy healthy products, sending a structured questionnaire to a sample of 1100 respondents. The data were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The findings confirm the existence of a sustainability-halo effect, demonstrating that greater sensitivity to sustainable eating positively influences attitudes toward healthier food choices and the intention to purchase healthier food products. The results also show that the two variables, sensitivity to healthy eating and sensitivity to sustainable eating, are positively correlated. This effect underscores the interconnected nature of sustainability and health-conscious consumption, suggesting that promoting one aspect may naturally reinforce the other. These insights have significant implications for policy development and dietary guidelines, advocating for an integrated approach to health and sustainability rather than treating them in isolation. Moreover, this finding presents a strategic opportunity for food producers and marketers to align sustainability and nutrition in their messaging, fostering both health-conscious and environmentally responsible consumption behavior.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"60 ","pages":"Pages 111-122"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145222565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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