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Rampant consumption and society's growing demands are leading to ever-deteriorating quality of environment and life. Changing consumption patterns is essential to reduce the effects of climate change and create a more sustainable environment for generations to come. The rise of fast fashion is leading to overconsumption of clothing and textiles, which leads to high levels of pollution. In order to promote public awareness and the implementation of sustainability in all areas of life, companies need to contribute to the promotion of sustainable consumption. The way in which fashion sector creates its image and sees social responsibility has an impact on consumers' decisions to use sustainable products. The aim of the research is to identify the impact of corporate image on consumer engagement in sustainable consumption and to investigate the impact of social responsibility in creating corporate image. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted. 406 respondents from Lithuania were interviewed. The results were analysed using descriptive statistical methods. The study shows that a positive corporate image and engagement in social responsibility are important factors in consumers' engagement in sustainable consumption. Weak but statistically significant relationships were found between these variables. Social responsibility has been found to have a positive impact on corporate image, with corporate environmental responsibility being the most important. Also, it was found that more than 90% of respondents have a positive view of the company's corporate social responsibility and that the implementation of corporate social responsibility initiatives changes their perception of the company itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thanks to constantly improving software packages, apps, and technologies themselves, creating and improving websites has become much easier. Excess or lack of information, inappropriate layout of website management, inefficiency of additional functions, excess of visual material - these are the problems faced by website users. These problems are usually not of a technological nature, so the change in technology will not determine what the user wants and what problems he faces. However, studies have ignored the fact that the type of business can affect decision outcomes (i.e., website evaluation) may also influence the perceived satisfaction and trust. This article examines consumer satisfaction and trust with services provided by the C2C websites. This study first proposes an analytical model that contains website quality indicators of consumer satisfaction and trust. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are generated on the basis of the findings and analysis. The results showed a positive effect of website quality on consumer trust and satisfaction, which was partially mediated through consumer trust. Moreover, consumer trust had a positive association with all website quality indicators and satisfaction. The C2C website business should understand the consumer's website quality expectations with respect to online shopping, to attract new consumers and to retain their existing consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union (EU) has set an ambitious goal to achieve a carbon neutral society by 2050. In response, several EU member states, including Lithuania, pledged to achieve 100% renewables in the final energy consumption. The main ways of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the energy sector are (1) the energy efficiency improvement and (2) the use of renewable energy sources (RES). Although many policies and measures were implemented to promote a fast penetration of renewables, especially in the supply sector, there is a massive GHG emissions reduction potential in households. However, there are several social and behavioral barriers hampering a fast penetration of renewables into households. Therefore, new well-targeted policies are necessary to overcome these barriers. The community based social marketing (CBSM) can be applied to promote GHG emissions reduction in households through behavioral changes. This paper evaluates the carbon emissions reduction potential at the household level driven by CBSM. The research is conducted in the Kaunas district municipality in Lithuania, having quantitative and qualitative components. The results show that ~20% energy could be saved in households through behavioral changes initiated by CBSM; and that it is possible to achieve significant GHG emissions reduction, save energy and money without making any major investments in households. The average realistically achievable GHG emissions reduction potential for one Lithuanian household is ~500 kg CO2 equivalent per year. These results can be used to roughly assess the energy saving and GHG emissions reduction potential of all Lithuanian households due to behavioral changes. This study also shows that the main obstacles to behavioral changes in households (after the implementation of intervention measures) are: lack of knowledge, lack of trust in information sources, inertia, values, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Petroleum Refinery Industry (PRI) is notorious for its significant contribution to environmental degradation. Operations of refineries in local neighborhoods often lead to adverse impacts on the surrounding community and environment. However, PRI projects also yield positive effects on local, national, and international economies. Mitigating the negative consequences of refinery operations necessitates a scientific and quantitative approach to selecting refinery locations. This process should consider a multitude of parameters and alternatives, encompassing social and environmental resiliency, transportation factors, and product markets throughout the refinery life cycle, in an integrated manner. Quantifying the impact of these parameters on the triple bottom line is essential for informed decision-making. In this study, we employ a previously developed integrated sustainability assessment framework in conjunction with a Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) based scenario model to evaluate the impact of various location alternatives on the three pillars of sustainability. Despite the complexities inherent in refinery location decisions and the unpredictability of long-term and short-term parameters, this study's life-cycle approach offers a valuable tool for locating petroleum refineries. • Refinery life-cycle assessment for site selection. • Integrated sustainability assessment framework developed. • The impact of different location alternatives on the three pillars of sustainability. • Multiple Attribute Decision Making applied for real case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The set covering problem is a fundamental model which comprises a wide range of important applications such as crew scheduling problems that need to cover a set of trips. It is one of the most common issues in the facility location problem, which requires further investigations, particularly in emergency and service facilities. As such, the objective of this study is to propose a new coefficient-based heuristic algorithm for the set covering problems. This paper has accordingly presented the algorithm that evaluates the qualification of subsets by directly applying a fitness function. This fitness function is formulated based on sets and subsets coefficients in a way that the subsets of selected sets have the lowest probability to be selected in the next iteration. The algorithm is not only capable of constructing an answer within polynomial time, but can solve complex set covering problems without conventional restrictions. The performance of this algorithm is evaluated on benchmark instances including a set of reproduced and selected OR-library problems within different sizes. Computational results indicate that the proposed heuristic algorithm produces better solutions, especially in large-scale problems comparing simulated annealing in terms of quality and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of energy security is recognized as a complex and highly context-dependent phenomenon, necessitating the development of diverse indicators for its measurement. While numerous studies examined composite energy security indicators and frameworks from various angles, including inconsistencies, measurement challenges, and methodological limitations, there exists a gap in the scientific literature concerning the evaluation of these indicators in terms of sustainability. Given the inherent connection between energy security and sustainable development goals, this study analysed and ranked composite energy security indicators and frameworks based on their integrity using the Bellagio Sustainability Assessment and Measurement Principles. In this assessment, 40 different composite indicators developed and used in recent years were selected and evaluated by an expert survey for ranking purposes. The results indicate that many energy security indicator sets are insufficient in capturing the entirety of changes in the energy market, economy, policy, international trade, and other external factors. Nevertheless, the abundance and variety of energy security assessment frameworks in the literature, coupled with the consideration of various dimensions, underscore the prevalence of an interdisciplinary approach to the problem. This underscores the understanding that energy security extends beyond only accessibility and affordability of energy resources. The findings of this research provide valuable insights for both the improvement of existing indicators and the development of new frameworks. • A systematic literature review is carried out based on SALSA. • Bellagio STAMP principles are applied for the analysis of integrity. • 40 indicators from 140 papers are considered. • Six out of 40 indicators appear as those of very high integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green technology innovation capability is an important support for the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals, and it is of great significance to discuss the impact of green product imports on green technology innovation policy formulation in importing countries. Based on the panel data of 30 provincial-level regions in China from 2012 to 2020, this paper empirically examines the effect and mechanism of green product imports on green technology innovation. The empirical results show that (1) the import of green products significantly constrain China's green technology innovation. After a series of robustness tests and endogeneity tests, the conclusion is still valid, and the inhibitory effect is mainly manifested as the import technology dependence effect. (2) From the impact of green product imports on different types of green technology innovation, the inhibition effect of incremental-type green technology innovation with lower innovation is stronger than that of radical-type technology innovation with higher innovation. (3) Further test of the moderating effect shows that green R&D investment weakens the inhibitory effect of green product import in the regions with higher and lower economic development levels, while the moderating effect of intellectual property protection only exists in the regions with less economic development. (4) The heterogeneity analysis shows that the import of different types of green products has a significant difference in the impact of green technology innovation. The finding of this study provides useful suggestions for formulating reasonable policies for promoting and protecting green technology innovation. • The effect of green product imports on green technology innovation • A panel regression model was developed. • Data of 30 provincial-level regions in China from 2012 to 2020 • The import of green products constrains China's green technology innovation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to investigate the short and long run association, and causality among precipitation (dependent variable), and other climate parameters such as minimum and maximum temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure (independent variables) for Islamabad city. The authors have considered the data set from July 2001 - December 2017, and applied several econometrics techniques such as Augmented Dickey-Fuller, Vectors Auto regression, Multivariate cointegration, and Granger causality techniques to analyze the data. The findings of the study demonstrated a longterm association between precipitation, and minimum temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, and wind speed. Finally, the Granger causality revealed the one-way causal relationship from atmospheric pressure to the rainfall, rainfall to relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure to rainfall. However, the authors have observed two-way causality between precipitation and minimum temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes MULTIMOORA-IFN2 technique for multi-criteria decision making MCDM). The proposed approach involves information fusion which allows considering information expressed in both crisp and fuzzy variables. What is more, we introduce the aggregation of the different parts of MULTIMOORA which makes the technique more operational, especially in case of large-scale applications. The empirical example considers the case of energy storage technology selection. The sensitivity of the results obtained by applying MUTIMOORA-IFN2 is checked in two ways. The weighting is adjusted to ascertain whether the changes in the importance of the criteria impact the ranks of the energy storage technologies. Further on, the results obtained by applying MULTIMOORA-IFN2 are compared to those obtained by employing TOPSIS and VIKOR methods. • The MULTIMOORA approach for intuitionistic fuzzy sets is revised. • Intuitionistic fuzzy sets are applied for information fusion. • Energy storage technologies are assessed. • Technical, economic, and environmental criteria are considered. • Different scenarios are assumed for robustness analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Concentrated solar power (CSP) technology has shown considerable long-term growth with varying levels of peak development and stall phases over the years. More and more countries are finding CSP technology attractive for the production of electricity and other applications. CSP offers a variety of applications where solar power can be used appropriately, although the debate about which CSP technology has a better future perspective is still ongoing. This technology sector has seen a multitude of advancements and technological innovations. These improvements are primarily concerned with the design of the collectors and the related materials they are made from, the heat transfer processes, and the production and accumulation of energy. In order to assess these CSP technologies, in this paper we propose a fuzzy multi-criteria method. Then, Solar tower (ST), Parabolic solar trough (PST), Compact linear Fresnel reflector (CLFR), and Dish Stirling (DS) are evaluated using a modified intuitionistic fuzzy TOPSIS with a trigonometric entropy vector weight. Highlights • Market and economics of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technologies • Sustainability of energy systems • Technological assessment using intuitionistic fuzzy multicriteria • Fuzzy entropy and vector weights [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Bioeconomy is an important element of European Union (EU) political agenda. Promotion of bioenergy is one of the main aspects of bioeconomy strategy. The aim of this paper is to show how the development of bioenergy can contribute to climate change (and the associated policy). Specifically, we look into the possible reduction of GHG emissions within the framework of Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). The panel models are estimated for the EU countries by modifying the classical EKC by including in the EKC model biomass and other renewables. The results showed that the coefficient associated with GDP decreases when renewables are included in the model. More specifically, the more types of renewables are included, the lower values of the coefficient associated with the linear term are observed. Furthermore, the effect of biomass on the reduction of GHG emission is higher if opposed to that caused by the other renewable resources. If we hold other factors fixed, increase in biomass use of 1% would reduce GHG emission by 0.089%, whereas the effect of the other renewable energy sources is 0.025%. Therefore, the development of bioeconomy and the promotion of bioenergy are one of the main tools for climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coal power crisis threatens global energy security and hinders the achievement of the sustainable development goals. Regarding energy security, quantitative analysis of the coal power policy is required for the sustainable development of the coal power industry. Therefore, by using the methods of text mining and content analysis and taking three large-scale coal power crisis series of policies in China as examples, this paper constructs a PMC index model of coal power policy and analyzes the evolution of coal power policy system from the perspective of crisis management. The results show that: (1) China's coal power policy is characterized by diversification of policy areas and policy instruments, but there are problems such as poor coordination between sectors and insufficient supply-demand early warning. (2) According to the different periods of the coal power crisis, the gestation period mainly involves the instruments of target planning and regulatory constraint, which can play a guiding role but may also have the reverse effect due to the shortage of power supply. During the explosive period, price and multisubject governance mechanisms are used to intervene in the crisis. During the processing period, the government mainly strengthens the supply-oriented policy to meet the structural adjustment of energy industry demand. (3) Throughout the three coal power crises, the supply policy instruments and multisubject governance mechanisms have gradually become the primary means to address the coal power crisis. Finally, suggestions are put forward for the implementation of the coal power policy from multiple perspectives. • Evolutionary analysis framework for policies assessments • 114 selected policies in China's coal power sector were assessed. • Policy Modeling Consistency (PMC) index calculated • Important policy implications for tackling with crises [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring and analysing carbon leakage are the foundation for improving environmental responsibility. Based on the origin–destination approach and spatial spillover analysis, this study explores factors of China's inter-provincial carbon leakage. A multiregional input–output model was used to obtain the carbon footprint of consumption, and the factors of carbon leakage were assessed. The results revealed that the economic development and environmental regulations of the origin and destination have opposite effects on carbon leakage. Accordingly, provinces with high-energy intensity and abundant energy resources are mainly net-exported carbon, whereas provinces with underdeveloped secondary industries are mainly net-imported carbon. Notably, a positive spillover effect of energy intensity exists at the origin, and a negative one occurs at the destination. Moreover, a positive spillover affects the origin's energy output, and the surrounding areas' energy endowment can create favourable conditions for carbon leakage at the origin. Finally, corresponding policy suggestions are presented based on the above analysis. • Origin-destination approach and spatial spillover analysis • The multi-regional input-output model is used. • The carbon footprint of the consumption was evaluated. • Factors of China's inter-provincial carbon leakage were defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing population and economic growth in Europe and the world are leading to growing demand for food, livestock feed, and energy, and consequently to growing negative impacts on the environment and climate change. Tensions and price fluctuations in international material supply chains have recently become an even greater challenge. As for biomass, its availability is limited due to land, water, human, and financial resources as well as the environmental boundaries. Therefore, efficiency of biomass use is becoming increasingly important; it is crucial to develop and apply integrated assessment frameworks for tracking progress in resource use efficiency that would allow comparing the efficiency of biomass and non-biomass use. This paper embarks on the analysis of biomass and non-biomass resource use in selected European countries over 2010–2019. The index decomposition analysis model is set up to decompose the changes in biomass consumption with respect to intensive and extensive drivers. Resource use efficiency is then assessed via the non-parametric frontier, taking into account the other inputs (labour and capital). The results suggest that biomass efficiency is higher than that of non-biomass materials. The efficiency scores suggest that further decoupling of domestic material consumption and economic growth is needed. • The biomass and non-biomass material consumption is assessed in the European economies. • The index decomposition analysis is used to factorize the changes in the biomass use. • The Data Envelopment Analysis is applied to identify performance gaps. • The intermediate consumption efficiency is much higher than that for the material use. • The improved use of biomass and non-biomass resources is crucial for the European economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting renewables has recently become a critical topic due to climate change, global warming, and scarcity of fossil fuels, encouraging some nations to use fossil fuels as weapons against other countries, especially the EU. Thus, the present study investigates the challenges of adopting renewable energy technologies in rural areas as they are more vulnerable to dealing with the above issues. To this end, firstly, challenges are identified through a literature review and are evaluated using Fermatean-CRITIC to determine their significance. Subsequently, a systematic literature review on the application of multicriteria decision analysis in the renewables sector is conducted, then a novel Fermatean-VIKOR is applied to rank four district government offices according to the weighted challenges. The results indicated that the most significant challenge to renewable energy technologies adoption is "public engagement" out of eight identified challenges. Also, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed Fermatean-CRITIC-VIKOR according to the weight changes. • Public engagement is the most significant challenge to renewable energy technologies adoption in rural areas. • Vagueness, uncertainty, and indeterminacy could adequately be handled under Fermatean Fuzzy numbers. • The proposed Fermatean CRITIC-VIKOR framework can deal with multicriteria problems effectively. • Technical issues were ranked the second significant challenge to renewables adoption in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving carbon neutrality is crucial for the global economy to ensure sustainable development. Quantitative approaches are needed to track the emissions and determinants thereof. The Generalized Divisia Index (GDI) has received wide attention to quantify major factors driving CO 2 emissions. However, there has been no research on the application of GDI to decompose the relative variables, such as Aggregate Carbon Intensity (ACI). What is more, GDI has not been applied for spatial decomposition. To address these gaps, the present study constructs temporal-spatial GDI models to decompose the dynamics in ACI of thermal electricity generation. The case of China during 2000–2019 is considered. The results suggest that East, Central, and Northwest regions contributed to the mitigation of national ACI, whereas North and Northeast lagged behind. The temporal decomposition results imply that CO 2 emissions is the major factor causing ACI increase, whereas energy-mix promotes reduction in ACI. Energy consumption can be decoupled from ACI, but it is cumbersome to decouple CO 2 emission and electricity production from ACI. The spatial decomposition results indicate that CO 2 emission and energy consumption induce spatial differences to the highest extent. • The paper develops the Generalized Divisia Index approach. • Decomposition of the relative variable is described. • The aggregate carbon intensity is decomposed for thermal power generation. • The spatial decomposition is presented for the case of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]