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The main aim of this study was to define a procedure useful to evaluate the potential environmental, social and economic benefits contained in paper and cardboard (or other recyclables), which are wasted in the unsorted fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW). To give a practical example, the procedure was applied to the 550 municipalities of the Campania region, in Southern Italy, but the developed procedure is applicable in any context in an 'urban mining' perspective. The procedure consists of five phases and uses two methodologies: one for the estimation of the composition analysis of the unsorted residual waste and another for the calculation of sustainability indicators able to measure the benefits wasted in the unsorted residual MSW. Six indicators were defined: two for the environment (carbon footprint and ecological footprint), two for the society (health footprint and occupational benefits) and two for the economy (economic profit and economic saving). The first methodology was developed by the regional environmental protection agency to update the MSW regional management plan. The second methodology is based on the use of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) through which it was possible to calculate the reference parameters useful for the calculation of the impacts (i.e., loss of benefits) for recycling, mechanical and biological treatment (MBT), incineration and landfilling of paper and cardboard contained in the unsorted residual waste. The obtained results confirmed the presence of such an enormous deposit of recyclable materials contained in the unsorted residual waste, which is a potential source, but not exploited, of environmental, social and economic benefits. For instance, the paper and cardboard 'urban mine' of Naples was greater than 16 million of euro (economic profit + economic saving), with a potential saving of around 11.4 million of kgCO 2 eq. (carbon footprint), 207 million of m2 (ecological footprint), 44 Disability Adjusted Life Years (health footprint), with a creation of 30 job positions in the waste management sector (occupational benefits). [Display omitted] • A procedure consisting of five phases was developed using two methodologies. • One methodology estimates the composition analysis of the unsorted residual waste. • Another methodology used a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. • Two indicators for the environment, two for the society and two for the economy. • The paper and cardboard 'urban mine' of Naples was greater than 16 million of euro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the alignment and misalignment of objectives within private companies and public organizations in their approach to the circular economy. While many studies have investigated the alignment within single actor types, this research reveals the dynamics of alignment when private companies and public organizations engage. Drawing upon qualitative research protocol, our study employs a circular economy financing initiative implemented in Italy as the empirical foundation for investigating these dynamics. The results highlight the positive repercussions when private companies and public organizations achieve perfect alignment, which triggers internal transformations within both entities. However, perfect alignment is seldom achieved. Our findings thus contribute to the literature by proposing actor misalignment as a potential barrier to the circular economy. This paper provides both theoretical and managerial insights into alignment dynamics within the context of the circular economy and offers a perspective on how these dynamics might evolve over time in multi-stakeholder circular economy initiatives. • Positive repercussions when private businesses and public actors achieve perfect alignment. • Perfect alignment between private businesses and public actors is seldom realized. • Actor misalignment represent a potential barrier to the circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the relationship between environmental concern and household separate waste collection, controlling for social capital, in Italy in the year 1998 when policy makers started to raise awareness of the importance of waste prevention, disposal and recycling. At the time, the public's sensitivity and attitude to waste issues were mainly influenced by their own lifestyles. We consider five separate waste collections, namely paper, plastic, glass, aluminium and food waste, to be taken to the relevant roadside containers. It focuses on three types of environmental concerns, classified as egoistic, altruistic and biospheric, and identifies five measures of general environmental issues able to match the different types of concerns considered. It also controls for three types of social relations: bonding, bridging and linking social capital. We use the dataset from the Multipurpose Household Survey, conducted by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), and five probit models to shape the number of separate waste collections. The results show that greater concern for waste production and disposal, pollution, climate change, resource depletion and alteration of environmental heritage is related to a higher likelihood of doing household waste recycling. Nonetheless, for the highest number of separate waste collections, the magnitude of the marginal effect of environmental concern variables decreases, showing the relevance of marginal costs in recycling behaviour. Finally, bridging social capital is the only social capital positively correlated with all five separate waste collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper moves from the relevance that greenwashing has assumed in recent years and aims to investigate whether the environmental claims made by companies truly reflect their actions. Specifically, it analyzes the relationship between environmental claims and strategic intentionality toward environmental sustainability, proxied by the use and weight of incentives linked to environmental targets in executive compensation plans. By adopting this approach, the study offers a more nuanced perspective on greenwashing, addressing the limitations of the prevalent performance-based view. Based on the analysis of the companies listed on the FTSE Italia All-share index 2021, the paper highlights that companies that draft sustainability plans and declare carbon neutrality goals tend to include environmental targets in their executive compensation plans more frequently and with greater weights compared to other companies. Conversely, merely reporting environmental performance in sustainability (or integrated) reports is not associated with the use of environmental targets in executive compensation plans, suggesting the potential existence of greenwashing practices. The study emphasizes the relevance of considering the executive compensation structure when examining potential signs of greenwashing. It also provides evidence of the need for standardized and transparent corporate compensation disclosure as a significant implication. [Display omitted] • Greenwashing is measured comparing corporate intentionality and environmental claims. • Intentionality is proxied by executive compensation linked to environmental targets. • The diffusion of environmental targets in executive compensation is still limited. • Sustainability plans and carbon neutrality goals signal corporate intentionality. • Nonfinancial reporting alone is not associated with corporate intentionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between tourism development and environmental degradation is one of the policy agenda for sustainable tourism. Tourism in protected areas is a complex phenomenon, which brings both positive and negative effects on the environment and local communities. The transition toward forms of sustainable mobility, such as electric boats, allows to reconcile tourist activities with preservation of protected areas, strengthening the links between land use and transport. The aim of this paper has been the investigation tourists' preferences to elicit their willingness to pay for the introduction of electric boat fleet in the Regional Park of Trasimeno Lake, a protected area in Italy, in order to reduce CO2 emissions. Data were collected by means of questionnaires. The impact of uncertainty on contingent valuation responses using three different approaches has been used. Also the effects of pricing CO2 emissions from boating activities have been investigated. The research results show that variables such as sex, age and visits' duration of stay have an impact on the respondents' willingness to pay and the related uncertainty. Considering two electrification options of the fleet, simulation results indicate that both price premiums and a subsidy policy are needed for electric boats deployment. This paper showed the need for public and private authorities to implement instruments including an important role for education to achieve a new tourism model based on natural features and sustainability. • Contingent valuation method contributed to inform protected area decision-making. • Tourism had a significant impact on the natural and man-made environment. • Tourists, on average, were willing to pay price premiums for having electric boats. • High Education level, raising sustainable mobility knowledge, lowered uncertainty. • Educational levels were also significant predictors of the tourists' WTP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract An increasing number of cities are engaging with the sharing economy, exploring how it may be integrated into the urban agenda, fostering its positive aspects whilst avoiding its negative externalities. The paper focuses on two cities, Milan and Seoul, that are internationally considered to have a conscious and tailored approach that lies in the vanguard of this effort. The paper seeks to understand how local authorities govern the sharing economy in order to shape a real sharing city , taking insights from the sharing paradigm concept and looking to the collaborative version of the urban governance paradigm. The paper uses a mixed method approach to develop case studies of the governance models employed. The analysis shows that both cities work along the three dimensions (economic, technological and human) of the sharing paradigm to create a sharing city, with slightly different governance approaches, but both lack institutionalized mechanisms of collaboration. Nevertheless, both are pioneering examples of engagement with the sharing economy. The paper proposes a graphic conceptualization of the two governance models to better highlight their contribution to knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of food waste is increasingly attracting scientific and public interest due to the magnitude of the problem (in terms of quantity and global reach) and the growing attention to healthy and sustainable food production and consumption. As a consequence, an increasing number of initiatives aim to reduce the food discarded in each stage of the supply chain, from production and storage down to cooking and consumption. Still, food waste remains an unsolved issue, and many initiatives struggle to move from the design stage to full-scale implementation. This research paper focuses on a successful food waste reduction project in a school canteen in northern Italy. The case study illustrated in this paper demonstrates how it is possible to implement an effective initiative to reduce food waste with limited investment by leveraging the involvement of stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The obligations arising from legislation and other instruments affect the macro-level decision-making related to the transition toward a circular economy (CE), which is a multifaceted topic since it tries to aggregate the interests of different stakeholders. In this context, this paper aims to analyse the current policies, strategies and initiatives related to the CE transition from a multicriteria perspective and under the lens of NIT (New Institutional Theory). This is the first approach that analyses which CE strategies and related practices boost the transition from a macro-level perspective, using a multicriteria method and considering developed and emerging economies. For this reason, this paper can be helpful for researchers and practitioners involved in implementing strategy and policymaking aimed at the transition toward a CE. It also contributes to the discussion on the global transition to the CE by identifying differences and similarities between countries. The proposed methodology has been applied to compare the realities in Italy and Brazil. The perceptions of several stakeholders from the two countries have been gathered through a questionnaire to evaluate numerous strategies against several social, environmental, economic, and technical criteria. The main results are: Italy presents a proactive behaviour, a higher level of institutionalisation, and a coercive isomorphism related to European regulations and strategies. In contrast, Brazil has reactive behaviour, a lower level of institutionalisation, and is impelled by mimetic isomorphism. Although it is possible to observe several advances in the last years in Brazil, the transition to a CE is still in the early stages compared to Italy. [Display omitted] • Transitioning to a new economic model is not a quick and straightforward process. • Transition requires changes in countries, regions, cities, supply chains and companies. • Some strategies and related practices have been adopted to enable the transition. • National legislation and Action Plans can boost the transition toward a circular economy. • In developing countries, the exploration of CE concept and its potential benefits has been rare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is a voluntary Regulation that defines the European Environmental Management System (EMS). Today the EMAS is undergoing a revision process, in order to fit the scheme to organizations and stakeholders’ requirements and increase its diffusion. Italy accounts for roughly 1,000 of the 4,000 certified European organizations and, especially during the last five years, a growing number of organizations have not renewed the certification. Thus, the aim of the survey is to investigate why many Italian organizations have dropped out of EMAS, and to identify which enabling measures would be more effective in order to encourage organizations to move back to the certification. The target of the questionnaire were the 339 Italian organizations that did not renew their EMAS registration between 2010 and 2015, and respondents were 99. In the first part of the paper, we present the general findings, while in the second one, certified Public Administrations and private-owned organizations are compared in order to delineate significant differences between the two groups. Concerning motivations for not renewing EMAS, implementation costs were the key reasons for both groups. Conversely, considering the possible enabling measures, while private-owned organizations demand long term tax benefits, Public Administrations prefer a greater consideration of EMAS in public funding. This paper systematically addresses this phenomenon through a survey, contributing to reduce the existing gap in literature and providing a useful input to decision-makers who are overseeing the EMAS revision process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism is crucial to economic growth and has major environmental and social impacts. A key impact is the generation of municipal solid waste. Yet, whether and to what extent tourism increases the costs of solid waste collection has seen little attention. To our best knowledge, this is the first study to examine the impacts of tourism activities on the solid waste collection costs of different waste types. Analysing a sample of 68 Italian municipalities, we estimate the tourism's impacts on solid waste collection costs per waste type: organic, paper, multi-material (metal, plastic, glass), and residual undifferentiated. We find that the number of tourists, the number of overnight hotel stays, and tourists' spending significantly increase the collection costs of paper and paperboard, multi-material, and residual undifferentiated. Our findings suggest the need to distinguish between waste types in future investigations about the tourism as a cost driver. The results have interesting practical implications for the waste management systems and for municipalities' overall waste management policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular actions cannot be considered sustainable if their financial benefits are not demonstrated. While the environmental benefits of the circular economy have been widely studied, sustainable development from a financial point of view has been much less studied. In this paper we assess the financial benefits of circular innovations applied in the fashion industry that have been previously assessed as sustainable using the Life Cycle Assessment. The focus is on two innovative processes such as salt recovery and tannin baths reuse that reuse water, chemicals and raw materials in an Italian small company operating in the tanning industry. A cost benefit analysis was carried to evaluate the net contribution of these actions to the operating margin. Then we model a forward-looking cash flow projection in order to determine the fundamental value of circular investments. Through these practices, the company achieved an increase in operating profitability above 30% and the 10-year value of the salt recovery is 159,061.40 euros, while the reused tanning water equals just over one million euros. The results show unexpected and strong financial benefits that can leverage similar initiatives that would advance resource equity and finally promote a real and convenient industrial dedication to environmental guardianship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circular economy is a social, technological and economic paradigm that aims to build a production and consumption model focused on waste reduction and maximization of discarded matter recovery. Discussion of the circular economy often treats it as a technocratic and profit-driven phenomenon that can be developed by capital investment in a particular industrial sector without necessarily taking into account the needs of the surrounding geographic area. The promotion of the circular economy often emphasises recycling and other practices that may not fully use the recovered material but are highly automatable, thus creating only a limited number of jobs. At the same time, there is another model of the circular economy, in which small and medium-sized organizations engage in transformative and low-technology activities such as reuse and repair, benefiting local development and creating job opportunities. This model is often explicitly driven by a social development mandate. Still, it risks falling short of its goals because of a lack of expertise and a less systematic approach. This paper aims to introduce the Design-led Repair & Reuse (DLRR) framework for mitigating the shortcomings of this second model, using an approach that is both sustainable and accessible to organizations with limited resources. Inspired by the principles of "Design-driven innovation", "social & solidarity economy", and "appropriate technology", DLRR aims to generate a higher quality of processes and products from circular, low entropy and low capital-intensity production activities, resulting in a more solid, identifiable and conscious positioning in the reuse market. It complements the socially inclusive ethos of these third sector small and medium-sized organizations while contributing to the debate on integrating alternative perspectives into the mainstream circular economy discourse. The first part of this paper discusses the theoretical principles that have inspired the DLRR framework. The second part presents research that tests the consistency of these founding principles based on a case study of a sample of organizations in Italy that are active in circular waste transformation processes. • The circular economy is an emerging paradigm in the race to achieve environmental sustainability. • Mainstream discourse on circular economy often does not focus on the social dimension of sustainability. • This discourse often interprets circular economy in a technocratic way, emphasizing high-tech, capital intensive approaches. • Reuse and repair practices are more technologically accessible, and can foster the creation of job opportunities. • A Design-led reuse and repair approach can contribute to strenghten the social dimension of circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationship between neighborhood effects and pro-environmental behavior. Working on 1999–2012 data on separate waste collection in Italian provinces, a spatial econometric analysis is carried out. While a substantial stream of research focuses on recycling behavior determinants, spatial dependence among different inter-regional geographical areas has been less studied. Here, empirical support is provided to the existence of spatial effects and heterogeneous behavior in the Italian context. It is found that waste collecting habits tend to be strongly influenced by proximity effects, either in a positive or negative way. Moreover, the paper tests the nature of such influence in terms of time effects, by evaluating non-contemporary spatial dependence. “Good” (or “bad”) pro-environmental behavior as a persistent dynamic effect is found, with the possibility of both self-sustaining virtuous socio-spatial dynamics and perverse lock in. These results call for a rethinking of environmental policies, and in particular for a stronger focus upon the social dimension of spatial diffusion phenomena in pro-environmental behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spiraling growth of the world's population and unregulated urbanization have resulted in many environmental problems, including poor quality of air, which is associated with a wide range of health issues. Machine learning approaches have been extensively employed to predict air quality, attracting the attention of the scientific community worldwide. Bibliometric studies provide a useful means by which to visualize and analyze published works, helping researchers to make novel scientific contributions by filling existing knowledge gaps in the research. To acquire an in-depth understanding of the topic, this paper presents a bibliometric analysis of all published articles on the use of machine learning networks to predict air quality found in the Web of Science (WoS) search engine from 1992 to 2021. S-curve analysis and social network analysis were used to identify the temporal distribution of articles, productivity by countries/continents, research institutions, and scientific metrics of journal productivity. This study indicated that maximum expansion of the literature witnessed during 2017–2021 (second phase) which represents an expansion or growth stage of machine learning and air quality prediction research. The number of published works increased significantly with 1432 articles accounting for 68.51% of all publications. As a result of the increased interest in machine learning-based prediction tools, the number of articles grew 2.17-fold compared to the 1992–2016 (first phase). In terms of international collaboration impact, Italy emerged as the most successful country (43.44), followed by Greece (31.22) and Spain (23.29). Author keywords analysis was employed to explore and evaluate the emerging research trends on the subject of air quality using machine learning models. Keywords that appear most frequently in this study are 'air pollution', 'air quality', 'machine learning', and 'forecasting'. Citation burst analysis, research productivity analysis, highly influential and highly cited works were also employed to examine various research themes and questions. In this study we also discussed how conventional methods were transformed into machine learning approaches. It is expected that this paper will provide technical guidelines, research priorities, and future opportunities for the precise prediction of air quality and emergency management of air pollution globally. • Interest in air quality prediction through machine learning model is expanding. • China and US were found productive countries in terms of countries collaboration. • Big data, Internet of Things, and Smart city are emerging topic for future research. • Significant difference between citations, funded and non-funded research. • Ensemble modeling is popular in air quality prediction research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spiraling growth of the world's population and unregulated urbanization have resulted in many environmental problems, including poor quality of air, which is associated with a wide range of health issues. Machine learning approaches have been extensively employed to predict air quality, attracting the attention of the scientific community worldwide. Bibliometric studies provide a useful means by which to visualize and analyze published works, helping researchers to make novel scientific contributions by filling existing knowledge gaps in the research. To acquire an in-depth understanding of the topic, this paper presents a bibliometric analysis of all published articles on the use of machine learning networks to predict air quality found in the Web of Science (WoS) search engine from 1992 to 2021. S-curve analysis and social network analysis were used to identify the temporal distribution of articles, productivity by countries/continents, research institutions, and scientific metrics of journal productivity. This study indicated that maximum expansion of the literature witnessed during 2017–2021 (second phase) which represents an expansion or growth stage of machine learning and air quality prediction research. The number of published works increased significantly with 1432 articles accounting for 68.51% of all publications. As a result of the increased interest in machine learning-based prediction tools, the number of articles grew 2.17-fold compared to the 1992–2016 (first phase). In terms of international collaboration impact, Italy emerged as the most successful country (43.44), followed by Greece (31.22) and Spain (23.29). Author keywords analysis was employed to explore and evaluate the emerging research trends on the subject of air quality using machine learning models. Keywords that appear most frequently in this study are 'air pollution', 'air quality', 'machine learning', and 'forecasting'. Citation burst analysis, research productivity analysis, highly influential and highly cited works were also employed to examine various research themes and questions. In this study we also discussed how conventional methods were transformed into machine learning approaches. It is expected that this paper will provide technical guidelines, research priorities, and future opportunities for the precise prediction of air quality and emergency management of air pollution globally. • Interest in air quality prediction through machine learning model is expanding. • China and US were found productive countries in terms of countries collaboration. • Big data, Internet of Things, and Smart city are emerging topic for future research. • Significant difference between citations, funded and non-funded research. • Ensemble modeling is popular in air quality prediction research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blending hydrogen into the natural gas network can help decarbonize the energy sector by supporting the penetration of renewables. Italy is an importer of natural gas whose composition and properties depend on its origin. Previous literature simulates gas networks using a set of hydrogen molar fractions regardless of the natural gas composition variability. Instead, this paper defines the maximum mixable percentage of hydrogen as a function of the gas composition underlining the importance of not adopting a single hydrogen limit. Furthermore, the paper investigates whether guaranteeing gas quality also guarantees compliance with fluid dynamic constraints on a real network. The test case consists of seven gases imported in Italy in 2019 and an urban distribution network, meshed and consisting of more than 2000 elements with medium and several low-pressure levels. A steady-state simulation of the network is performed using each of the seven gases for a winter day in the case of pure natural gas and natural gas blended with hydrogen. The results show that the highest hydrogen molar fraction mixable in these gases can range between 5.3% and 14.8% and considering the lowest percentage can reduce the decarbonization potential of the network by 1463 kg of CO 2 ,eq. The simulations show that fluid-dynamic standards are not always met in the low-pressure networks and safety limits on pressure and velocity are exceeded at peak demand. The results also lead the authors to suggest that a modulation of pressure setpoints as a function of gas composition should be investigated. [Display omitted] • Hydrogen blending with natural gases of various origins imported into Italy. • Hydrogen maximum blend depends on natural gas origin. • Steady-state analysis of a real gas distribution grid during a winter day in Italy. • Compliance with quality limits does not ensure compliance with fluid dynamic limits. • Low pressure network overcomes fluid-dynamic limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As materials production and transport are two relevant sectors in terms of global environmental impact, over the last years environmental impact analyses (mainly life cycle based analyses) of material replacing strategies in means of transportation were developed. Life cycle approach allows to consider the light-weighing benefit without neglecting the environmental impact of material production. In the present research energy and CO 2 emissions life cycle analysis of a real case study is presented. Industrial data, experimental measurements and literature analysis were used to develop the life cycle analysis of an aluminum window panel to be assembled on an Italian high speed train. The paper, taking advantage of an industrial case study, aims at improving the awareness for dealing with the material related (with a specific focus on innovative recycling strategy) and manufacturing inventory issues. The present research reports the energy and CO 2 emissions modeling effort for quantifying the impact of innovative solid state recycling strategy for aluminum alloys. Besides the recycling strategy influence itself, the relevance of the method for accounting for recycling is also analyzed. Moreover, the paper includes a digression on manufacturing step modeling; differences in energy and CO 2 emissions between experimental measurements and processes impact modeling by means data available in literature/databases are analyzed. Finally, advantages of using aluminum over GFRP (Glass-Fiber- Reinforced-Polymers) are highlighted by developing a comparative analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the use of the eco-efficiency measurement. It also analyses whether environmental planning, business strategies, operational practices, environmental management system certification and environmental management accounting influence eco-efficiency. The five organisational factors express formal elements of the organisational structure. The research design consists of a mixed method approach with a set of information composed of a survey of 65 companies plus 14 interviews. The results show a poor use of eco-efficiency measurement and the positive influence of just environmental planning and environmental management accounting. What stands out is the urgency to encourage companies to have more articulated measurement and evaluation tools for analyse the interplay between environmental and economic performance (i.e. eco-efficiency). The paper extends empirical studies on environment-related management accounting tools. This study also underlines the importance of analysing the organisational dimension which is fundamental for promoting the integration of environmental issues into management control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the factors that determine the solid waste collection costs. Studying a sample of Italian municipalities, the research estimates the collection costs of different types of waste: paper and paperboard, multimaterial (glass, plastic, metal), organic, residual undifferentiated waste. The findings show that the economies of scale and the cost drivers differ across the types of waste. Among the cost drivers significantly affecting the different types of waste, we find: the population size and density, the percentage of separate collection, the percentage of home collection and the private delivery. Our study also highlights how the waste disposal firm internal efficiency significantly affects the collection costs with different degrees in each type of waste. The results may have interesting practical and policy implications for the waste costs management systems and for the overall waste management performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Italy is among the major producers of dimension stones and a world leader in terms of technologies for stone quarrying, cutting and finishing. In the current context of European Environmental and Raw Material policies, the stone sector is expected to enhance its overall sustainability and circularity. Previous studies have used Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental performance of stone production, along the supply chain. Nevertheless, despite the fairly high level of maturity in terms of methodology, previous LCA studies have highlighted the scarce availability of Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) datasets related to stone sector technologies, which inevitably required the introduction of heavy simplifications. The present paper contributes to fill these gaps by providing detailed LCI datasets of the most common technologies and tools for stone quarrying, cutting and finishing. Datasets have been developed on the basis of primary data provided by three major Italian producers of cutting tools, complemented with secondary data from literature, where necessary. Moreover, modelling parameters have been set to enable the datasets update or their adaptation to specific production chains of the stone or other sectors. "Supplementary Material" provides details on the analysed technologies and on the related datasets (data sources, functional unit, system boundaries, Life Cycle models, parameters and uncertainty). Finally, LCI datasets are provided in file format as well. Image 1 • Life Cycle Inventory datasets on dimension stone technologies and tools. • LCI on explosives, abrasive technologies and intermediate products. • Inventory of technologies widely employed in stone and other sectors. • Parameters to adapt LCI datasets to specific technologies/tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

District heating is an effective way to increase the share of renewables in the thermal energy sector. The district heating network (DHN) of the municipality of Ferrara in northern Italy uses a geothermal reservoir at a depth of 1 km supplying hot water at 100 °C. Besides geothermal energy, the overall annual thermal demand of 170 GWh is covered by a combined heat and power (CHP) plant fed by municipal solid waste (MSW), and by auxiliary natural gas boilers. A short-term thermal energy storage having a useful capacity of 45 MWh decouples the heat production plants from the distribution network. An advanced monitoring and control system has been recently implemented to supply a high-level service to the customers connected to the network, searching for the maximum electricity saving by reducing the supply pressure of the pumping station, and targeting the maximum natural gas saving by a proper production programming of the heat supply plants. The paper describes the main design and operational features of the district heating system, and shows how the improved operation was successful in reducing the electricity and natural gas consumption. The new pressure management consists in monitoring the differential pressure in many substations, especially those located at the periphery of the network, and adjusting the water supply pressure in order to fulfil the minimum differential pressure at the most critical substation. The modified production scheduling consists in keeping using the geothermal energy and waste-to-energy plants in periods of low thermal demand and low electricity prices to daily charge the storage system. Experimental data measured in the first months of improved operation show a high saving potential of electric power for pumping equal to 400 MWh/year, which represents a saving of 30% compared to the previous "manual" optimization of the hydraulic performance. Moreover, the enhanced storage operation enables a saving of 7000 MWh/year of energy from natural gas, which finally contributes for only 11% to the annual heat demand. The calculated payback time of only a few years shows the high cost saving potential of these energy conservation measures in such systems. Image 1 • An existing geothermal and waste-to-energy district heating system is analyzed. • The study shows the results of the energy conservation strategies implemented. • The optimization concerns both the heat generation and heat distribution sides. • The proper management of the thermal storage enables a saving of natural gas. • The reduction of the differential pressure enables a reduction of pump electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food wastes display a great potential for waste-based biorefineries in the frame of a bio-economy system. The bio-economy is an innovative economy model based on the sustainable use of renewable resources in agriculture and industry, and that takes in account biodiversity and environmental protection. To this aim, some key factors are need: the development of new technologies and processes, the identification of renewable feedstock not in competition with other production chains, the creation of new markets and competitiveness, the pushing of policymakers and stakeholders to work more closely together. Tomato industry, that is one of the most important sector of the world food industry, can display an enormous potential since it produces huge amounts of wastes. Such residues negatively impact on the sustainability of food industry, since their disposal represents one main issue in terms of environmental and economic impact. Nevertheless, they represent a cheap and renewable biomass that, in the frame of the biorefinery model, could be exploited for the production of chemicals and energy thus contributing to the sustainability of this production chain. In this paper the potentiality of the tomato-wastes biorefinery was investigated with particular regard to the Italian scenario. Some main aspects were investigated including the possible re-use strategies and the available examples of tomato wastes conversion into marketable products. The analysis of the state of the art showed that tomato wastes recycling in Italy is till limited. Indeed, the scalability of such processes at an industrial scale still remains to be assessed in order to open the way to new markets based on the exploitation of tomato wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of scientific studies can help to improve sustainable solutions in the agri-food sector according to current European policy. The present paper aims to evaluate the carbon footprint, according to ISO/TS 14067:2013, of 0.5 kg of sweet cherries packaged in clamshell made in polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The research assesses the supply chain, from agricultural (from nursery to dismantling) to the processing phase in firms located in the Apulia region. Results show a global warming potential over a fixed period corresponding to 100 years equal to 0.584 kg CO 2eq , primarily deriving from agricultural management (0.442 kg CO 2eq) and secondly from fruit processing (0.068 kg CO 2eq). In the orchard phase, the main impacts derived from electricity consumed to pump groundwater used for irrigation and fertigation activities (15.84% of the total), transportation of manure (6.42% of the total), ploughing activity (4.83% of the total) and production of nitrogen fertilisers (4.28% of the total). Cherries processing in the collecting centre showed impacts from electricity consumption (5.57% of the total) and from waste deriving from damaged or non-conforming cherries (4.74% of the total). The PET clamshell production phase had an impact deriving principally from the use of PET granulate (0.0743 kg CO 2eq). The study highlighted that manure administration and pruning activities contribute to decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis showed that substitution of electricity-mix deriving from the Italian national grid with a photovoltaic plant lowered GHG emissions by 19%. The present study could contribute in providing suggestions to stakeholders and scholars in reducing GHG emissions and promoting more environmentally sustainable sweet cherry production practices. Image 1 • Increasing knowledge on the CF assessment of the sweet cherries supply chain. • A case study of sweet cherry production located in Southern Italy was examined. • Carbon Footprint assessment was applied to 0.5 kg of sweet cherry in PET clamshell. • Results show that GWP 100 is equal to 0.584 kg CO 2eq. • Main impacts deriving from agricultural activities (75%) and fruit processing (12%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a discussion developed by one of the thematic working groups at the Biennial International Workshop Advances in Energy Studies (BIWAES) 2017 hold in Naples, Italy. The topic was the role of technology in energy transition and global problems. Owing to the heterogeneity of the participants in the working group, different viewpoints were put together, leading to some shared conclusions. In particular, the role played by the different narratives used in discussing the role of technology in facing global problems was pointed out as the origin of cognitive dissonance. The presented reflections address some conceptual weaknesses in the current debate on technology and global issues, framed in global policies that appear incapable to obtain tangible results. The technology optimism seems, in fact, to be based on the elusive use of both the concepts of technology and sustainability, that are put together for narrative purposes without an explicit conceptual assessment. On one hand, the factual role of technology and its beneficiary are almost never clearly addressed in the debate. On the other hand, the fact that any new technology will serve the cause of sustainability is not questioned whatsoever, without taking into account the social, political and ethical framework in which technology is supposed to be operated. • Thematic working groups at the BIWAES 2017 Conference. • Conceptual weaknesses in the current debate on technology are addressed. • The questions "Technology for what?" and "Technology for whom?" are mandatory. • There is a strong need for a correct contextualization of technology debate. • A shared and openly-described narrative is mandatory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Behavioural and mainstream environmental economics have proposed alternative explanations for individual motivations behind environmentally relevant activities, leading to different recommendations for policymakers. Separate collection of different types of municipal waste represents a popular field of application. In this paper, we exploit the results of a choice experiment study conducted on a representative sample of 1010 Italian households, aimed at understanding the relative weights of economic and non-economic motivations. The results show that the mean willingness to pay for separate waste collection is €77/year per family, which is an adequate empirical estimate of the warm glow effect of recycling. However, the four identified latent classes reveal individuals with fairly opposite motivations. This finding can be interpreted as the fact that the two types of motivations (economic and non-economic) do not add up but tend to cancel each other. The concept of latent classes applied to environmental economics is novel and suggests distinct typologies of individuals. More importantly, these groups of individuals are likely to react differently to alternative policy instruments. Therefore, instead of designing waste management policies based on the assumption that behavioural responses are stereotyped, policymakers should adopt a more complex set of policy instruments that target different groups of individuals, with appropriately chosen incentive schemes. Highlights • A choice experiment tests motivations for domestic garbage sorting in 1010 Italian households. • The novelty of this study is its use of latent classes in applied environmental economics. • Four types of clusters of individuals (latent classes) are identified. • Each latent class identifies households with different reactions to alternative policy instruments. • Policymakers should differentiate among incentive schemes to target different groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogas production and use can represent a win-win strategy providing multiple opportunities to mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases responsible for climate change, while offering a range of important social, environmental and economic benefits. Nevertheless, as for other bioenergy pathways, biogas sustainability needs to be carefully assessed and continuously monitored in light of the specific geographic and temporal context in which it performs. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review on the sustainability assessment of domestic production and use of biogas in Italy, with a focus on the environmental dimension of the sustainability. Furthermore, it elaborates the results of the review to perform an ex-novo sustainability assessment of biogas pathway at national level, through the methodology developed by the Global Bioenergy Partnership. The biogas value chain in Italy can play a positive role to foster the transition towards an ecological and circular economy. This paper highlights both weaknesses and strengths of the biogas value chain in Italy and points out existing differences, in relation to the sustainability of the value chain, between various geographical areas of the country. The outcomes of this study could inform, both at national and international scale, the drawing of tailor-made policies and measures to reduce biogas-related potential risks of environmental impacts, as well as to support the replication and scaling up of successful management practices. Furthermore, they could serve as a baseline for the future monitoring of the sector. Ultimately, the paper reports the key difficulties encountered in the implementation of the GBEP methodology and the solutions adopted to overcome them. [Display omitted] • Three-quarters (75.4%) of the Italian biogas production takes place in the Po river valley, one-third comes from Lombardy. • Maize silage and livestock manure are the most common feedstocks in Italian biogas plants. • Roughly 80 k tons of nitrogen contained in livestock manure were treated by biogas plant in Italy in 2016. • The main source of GHG emissions along the biogas pathway in Italy lies in the cultivation of dedicated bioenergy crops. • Water shortage hampers the development of the biogas sector in southern Italy, restricting the cultivation of energy crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the European Union, which is increasingly oriented towards environmentally sustainable development, separate waste collection plays a crucial role. Over the years, the EU has produced several guidelines, programmes and directives aimed to build a green society and tone down the differences between, as well as within, Member States. In Italy, the waste management system is currently regulated by Legislative Decree 152/2006, through which European directives have been incorporated into the Italian law. The existing literature has focused on the effects of L.D. 152/2006 on Separate Waste Collection (SWC) rates; however, there are not previous studies on the effects of this decree on growth rates and on convergence process among regions in terms of SWC and its items (i.e., organic, plastic, paper, and glass). This paper aims to fill these gaps. For this purpose, we implement β- and σ- convergence analysis based on Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) on official Italian regional data over the period 2001–2018. Results show that Legislative Decree 152/2006 has two contrasting effects: on the one hand, it helped increase separate waste collection; on the other hand, it slowed down the convergence process in terms of separate waste collection among the Italian regions. However, the convergence process is characterised by different speeds across Italian macro-areas (Northern, Central, and Southern Italy), highlighting a three-speed country. To foster convergence, the national legislation should consider regional differences in terms of economic, infrastructural, institutional, social, and demographic characteristics. Image 1 • We implement β- and σ-convergence analysis on Italian regional data through GMM estimations. • Legislative Decree 152/2006 promoted the growth of SWC rates. • Legislative Decree 152/2006 reduced β - and σ-convergence among Italian regions in terms of SWC. • Regional convergence in SWC is conditioned by regional socio-economic drivers. • Results show a three-speed Italy in terms of SWC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We contribute to the social innovation debate, integrating the social entrepreneurship and cooperative-network innovation fields, by investigating the effect of product, technological, and process innovation investments of social enterprises on social and environmental outcomes. Relying on a willingness-ability paradigm, we discuss under which circumstances social innovation unfolds. Drawing on unique survey data collected from a sample of 164 social cooperatives in Italy, we find that investments in product/service and process innovation are positively related to social innovation outcomes. Moreover, the contingent effect of proactiveness and risk-taking suggests that willingness plays a controversial effect on the relationship between innovation input and outcome. Interestingly, the contingent role of low barriers to accessing distribution channels and funding on the one hand and competitor aggressiveness on the other shows the role of ability in unfolding social innovation. Overall, these findings contribute the debate on social innovation and pave the way for future research. • The paper highlights the importance of innovation inputs on social and environmental outcomes of a social enterprise. • A willingness-ability framework helps consider levers and challenges playing as contingencies to achieve social innovation. • The paper integrates social entrepreneurship and cooperative/network innovation to advance the social innovation debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular economy (CE) has a huge potential to overcome sustainability challenges. The EU and several national governments have been urging firms for CE implementation. However, to date, most firms are failing in translating the CE concept into their business operations. Some scholars point out that firms may attain CE objectives through dynamic capabilities. To empirically investigate whether or not dynamic capabilities facilitate CE implementation, we analyzed a sample of 220 manufacturing firms in Italy through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Our PLS-SEM analysis shows that sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring capabilities and their underlying organizational routines significantly facilitate CE implementation. This paper contributes to the literature in the following ways. Firstly, this paper presents the measurement scales of dynamic capabilities and demonstrates how to operationalize a reflective-formative hierarchical component model (HCM) of dynamic capabilities in PLS-SEM. Secondly, this paper highlights the key capabilities and organizational routines through which firms can identify and pursue CE opportunities. Image 1 • We argue that firms may attain circular economy (CE) objectives through dynamic capabilities. • Sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring capabilities significantly facilitate CE implementation. • Key routines to identify CE opportunities include, but not limited to, market monitoring and R&D. • LCA seems to be an essential tool to identify CE opportunities. • Key routines to accomplish CE opportunities include, but not limited to, strategic planning and technological upgradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the local and regional levels, planning for sustainable development rests on the structural peculiarities of territories following a development model that lays its foundations on the notion of the Marshallian industrial district. Recently, this form of production organization has been recognized as also featuring an organic agricultural sector, where the creation of ecoregions (or bio-districts) emphasizes the territorial dimension of sustainable development. Nevertheless, whilst ecoregions are acquiring substantial relevance at the international level, a comprehensive methodological approach for their analytical identification is still missing, thereby affecting the ability of policymakers to effectively identify territories suitable to enter an ecoregion. The few studies available on this topic adopt a narrow perspective when identifying ecoregions, considering only the dimensions that are strictly related to organic production and ignoring substantial variables that are able to capture the activities and elements that generate positive externalities and feed the economic, social and environmental life of a potential ecoregion. To fill this gap in the literature, this paper makes two innovative contributions. First, the paper discusses the notion of an ecoregion by stressing its relationship with other territorial features (i.e., environmental, social, and economic) that complement the agricultural dimensions. Second, the paper proposes a comprehensive methodological approach for the analytical identification of ecoregions considering not only the biological and agricultural features of territories but also crucial aspects related to their environmental, social and economic contexts. In this regard, the paper develops a new composite indicator – the Ecoregional Vocation Index (EVI) – to assess the vocation of territories to enter an ecoregion. As an illustrative example, the EVI is employed to analyse 29 municipalities belonging to the area of the Bologna Apennines (Emilia-Romagna region, Italy). The results of the analysis provide a ranking that classifies these municipalities from best to the worst in terms of their suitability to belong to an ecoregion. The results are presented and discussed to show how this methodological approach can be generally employed in sustainable territorial planning to support policymakers and other relevant stakeholders in the participatory processes concerning the creation of ecoregions. • Discussion of the Ecoregion notion as a territorial form of production organization. • Development of a methodological approach for the analytical identification of Ecoregions. • Construction of a new composite indicator: the Ecoregional Vocation Index (EVI). • Application to the case of the Bologna Apennines (Emilia-Romagna region, Italy). • Identification of a potential Ecoregion within the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture, forestry and other land uses (AFOLU sector) cover the 24% of global emissions, representing the second hot spot in the contribution to climate change after the energy sector. Thus, the land sector plays a crucial role in the context of climate change, being both a contributor to the problem and part of its solution, particularly thanks to the capacity of soils and biomass to sequester atmospheric carbon. The challenge of this paper is to understand the extent to which sustainable land management can be a valuable solution for increasing the mitigation potential of the land sector, particularly at small-scale rural landscape level.The paper presents and tests a land-based approach to be applied at small-scale rural landscape level, aiming at reducing and offsetting GHG emissions from the livestock activities, one of the main sources of GHG emissions of the whole agricultural sector. The proposed land-based approach builds on an ensemble of methodologies, including Geographic Information System (GIS) elaboration, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and methodologies from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), that allow estimating livestock GHG emissions and the mitigation potential of sustainable land-use options applied in the same small-scale rural landscape.Results from a case study in Italy show that land-based mitigation options applied at small-scale rural landscape level can reduce and completely offset the GHG livestock emissions of the same area, leading to carbon neutral livestock systems. Thus, this study confirms that the land sector can strongly contribute to climate change mitigation if sustainable land-use options are applied. • Land-based mitigation options at small-scale landscape level can lead to carbon neutral livestock systems. • Land sector can strongly contribute to climate change mitigation if sustainable land-based options are applied. • Land-based mitigation options can be applied in the immediate proximity of the livestock GHG emissions source. • Land-based climate change mitigation contributes also to a wide range of ecological co-benefits at landscape level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to analyse and compare the environmental performances of the most widely used cooking appliances (the induction hob vs. the gas hob) considering a typical Italian scenario in terms of food, family and social habits. Cooking appliances are subject to energy labelling, and they represent the most impacting system inside households. This study was performed in accordance with the international standard, ISO 14040/14044, by using an attributional Life Cycle Assessment (aLCA). The functional unit is defined as the “preparation of a complete homemade meal (lunch) for 20 years consumed by a four-member family in Italy”. This study shows the dominance, in terms of environmental impact, of the induction hob with respect to the gas hob for most of the selected midpoint indicators. In particular, the induction hob accounts for more than 60% of the climate change and ozone depletion impact categories and more than 70% of the metal depletion category. The same trend is also noticed in the end-point categories (human health, ecosystem qualities and resources) and for the Cumulative Energy Demand indicator. Based on the experimental evidence of this work, the use phase is the most important due to the different energy carriers (natural gas vs. electrical energy). This finding is the result of the nature of the energy carrier (the electricity grid mix) in the Italian scenario, which is mainly based on non-renewable sources. In addition, concerning the production phase of the two appliances, the induction hob shows a relevant dominance in terms of the human toxicity and metal depletion impact categories due to the use of rare metals and coppers in the cooktop part manufacturing. The outcomes obtained from this study may be used by household manufacturers to improve the performance and design solutions of their appliances as well as by end users in their selection of cooking technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to assess and gain a deeper understanding of the role of service quality in sustainable mobility. Specifically, the study aims to understand user perceptions related to service quality in urban public transport systems and to investigate whether they induce the adoption of adopt more sustainable behaviours for mobility purposes by opting for alternative means of transportation such as car-sharing, bike-sharing, and car-pooling instead of using one's own private car. Indeed, it is becoming vital for cities to investigate the norm of owning a car as a solution and to break this norm to allow citizens to stop using their car as an environmentally friendly solution. On the basis of the above theoretical assumptions, we develop a theoretical framework that aims to fill the literature gaps and is therefore oriented towards understand the linkage among the service quality of the urban public transportation system, service loyalty to urban public transport, the intention to use one's own private car less, and the intention to use sustainable means of transportation, mainly car-sharing. An empirical investigation involving the city of Rome, Italy, is performed. The study proposes a territorial analysis and a qualitative and quantitative survey. The aim of this empirical study is two-fold: i) to learn the state of the art of the urban public transport system of the city under investigation and ii) to explore citizens' perceptions of the service quality of public transport and to understand their intentions to use public transport more, to use their own cars less and to adopt sustainable means of transportation such as car-sharing. PLS-PM statistical tools are used for data analysis. Our findings confirm that service quality has a direct effect on the intention to use public transport more and that this effect affects both the intention to use one's own car less and the intention to use sustainable means of transportation such as car-sharing more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to assess and compare the sustainability of rapeseed and sunflower crop cultivation for energy purposes in Italy, by considering environmental and economic performances at the farm level. The analysis focused on twelve representative farming units that were extracted from a sample of 396 farms by applying a cluster analysis. Using an Attributional Life Cycle Assessment method, the values of midpoint environmental impact categories and the carbon footprint of the twelve farms were assessed. The economic performance of rapeseed and sunflower per 1 Mg of biomass cultivation was measured in terms of the value added. In order to combine an environmental and economic assessment, the eco-efficiency ratio was applied to measure the value added per Mg of greenhouse gasses emitted into the atmosphere. Three rapeseed farms had the lowest GHG emissions of the whole sample. Practices of intensive farming with high fertilization and mechanization (fertilizer and machinery production and usage) are known to have a negative environmental impact. When the level of productivity is low, the impact is still higher. Regarding the eco-efficiency ratio, of the twelve representative farming units, results showed again that the three rapeseed farms had the highest eco-efficiency ratio. Summarizing both perspectives, findings from the eco-efficiency analysis gave a premium to rapeseed over sunflower crop in terms of the economic value added per kg of GHGs emitted into the atmosphere. The study findings presented a complex picture of the crops and of agricultural practices of each farm that underlines the variability and sensitivity of results in specific case studies. Indeed, the complexity of the matter, including the implications of bioenergy crops for energy and food safety beyond the environmental and economic assessment of the cultivation phase, cannot be ignored. Further studies are needed to apply a multiple perspective to the joint analysis of the sustainability of agricultural processes related to first generation bioenergy crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction sector contributes to 8% of carbon dioxide emissions, most of them caused by clinker production: in recent years, the efforts to reduce environmental impacts are growing. This paper investigates the environmental performances of clinker production and the factors driving emissions. For this purpose, the environmental impacts of 41 different grey clinkers produced in Italy from 2016 to 2021 certified by a third party according to the European standard EN 15804 have been assessed. Three input datasets (i.e., energy consumption, raw materials, and transport) have been investigated to identify the most significant variables that affected the environmental impact categories in the period 2016–2020: a stepwise regression allowed the identification of the optimal predictors to be included in the multiple regression models. The most significant variables are pet coke, fossil fuels, natural raw materials, and lorry transport. The identified models have been validated having regard to 2021 data. Therefore, for each impact category, multiple positive and negative dependencies which bear an effect on the environmental results have been quantified. The output provides proven quantitative results that can support cement producers to develop low-impacting clinker recipes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountain pastures and meadows have been disappearing at a steady pace from the Italian Alpine and Apennine regions for the last century. Livestock farms and pastoral activities have traditionally contributed to preserving them, but they are facing increasingly adverse socio-economic and climatic trends The aim of the paper is to explore the economic feasibility of a payment scheme for grassland-based ecosystem services embedded into locally produced dairy products that can compensate farmers' effort and increase their profitability. Using the method of discrete choice experiments, we estimate Italian consumers' willingness to pay for a set of selected attributes of mountain cheese associated with provisioning, cultural, and existence ecosystem services. Our results indicate that consumers would be willing to pay cheese 4€/kg to 6€/kg more for each increase in the level of ecosystemic attributes, thus supporting the introduction of a payment scheme as a local and scalable policy intervention. • People perceive the preservation of mountain ecosystems as highly valuable. • Consumers consider mountain ecosystem services more important than animal welfare. • A price premium on dairy goods can be used to financially support mountain farmers. • A PES scheme can be introduced to preserve mountain pastures and meadows in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current scenario of transition to a Europe-wide circular economy (CE), the Waste-to-Energy (WtE) treatments represent a smart solution to generate renewable energy, reduce landfills and ensure sustainable waste management. The costs and environmental impacts of existing WtE treatments are very different for each available technology. In many cases, their identification is affected by a set of variable boundary conditions strongly dependent on local municipal requirements. In light of these considerations, the paper aims to compare the investment in three different WtE treatments (i.e., incineration, gasification, and flameless oxy-combustion) to identify the best solution to support the current transitional phase towards a CE condition. An overall yearly cost analysis was developed by varying local municipal requirements, including investment, operating, and carbon emissions costs. The overall yearly cost and the revenues, due to energy sales and tipping fees, allowed to evaluate the profitability of the investment in the plant lifetime to identify the best WtE treatment. The investment profitability was evaluated by adopting the Net Present Value (NPV) method by estimating the cash flow statement over the entire plant lifetime. The performance of the three WtE treatments, classified as "conventional" (i.e., gasification and incineration) and "innovative" (i.e., flameless oxy-combustion), were compared in a case study concerning Southern Italy's Metropolitan City of Bari. The applied methodology showed, in this case, that gasification, at the moment, has to be deemed as the most sustainable treatment for MSW management. Moreover, the study proved a high dependence between the carbon price and the profitability of the investment and, thus, in the next future the innovative oxy-combustion technology will gain an advantage over all the other technologies, when carbon price will be higher than 44 €/tonnes CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars recently urged for research able to unlock the link between sustainable development (SD) strategy and intellectual capital (IC) at the organization level. In line with this call, the present paper aims at investigating strategic planning for sustainability within healthcare organizations (HCOs), and the role that IC plays in SD. Indeed, this latter has been claimed to be a potential enabler of Italian HCOs’ shift towards SD which is a major challenge posed by international institutions. Focusing on IC assets that emerged from the institutional context, the authors designed a model of “Sustainable Intellectual Capital for HCOs” and conducted a survey of a sample of General Directors (GDs) of Italian hospitals. The aim was to determine: whether GDs were adopting formalized SD strategies, the kind of organizational positions that managed sustainability issues, the sustainability projects/actions adopted, and the effect of IC in incentivizing those initiatives. The results showed that the majority of GDs had adopted a formalized sustainability plan in which informal and/or occasional structures or collegial bodies dealt with sustainability. Finally, a stochastic ordering test showed an alignment between the GDs who attributed higher relevance to information and communication technologies and advanced technologies for sustainability and the adoption of formal sustainability strategy. Further research should deepen the role of connectivity among different assets for SD. The developed model of sustainable IC for HCOs can support healthcare managers to test the contribution of IC assets to sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite many studies in literature demonstrate the environmental sustainability of organic food, a debate is still open in the scientific community on the effect of organic farming on global warming and climate change mitigation. This paper aims to contribute to a more informed debate on the actual contribution to climate change in terms of GHG emissions of organic and conventional agriculture. For this purpose, the production process of an organic vs conventional wholemeal bread locally produced in central Italy by a small-medium bakery enterprise was compared and the carbon footprint (CF) was assessed by means of the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. We found that the CF of 1 kg of the conventional wholemeal bread was 24% less respect to the same organic bread, with 1,18 and 1,55 kg CO 2 eq respectively. On the contrary, if the CF is assessed per unit of cultivated area (hectare), wheat organic cultivation showed a better performance in terms of GHG emissions than conventional by 60%, with 1,15 and 2,87 Mg CO 2 eq ha −1 respectively. The higher CF per unit of organic product is due to the lower yield per unit of area cultivated with organic farming and to the consequent attribution to a smaller amount of products of the GHG emissions generated in the field phase of the life cycle. Whereas, the CF per hectare is higher when conventional practices are applied due to the higher use of raw materials (higher seed density, agrochemicals for fertilization and plant protection) respect to the same organic system. Results of the study demonstrate that organic farming for wheat cultivation in Italy is a low-carbon agriculture with a lower contribution to climate change in terms of GHG emissions per hectare respect to the conventional wheat cultivation, although implications of the reduced productivity and the consequent need of more cultivated land should be considered. However, more research is needed to better explore the potential of organic farming and to improve organic food production, optimizing the balance between the use of resources and yields, to ensure sufficient organic food supply at global level. A more comprehensive assessment of the actual GHG emitted in the atmosphere from both organic and conventional agricultural systems can be provided when the CF is assessed per unit of area, in addition to the CF per product unit, especially if also the carbon sink of the agrosystem is included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent climate change, global warming, environmental disasters and the economic crisis are only the first signs of the failure of an economic system that, for too long, shows an uncontrolled utilization of the planet wealth. The Italian electricity market, which is strongly dependent on hydrocarbons, only in recent years has seen a first attempt to change towards renewable resources for electricity production aimed at self-consumption and for feeding into the grid. This paper presents an economic analysis whose purpose is to evaluate the profitability of investments in renewable technologies for the production of electricity. Each renewable source has its own profitability dependent on a number of factors and subject to market fluctuations, cost and frequent changes in the incentive policies. Applying Portfolio Theory is possible to select the right mix of renewable energy sources and simulate its evolution. Moreover the presented analysis can be useful for energy planners to select future green scenarios finalized to the reduction of emissions and energy imports through the increasing use of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This VSI focuses on what cross-cutting insights might be gained from research to increase the energy/materials circularity and the contribution of eco-innovation, cleaner consumption, and waste management to produce a logical body of knowledge that may lead to increased resilience and a sustainable Planet. The articles' collection shows development trends of sustainable, cleaner production under the Special Issue: A Resilient and Sustainable World. Some selected d papers have been presented and emerged from the 10th and 11th International Workshop on Advances in Cleaner Production (IWACP), held in hybrid mode in Italy (Ferrata and Florence). The contribution of the articles in this Special Issue could be divided into efforts toward sustainable and cleaner production, aiming (i) Eco-innovation for cleaner production and circular economy, (ii) Proper monitoring and identification of cleaner production, circular economy, and eco-innovation, (iii) cleaner production, circular economy and eco-innovation targeting social wellbeing and cleaner environment, (iv) cleaner production, circular economy and eco-innovation targeting emission reduction, and (v) cleaner production, circular economy and eco-innovation targeting improved and optimized production processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ISO 14001 is the most widespread international standard that supports organizations in the implementation and maintenance of their Environmental Management Systems (EMS) defining a list of requirements to improve environmental performance. The investigation of the drivers of EMS adoption is still relevant today in the scientific debate. To upgrade the knowledge in this context, a research at national level has been designed with the aim to explore the benefits and the limits of ISO 14001 requirements. This paper presents the results derived from four national surveys conducted from 2008 to 2015 that involved the Italian ISO 14001 certified organizations to explore their difficulties and advantages of complying with the ISO 14001 requirements. The surveys were conducted through an on-line questionnaire with multiple-choice questions and a Likert four-point scale; they involved numerous Italian certified organizations, both public and private in different industrial and services sectors, collecting the opinions of managers and practitioners of Environmental Management Systems. The surveys' results demonstrate a growing consciousness over the years within the Italian organizations regarding the pros and cons of the ISO 14001 certification. The main usefulness of a certified environmental management system is related to compliance with legal requirements, competence and awareness, operational control and environmental performance assessment. Italian organizations also recognize that these are the most complex ones in which to ensure compliance with the standard's requirements. From a theoretical perspective, these considerations confirm but also outdo what is already known in the literature and open new research pathways emphasizing the more demanding requirements for Italian organizations. Furthermore, the main findings that can guide the managers and practitioners in applying ISO 14001 are revealed, in order to address their efforts toward the more challenging and helpful requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few years, much attention has been paid to the phenomenon of household food waste which largely contributes to the total amount of food waste generated in industrialised countries. The reduction of food waste has been also included within the European strategy of circular economy and ambitious objectives have been assigned to the European member states. Youths proved to be the segment of the population most inclined to waste food and therefore they need to be monitored. This exploratory study, based on a survey involving 380 youths residing in Italy and Spain, aims at investigating the complexities of food waste behaviour within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. By referring to the PLS-SEM approach, we analyse the validity of the relationships between individual habits, attitudes, addiction to marketing ploys and sales strategies, and attitudes towards food waste. It also aims at verifying the existence of mediator effects in order to better understand these relationships. The construction of the Importance Performance Matrix Analysis enables identification of the dimensions which greatly influence positive behaviour, and whether urgent attention and interventions are required. The results confirm that behavioural models are appropriate for explaining youths' behaviour towards food waste with an important role played by the perceived behavioural control. Situational factors which characterize the moment of purchase should be carefully considered and monitored. This paper concludes that marketing and sale strategies negatively influence the waste behaviour of individuals, emphasizing the important role of retailers in preventing the generation of food waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Putting unsold food at good use is clearly a high-priority option according to the Food Waste Hierarchy, but we still know relatively little about the antecedents, strategies, and processes that make it possible within companies. This paper aims at explaining how food manufacturers can prevent the degradation of generated surplus food into waste. Based on an extensive literature review and 4 exploratory case studies, research questions are formulated about (i) available avenues for managing surplus food, and (ii) internal drivers that make these avenues viable and efficient. In order to adapt, refine and corroborate the conceptual framework, the research conducts 10 descriptive case studies of Italian food manufacturers. Results from the cross-case analysis highlight the multiplicity of reuse and redistribution options, and their viability over the product shelf life. The analysis also shows that a structured surplus food control system and partnerships with food aid organizations are necessary to reduce food waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to examine if users perceive a difference in tap water quality supplied by publicly owned or privately owned water operators. More generally, this paper analyses whether and how certain relevant variables affect water quality using customer satisfaction as an indicator of water quality. Since the decision to privatise the service may be influenced by environmental and geographical factors as well as water operators' characteristics, data were analysed using a treatment effects model, in which privatisation was considered an endogenous binary treatment variable. Data were from a sample survey of 485 students enrolled at the University of Pisa (Italy). Our results suggest that water operator ownership influences the perceived quality of the supplied tap water. Decision-makers should include water quality as a relevant issue when deciding whether to privatise water services management. In addition, since there is a relationship between the perception of tap water quality and the quality of public service provision, for policy makers, it is of utmost importance to highlight the areas where the lack of satisfaction is higher and to encourage investment and water quality improvement programmes in these contexts. • Water operator ownership influences the perceived quality of tap water. • Water quality perception is not always related to water standard compliance. • Perception of water quality relates to the quality of public service provision. • Perceived quality decreases when mixed or private firms manage the water service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of Sustainable Development Goal 7 is to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Increased energy efficiency is particularly important in the construction industry because urban agglomerations currently consume up to 80% of global energy, 40% of which is attributable to buildings. In countries like Italy however, where historical buildings constitute a significant part of the building patrimony, improving energy efficiency is not always straightforward as interventions must take into account the historical materials used as well as the context of the construction. Therefore, the aim of this research was to establish a methodology that would identify the most effective means of achieving energy efficiency taking into account the historical aspects of a building and its cultural context. The methodology proposed and described in this paper involves: preliminary analyses to identify the elements of value and the level of transformability of facades; the selection of different insulating materials; dynamic simulations of building behaviour; analyses of intervention costs in relation to each type of insulation and finally the preparation of a multi-criteria matrix to identify the most effective method of improving energy efficiency of a historical wall with differing degrees of transformability. Each insulating material was analysed in relation to heating and cooling requirements and material cost impact. The methodology was applied to a case study in the Province of L'Aquila, Italy. In the paper a multicriteria framework, for the improvements in the thermal efficiency of a building, it is presented. Specifically the attention is focused on heating requirements, cooling requirements and cost impact. The results indicate that, with respect to historical building, it is possible to adopt strategies finalyzed to improve the energy efficiency of these buidings, contributing in this way, also toward the SDG7. Specifically, the best performance for a wall with a high level of transformability can be obtained using calcium silicate, extruded polystyrene, kenaf and hemp, whilst, in the case of a wall with a low level of transformability, the best materials are calcium silicate, polyurethane and linen fiber. Finally, in the case in which external constraints prevent the application of a thick coat and internally there is limited space, the use of calcium silicate was found to be the best energy efficient measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting a complex dynamic systems' perspective to address the complex and multifaceted manifestations of the Sharing Economy, this paper uses interpretative content analysis to explore three structural and functional aspects of this phenomenon: defining characteristics, main stakeholders, and systemic benefits and challenges. We realize a comprehensive analysis and interpretation of secondary and primary data, using academic papers, consulting/market reports, books, newspaper articles, videos, blog contributions, as well as interviews with 256 respondents from France, Italy and the United Kingdom. The study presents, contrasts and combines various narratives that co-create, negotiate and shape the emergent meanings and characteristics of the Sharing Economy. Our findings facilitate a better understanding of the Sharing Economy's complex structure and dynamics, leading to methodological, theoretical and practical implications. • The Sharing Economy is a multi-dimensional and dynamic phenomenon. • The concept of Sharing Economy is controversial and needs further clarification. • The Sharing Economy includes many stakeholders with various profiles and interests. • The Sharing Economy provides a complex mix of benefits and challenges. • The Sharing Economy can be viewed as a complex dynamic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2017, over 320 million tons of polymers, excluding fibers, were manufactured across the globe. The excessive amounts of plastics produced today pose a threat to both man and nature. Urgent approaches towards reducing plastic consumption and increasing its recyclability are needed. This paper discusses the matter of accelerating the circularity of plastic-based material systems. It investigates a sample of plastics-converting companies in Emilia Romagna region (Italy), which stand out for radical innovations in business models, with the aim to catalyse changes in current manufacturing practices. The findings provide empirical support for a positive relationship between business strategies and the use of non-virgin plastic materials. The innovative value of this paper relies on the fact that it elaborates on the vision established within the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy that sets ambitious targets about achieving high plastic recycling targets by 2025. Legislative, economic, technological and social barriers can only be tackled by radically revising the current philosophy of designing, producing, distributing and consuming plastic as part of goods and services. A systemic thinking perspective is an essential building block in this context: moving from a micro to a meso-scale analysis can represent a useful means supporting the creation of viable management approaches towards achieving environmental and economic gains, especially in European plastic conversion industry, where SMEs are the majority (about 50000). Thanks to its analysis and scope, this paper provides useful insights to the plastic industry: it shows that this substantial improvements in this sector will require innovative solutions and major efforts by key decision makers, producers, recyclers, manufacturer, retailers as well as consumers. • Plastics pose a major pressure to the natural and human environment. • The use of non-virgin plastic materials should be reduced. • Integrated plastic value chain leads to environmental and economic gains. • Innovative solutions are needed to better integrate plastics as part of the circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal waste management, especially in developed countries, has a significant impact on the environment and humans that need to be quantified and mitigated. This study aims to investigate and compare the environmental impact and occupational risks of the following three municipal waste collection methods in Italy: street bins, door-to-door collection, and a smart bins system. Six waste categories (paper, plastics, glass, metal, organic materials, and residual waste) are analysed. Environmental performances are calculated by the life cycle assessment (LCA) and material and flow analysis (MFA) methodologies. The ergonomic analysis is based on direct observation of municipal waste collectors and the application of standard assessment methods as RULA, NIOSH, and Snook Ciriello. show that the smart bins collection method is environmentally more effective in all the impact categories considered, thanks to the better quality of collected waste. The residual waste flow directed to landfills has a lower value in the case of smart bins (36.63%) in comparison with door-to-door (52.90%) and street bins (89.56%). The use of smart bins allows higher environmental benefits, passing for the Climate Change impact category from −2.80E+01 kg of CO2eq. of the door-to-door system and −2.74E+01 kg of CO2eq. of street bins to −7.13E+01 kg of CO2eq. of smart bins. Regarding the transport phase, the smart bins system determines a reduction of the impact of about 60% if compared with the door-to-door system for all the impact categories considered. On the other hand, acceptable occupational risks result in street and smart waste collection methods, while poor ergonomics conditions are observed during the door-to-door collection. Containers lifting and emptying are the most critical tasks. [Display omitted] • Smart technologies in urban waste management determines benefits in environmental terms. • Smart technologies in urban waste management preserves the operators' health condition. • Analysis of environmental impact and occupational risk of municipal waste systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the recent years, heliciculture has rapidly developed in Italy both in terms of number of companies (about 8000) and average extension of snail farms (5000–10,000 m 2 ). Studies aimed to evaluate the whole environmental performance of heliciculture are still not available in literature. This paper presents a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) performed for Helix aspersa maxima snail production in the South of Italy. The system boundary ( cradle to farm gate ) of the production chain considered the following stages: indoor breeding, outdoor fattening, cleaning out and packaging. The outdoor fattening displayed the largest part of total burdens (about 90%) for all impact categories due to the relevant contribution of its processes (enclosures set-up, fodder cultivation, supplementary feeding and irrigation). The process that highly affected all impact categories was the supplementary feeding used in fattening pens which reached the highest value for Terrestrial acidification (84%) and the lowest one for Ozone depletion (41%). Nevertheless, the impact of enclosures set-up and fodder cultivation appeared marked in particular for Ozone depletion (46%) and Marine Eutrophication (30%), respectively. Results showed the key factors (supplementary feeding, HDPE mesh) to be considered and discussed to proper design a semi-intensive snail management in order to enhance benefits and constrain limitations. Moreover, the snail farming highlighted a lower environmental load, for almost all impact categories, compared to literature data on conventional meat (beef, pig and chicken). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]