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As the climate is warming up and climate disasters occur more frequently, China's carbon peak and carbon neutrality targets are gaining attention, with provinces starting to set carbon peak targets and constantly exploring low carbon economic development opportunities. However, the existing evaluation index system mainly focuses on low carbon cities and green cities, and there is no evaluation index system for carbon peak and carbon neutrality. This study adopts a combination of theoretical and empirical research and draws on domestic and international research results to construct the first index system for evaluating China's provincial carbon peak and carbon neutrality. The evaluation index system includes 18 indicators from three dimensions: climate ambition, low carbon status, and emissions trends. Using this index system, we calculated the carbon peak and carbon neutrality indices of 30 Chinese provinces. Further, the 30 provinces were classified into six categories, and corresponding policy recommendations for achieving the "Dual carbon" targets were put forward. The evaluation index system constructed in this paper can provide a reference for future carbon peak and carbon neutrality assessments. By disclosing the integrated index of each province, we hope to effectively curb the increasing local carbon emissions; avert inaction in areas with good natural endowments; and motivate the advancement of the latter, to boost the implementation of the "Dual carbon" targets coherently for the whole country. [Display omitted] • An integrated evaluation system on China's Provincial "Dual carbon" was proposed. • 30 provinces in mainland China were ranked based on the integrated index. • 6 groups were classified to show provincial differences on dual carbon performance. • Policy recommendations to fulfill China's climate commitment were put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the recent stream of econometric entrepreneurship research by introducing the environmental orientation of new ventures as a key factor for sustainable development. It empirically assesses whether relationships exist between national shares of green entrepreneurial activity (GEA) and economic, social, and environmental development. Theory and first empirical evidence suggest that – compared to conventional new ventures – new green ventures have a more positive economic and social impact and are less harmful or even beneficial to environmental quality. OLS regressions were estimated to empirically test the impact of GEA rates (share of total entrepreneurial activity) on GDP, the modified HDI, and CO 2 emissions. For this purpose, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data for 11,909 early-stage entrepreneurs was aggregated to the macro-level of 53 countries and merged with further international datasets. The results confirmed that higher shares of GEA are positively related to economic and social development but not to environmental development. Additional tests proved the robustness of the results for different economic development levels, time-lag variations, and different measurements of dependent and independent variables. The identified economic and social importance of GEA warrants intensified policy efforts to support the discovery, creation, and exploitation of green business opportunities. Potential explanations for the counterintuitive non-significant environmental impact are discussed, leading to new research avenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturing companies still struggle to change their business models to offer product-service systems (PSS). The business model provides an integrating concept that allows the analysis of key dimensions involved in PSS development. However, less attention has been paid to how to plan PSS business models and their implementation. To overcome these challenges, this work proposes a framework for designing a PSS business model, considering the concurrent design of sustainable operations and business models. This work adopts a set of transdisciplinary research approaches, namely: (i) literature reviews; (ii) construction of the proposed framework adopting a concept-based approach; (iii) empirical studies involving two small PSS developers; (iv) assessment of the proposal; and (v) further improvement of the framework based on feedbacks, interactions with PSS developers, and literature reviews. The framework can represent a PSS business model by enabling the joint visualization of the components of the business model and their alignment. It integrates the PSS 'value network' based on 'value proposition', and includes 'value drivers' or sources of value creation, namely: novelty, effectiveness, complementarities, and loyalty. As a result, this paper contributes to offer a framework that adds to the PSS business model research, enabling the development of more sustainable PSS. In particular, it extends the identification of challenges concerning the PSS business model design. Finally, PSS business models should be designed to taken into account value-in-use, co-creation, and integration of the sustainable principles to generate superior value for the 'value network'. • A transdisciplinary approach was adopted to develop a framework for product-service system (PSS) business model design. • The framework was developed to overcome the challenges of PSS business models' development and implementation. • The framework was assessed and improved based on the feedback, interactions with PSS developers, and literature reviews. • The proposed framework helps to add more sustainable value in PSS business models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioeconomy clusters, besides stimulating economic and innovative performance, are expected to promote sustainable regional development. Despite their growing popularity, there is still a lack of awareness about how these clusters contribute to sustainability. This paper aims at increasing our understanding of the processes through which bioeconomy clusters generate sustainability effects and promote the bioeconomy transition. We analyze the event-history of the French Bazancourt-Pomacle cluster and interpret its development as a continuous interplay among its geographical, institutional, and structural scales to capture how these dynamics eventually affect specific sustainability scales. The results of the scale analysis reveal that the actors of the biocluster maintain a certain mode of action by organizing their activities along scales related to the valorization of local natural resources, whereas improvements of sustainability appear as a posteriori result of these activities rather than an aim in itself. Our study contributes with novel insights to the literature on sustainability transitions and clusters as well as demonstrates the potential of the scale-perspective for identification and measurement of sustainability trade-offs in a way accessible to policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars, governments, and society are interested in how entrepreneurship and innovation can help overcome the challenges that humanity is facing. Investment has been done to search new business models for sustainable development. But theory still needs progress to examine and support practice. This paper poses a taxonomy based on the social entrepreneurial theory to offer a classifications structure, helping theoretical consolidation. It also enlarges the research focus by describing changes in the Portuguese social economy, highlighting the relationship between incumbent and new SEIs. The research design relies on several statistical steps to comply with topic complexity and delivery a structure that allows further replication. Exploratory factor and cluster analyses provided the information structure, confirmed by MANOVA and post-hoc tests. A social entrepreneurial initiative (SEI) can be Persistent, Innovative or stuck in the middle., Persistent SEI are the best when the innovation regards risk and cost reduction. If the main goal is to solve a critical social problem or sustain effective social change, the solution will be riskier and more expensive. In that case, Innovative SEIs are the best. It is hard to cut cost and go for innovations simultaneously, so SEIs stuck in the middle tend toward underperformance. • We pose a taxonomy to classify business models as Persistent, Innovative, or stuck. • Exploratory factor analyses and cluster analyses provide the taxonomy structure. • MANOVA and post-hoc tests confirm the taxonomy. • It highlights incumbent and new initiatives relationship (31.3% increased). • The results favor sustainable development to help in solving social problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We need a proper mechanism to manage issues related to our environment, economy, and society to proceed toward sustainability. Many researchers have worked for sustainable development goals using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to develop an efficient mechanism to facilitate a circular economy and link up the needs of the present generation without disconcerting the capability of coming generations. This study offers a comprehensive review of AI and sustainability and suggested future research scope. The review has focused on different use cases in industries like construction, transportation, healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, and water. The systematic review is based on 287 papers selected out of 8341 search results with an application of PRISMA based method. Out of all the techniques used in sustainability regression, RL and DSS-based AI models are more popular than others. The review also provides directions surrounding which industrial sectors are using which methods for incorporating sustainable development practices in their organization. • We analyzed the impact of Artificial Intelligence on Sustainability. • A PRISMA based method is used for undertaking this literature review. • Areas covered in this study are environmental causes, technical challenges, and social issues. • Various AI algorithms used till now for achieving sustainability has been presented. • We present future research directions for use of AI for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) enables designers and contractors to determine whether a building's performance 'in-use' meets the specifications prescribed 'in-design'. Hence, POE presents an invaluable opportunity for stakeholders within the architecture, engineering, construction and operations (AECO) sector to learn from mistakes and improve the environmental performance of future designs. Against this contextual backdrop, this paper identifies the barriers to performing a POE implementation following a building's hand-over and use, and how these barriers inadvertently prevent sustainable development goals from being reached. A theoretical model is developed which enables building owners and users to implement a POE and thereby realise its innate potential to reduce the impact of the built environment upon the natural environment. An interpretivist philosophical stance is adopted to analyse both secondary and primary data collated using a three-stage waterfall process. First, a thematic content analysis is conducted utilising the transcript of a practitioner focus group convened to garner perspectives on the prominent barriers to POE implementation. Second, a scientometric analysis is undertaken to examine the prevailing body of knowledge (BoK) pertaining to sustainability, circular economy and barriers to POE implementation. Finally, a cross-comparative analysis of the emergent findings emanating from the previous two stages is conducted to ascertain whether academic literature is addressing the barriers identified by industry practitioners. The research reveals that despite the significant opportunities that POE presents to reduce the built environment's substantial impact upon the natural environment, only a relatively small proportion of the POE BoK explores this objective. Similarly, an even smaller proportion of literature examines the barriers to POE implementation and how to overcome them. The cross-comparative analysis undertaken highlights inconsistencies between practitioner requirements regarding implementation barriers and the proportion of the POE BoK pursuing this objective. Curiously, there is no literature delineating POE's potential to facilitate a circular economy within the built environment sector. A novel theoretical model emerges from this research which acts to bridge a gap between theory and practice and provides utility for researchers and practitioners alike to increase the interchange of knowledge pertaining to pertinent POE requirements. The resultant model establishes POE as a crucial environmental feedback mechanism for stakeholders within the AECO sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sharing resources and curbing emissions are critical for promoting the adoption of cleaner logistics technologies and improving environmental sustainability. However, little research has examined reducing the impact of carbon emissions on the environment by considering transfer between depots. Hence, this study investigated the impact of carbon emissions on a multi-depot collaborative pickup and delivery network with time windows and transfers (MDCPDPTW-Ts) and proposed a carbon emissions measurement to describe the relationship between fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Then, a two-stage heuristic framework was proposed to simplify MDCPDPTW-Ts and generate high-quality delivery routes. Finally, a case study from Dalian, China, was used to verify the effectiveness of the research methodology. The results demonstrated the following: (1) The multi-depot transfer network constructed in this paper is significantly better than the traditional no-transfer scheme, reducing the cost by 26.64%. (2) Sharing transfer facilities among different depots is the most attractive mode of realizing clean logistics, reducing the emission cost by 59.2% compared with the traditional depot-based transfer scheme. (3) Reasonable carbon prices and carbon quotas are highly significant to establishing a sustainable carbon trading market. As carbon prices increase, carbon emissions first show a sharp reduction trend and then gradually tend to remain unchanged. Therefore, this work can provide practical and theoretical implications for the sustainable development of multi-depot collaborative logistics. [Display omitted] • Transfer locations reduce complexity of the multi-depot collaboration system. • Adaptive iterated local search improves quality of solutions. • Minimizing transportation cost simultaneously reduces fuel and carbon emissions. • The proposed transfer scheme has lower emissions than the traditional scheme. • Carbon quotas and prices to conserve energy and curb emissions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steel structures in marine environments are subjected to severe corrosion over a long period due to the complex and harsh characteristics of their environments. Traditional anti-corrosion methods may lead to environmental pollution and high maintenance costs. Microorganisms exist in large quantities in the environment and can not only accelerate the corrosion of materials but also inhibit corrosion to some extent. Microbially influenced corrosion inhibition (MICI) has become a research hotspot as a new environmentally friendly anti-corrosion measure. In this paper, the effects of microorganisms on the inhibition of metal corrosion are summarized and analyzed, with a review of recent research. We discuss the mechanisms by which microorganisms inhibit corrosion including secretion of corrosion inhibitors, shielding effects of biofilms and corrosion products, changes in the local microenvironment, and alteration of anode and cathode processes; as well as their control mechanisms. Some beneficial microorganisms can inhibit corrosion caused by corrosive microorganisms through mechanisms including biological competition, inhibition of microbial attachment, secretion of antibiotic substances, and phagocytic control. Using microbial anti-corrosion facilitates autonomous regulation, in situ remediation, and intelligent protection, provides lifelong protection and is environmentally friendly. Knowledge of the mechanisms of microbiological inhibition of corrosion can provide references for the protection of metals against corrosion. We have outlined the difficulties and problems in the research and application of microbial antiseptic technology, as well as valuable directions for the future development of microbial antiseptic technology. The mechanism of microbially influenced corrosion inhibition (MICI). [Display omitted] • The mechanisms of MICI and bacteriological treatment techniques are discussed. • The interaction between biological and corrosion processes is analyzed. • The obstacles in MICI research are presented. • Predicting the future development trend of MICI. • Guiding the development of green and sustainable anti-corrosion technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the authors introduce the "Theory of α-Sustainable Development" which is developed using fuzzy set theory. The existing concept and definition of "Sustainable Development" is correct and well understood by the world, but is not very precisely defined. In our "Theory of α-Sustainable Development" we say that every development (D) is a sustainable development up to certain extent depending upon the fuzzy measure 'α' of the amount of sustainability of D. We propose double categorization of every hybrid-pillar (HP) Development for better evaluation: Categorization in Type-1 and Categorization in Type-2. For a single-pillar development D the value of the fuzzy measure α is a non-negative number in [0,1], and the same is also true for a hybrid pillar (2P or 3P) development D while categorizing under Type-2. However, while categorizing the HP-Developments under Type-1, the value of α is an ordered pair (α 1 , α 2) where α 1 and α 2 are in [0,1]. Every development D is graded to be qualified as one of the five categories of sustainable development: SSD, GSD, PSD, WSD and NSD. In 'Theory of α-Sustainable Development' the existing core notion of 'Sustainable Development' is neither compromised nor diluted. The theory initially discusses about 'single-pillar Sustainable Development' and then about 'multi-pillar Sustainable Development' (also called by Hybrid Pillar Sustainable Development). The notion of 'α-Sustainable Development' will be very much useful to the corresponding regulatory bodies to improve the practices of dealing a development D with the existing notion of Yes-No type of sustainable development. Mathematically, the core aim of this paper is to grade a development D in the continuous range [0,1] instead of the existing notion of grading in the discrete range {0, 1}. This work deals only with those type of developments which are completely constructed, not about reviewing the interim progress of them. The "Theory of α-Sustainable Development" is an open proposal to the 2030 Agenda meeting, and will surely enrich the policy of ESD for educating the present and future generation people and thus to retain the sustainability of our planet as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality" is one of the important tasks of China's current and future economic construction and development, but the carbon emission reduction effect of High-speed rail (HSR) has not yet been fully studied. In this paper, based on the panel data of 274 cities in China from 2003 to 2016, we take the opening of HSR in the cities as a "Quasi-natural Experiment", and construct the Multi-period Difference-in-Difference Model to explore whether the opening of HSR can reduce carbon emissions of cities along the route, and use the mediating effect model and moderating effect model to further analyze its internal mechanisms. We find that:①The opening of HSR can significantly reduce the carbon emissions of cities along the route, and the opening of HSR in a city will reduce the carbon emissions of the city by about 2.4% on average, and this carbon emission reduction effect usually manifests significantly in the first year after the opening of HSR, and increases year by year thereafter.②The mechanism test shows that the traffic substitution effect, the optimization of the industrial structure and the promotion of economic agglomeration have partial mediating effect on the influence between the opening of HSR and urban carbon emissions. In addition, the increase in the intensity of government environmental regulations can strengthen the effect of the opening of HSR on reducing urban carbon emissions.③The regional heterogeneity research shows that the opening of HSR has a more significant impact on the carbon emissions of cities in the eastern coastal region and western region of China. Moreover, in the western region, the reduction effect of the opening of HSR on carbon emissions is only reflected in the key cities rather than ordinary prefecture-level cities. This paper provides certain reference significance for promoting low-carbon and green economy and helping China to achieve the "Carbon Neutrality" climate action goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The livability of a city, which includes social, economic, environmental, and other connotations, assumes a central role in determining the quality of life. Only when the city develops in a coordinated manner in these aspects can it truly build a sustainable urbanism. Current literature on urban livability show gaps in terms of its measurement and assessment, especially from a dynamic point of view. To address these gaps, in this paper we design an indicator system for measuring urban livability which is built upon a comprehensive synthesis of existing literature to our knowledge. Based on the indicator system, we build an agent-based simulation model on the NetLogo platform for urban livability which utilizes multi-source geographical data. In applying the model in our study case, Futian District, Shenzhen, the simulated livability scores are tested valid and robust, thus hinting its potentials for generalization. A further global sensitivity analysis on the simulation results reveals the first- and second-order factors' contribution structure to the overall livability score, which proves a useful tool in policy analysis. The simulation tools developed in this paper constitute a practical approach for sustainable development of cities in supporting governance policy evaluation and design, and the methodological framework offers a new scope for understanding the mechanisms of the making of urban livability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the economic development of various countries in the world, the traditional energy supply has been unable to meet the demand of current economic development, and the environmental problems caused by the use of traditional energy are also a major issue that needs to be urgently solved in all countries in the world, so the development and use of clean energy is an important measure to alleviate these two problems. This paper mainly studies the coupling mechanism and development prospect of the innovation ecosystem of clean energy under the smart agriculture based on blockchain. This paper first analyzes the coupling mechanism between the blockchain smart agriculture and the clean energy innovation ecosystem; secondly, it establishes the evaluation index system of the clean energy innovation ecosystem, and measures the development efficiency of the clean innovation ecosystem by using the SBM model, super efficiency SBM model and the global principal component method; thirdly, it uses the development efficiency of the clean energy innovation ecosystem through coupling and coordination The model calculates the coupling coordination of clean energy innovation ecosystem in different regions, and analyzes the spatial-temporal differences, regional differences and spatial agglomeration of the coupling coordination degree. The calculation results show that the average coupling coordination degree of green innovation development in the East, the middle, the West and the whole country is consistent with the development trend of provinces, autonomous regions and cities, showing an upward trend. The results show that the eastern region increases from 0.62 to 0.70; the average coupling coordination degree of the central region is lower than the national average coupling coordination degree, and the distance is gradually increasing; the western region has been in a serious maladjustment level, the global Moran index I value of the coupling coordination degree of clean energy innovation ecosystem is greater than 0, and the Z statistics are greater than the critical value of normal distribution function at the level of 5 %, P values are all less than 0.05 Local Moran index I and Z statistics have been growing steadily, and the significance of spatial positive correlation is getting higher and higher. The research results of this paper can provide a useful reference for the development of clean energy innovation ecosystem under the smart agriculture based on blockchain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the general recognition of the awareness of carbon neutrality, economic development growth momentum for carbon neutrality scenario has become research focus. This paper introduces the carbon neutrality double input level based on the perspective of the initiative, consciousness, and self-discipline of firms and residents to practice green low-carbon behavior. By constructing a balanced economic system of green low-carbon behavior, this paper explores the new endogenous growth power in production and consumption, and finds that there exists a carbon neutrality realization regulation of green low-carbon behavior in the new system. Based on the penetration capacity of green low-carbon behavior, this paper studies the endogenous growth law of economic system driven by the evolution of carbon neutrality double input level. The production and consumption processes are considered in the new economic system in this paper, the production of green low-carbon goods is considered in the production sector and the technical equation under carbon neutrality double input level is studied, the consumption process of green goods affected by environment and carbon emissions is considered in the household, then the household utility function is constructed, and the new growth rate is obtained. Using carbon emissions growth rate of green low-carbon goods and its relationship with absorption rate derive the carbon neutrality realization regulation. Then the general equilibrium solution and growth rate under endogenous growth driven by carbon neutrality double input level are also obtained. Furthermore, the carbon neutrality effects which are the endogenous effect of carbon neutrality double input level and the effect of carbon neutrality realization regulation are obtained by numerical simulation and empirical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, various environmental issues associated with plastics have become well documented, spurring a growing volume of research on the barriers, drivers, and solutions related to the development and commercialization of sustainable—bio-based, biodegradable and circular—plastics. However, a systemic perspective that addresses the complex interdependencies across the value chain has so far been missing from the analysis. Based on a qualitative study covering the entire plastics value chain in Finland and Northern Europe, this paper addresses the research gap with two main findings. First, the paper identifies three core conundrums that describe the complex and interrelated nature of technological, operational, economic, and societal factors, which are inhibiting the transition to sustainable plastics at three critical junctures of the value chain. Second, the findings describe four solution mechanisms, which suggest that the value chain actors need to shift (i) from the supply of bulk materials to material solutions; (ii) from firm-centric material development to cross-tier collaboration; (iii) from price competition to competition on sustainability benefits; and (iv) from isolated technologies to infrastructure development. These findings extend our understanding of the systemic challenges for the transition to a sustainable plastics economy and shed new light on the ways in which companies can address the challenges for a system-wide impact. • The environmental problems associated with plastics are well documented. • Transition to sustainable plastics economy requires systemic changes. • Systemic change calls for new types of offerings and value chain roles for actors. • Sustainability values should be leveraged in market competition. • Collaborative infrastructure development is a prerequisite for systemic transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Product longevity is an important part of the circular economy discussion, contributing to global sustainable development. However, practicing and adopting product longevity remain challenging. Currently, the literature primarily focuses on various proposals and strategies that could lead to an increase in the longevity of products. However, adopting product longevity in practice demands an overview of barriers that must be accounted for before appropriate strategies and proposals can be selected and implemented. Until now, such an overview of the barriers for longevity is largely undefined. This paper contributes by identifying 14 distinct barriers that are likely to obstruct companies from introducing long-lasting products, to challenge their product development or to make it difficult for consumers to keep or maintain their products for a long time. In this paper, a comprehensive review provides a list of barriers that have been identified through the existing literature across three perspectives: 1) companies and manufacturers, 2) designers, engineers and developers and 3) customers/consumers and users. A systematic search revealed 4204 academic papers that relate to the topic. After reviewing the titles, abstracts and keywords of these papers, a total of 143 papers combined with additional 62 articles identified through snowballing and post-identification were identified as eligible to constitute the foundation of this review. From these, a list of 14 product longevity barriers was created. The result is a unique identification and overview of barriers to product longevity as well as a categorisation of these barriers with respect to stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This empirically-based paper examines how sustainability is implemented in tourism destination management organizations. By positing a conceptual model for sustainability implementation that is grounded in the academic literature and assessed in light of the empirical findings of the study presented here, this paper combines two strands of academic inquiry. Works on sustainability and its implementation offer the theoretical and practical context; implementation theory from the political sciences provides the conceptual context. Twenty interviews with 22 destination managers in nature-based tourism destinations in the Tyrolean Oberland and the South Island of New Zealand form the empirical basis of our study. Implementation processes are found to be non-linear and non-synchronous. Discretion of individuals and communication between destination stakeholders are decisive factors that influence implementation processes. Destination managers associate a wide range of projects with sustainability, and they prioritize implementing projects for economic sustainability. Sustainability successes as measured against SDGs 8 and 12 lack in concrete and holistic measures. • Sustainability implementation processes are non-linear and non-synchronous. • The different stages of implementation are subject to different external drivers. • Stakeholder communication and discretion affect all stages of implementation. • Destination managers associate numerous and different projects with sustainability. • Destination managers prioritize implementing economic sustainability projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability curriculum in higher education is a crucial lever for building capabilities and knowledge for graduates to address the interconnected social, ecological and economic challenges of the 21st century in their professional, and personal lives. A body of theory exists describing elements of good practice learning and teaching for sustainability in higher education which is accompanied by a small range of case studies reporting on sustainability courses and educational initiatives being undertaken in universities around the world. Often, such studies of practice are informed by post-hoc measures of effectiveness, rather than thorough evaluation frameworks informed by theories of good practice sustainability education and educational research methods. This paper aims to explore the lived experience of the theory of good practice learning and teaching for Sustainability Education using a holistic methodological framework. This paper firstly presents the theory of good practice learning and teaching for sustainability and summarises this in the Good Practice Learning and Teaching for Sustainability Education (GPLTSE) framework. This framework is then applied to the learning and teaching practices and student experiences of one undergraduate course in the built environment discipline that seeks to apply best practice educational approaches in course design and delivery. Using qualitative data collected from a mixed-methods case study of the course, along with the GPLTS framework, this paper highlights key factors enabling student engagement and positive learning experiences in this first-year undergraduate course. The findings have implications for pedagogy and also course evaluation approaches that aim to understand learning outcomes. • The Good Practice Learning and Teaching for Sustainability Education (GPLTSE) framework is presented. • The GPLTSE framework is used to explore an undergraduate built environment course with a focus on sustainability. • Key factors enabling student engagement and positive learning experiences are highlighted. • Implications for pedagogy and course evaluation approaches are discussed in the context of sustainability education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the air quality of most cities in Henan Province is seriously polluted. This will do great harm to people's health and the sustainable development of society. In order to solve this situation and improve the air quality of Henan Province, it is necessary to make effective forecast for the future air quality. After comprehensive consideration of various prediction models, combined with the characteristics of air quality, this paper selects the grey model as the research tool. In order to improve the prediction accuracy of the model, a compound accumulative grey model is proposed in this paper. It has been proved that the accuracy of this model is higher than that of other models. The study found that the concentration of SO 2 and NO 2 in 18 cities in Henan province will continue to decline, reaching the first-level standard. PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations in all cities still exceeded the standard, with some cities exceeding the standard seriously. In the future, the focus of air control in Henan Province should be on PM 2.5 and PM 10. The forecast results can provide reference for related departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper-manufacturing industries utilize rice straw (RS) as raw material, generating huge quantity of black liquor (BL), which should be treated before reaching the environment. BL is mainly rich in organic pollutants that can be utilized to obtain valuable by-products and meet sustainable development goals (SDGs). In this investigation, BL from a paper-making industry was efficiently employed as a substrate for bio-H 2 generation via dark fermentation at pH value of 7.5 and temperature of 35 °C for 14 days, resulting in a hydrogen yield (HY) of 0.579 mol/mol glucose. The HY was substantially increased up to 1.654, 1.908, and 2.187 mol/mol glucose with immobilization of anaerobes on Graphene (GN), hydroxyapatite (HN), and Graphene/hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (GHN). Further, the activities of protein- and carbohydrate-degrading enzymes i.e. protease, α-amylase, xylanase, and CM-cellulase was highly improved. Results were validated with respect to the operational taxonomical unit (OUT) richness estimators (ACE and Chao), diversity indices (Shannon and Simpson), and electron-equivalent and mass balances. The H 2 productivity data were techno-economically assessed for proposing a bioenergy-based project, revealing a payback period of 5.92 y to recoup the initial investment. The findings of this study would promote interaction in the areas of industrialization, pollution prevention, and clean energy production to attain SDGs keys. [Display omitted] • Black liquor from paper manufacturing was used as a substrate for H 2 fermentation. • Graphene/hydroxyapatite nanoparticle supplementation improved H 2 yield by 278%. • OTU alpha diversity indices were enhanced with graphene/hydroxyapatite addition. • Electron-equivalent and COD mass balances assessed H 2 formation pathways. • Sustainable development goal numbers 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, and 14 were attained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic waste represents an opportunity and a challenge for policy decision makers and lately the attention has been focusing on community composting practices identifying the environmental and/or economic aspects. Evidence of citizens' attitudes and preferences is scarce, and this paper aims to fill this gap. The results of a contingent valuation survey in three councils of the Province of Siena, Tuscany (Italy) are reported along with an extended cost-benefit analysis. Results echo previous findings that GHGs emissions and money-saving for all municipalities are positive and encouraging; moreover, our study proves that citizens are keen to switch to the community recycling composter system. Citizens present heterogeneous preferences and accordingly to the current waste management system they might need a small financial compensation to switch in favour of the local community system. [Display omitted] • The paper evaluates environmental and economic sustainability of a community composting system by Contingent Valuation Method. • 92% of citizens are willing to participate in local community recycling of organic waste with minimal monetary compensation. • GHGs accounting and CBA results endorse the community recycling composter as a promising opportunity to reduce waste and recycle resources. • Cost-Benefit Analysis shows a net positive revenue for the community compost system. • Results support a switch towards local recycling facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2012, France has been engaged in its energy and environmental policy transformation. The legislative framework for this change is the Energy transition for green growth Act. The policy on energy transition and sustainable development is carried out at the local level by the regions which rely on their territories. This paper aims to provide a useful tool to policy-makers in order to monitor sustainable development and energy transition policies in Norman territories. This first part of the research provides the evaluation's framework through an Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Index. The methodological strategy is based on a systematic literature survey on both academic work related to energy transition and sustainable development and the Normady's sustainable development and energy transition policies. Based on literature review, the study identified six policy-packages in which policy-makers may act: The "environment and resources use", the "sustainable territories and mobility", the "energy security and transition", the "economic dynamics", the "governance dimension" and the "social dimension". The index is built using the budget allocation process approach. Strengths and weaknesses of the index are clearly identified and highlighted in order to warn future users of the tool the cautions they should take in the implementation of the index, including challenges to make data available for such an implementation. • The paper evaluates France's energy transition Policy at the Normandy region level. • A local index of energy transition and sustainable development is constructed. • Three profiles of territories are identified: Leading, intermediate and timid transition territories. • Six policy-packages in which policy-makers may act are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital economy is becoming increasingly important in the field of carbon governance. However, there is little literature examining the relationship between the digital economy and clean energy development. This paper aims to fill this gap by exploring the relationship between the digital economy and clean energy and its spatial effects. We explored the effects of the digital economy using adouble fixed effects model and a spatial econometric model using 276 cities in China from 2011 to 2019 as the original data. We find that the digital economy can drive clean energy development. Technological innovation and city bank loans play an important mediating role in this. Second, we find that market-driven amplifies the positive effects of the digital economy compared with government intervention, and the effects of the digital economy are different under different regions. Finally, we find that the digital economy can drive clean energy not only in local cities, but also indirectly in neighboring cities. These facts suggest that the digital economy is an important way to drive clean energy development and thus effectively achieve sustainable development. Our study provides new ideas for building digital economy and clean energy development in emerging developing countries such as China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing global population is putting stress on the food system. On-farm technologies to close resource loops will play a role in increasing food production without stressing natural resources. What are these applied on-farm circular technologies and what impact do they have on the food system? This paper develops a framework for defining the potential of on-farm circular technologies for benefits across multiple spatial scales. It then applies the framework to Uruguay to examine what economic and environmental benefits on-farm circular technologies, namely biomass for nutrient cycling (manure management) and on-farm water cycling, can have at multiple spatial scales – on-farm, regionally and nationally. Using data from a government program in Uruguay's most important watershed, the work shows that investments in on-farm manure management technologies yield economic and sustainability benefits that are unequally distributed across scales (Figure 1). It demonstrates that famers only receive a small percentage (16% on average) of the total benefits yielded by manure management and on-farm water cycling technologies, while most benefits (84% on average) occur at regional level. The analysis by technology demonstrates that the benefits of technologies also depend on how they are combined. For example, installing only a waste management pool on-farm increases the GHG emissions, while installing a waste management pool combined with a separator decreases the GHG emissions and magnifies the benefits of reduced water pollution. These findings raise questions regarding whether these technologies should be subsidized since most benefits occur beyond the farm level to the benefit of society. This has implications for how governments and private actors co-finance on-farm technologies to make farming practices more circular and sustainable. [Display omitted] • On-farm circular technologies help decrease the negative impacts of agriculture. • Investing in circular technologies has economic benefits at multiple spatial scales. • Effluent management technologies vary in distribution of economic benefits. • Combining public and private resources can maximize circular investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, organizations realized the importance of sustainability in concern with their business activities. They found out that they should focus on other aspects such as environmental and social and economic sustainability. Lately, Sustainable Human Resource Management (SHRM) is introduced as an instrument to indicate that HRM can affect the sustainable development and resource preservation of organizations. Despite that, SHRM and its related subjects are still in an emerging phase. The present study aims to propose a comprehensive approach to examine the main important factors of SHRM. To do so, a survey approach with the literature review interviewsview with experts is carried out to classify, rank, and evaluate the key SHRM factors in the manufacturing companies in Ecuador. In order to assess and prioritize the factors and the alternatives, this paper introduces a new approach using an integrated Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA)- Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method on the Pythagorean fuzzy sets (PFSs) setting called the PF-SWARA-TOPSIS method. To do this, we extend the SWARA method to identify and rank the SHRM factors by using PFSs. Afterward, to assess and prioritize the alternatives, this study utilizes the TOPSIS approach under PFSs. Next, to show the efficacy and applicability of the developed framework, a real case study of the SHRM problem is discussed on PFSs. Furthermore, this study performs a sensitivity investigation over diverse sets of criteria weights to illustrate the advantages of the proposed methodology. The investigation results demonstrate that the green work-life balance was ranked as the first factor by following corporate social responsibility, green employee relations, and business process redesign factors. Finally, the results of this study found that the developed approach has high efficacy and capability to handle the SHRM problem in manufacturing companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food waste reduction at consumer end and balanced, sustainable healthy dietary choices featuring less meat and less processed food have clear climate change mitigation benefits. This paper synthesises the existing body of literature (2015 to 2022) following systematic evidence search and screening using Scopus database and Google Scholar to explore the link of these two demand side mitigation options with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Assessment shows that these mitigation options not only have synergies with energy saving (SDG 7) goal but are intricately linked with awareness and educational programmes (SDG 4 and SDG 12) along with technological solutions/innovation (SDG 9), much broader innovative policy designs (SDG 16) going beyond market incentives, and involvement of multiple social actors (SDG 17). In aggregate, synergies with the SDGs outweigh trade-offs. Trade-offs can be addressed through policy measures, strategic information sharing, creating partnerships among social actors. Specific interventions related to these two demand-side mitigation options are categorised using ' Avoid', 'Shift' and 'Improve' framework. This framework helps in categorising interventions/policy measures leading to various levels of emission reduction: incremental reduction through 'Shift' and 'Improve' interventions and absolute reduction through 'Avoid' interventions. A total of 92 interventions are identified. We summarised the social actors involved in implementing these interventions for each of the ' Avoid', 'Shift' and 'Improve' categories and outlined the scope for future research. • 92 interventions in reducing food waste and changing dietary choices are identified. • Interventions either help to 'Avoid' , 'Shift' or 'Improve' in emissions. • Interventions need to come from a wide variety of social actors to drive final behavioural change. • Food related demand side mitigation options advance SDGs but also have some trade-offs. • Food related demand side mitigation options have strong positive link with SDGs 4, 16 and 17. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic digestion of bioplastics' wastes may represent a valuable disposal strategy for these important substitutes for plastics, in order to reduce their leakage into the environment and to produce bioenergy in the form of biomethane, contributing positively to the sustainability of the entire bioplastics' life chain. Only lab-scale data about bioplastics' anaerobic degradability and biomethane production have been produced until now, using approaches far from full-scale conditions. This paper presents a novel approach in studying the potential of bioplastics to produce biomethane because a pioneering methodology was adopted, allowing acquisition of full-scale data that can be useful to further attest environmental and economic sustainability in recovering bioplastics' wastes. A simple and replicable experimental approach was proposed to studying bioplastic degradability during anaerobic digestion, which consisted of placing the bioplastics into a full-scale digester within perforated steel boxes. Three different bioplastics items (one starch-based and two polylactic-acid based) were co-digested with organic wastes in a real anaerobic digestion plant using the real process parameters (thermophilic temperature for 30 days of hydraulic retention time followed by 30 days of mesophilic maturation). The experiments were replicated at laboratory-scale to evaluate the potential for biomethane recovery from bioplastics degradation. Laboratory-scale data did not differ from the data coming from the full-scale experiment, i.e., bioplastic degradation was not affected by the reactor volume. Bioplastics showed an average degradation of 27 ± 5% on a weight basis and a different degradation mechanism for the two types studied was found through Fourier Transform-InfraRed spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. Starch-based bioplastics showed a quick consumption of the starch component, followed by a slow degradation of the polyester fraction. Polylactic acid bioplastics were degraded without chemical changes to their composition. In both laboratory-scale and full-scale experiments, temperature was a key parameter affecting bioplastics' degradation, i.e., thermophilic temperatures were needed to obtain a significant degradation. Biomethane potential determination of the bioplastics (135 ± 23 NLCH 4 kg Volatile Solids−1 as average at the end of the thermophilic digestion) proved that anaerobic digestion of bioplastics may be a sustainable approach, reducing bioplastic leakage and producing bioenergy (biogas), respecting Circular Economy principles. Anaerobic digestion may represent a valorisation treatment for bioplastics' wastes contributing positively to the sustainability of the entire bioplastics' life chain. [Display omitted] • First assessment of bioplastics' anaerobic degradation using a full-scale approach. • Starch-based and polylactic acid-based bioplastics degrade differently during AD. • Bioplastics' anaerobic degradation may enhance biomethane production from AD plant. • AD of bioplastics can avoid their leakage into natural environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale seaweed aquaculture in the ocean is being pursued globally as a solution to many contemporary challenges, including climate change, food security, and ecosystem degradation. However, the required development and transformation of marine systems for farming may have unknown implications for sustainability objectives, such as those outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of this paper is to outline the opportunities for, and threats from, seaweed farming in the context of sustainability. We synthesise the perspectives of expert stakeholders from multiple sectors through a series of Australian workshops to catalogue the pathways through which seaweed farming may affect sustainability, giving specific focus to the SDGs. In doing so, this study illustrates that seaweed farming has the potential to influence, to some degree, the majority of SDGs, with both positive and negative influences. Indeed, seaweed farming is most likely to benefit progress towards achieving SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), 12 (Sustainable Production and Consumption), and 15 (Life on Land). But expectations of seaweed farming may also fall short for supporting some goals if appropriate measures are not implemented to mitigate potential impacts, most notably SDG 14 (Life Below Water). We underscore that seaweed farming has the potential to contribute to sustainable development, and that this potential can only be realised with appropriate regulation and mitigation to avoid unwanted negative outcomes. Better identification and management of trade-offs between these potential positive and negative outcomes across sustainability domains, will be critical for realising the full potential of seaweed aquaculture for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling carbon emissions and sustaining growth constitute essential concerns in the post-financial crisis era combined with low-carbon sustainable development. However, the impact of financial development on carbon emissions remains controversial and lacks mechanisms investigation covering finance spatial attributes. Relying on China province's data during 2005–2019, this paper contributes to the literature by constructing multi-spatial models to investigate how financial geo-density mitigates carbon emission intensity and explore the spatial transmission mechanisms. The results reveal that there is a balance between financial geo-density and carbon emission intensity. The intrinsic mechanisms include: (1) raising financial geo-density is accompanied by the law of marginal diminishing carbon emission intensity tendency; (2) high financial geo-density accelerates technological innovation and industrial structure upgrading, thereby decreasing carbon emission intensity, but drives industrial-scale expansion, thereby increasing carbon emission intensity; and (3) financial institution competition and inter-industry linkage notably influence the relationship between financial geo-density and carbon emission intensity, promoting the emission reduction effect of financial geo-density in accelerating technological innovation and industrial structure upgrading, and suppressing the emission increase effect of financial geo-density in driving industrial expansion. Our findings provide new insights for developing systemic emission reduction policies for employing financial sectors as catch-all and integrating industries and competition. • Mechanism analysis of financial geo-density affects carbon emission intensity (IC). • Propose an integrated spatial model including spatial mediated moderating effects. • Financial geo-density drives IC by industrial-scale expansion. • Reduce IC by technological innovation and industrial upgrading. • Financial institution rivalry and inter-industry link mitigate total driven effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate forecasting results of hydropower consumption will help the energy sectors to make plans for sustainable development. Due to the obvious complex and nonlinear characteristics in hydropower consumption, a conformable fractional grey model with a flexible structure is developed in this paper. The flexible structure will enhance the grey model's ability to forecast the data with nonlinear and complex features. Specifically, the structure of the novel model is flexible, which is selected on the basis of raw data automatically while avoiding overfitting. To further improve the forecasting accuracy, the conformable fractional operators are considered to reveal the historical evolution in the raw data. And the unbiased parameters are derived to avoid the inherent conversion errors in the traditional grey model. For validation,the novel model is compared with six grey models in three practical examples. The comparative models include five grey models with fixed structures and the latest fractional grey model with a variable structure. The results show that the novel model has the highest accuracy in the three examples. Then, based on the data from 2004 to 2020, the novel model is applied to forecast China's hydropower consumption from 2021 to 2023. The results show an upward trend in the next three years, reaching 3307.65 TWh in 2023. However, the annual growth rate will drop to 0.29% in 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon emission trading scheme (ETS) is an important market-based tool for achieving carbon neutrality. The existing research on the policy effect of ETS focuses on emission reduction effect and economic effect respectively. In view of this, based on the connotations of green development, we embed fairness toward the environment into the green development system to construct a balanced green development index to measure two dimensions, namely, efficiency and fairness. Theoretically understand the synergistic development effect of economic growth and ecological environment quality produced by the implementation of ETS, and analyze the impact of carbon market on balanced green development. A multiperiod difference-in-differences (DID) model explores the impact of China's carbon ETS on the green equilibrium level by using Chinese provincial panel data for the period 2008–2018. First, the results demonstrate that China's balanced green development level is weakly coordinated overall and there is a global spatial agglomeration effect. Second, the carbon ETS has significantly improved the level of balanced green development which promotes the degree of coordination between green economic growth and environmental fairness, offering an effective path that includes efficiency and fairness for green development. Third, there are regional differences in the impact of the carbon ETS on green equilibrium levels. The effect on the western region of China was significantly higher than that of the central and eastern regions of China. Compared with the existing research, the study breaks the single research perspective. From the perspective of efficiency and fairness, we propose improvements in the construction of a national unified carbon emissions trading market to strengthen the balanced green development. This paper provides a theoretical basis and policy reference for deepening China's green and high-quality development under the "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" goal. [Display omitted] • Evaluation system of Balanced Green Development Index is constructed. • The system was applied to balance green economic growth with environmental equity. • Emission trading scheme has significantly improved the level of balanced green development. • The promotion effect is more obvious in western China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of the carbon trading system has a great impact on all aspects of the economy and society. Agriculture, which accounts for 34% of global carbon emissions, has also been hit hard as a high carbon emitting industry (Crippa M, 2021). This study uses agricultural green total factor productivity as an important indicator of agricultural green sustainable development, and analyzes the impact of China's carbon trading system on agricultural green total factor productivity, which can provide a reference for other countries that want to improve agricultural sustainable development and implement carbon trading. In this paper, the producer theory is used to build the basic model, and the differences-in-differences (DID) method is used to analyze the provincial data samples in China from 2000 to 2020. It is found that: the implementation of carbon trading pilot policy has a significant promotion effect on agricultural green total factor productivity; and after the implementation of carbon trading policy, with the advancement of time, under the constraint of reducing carbon quota, the promotion effect of agricultural green total factor productivity becomes stronger and stronger. Even in the regions without carbon trading pilot program, the policy spillover effect will also be obvious and promote the development of green total factor productivity of agriculture in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reorienting teacher education should be placed at the heart of reorienting education towards sustainable development. This requires that teacher education institutes reorient and redefine their outcome standards as well as redesign their training programs accordingly to incorporate and implement Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Although many efforts have been made to promote ESD in teacher training, little information is available regarding to what extent ESD is integrated in teacher training programs or curricula. This study examines how ESD is incorporated in teacher training programs in terms of learning content, learning outcomes and didactic approach, through analyzing 429 course syllabi offered by the Hanoi National University of Education (HNUE) in Vietnam. HNUE training programs were found to contain some elements of ESD but they lack coherence or systematic inclusion. The results suggest needed strategic changes at organizational (university) and individual (instructor) levels to improve ESD in teacher education. This paper contributes to the discussion on the implementation of a holistic curricular assessment approach for three aspects of ESD (learning content, learning outcomes and didactic approach) and highlights the ongoing need for improving curricular assessment strategies for sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of green finance on green innovation, focusing on their spatial and non-linear relationships. Using panel data of 30 provinces of China during the period of 2009–2017, a green finance index is constructed, and the spatial Durbin model and panel threshold model are used. The results reveal that: (1) Green finance and green innovation had significant positive autocorrelation, and the development of green finance in provinces of central and western China were still in the lower-level range. (2) The coefficients of the direct effect and indirect effect of green finance on green innovation were significantly positive, which indicated that green finance was conducive to enhancing green innovation in local and adjacent provinces during the research period. (3) Double threshold effects of green finance on green innovation were observed, which demonstrated that the driving effect of green finance was decreased with the raising of intensity of environmental regulation. The implication of these results is that government should make full use of the radiation and trickle-down functions of green finance and green innovation to narrow regional gaps in sustainable development while maintaining a moderate intensity of environmental regulation. • A green finance index of 30 provinces of China during the period of 2009 to 2017 was constructed on the basis of green credit, green securities, green insurance, and green investment. • The heterogeneity of region and time for green finance were analyzed employing the spatial exploratory analysis, which manifested that the spatial evolution of green finance in China presents a gradient decreasing pattern from east to west. • The impact of green finance on green innovation was explored by the spatial Durbin model, which proved that the direct effect and the spatial spillover effect were significantly positive. • Moderate intensity of environmental regulation helps green finance promote green innovation and this value should not exceed a maximum of 0.935. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a shopping mall, it's a common phenomenon that brands enter and exit. Studying the brand's entry and connection in the mall's ecological chain is an important factor in judging whether the brand can develop sustainably in the mall. Based on the analysis of 724,685 consumers' consumption data from one International Shopping Center in Shanghai, China, this paper conducts the social network analysis, builds a brand network map, and examines brand connection through visual analysis and cohesion subgroup analysis. Empirical results indicate that brand awareness, product category, brand positioning, and consumer characteristics are the major factors that influence brand connection. The sensitivity analysis is further conducted based on the singular value decomposition (SVD). Furthermore, these four factors have a positive impact on the sustainable development of the brand after entering and a mathematical model is established to determine whether a brand should be settled in a certain shopping mall. This research is the first to study the factors affecting the sustainable development of brands in the shopping mall ecological chain. Using big data technology to provide brand selection guidance for shopping malls from a micro perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new form of industrial organization, there is still a lack of research on how industrial symbiotic agglomeration affects green economic growth. To fill this research gap, this paper analyzes the impact mechanism of industrial symbiotic agglomeration on green economic growth from the perspective of energy efficiency, waste recycling, and green technology innovation. Based on the data of Chinese cities from 2004 to 2019, we use the spatial difference-in-differences approach for empirical testing. The research concludes: (1) Industrial symbiotic agglomeration can both significantly promote green economic growth and have a spillover effect on neighboring cities. (2) The specific spillover effects are divided into three cases. Diffusion effect (within 150 km), siphon effect (150 km–750 km), no significant spatial effect (over 750 km). (3) The promotion and spillover effects of industrial symbiotic agglomeration on green economic growth can only be brought into full play when a certain threshold is reached. The local promotion effect requires the area of the symbiotic agglomeration area to be greater than 106 km2, while the spillover effect requires a larger scale (greater than 393.2 km2) for it to manifest itself. This has theoretical and practical significance for promoting green growth and achieving sustainable development through symbiotic agglomeration. • For the first time, we analyze the impact mechanism of industrial symbiotic agglomeration on green economic growth from the perspectives of energy efficiency, waste recycling and green technology innovation. • For the first time, the impact of industrial symbiotic agglomeration on green economic growth is quantitatively analyzed. Industrial symbiotic agglomeration can both significantly promote green economic growth and have a spillover effect on neighboring cities. • The specific spillover effects are divided into three cases. Diffusion effect (within 150 km), siphon effect (150 km-750 km), no significant spatial effect (over 750 km). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore whether the female share on the boards of directors of companies influences CO2 emissions in both developed and emerging markets. Furthermore, the influence of cultural diversity on the board of directors on CO2 emissions is analysed. A sample of companies belonging to the MSCI and MSCI Emerging Market indices in Europe over ten years (2010–2019) was analysed using regression models with panel data. The results demonstrate that in both developed and developing markets, the ratio of women to men on the board of directors is inversely related to the company's CO2 emissions, which support legitimacy theory in two aspects: it fulfils the right to equality and non-discrimination for women, and it also reduces CO2 emissions. In general, cultural diversity had a negative influence on CO2 emissions. This research is relevant for policymakers and managers seeking to improve sustainability and equality policies in companies. If gender equality in corporate monitoring roles is environmentally beneficial for the planet, legislators will support quota policies. In addition, shareholders will have an incentive to implement gender equality policies, as they will legitimise the company in the eyes of society, which has economic benefits. On a practical level, this work will contribute to achieving gender equality in corporate governance and improve the understanding of factors influencing CO2 emissions to the environment. This study contributes to previous research since it is the first time that developed and emerging countries have been analysed with the same methodology in relation to gender and CO2 emissions. Moreover, this research differentiates between emission-sensitive and insensitive sectors, and it is the only study to carry out a sector-by-sector and a country-by-country analysis. Furthermore, cultural diversity on corporate boards has been scarcely studied so far in relation to CO2 emissions. • Gender diversity on boards of directors is associated to lower CO2 emissions. • Cultural diversity on boards of directors is positively related to CO2 emissions. • Improving gender balances on board of directors is a sustainable strategy. • Gender equality policies on corporate boards favor climate action and life on land. • Legal gender quotas on corporate boards contribute to good health and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of industrial and commercial activities in developing countries has increased the amount of waste generated by economic activities, which has generated environmental problems due to the complexity of waste management. Due to the economic, environmental, social, and sustainability implications, proper waste management has become a worldwide concern. In response to this problem, strategies have been implemented to develop clean energy, improve the efficiency of industrial resources, and recycle and reuse materials. As a result, the concept of industrial symbiosis (IS) has emerged as a strategy for waste utilization in a productive chain, based on physical exchanges of waste and materials, which finds ways to use the waste from one industry as inputs or raw materials for the other, all supported by business collaboration. This work aims to identify the opportunities and challenges that emerging and frontier countries have for waste utilization through the IS approach through a literature review. The needs that triggered the IS and how researchers materialized this approach to integrate the harnessing resources and materials in economic activities were identified. This paper identifies how emerging and frontier countries realize solid waste management through IS, and highlights opportunities for governments, researchers, and stakeholders to make effective decisions to achieve sustainable development, reduce environmental concerns and address current waste management issues. The literature review identified IS as an excellent way to dispose of and use the solid waste but also showed that emerging and frontier countries face many challenges in solid waste management due to the lack of policies focused on sustainability, lack of communication and trust among stakeholders, low use of technology in the industrial sector and technical barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Belt deviation is one of the most common faults of belt conveyors. Its occurrence not only causes materials to be scattered and affect the environment but also results in abnormal wear of equipment and increased energy consumption, which severely affects the green production and sustainable development of enterprises. Therefore, the rapid and timely detection of the deviation state of conveyor belts is of great significance for ensuring the safe and efficient operation of transportation systems. In view of the disadvantages of the available technology in terms of detection speed, a novel conveyor belt deviation monitoring method based on deep learning is proposed in this paper, which is realized by improving the output results of a general target detection network, YOLOv5, such that the network is enhanced with the ability to detect straight lines instead of bounding box, which effectively solves the problem of rapid feature extraction and deviation judgment of the edges of the conveyor belt of a belt conveyor against a complex background. Experiments show that the proposed method balances detection accuracy and speed, with a detection accuracy of up to 90% and a detection speed of up to 67 frames per second (FPS), and shows good real-time performance. The method greatly simplifies the process of straight-line feature extraction in complex environments, helps realize the intellectualization of conveyors, and achieves unmanned operation and energy savings in coal mines to realize green, energy-saving, and sustainable development while ensuring safe and efficient transportation. • General target detection network-based straight line detection method. • Efficient conveyor belt edge detection under complex scenes. • New detection method of belt deviation to ensure safe and clean transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enterprise's financing response to the green credit policy is of great significance. It is related to whether green finance can successfully accelerate enterprises' technological upgrading and transformation. Based on Propensity Score Matching-Difference in Difference (PSM-DID) model, this paper studies the impact of green credit policy on financing behavior of the heavily-polluting listed companies in China from 2008 to 2020. The results show that the illiquid debt financing behavior of heavily-polluting enterprises has a clear downward trend since China's "Green Credit Guidelines" were implemented, while liquid debt and commercial credit, as alternative financing methods for enterprises, have increased significantly. Through further analysis, we found that state-owned enterprises (SOE) are more affected by green credit policy than non-state-owned enterprises (NSOE), and companies in regions with a lower green development index are more affected by green credit policy than companies in higher green developing regions. Although China's green credit policy has a certain inhibitory effect on the illiquid debts financing behavior of heavily-polluting enterprises, it has failed to allocate the capital flow effectively due to the firm-level alternative financing response to the green credit policy. From the managerial significance of the policy, the signal guidance of green finance needs to be strengthened for enterprises. [Display omitted] • Explore the impact on financing behavior of green credit policy. • Green credit policy is effective in reducing the illiquid debt of heavily-polluting enterprises. • Green credit policy has led to an increase in alternative financing for enterprises. • Explore the impact of green credit policies on different green development index regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industry 4.0 has already become part of the world's largest manufacturers and is beginning to influencing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through the supply chain. High-tech industries, such as pharmaceuticals, electronic equipment, aircraft manufacturing, etc., will be the first to face technological transformation. To this end, it becomes relevant to assess the sustainability of the technological development of SMEs as a factor of their successful digital transformation. This paper fills a gap in the study of such development as it pertains to Russian high-tech SMEs. Based on a critical literature review, we propose a new approach to assessing the sustainable technological development of these industries. The approach is distinguished by the use of a set of five indicators highlighted during the literature review, which can be quantified based on financial statements. The choice of variables is justified by their compliance with the specifics of industrial SMEs and KMO and Bartlett tests. We empirically tested the selected indicators using a sample of 7980 enterprises in two high-tech industries: Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE). We concluded that the larger the business, the higher the sustainability of its technological development. At the same time, SMEs have two key advantages in the implementation of technological development – a decrease in resource costs of production, flexibility in asset management and gross profit. The proposed approach allows us to identify promising high-tech SMEs for the transition to Industry 4.0 technologies. Our research will be useful both for private enterprises when searching for technologically promising contractors and for public authorities when analyzing and selecting enterprises for pilot digital transformation. [Display omitted] • Assessing the sustainability of the high-tech industries small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). • The larger the business, the higher the sustainability of its technological development. • SMEs implement technological development to yield decrease in resource costs of production. • SMEs implement technological development to yield flexibility in asset management, and gross profit. • This approach identifies promising high-tech SMEs for the transition to Industry 4.0 technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development has become a major topic as the impacts of human actions on the environment have increasingly dramatic consequences. This article describes and analyses a case of organizing for sustainable development that involved multiple social actors working in a participatory way. The research focuses on a project that aimed to define guidelines for carrying out large-scale engineering and construction ventures in the Amazon. It was conducted by a Brazilian research center and an international development agency. The field research included interviews with project leaders, extensive document analysis and nonparticipant observation. As a theoretical lens, we used the concept of territorial governance, from which we created propositions on how interventions should work. Based on these propositions and additional literature on social-ecological systems, an evaluation of the project is presented. We found the elements that were vital to the short-term success of the project, i.e., the skills of the change agents, the reputation of their organizations, and the social technology employed. We also found that less attention to public policies might weaken its long-term prospects. This work advances the knowledge on alternative modes of organizing for sustainability. Additionally, the paper emphasizes the concept of territorial governance, which offers opportunities for engaged scholars interested in tackling grand challenges. • In the Amazon the tension between conservation and development manifests in full. • Large-scale projects in the Amazon fail to generate benefits for the populations. • The use of guidelines may enhance the chance of success for sustainable projects. • The concept of territorial governance may guide sustainable development projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how green marketing innovations have been co-created by Brazilian organic cotton ecosystem participants, in order to understand how they develop green marketing innovation strategies together. Organic cotton in Brazil shows how initiatives and programs that act above commercial interests could offer guidance and promote cohesion in the ecosystem. To discuss how collaborative achievements and green marketing strategies can impact innovation, a case study on the Brazilian organic cotton ecosystem was conducted. Results showed that the evolution of organic cotton was based on the initiative of designers and branded producers, and on a network that includes Brazilian R&D institutions, international and Brazilian non-governmental organisations (NGOs), smallholders' associations, and the government. Their joint effort built the ecosystem and led smallholders to adopt sustainable agroecological practices such as rainfed crops, soil nutrition, biodiversity maintenance, and integrated fibre and food crop production. The outcomes of those initiatives are enhanced production, expanding market opportunities, and better social and economic conditions for families in rural areas. For the advance of knowledge about green marketing, this paper offers a perspective that includes a marketing pillar and an ecosystem pillar. [Display omitted] • Collaboration surrounds various opportunities for green marketing innovations. • Organic/agroecological cotton projects allow stakeholders value co-creation. • Joint marketing actions include private/public sectors, communities and NGOs. • Fashion brands and R&D institutions articulate smallholders and multi-partners. • Brazilian organic cotton synergies enhance the ecosystem potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasing awareness and sensitivity towards the environmental and economic sustainability issues, the concrete industry has to deliver innovative solutions, in terms of materials, products and structural concepts, to achieve higher durability of engineering feats in real service scenarios. The inclusion of SuperAbsorbent Polymers (SAPs) into the concrete mix, can not only stimulate the autogenous crack healing, but is also able to reduce the shrinkage cracking through internal curing. In this paper, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis have been performed to assess both the ecological and economic profile, in real scale, of conventional reinforced concrete structures, made with concrete containing SAPs, in comparison to a reference solution without any addition. For this purpose, the corrosion of reinforcement has been regarded as the main degradation mechanism and different corrosion models have been considered and combined with the structural analysis principles to obtain reliable Service Life (SL) estimations. Four different scenarios, with a SL ranging from 50 up to 100 years, have been analyzed to assess the potential benefits of a wall, cast with SAP-containing concrete (Wall_SAP). Both Wall_SAP and a reference wall without SAP (Wall_Ref) are subjected to the concrete cover replacement as main maintenance activity while for the Wall_Ref also the crack filling by means of polyurethane resin is considered as an option (Wall_Resin). The adopted CML impact-assessment method, developed by the Center of Environmental Science of Leiden University, shows the advantage of using SAPs, since the environmental burdens were reduced up to 20% in the case of Fresh Water Aquatic Ecotoxicity impact category in comparison to the reference for the fourth scenario. In this scenario a hemispherical corrosion pit model for the steel bars and a service life of 100 years were taken into account. Furthermore, the economic assessment developed for the same scenario, pointed out for the SAPs based solution, there identified as Wall_SAP_M2_100, a consistent reduction in terms of costs up to 14% if compared to the reference, there named as Wall_Ref_M2_100. The outcomes definitely highlight the potential of the analyzed technology that can fulfil the future needs of the stakeholders involved in the construction sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Better digging the sustainable development path of the top five energy consumers (China, the United States, India, Japan and Russia) can serve both domestic economy and global economy to achieve coordinated development with the ever-increasing energy demand. This work has made the following efforts: (1) the Tapio decoupling model was employed to determine the decoupling states between energy consumption and economy; (2) based on the extended Kaya formula and the LMDI method, this work focused on measuring the impact of technological factors and urbanization factor on energy consumption; (3) the LMDI method and the Tapio decoupling model were combined to measure the impact degree of influencing factors on decoupling indicators. The main findings show that from 2001 to 2018: (1) Japan was the country with the most year of strong decoupling, followed by the United States, which indicates that the decoupling status of developed countries was better than that of developing countries. (2) The driving forces behind the energy consumption growth are mainly the effects of R&D scale and urbanization, while the main factors that hinder energy consumption growth were technological factors, including energy intensity effect and R&D efficiency effect. (3) Energy intensity effect was the main driving force for the decoupling process, and the R&D efficiency effect was the biggest obstacle to decoupling energy consumption from economic growth. Finally, this paper proposes that the government can give priority to relying on technological innovation to accelerate the development and promotion of energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies. • Exploring the coordinated development path of energy consumption and economic growth in top five energy consumers. • Extending the traditional LMDI method to measure the impact of technological progress and urbanization on energy consumption. • R&D scale and urbanization promote energy consumption growth, while technological progress inhibits energy consumption growth. • Governments can prioritize technological innovation to speed up energy conservation and emissions reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of anaerobic digestion and transesterification technologies to treat food waste avoids the environmental problems associated with other treatment methods and effectively utilizes food waste to produce valuable products for society. However, as the anaerobic mono-digestion of food waste is not as efficient as anaerobic co-digestion of food waste with other substrates, this needs to be considered in food waste treatment system planning. Few studies on the mixed treatment of food waste with other substrates have considered the system from the economic, environmental, and social perspectives. Therefore, this paper comprehensively considered the economic, environmental, and social objectives of food waste treatment systems and developed a multi-objective optimization model to investigate the optimal systems operational strategy for food waste mixed treatment with other substrates by anaerobic co-digestion and transesterification. Uncertainties regarding the source quantities of food waste and substrates are solved in the proposed model using trapezoidal fuzzy numbers, and a case study in China is given to assess the validity and practicality of the proposed model. It was found that different substrate types and different mixing proportions affected the optimal system decisions, environmental and economic objectives were mutually constraining, and there was a positive relationship between the social objectives and the economic and environmental objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development emphasizes the sustainability of natural resources and the environment. Under the background of resource scarcity and environmental constraints, it is of great significance to explore the impacts of the ecological footprint on the resource-rich but unbalanced China's Yangtze River Economic Belt from two perspectives of flow capital occupation and stock capital occupation. This study uses a fixed-effect regression model to investigate the impacts of ecological footprint breadth and depth on sustainable development by the panel data of 108 prefecture-level cities in China's Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2006 to 2018. Further combining the panel threshold regression model results, we identify ecological footprint breadth and depth as having inverted N-shaped and inverted U-shaped relationships with sustainable development. Firstly, there is a double threshold effect between ecological footprint breadth and sustainable development. Then, there is a single threshold effect between ecological footprint depth and sustainable development. When ecological footprint breadth is within the threshold of (0.2802, 0.7997), it is conducive to sustainable development. When ecological footprint depth is less than 2.5404, it is conducive to sustainable development. Secondly, ecological footprint breadth improves sustainable development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt by rationalizing and advancing industrial structure. Ecological footprint depth achieves sustainable development through rationalizing industrial structure. Thirdly, the mechanism of the ecological footprint on sustainable development has regional heterogeneity. Finally, this paper proposes several policy implications for achieving China's sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impact startups are innovative new ventures that diffuse solutions at scale that have a sustainability net benefit. They play an important role in the sustainability transition as actors for the introduction and diffusion of sustainability innovation. While the relevance of new entrants and young ventures has been acknowledged in sustainable entrepreneurship and transition research, it remains unclear how individual startups grow and successfully present their sustainability-oriented market innovations and transform markets towards sustainable development. Referring to this research gap, we concentrate on the subset of growth-oriented impact startups that substitute less sustainable practices through new technologies, products, or services and the factors that influence their growth and sustainability benefits. The paper makes three contributions. First, we provide a conceptual framework for explaining how impact startups contribute to sustainability transition through growth. Second, we show how factors of startup growth and sustainability net benefits can be organized in a taxonomy. Third, based on a systematic literature review we provide an overview of current knowledge about empirically verified factors and enablers of startup growth and sustainability net benefits. By this we can show that there has been limited empirical research on external enablers for the growth of startups and that there is hardly empirical research that explains the sustainability contribution of startups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development proposes to considerably reduce the number of deaths and diseases caused by air pollution. It pays special attention to attaining this via urban air governance and management. Although the development of China's air governance has been a lengthy process, there is no indication of instituting a plan based on land supply (LS) in the foreseeable future. This paper introduces a novel perspective of the role of LS in managing air pollution, and builds a comprehensive analysis framework that includes the quantity, structure, and price of LS for management of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5). The dynamic relationship between LS and PM2.5 is revealed by a panel-data vector autoregression model on a district scale. The study found that: (1) The Central District has the highest average annual PM2.5 concentration in China from the year 2009–2017. (2) The supply of the four types of land—industrial and mining storage land (IMSL), commercial and business facilities land (CBFL), residential land (RL), and other land (OL)—showed increase in the Central District, while only IMSL decreased in the Western District. The supply of IMSL decreased the most in the Northeast District, and in the Eastern District, only the supply of OL increased. (3) In the Northeast District, the quantity, structure, and price of LS have no significant effect on PM2.5 concentration. However, in China, the Eastern District, and Central District, the bidding, auction, and listing prices have a significant negative effect on the PM2.5 concentration. As for the Western District, it exhibits not only the "negative price effect," but also the "negative quantity effect." In future, the government should adopt different strategies: (1) For China, the Eastern District, and Central District, the bidding, auction, and listing prices should be further increased; (2) In the Western District, local government should also focus on expanding the area of LS. • The Central District had highest-risk from PM2.5 pollution. • Only the Central District is increasing the supply of industrial and mining storage land. • Land supply only has a "price effect" on PM2.5 concentration. • For China, Eastern District, and Central District, the bidding, auction, and listing prices should be further increased. • In the Western District, the local government should also focus on expanding the area of LS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the reuse of fibers from textile waste for the development of innovative and sustainable materials applied in the construction field. Currently, managing the high volumes of textile waste produced, and reducing the damage this waste does to the ecosystem, involves finding solutions for its reuse. Meanwhile, the construction sector has a great impact on the environment, and there is an urgent need to design innovative, sustainable building materials to reduce energy consumption and prevent the depletion of resources. In this context, the objective of the MOBIOTEX project is to develop new materials to replace the petrochemical-made vapor-barrier (VB) and rain-screen (RS) generally used in timber-frame construction (TFC). For that, nonwoven (NW) fabrics from textile waste were manufactured. Then, measurements based on standards for VB and RS were carried out on untreated and functionalized NW fabrics, to test their sealing and mechanical properties. Lamination of NW gives satisfactory results and some modified materials meet the requirements for both VB and RS applications and have similar properties as commercial products. These first results are quite promising as they show that, with some treatment, nonwoven from textile waste can be as technically efficient as commercial products. The different processes used during the MOBIOTEX project made it possible to build up the system boundary for the production of functionalized nonwoven in order to carry out future Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and to compare with commercial products' LCA. In a circular economy approach, other characteristics such as durability, fire resistance and recyclability of such materials should be studied and optimized in order to reduce energy consumption and environmental impacts. Still, the main benefit of the developed materials, compared to commercial petrochemical rain-screens and vapor barriers, is on the production of raw materials, because it involves less exploitation of non-renewable resources, as an important part of materials come from waste, and the application in timber-framed construction can be a positive way in which to reuse a non-negligible volume of waste from the textile industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]