Search

As a traditional energy and carbon intensive sector, it becomes imperative for the global paper industry to realize green development. This paper aims to provide guidance for the green transformation of global paper industry by evaluating the global paper industry green development level in a systematic and dynamic way. This paper employs text-mining method to develop paper industry green development evaluation indicator system and adopts market-extended LCA model and entropy-TOPSIS method to calculate the paper industry green development level of 48 countries/regions. The results show that during 2000–2030 the paper industry green development level of developing countries improves faster than developed countries, where those of developing and developed countries increase from 0.3369 to 0.3938 and from 0.5120 to 0.5517 respectively and the gap between them narrows from 0.1751 to 0.1579. The comparative analysis reveals that the paper industries of developed and developing countries are in different green development stages. Developing countries, represented by China, improve greatly in economic and social dimensions, but decline seriously in ecological dimension due to enlarging resource consumption and environmental damages. On the contrary, developed countries tend to saturate in economic and social dimensions and have been improving fast in ecological dimension, gradually realizing the decoupling of industrial economic development and environmental damages. To further promote the global paper industry green development, developing countries should focus on promoting the coordinated development between economic growth and environment protection and developed countries should play a leading role in the global green transformation by promoting optimal allocation of resources and cross-regional communications of green technologies. • A paper industry green development indicator system is developed based on text mining. • A global paper industry green development model is built with market-extended LCA. • Complex interactions among the indicators are internalized in the evaluation. • A spatial-temporal analysis is performed on global paper industry green development level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the complex network of industry space, this paper investigates the industry structure optimization in Jiangxi Province in China. For the prefecture-level cities in Jiangxi Province, the location quotient is applied to obtain the specialized sub-industries. The conditional probability is used to analyze the interdependencies between industries. The complex network of industry space is presented to illustrate the relatedness among industries and analyze the space and structure of the regional overall industry. The index of transitional potential is proposed to measure the potential of a non-specialized industry which will become a specialized one in the future. The transformation difficulty index of industry is obtained to analyze the difficulty level of the transformation of the original specialized industry set to a new specialized one of a city. The results show that more industries have positive than negative interdependencies with one another in Jiangxi Province; rare industries specialize in cities at higher-level GDP, and common industries dominate the cities at lower-level GDP; it is more difficult for rarer non-specialized industries to become specialized ones, more common non-specialized industries can become specialized ones more easily, and the cities with higher GDP can transform industries more easily. By discussing the industries that have positive interdependencies with existing specialized industries, the detailed direction of industry structure optimization is analyzed. Finally, the policy implications are proposed, and these can be applied to other developing countries. • The conditional probability is used to analyze the interdependencies between industries. • The complex network of industry space is presented to illustrate the relatedness among industries. • The index of transitional potential is used to measure the potential of a non-specialized industry becoming specialized. • The transformation difficulty index is the difficulty level of the transformation of the originally specialized industry. • The industry structure can be optimized by developing the industries that have positive interdependencies with existing specialized industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignin is a by-product of paper and timber industry, and it has not been fully utilized in both developed and developing countries. Improper disposal or storage of lignin is not only a waste of natural resources, but also posing significant risk to public health and the environment. Sustainable reuse options for lignin in civil engineering infrastructures, such as road embankments and dam foundations, have been recently evaluated by laboratory testing. However, up to now studies on the actual filed performance of lignin in stabilizing silty soils in highway subgrade have been noticed to be quite limited. With this in view, a field trial was carried out to verify the viability of using lignin stabilized silty soil as a highway subgrade course material. Traditional soil stabilizer, quicklime, was selected as a control chemical mixture in the field trial for comparison purposes. The construction procedures of the subgrade silty soil stabilized by lignin and quicklime in field Sections were presented. A series of field tests, including California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test, resilient modulus ( E p ) test, Benkelman beam deflection test, and dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP) test were carried out after the subgrade construction to investigate the effects of the curing time and additive content on the mechanical properties and bearing capacity of the stabilized silt. In addition, moisture content and compaction degree tests were conducted to evaluate the quality of the compacted subgrade soils. The test results indicate that at the bottom zone of the filled soil layers with 96% degree of compaction, the 12% lignin stabilized silt exhibits superior mechanical performances (i.e., higher value of CBR and E p , and lower values of resilient deflection ( H r ) and DCP Index) than the 8% quicklime stabilized silt after 15 days of curing. Under the same additive content (i.e., 8%), the bearing capacity of lignin stabilized silt is slightly lower relative to the quicklime stabilized one. The field trial results reveal that as a stabilizer of the subgrade soil, lignin has negligible environmental influences and induces low construction costs. The use of lignin as a stabilization chemical mixture for silty soil may be one of the viable answers to the reuse of biobased organic by-product in civil engineering. The outcome of this study is of great significance for the development of nontraditional, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly soil stabilizer in solidification/stabilization technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The landscape of employment has been significantly transformed with the rise of hybrid work, allowing teleworkable employees to blend traditional office environments with remote options. As the popularity of hybrid arrangements increases, understanding their effects on environmental and social sustainability becomes crucial. Existing studies have often been narrow in scope, examining only isolated aspects or short-to mid-term consequences, resulting in a lack of comprehensive understanding of the overall system-level environmental impact, including elements such as rebound effects, geospatial inequalities, and long-term implications. This paper offers new perspectives to study the energy and environmental sustainability of hybrid work across temporal scales, including the long-term effects under various socio-economic contexts. Furthermore, the paper delves into the idea of fully immersive hybrid work enabled by the metaverse to augment collaboration and communication. By filling these knowledge gaps, the perspectives presented in this paper aim to guide informed policy decisions and sustainable work practices. It is important to note that the geographical coverage of this study appears to be limited to the major economies, and the findings may not be fully applicable to developing nations. This approach helps maximize the environmental advantages of hybrid work while ensuring fair and inclusive work opportunities in diverse geospatial settings. [Display omitted] • Hybrid work's sectoral and environmental implications are reviewed. • Prior studies lacked long-term, geospatial, and system-level considerations. • Knowledge gaps on rebound effects and geospatial inequality are identified. • Holistic examination across various time frames and socio-economic scenarios. • Offer insights into sustainable hybrid work practices and policy decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban solid waste management (SWM) is a central problem in major cities worldwide. This topic is particularly relevant for developing countries, given the constant growth of slums. SWM is an essential part of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), which appears to be a viable method of incorporating social, environmental and economic goals as pillars for the sustainable development of an organization and its supply chain. Although the literature offers a large and growing number of publications in SSCM and SWM, there is not yet a study that addresses SWM in a slum of a developing country from the SSCM perspective and there still a need for more sustainable waste management strategies involving all relevant stakeholders. Through a longitudinal case study conducted in the largest slum of Brazil (Rocinha), this paper aims to address these research gaps by developing a framework for SWM from the SSCM perspective in areas of slums. The research findings indicate that to tackle environmental problems related to SWM in such areas, it is necessary to solve basic social issues related to education, security, and infrastructure, with the integration and support of government, local community and industry. Although some progress has been observed in the last 10 years in Rocinha, the studied real-life setting shows that in practice, the performance of SWM stakeholders, particularly industry, is far from fulfilling the social and environmental pillars of SSCM. The proposed framework encompasses government and the community viewpoints in addition to the industrial focus and points to practical actions based on SSCM enablers, reinforcing a holistic and multi-perspective view, and the need for integrated management for better SWM in slum areas in developing countries. As it is a first attempt in this direction, additional research in similar settings is required to evolve the analysis towards more generalizable findings. • This paper analyses urban SWM from the SSCM perspective in developing countries. • A real-life setting of SWM in a large slum is analysed. • The industry should be more active in the social and environmental pillars of SSCM. • The paper offers actions for SWM in Rocinha in a model supported by SSCM's enablers. • A SWM framework is offered from a SSCM perspective orientated for areas as slums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental issues have become global challenges, so seeking an economic model to reach environmental sustainability is essential. As an emerging economic model, green finance is considered the most effective tool in promoting low-carbon economic transition. China, the largest economy among developing countries, faces environmental inferiority and increasing energy demand. This paper aims to discuss the effects of green finance on the low-carbon economic transition. This paper makes the policy of green financial reform and innovation pilot zones a quasi-natural experiment. It employs difference-in-differences (DID) model to analyze the impact of green finance on the low-carbon economic transition. This paper found that the low-carbon economic transition achieved good results within experimental zones after establishing a pilot zone for green finance reform and innovation. Furthermore, the parallel trend test results, complicatedly disturbing facts mitigating provincial differences, and placebo tests are still valid. Finally, we found that low-carbon economic transition solely takes effect significantly in eastern and central areas but is not significant in western areas. The paper suggests that green finance has played an apparent role in promoting low-carbon economic transition and provides essential reference and experimental evidence for future economic transition after analyzing the pilot zone for green finance reform and innovation policy. • Green finance is a crucial tool for achieving low-carbon economic transition. • Eastern and middle regions experienced significant effects. • The study provides valuable experimental evidence for future economic transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Walking school buses and bicycle trains are highly favored mobility concepts to promote children's interest and safety in active travel to/from school, reduce private vehicle dependency and pollution in cities, and promote healthy lifestyles. So far, these supervised and environmentally-friendly modes of transport have been implemented in the Global North. However, the limited research on in-depth algorithms, modeling, mathematical optimization, and policy frameworks for these cleaner and sustainable transport modes is slowing widespread implementation, particularly in the Global South. Based on 49 selected papers, this systematic review elucidates the benefits, implementation challenges, optimization approaches, methodological gaps, and policies toward cleaner production of these transport modes. Reviewers collected relevant papers from the Web of Science, Scopus, Transport Research International Documentation, PubMed, and WorldCat. The results showed that comparatively, there is more research on walking school buses than bicycle trains, and gender-parity and disability research dimensions are non-existent. Methodologically, placement, scheduling, and routing optimization studies require improvement. Additionally, extensive consultations are necessary to formulate standardized guidelines and upgrade infrastructures to stimulate global implementation and adoption. This study explains knowledge gaps and policy ideas for the practical implementation and holistic development of these clean transport modes for schoolchildren. Sustainable Modes of Travel to School (SMOTS): Walking Buses & Bike Trains Addressed Unsupervised ATS Barriers. [Display omitted] • This study reviewed 49 papers on walking school buses and bicycle trains. • Placement, scheduling, and routing optimization studies require improvement. • Standardized guidelines are required to stimulate their global implementation. • Implementation would require an upgrade of walking and cycling infrastructures. • Mobility justice is overlooked as gender-based, and PWDs studies are lacking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate crisis is recognized as one of the world's most serious concerns, posing a threat to environmental, social, and economic growth. However, previous work has failed to address the dynamic effects through which economic growth may affect green growth and climate crisis. In this research, we take a closer look at the impact of carbon emissions, eco-innovation adoption, and international collaboration on economic growth and the influence of economic growth on green growth. This paper used the generalized method of moments (GMM) for 54 African countries from 2010 to 2019, allied with an imbalanced panel of 540 observations. This paper finds a positive relationship between carbon emissions, eco-innovation international cooperation, and economic growth with p-values lower than 0.047. Our study discovers economic growth's robust and positive impact on green growth with a p-value of 0.009. This research finds a three-pronged mediating effect of economic growth between its driving factors and green growth. Lastly, this paper furnishes new visions into the argument over economic growth versus green growth. It informs policymakers of the need to pay attention to the growing effect of eco-innovation driving factors on attaining sustainable and greener growth and climate crisis mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present situation, renewable energy has become a vital source to mitigate energy crises and environmental threats. In order to ensure that women's contributions, knowledge and opinions represent a significant portion of the expanding energy sector, it is crucial to approach the development of renewable energy from a gender perspective. Bibliometric analysis was performed to identify prior research on two primary terms, "Gender" and "Renewable Energy", from 1995 to 2022. Identifying the most influential countries, authors, publications, journals, and co-occurrence of keywords helps to understand the evaluation and trends of the research through network visualisations by bibliometric approach. This paper presents a comprehensive bibliometric review of the influence of gender on renewable energy. The result of this paper gives details picture of the gender impact on renewable energy during the period from 1995 to 2022. The paper centred on bibliometric and cluster analysis based on the two most important databases, Web of Science and Scopus. The study involved utilising various bibliometric tools, including R Studio, VOSviewer, and Biblioshiny. The study revealed an increase in publications and citations during the third period since 2017, after the United Nations set the target of the Sustainable Development Goal. Most influential countries and productive authors belong to China, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom. Energy Research and Social Science are predominated in publications on the research topic. In addition, the co-occurrence of keywords found major keywords related to this topic, such as renewable energy, gender, women, knowledge, sustainability, climate change and sustainable development. Finally, the study observed a huge research gap because developing nations are more affected by the lack of gender-influencing policies on the growth of renewable energy. Thus, the study provides a comprehensive overview of research in this field that can help researchers and stakeholders identify potential ways for future research in gender considerations on renewable energy access by formulating effective policies to change society and reach the Sustainable Development Goals. • Gender has become a focal point of interest within the renewable energy sector. • Using network visualisation, bibliometric analysis examines research trends by keyword occurrence and country collaborations. • Publication, citation, journal, and authorship contribution trends are to be analysed. • The research growth across different periods was discussed for potential future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of climate change, the circular economy is attracting the attention of public authorities, international institutions, industry and academia. There is currently no consensus on its definition and it varies according to the sectors and actors. The objectives of this work are threefold: (i) to identify all the discourses and initiatives attributed to the circular economy in order to situate them according to whether they belong to weak or strong sustainability; (ii) to enhance the value of this information by centralizing it, and creating tools to facilitate its exploration and access; (iii) to analyze how these initiatives allow circular economy to address global sustainability. Questions regarding data sources and processing of this information were raised to facilitate the collection of relevant data. This work focuses on information published on social networks, in particular Twitter called X now. Several data processing techniques such as text mining, geocoding and knowledge graph generation are applied. Data visualization tools are used to show the distribution of the data on a spatial, thematic and temporal level. The results obtained confirm the over-representation of circular economy practices based on weak sustainability in developed countries, while circular economy initiatives based on strong sustainability are most common in the Global South. This paper provides evidence on the social contribution of circular economy, which is less addressed in the technocentric approach. [Display omitted] • Global circular economy initiatives are collected, analyzed and mapped. • Circular economy initiatives are classified as strong or weak sustainability. • Weak sustainability initiatives exist in Global North, strong ones in Global South. • The circular economy is reconciled with the social pillar of sustainability. • Circular Economy can be linked to theories of social and environmental justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty remains one of the long-term chronic dilemmas facing the sustainable development of human society during the 21st century. The spatiotemporal dynamics of poor regions, particularly in developing countries, is crucial for realizing fundamental sustainable development goals (SDGs). For decades, many scholars have sought to accurately measure, identify and alleviate poverty at different geographical scales. However, reliable data about the estimation of poverty remain scarce for developing countries, hindering efforts to accurately identify poverty. This paper utilizes the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) sensor nighttime light imagery to identify poor counties in China from 1992 to 2013. Using 16 statistical and spatial features extracted from this nighttime light imagery and using 96 poor counties and 96 nonpoor counties from 2010 as the classification sample, we describe the spatiotemporal dynamics of poor counties based on a random forests approach. Our study finds that the number of poor counties is decreasing in a fluctuating pattern and that contiguous poverty-stricken areas are becoming fragmented. The reduction in poor counties exhibits a manner of moving horizontally from the eastern regions to the central and western parts of China, while the number of poor counties in the central and western regions has decreased around the central cities or areas. The Aihui-Tengchong Line is not the dividing line in the distribution of poor counties in China, which means that China's poor can also be found in areas with relatively high population density. Together, the findings reveal that the key to reducing regional poverty is the development of regional economies and the implementation of national macro policies. This paper provides references for formulating antipoverty strategies for each county and offers new insights into poverty estimation and regional sustainable development for other developing countries. Image 1 • A new research framework is proposed to identify poverty. • Imagery and random forests are used to classify poor counties. • Spatiotemporal dynamics of poor counties are monitored in China. • Poverty dynamics generate implication for poverty policy and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed by Heads of Government in 2015 represent a major multilateral effort to shift the world towards more sustainable and resilient pathways, also taking into account the needs of developing countries. The SDG Agenda calls for a global partnership – at all levels – between all countries and stakeholders who need to work together to achieve the goals and targets, including a broad spectrum of actors such as multinational businesses, local governments, regional and international bodies, and civil society organizations. The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive review of the literature and develop a novel framework in order to tackle the barriers and challenges to operationalize and monitor the implementation of the SDGs. To achieve this, this paper reports on a state-of-the-art review of the SDGs, with a particular emphasis on their applications and linkages with sustainability science and aspects of knowledge management. This paper also reviews the rationale and aims of the Sustainable Development Goals, outlines some of the problems and barriers related to their implementation, and presents some areas which deserve future attention. Ultimately, this paper seeks to uncover the various gaps and suggests some means via which some of challenges seen in the accomplishment of the 17 SDGs may be faced. Highlights • The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should shift the world towards a sustainable and resilient pathway. • The SDG Agenda calls for global partnerships at all levels. • A novel framework to tackle barriers and challenges is needed. • We need to operationalize and monitor the implementation of the new 2030 agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global energy landscape is experiencing substantial transformations, and the energy policies of various countries are also evolving under the influence of economic development and climate change mitigation. The Policies and Measures Database of the International Energy Agency assembles over 7000 pieces of information on energy policy from around the world and classifies them into four categories based on their objectives: addressing climate change policy, renewable energy policy, energy efficiency policy, and building energy efficiency policy. This paper aims to analyze the status quo of global energy policy development from these four aspects and examine the effectiveness of both aggregate and individual instruments utilizing an econometric model based on panel data analysis. Moreover, this paper analyzes the energy policy paths of six leading countries and compares the effectiveness of their policies. The results revealed that global climate policy plays a significant role in reducing carbon emission, while the performance of policies varies among different countries. Based on these findings, this paper provides reference for policymakers to formulate energy policies aligned with global and domestic requirements. [Display omitted] • Characterizing a full picture of global climate policy inventories. • Different policy instruments have varying performances in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. • The policy effectiveness varies across countries, better in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the academic literature addressing Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) practices in developing countries. A systematic literature review method was adopted; selected papers were reviewed from 2000 to 2016 that matched our inclusion criteria. Common themes across the literature were identified covering four factors regarding the adoption of SSCM: drivers, barriers, mechanisms and outcomes. A conceptual model integrating these factors and based on institutional theory was advanced to explain the adoption of sustainability practices along supply chains in developing countries. The paper concludes by identifying gaps in the literature that require further research on this topic, particularly for the context of developing countries. To the best of our knowledge this is the first paper reviewing the existing research on SSCM in developing countries that includes both social and environmental dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technical qualification is required to adequately meet the responsibilities related to solid waste management (SWM). Given that the successful SW policies requirements implementation at the local level relies on the ability to plan and the efficient management of public services, this paper aims to verify if municipalities have working teams that are prepared for this challenge. To accomplish this goal, three indicators were proposed to evaluate these human resources: Professional Qualification Level (PQL), Multidisciplinary Level (ML) and Leadership Level of Education (LLE). A proportional stratified sample with SWM leaders from 156 Brazilian municipalities participated in a survey. The results showed that although some municipalities were able to provide teams and find solutions to implement plans and actions, some smaller municipalities were not able to organize themselves adequately for this implementation. This paper provides a diagnosis of the human resources dimensions associated with the administrative capacity of municipal governments for the successful implementation of the Brazilian Solid Waste Policy (BSWP) at the local level. There is a need to improve the administrative capacity of municipalities to ensure the satisfactory implementation of the BSWP. The shortcomings identified in this paper should be addressed by the government to ensure that the constitutional right to waste management is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of industrial pollution has increased globally at presently. Countries across the globe are aware of the concept of sustainable implementation in industries from a local to the global level to reduce pollution. Recent research supported this by focusing on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) rather than Multinational Corporations (MNC). Sustainability development is a key to ensure control of the hazards and pollution in traditional activities. In India, many SMEs are involved in manufacturing varied products and services for customers. The auto component manufacturing sector is playing as an important role in the Indian economy by creating numerous job opportunities. Based on this, researchers gave special attention to auto components SMEs in sustainable development (SD) because of pollution which harms the environment. Analysis of SD is an essential activity for industries to ensure environmental improvement. Analyzing the indicators for SD helps confirm the development of sustainability in industries. However, analyzing the indicators for SD is a challenge for managers and needs detailed analysis and significant effort. Indicator analysis is a vague concept for managers who lack alternatives to evaluate SD in their industry. The aim of this present paper is to develop a set of measurement indicators for SD from literature. This paper, with the help of discussions with experts and Decision-making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) methodology analyzes sustainable development indicators in the auto components sectors. Fifteen SD indicators were considered for this study from a relevant literature background. These SD indicators indicate the industries’ sustainable development. Based on their interest, a questionnaire for this study was circulated among 35 leading auto components manufacturing SMEs in North India. This study will identify the influential indicator for SD based on experts' judgments through a pairwise comparison matrix. The results from the study clearly states that Indian auto component manufacturing industries believe that among the fifteen listed indicators, carbon management indicator helps in measuring sustainable development. Due to this reason, embedded or embodied carbon (SI2) indicator plays an influential role. Finally, the study concludes with insights about the future path of sustainability performance in a developing country like India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eradication of illicit drug crops in developing countries through international agricultural cooperation in alternative livelihoods is a new mode of clean production. This paper examines the market-oriented alternative livelihood (AL) model implemented by Chinese agricultural companies in Laos, focusing on land-based cooperation between these companies, local authorities, and communities. It aims to reveal the conditions for successful land-based cooperation and mutual trust building with local communities and government agencies. Three Chinese companies involved in alternative cultivation projects in Laos are selected as case studies. The findings highlight the market-oriented AL model as a beneficial approach to transition from illicit crop cultivation to clean production. The study emphasizes the importance of land-based cooperation and trust building for the sustainable operation of market-oriented alternative livelihoods. Challenges faced by the companies include managing international market risks and developing locally-led technical and management teams. The research underscores the need for inclusive innovation in land-based cooperation and alternative livelihoods in the Global South. It calls for further exploration of innovative approaches to inclusive cooperation, local empowerment, and capacity building. The study contributes to understanding the potential of international agricultural cooperation in promoting alternative livelihoods and sustainable development in illicit crop-growing regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite several research evaluating the connection between sustainability and the bottom line of firms, the existing research is inconclusive. In addition, most studies focus on multinational firms based in the United States or Europe, while research in the context of emerging economies is scant. This paper endeavours to investigate the strength of the association between Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) disclosure scores and the financial performance of 272 Indian firms listed on National Stock Exchange for the period 2015 to 2021 by employing panel data regression techniques. The results indicate that organisations having better ESG performance outperform their industry peers financially and are valued more by the market. Moreover, the data indicates that financial markets for lenders consider ESG disclosure when determining creditworthiness. In accordance with this, businesses can examine their operations and become more aligned with eco-friendly methods. Even though ESG disclosure appears to be associated with improved financial success, this is not the case across all industries and during COVID-19 pandemic. This study is relevant due to the growing significance of sustainability and the role of emerging nations in international commerce. It helps managers prioritize resource allocations to ESG-related activities that may affect financial performance differently across industry sectors, thus adding to the literature on the financial effects of ESG disclosures, particularly industry-specific aspects. This research represents a pioneering effort by assessing the impact of ESG disclosure on the profitability, market value, and cost of financing of Indian firms using both aggregation and disaggregation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the emerging landscape of Industry 5.0, the integration of innovative technologies such as Cognitive Digital Twins (CDTs) is pivotal for steering industrial processes towards sustainability and inclusivity, particularly in developing nations striving to align with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study explores the transformative capabilities of CDTs in Industry 5.0, concentrating on India's quest for inclusive and sustainable industrialization in alignment with SDGs. The inclusion of the TOE-HOT framework enriches the research's analytical foundation, providing a nuanced perspective to investigate the multifaceted dynamics of technology, organization, environment, and human aspects within the sphere of industrial evolution. By employing the Best-Worst Method (BWM), Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM), and MICMAC analysis, the study delves deep into the synergies between industrial strategies, technology, and sustainable development. The findings reveal the paramountcy of the Technological Dimension, emphasizing CDTs strategies like real-time optimization and data analytics, which are instrumental in dynamically adjusting manufacturing processes and fostering alignment with market demands. The research also stresses the roles of various CDTs strategies like strategic alignment, change management, job security, skill augmentation, and environmental compliance in industrial sustainability and inclusivity. The paper concludes with invaluable insights for policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers, emphasizing the necessity for a holistic, interconnected approach to fully harness the potential of CDTs in realizing the aspirations of Industry 5.0 and contributing to India's sustainable industrial advancement by 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The renewable energy industry is one of the fastest growing industries attracting a great amount of foreign direct investment, being one of the top 5 industries in 2015 in terms of the amount of investment allocated. However, the allocation of foreign direct investment in the sector greatly varies between developing countries. Preceding studies have tried to explain the location determinants of foreign direct investment mainly by looking at the effects of institutional and macroeconomic factors. The renewable energy sector has been supported by various economic, regulatory, and political support policies. Considering the importance of these support policies, the paper analyses their effects on foreign direct investment as location determinants in comparison with that of the widely accepted determinants (institutional and macroeconomic determinants), focusing on wind energy in developing countries. The results show that renewable energy support policies have equivalent or greater effect compared to the widely accepted determinants such as corruption level, price stability, access to finance, and GDP growth. The paper demonstrates the importance of analysing determinants of foreign direct investment focusing on a specific sector rather than looking at overall foreign direct investment. The paper also provides important policy implications including the need to improve the regulatory aspect of renewable energy sector such as access to grid infrastructure in order to attract foreign direct investment into the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backward production poses a critical global challenge, especially in developing countries. Differential Electricity Pricing (DEP) policy for energy-intensive industries aimed at countering backward productions since 2004 in China could be a promising and effective policy tool. This is a subject deserving of study, yet the policy effect is ambiguous. Hence, this paper delves into the impact of the DEP policy on backward production, specifically enterprise exiting, by utilizing differential estimations based on enterprise and urban data. Our findings consistently show that the DEP policy steadily increases the probability of energy-intensive enterprises opting to withdraw from the market, primarily driven by its effects on profits and investments. Notably, in the heterogeneity analysis, the DEP policy has more significant effects among non-state-owned, small-sized, and eastern enterprises. Furthermore, we establish a link between the DEP policy's effectiveness and local implementation, revealing that the stronger enforcement results in an enhanced DEP effect on backward production. In the further disscussion, it explores the DEP policy's repercussions on the industrial chain and cleaner production. In conclusion, valuable policy implications touching on industry, environment, overcapacity management, and enterprise exit strategies are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the main driving forces that influence the sustainable innovation of enterprises based on a three-dimensional framework at the organization level, individual level and system level. Using data from China's Innovation Survey, which is in line with the Community Innovation Survey（CIS）, this paper examines the behaviours and strategies of Chinese enterprises' sustainable innovation. The study finds that China's sustainable and innovative enterprises are generally large-scale, are long lasting, have good profitability and invest more in R&D and environmental protection. And the sustainable innovation of state-owned enterprises is significantly more than other enterprises. The primary purpose of enterprises engaged in sustainable innovation is to reduce environmental damage, but financial constraints are still an important obstacle for enterprises to overcome to carry out sustainable innovation. In addition, enterprises with more conservative senior executives and more political connections to government do not prefer sustainable innovation. The institutional pressure exerted by external environmental regulations and the cost constraints alleviated by government environmental protection subsidies are the key factors affecting enterprises' sustainable innovation. In conclusion, depicting the real situation of Chinese enterprises' sustainable innovation behaviour based on the survey framework and data of systematically identifying enterprises' innovation behaviour is beneficial to provide examples for developing countries related to sustainable innovation research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste management is a matter of concern to all countries. It is important both in an urban and in a rural context, being especially acute in the former. Yet, despite the importance of solid waste management in the urban environment, the ways in which many municipalities across the world handle the issue show that there is much room for improvement. The ever-growing amounts of solid waste being produced across the world, especially in developing countries, are mostly due to problems such as lack of policies and financing, as well as the non-availability of irregular services. They compel many local authorities to simply dispose waste, instead of managing it. But even though much is known about individual approaches and methods to manage municipal waste, there is a lack of research which specifically looks at integrated urban waste management. The paper addresses this need by reviewing the state of the art on municipal solid waste management in a sample of developing countries and rapidly growing regions. The paper has identified the fact that the wide range of approaches and available technologies in the field of urban waste management are not being fully used. Also, there is a general lack of governance in this field, which makes it difficult to use waste management systems for improved urban ecological infrastructure. The paper, which pays special attention to experiences from Latin America (with a special focus on Brazil), Asian countries as well as the European Union new Member States (the Baltic States), documents and presents some of their experiences, which may be useful to other developing countries and rapidly growing regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buildings are responsible for more than 40% of global energy usage and as much as 33% of global greenhouse gas emissions in both developed and developing countries. However, the study of carbon emissions over a building's life cycle based on Ecotect and building information modeling in developing areas of Nanjing has yet to be conducted. Therefore, the results and recommendations of this paper represent a contribution to the literature on this topic. The scientific value of this paper is that Ecotect and building information modeling can be helpful in simplifying the estimation of carbon emissions over a building's life cycle because they can provide a majority of the information and calculation tools necessary for performing an life cycle assessment (LCA), which may alleviate the problem of insufficient information when executing an LCA of a building. A sensitivity analysis was performed by changing several parameters to identify the parameters that have the largest impacts on the performance a building. A comparison of the life cycle carbon emissions for each stage showed that the operational stage is the largest contributor to carbon emissions. Approximately 85.4% of the total carbon emissions were generated during operation. The construction stage accounted for 12.6% of the total carbon emissions. Approximately 2% of the total carbon emissions occurred during the demolition stage. Compared to the total carbon emissions over the entire life cycle of the building, carbon sequestration by vegetation was minimal. Thus, these findings indicate that governments can achieve the greatest reductions in carbon emissions by targeting the operational phase of buildings. However, the opportunity for addressing non-operational phases should not be ignored because the average carbon emissions per working area per year of non-operational stages are far greater than those of the use phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on micro and small sized enterprises in developing countries shows their existential difficulties. This is particularly true for those in marginal areas with multiple challenges including pollution prevention. Environmental agencies tend to require capital intensive end-of-pipe solutions or regulatory measures that close down polluting enterprises. Both knowledge of and interest in how to make poor micro enterprises more sustainable are needed. This paper addresses this by (a) developing a problem-driven and context-oriented Systematic Approach to Social Inclusion (SASI) method, and (b) applying it successfully in the context of micro tanneries in Villapinzón Colombia over a period of eight years. The concept of cleaner production was systematically integrated into this method that was inspired by Lewin's theory of change and insights from negotiation and conflict resolution. The results show that cleaner production implementation needs comprehensive, systemic policy mechanisms based on participatory approaches taking into account the socio-economic constraints of the micro-industries that combine supportive capacity building and command-and-control policies. Moreover, rules encouraging cleaner production need to be sensitive to the regulatory context in which it is applied, which in this case concerned land use planning and zoning regulations. The SASI approach effectively encouraged micro tanners to make their industries more viable and clean, while it simultaneously convinced the environmental agency to recognise and value these industries. This paper argues that integrating cleaner production in SASI is a learning and socio-technical change process, urgently needed for micro-industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of clean energy technologies is a central issue in climate change negotiation. The signatory countries to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change agreed to organize the Technology Executive Committee and the Climate Technology Centre and Network. The objectives of this paper are twofold. The first objective is to show a broad landscape of barriers in technology development. The paper summarizes the results of key case studies that were conducted to uncover technology-specific barriers in technology development. These case studies include both technologies for industrial use such as wind, bio-energy and building energy efficiency and technologies for individual use such as Light Emitting Diodes and photovoltaic panels. The case studies also contain technologies at the innovation stage such as Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle and Carbon Capture and Storage. The second objective of this paper is to highlight and define roles of international institutions in overcoming identified barriers in clean energy technology development. In this paper four areas of focus for international institutions are discussed, including: 1) increasing R&D cooperation at the innovation stage, 2) facilitation of intellectual property rights, 3) supporting finance, and 4) enhancing the enabling environment at the diffusion stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities are central players and important economic actors in many regions, and many of them are, in general, nationally and internationally active in respect of matters related to sustainable development. But there is a paucity of research which examines their contributions towards sustainability efforts at the local level, i.e. in the places they are situated. This paper addresses this need, by reporting on a qualitative study deploying a Matrix, which allows an analysis and reporting of regional sustainable development initiatives of a set of 22 universities in industrialised and developing countries. Recommendations to enhance their role are provided, including the importance of pursuing partnerships and joint initiatives, understanding the need of local communities, and making their know-how more widely available. The scientific value of this research is related to the understanding of how the interaction between universities and local communities happens and by shedding light to this topic, it supports universities to improve their own actions. Its implications are two-fold: it demonstrates the potential of universities as local players and outlines the range of activities they may engage with, and which may allow them to act as pillars to local sustainability initiatives. • Universities are central players and important economic actors in many regions. • Their contributions towards sustainability efforts at the local level may be substantial. • An analysis and reporting of regional sustainable development initiatives shows some deficiencies. • Understanding the potential role that universities can play on sustainability could help address global challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is actively advancing the integration of digital and real industrial economies, fostering a mutually beneficial cycle that could potentially drive new momentum for eco-friendly industrial development. The empowering effect of digital-real integration on industrial green transformation (IGT) requires urgent exploration. Based on China's industrial sector panel data from 2010 to 2020, this paper empirically investigates the relationship between digital-real integration and IGT and delves into its internal mechanism to verify the above hypothesis. Meanwhile, it analyzes the heterogeneous effects of digital-real integration on IGT, considering variations in industrial technology levels and the sources of such integration. The results demonstrate a positive impact of digital-real integration on IGT in China. The green technology and scale effects play pivotal roles in unleashing the green benefits of digital-real integration in the industrial sector. Notably, the contribution of digital-real integration to IGT varies across industrial subsectors with distinct technology levels. There is heterogeneity in the enabling effect of digital-real integration from different sources on IGT, and the integration of digital services and the real industrial economy has yet to achieve the expected green benefits. Our findings provide new scientific evidence for managers and policymakers in developing countries like China to promote industrial digitization and sustainable growth. This work informs the future discussion on digital-real integration topics from a global context. [Display omitted] • The degree of digital-real integration in China's industrial sector is estimated. • Digital-real integration significantly promotes industrial green transformation. • Digital-real integration acts as a driver through green technology and scale effects. • Digital-real integration from different sources varies in green empowerment effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive energy-related carbon emission intensity will lead to deterioration of environmental quality and hinder green economic growth. This paper proposes a novel self-adaptive fractional order grey generalized Verhulst model (SAFGGVM) to predict energy-related carbon emission intensity in China, America, India, Russia, and Japan with nonlinear and complex characteristics effectively. Firstly, self-adaptive fractional order and dynamic background value coefficient are introduced to capture the nonlinear evolutionary trends. Subsequently, the optimal nonlinear parameters are determined using Grey Wolf Optimization algorithm through comprehensive comparison. Furthermore, the flexibility of SAFGGVM is verified by presenting its relevance to existing models. Finally, the validity, applicability, and robustness of SAFGGVM are confirmed by comparing with two machine learning models and four grey prediction models. The empirical results exhibit that the overall precision of SAFGGVM model significantly prevails over the others in five cases, with MAPE values less than 6% in both the simulation and prediction intervals. The out-of-sample forecast results indicate that the energy-related carbon emission intensity of five countries will fall into 5.7024, 1.6030, 7.3668, 8.1633, 2.0399 tons/10,000 USD by 2025, and the decreasing rate of developing countries tends to catch up with, or even exceed, developed countries. Projection results can serve as a reference point for countries to achieve green and sustainable development. • A novel self-adaptive grey generalized Verhulst model is proposed. • Energy-related carbon emission intensity (ECEI) of five countries is predicted. • Optimal nonlinear parameters are determined by Grey Wolf Optimization algorithm. • The novel model is superior to other competing models in accuracy and roubutness. • Decline rate of ECEI in developing countries will catch up with developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents a methodology to measure the environmental co-benefits of transport initiatives, defined here as carbon emissions in conjunction with local air pollution. An evaluation tool was developed and then tested on the case of the Delhi metro. The metro is an extensive rail project spanning the Indian capital, which is also the world's first rail based Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project. However, it has also been a flashpoint in urban policy-making in the city in recent years. This analysis identifies the co-benefits based on the current situation as well potential co-benefits based on increased ridership and altering mode share contributions. The paper then discusses the challenges faced in the quantification process and the practical implications of achieving increased co-benefits. The paper highlights issues of data quality as well as data access, whilst identifying that factors peripheral to the project itself can have a critical effect in achieving co-benefits from large scale transport infrastructure projects in developing countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Despite the growing attention around industrial opportunities in African countries, the region is still struggling to enter the global competition. To seize opportunities and limit persisting risks, investors need to evaluate the most suitable country to locate or re-locate the supply chain relying on companies and sector requirements and considering all the variables. Researchers and practitioners have widely investigated methods and tools to support the decision-making process for location selection, primarily through the multi-criteria decision-making models. However, the criteria and approach required in developing countries are entirely different from developed ones primarily due to the variability and complexity of the context. As a matter of fact, there is no proof of integration of gap assessment elements and risk evaluation within the aim of multi-criteria decision-making models in emerging markets. This paper proposes a full-blown method that supports business leaders in the optimal foreign locations, integrating multi-criteria decision-making models (Analytic Hierarchy Process and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) and cluster analysis (K-Means) with gap assessment evaluations. The proposed approach differs from the classical one in considering the distance between the selected options and target values, providing essential information to provide a risk assessment and positively affect the investment performance. The approach has been tested on African countries, considering a group of decision-makers from a Textile & Clothing Italian company. The results highlight that Mauritius is the most suitable location for the company, matching the current situation in the country. Moreover, the gap assessment phase provides crucial information about the main discrepancy in Mauritius, highlighting that there are still significant gaps in the "Environmental and territory conditions", "Local infrastructure," and "Technology and logistic supplier". [Display omitted] • The paper presents a managers-oriented method for locations selection in Africa. • It integrates multi-criteria decision-making models with gap assessment evaluations. • The case study on the Textile and Clothing sector provides crucial information. • Mauritius is the most suitable country, followed by Rwanda and Morocco. • Still, Mauritius presents a critical gap in environmental conditions and supplier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the factors affecting consumers' purchasing behaviour in respect of green products in a developing nation. Additionally, it ascertains the moderating effect of peer influence on this relationship. A questionnaire was administered to a group of 400 respondents through the convenience sampling method. Data were analysed via the Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approach to examine the posited research hypotheses. The PLS-SEM approach revealed that perceived deterioration of environmental problems was the strongest predictor of consumers' purchasing behaviour in respect of green products in a developing nation. This was followed by environmental concern, and then by perceived environmental responsibility, and environmental self-image. Furthermore, the moderating effects varied significantly across peer influence groups. Producers and marketing managers should overtly demonstrate their sensitivity to the need to care for the environment. This requires them to arouse positive environmental awareness among consumers about the deterioration of environmental problems. The originality of the paper is its investigation of peer influence as the moderator and predictor in the proposed theoretical framework, something that has been overlooked in prior studies. The results underpin new and extensive inputs into marketing theory, and enlarge the emergent literature related to consumer green purchasing behaviour in a developing nation. Directions for future research are offered. Image 1 • Perceived deterioration of environmental problems was the strongest predictor of consumers' purchasing behaviour in respect of green products. • Environmental concerns influenced consumers' green purchasing behaviour. • Peer influence was a significant moderator and predictor in explaining consumers' purchasing behaviour towards green products. • Peer influence had stronger impact in the aspect of perceived environmental responsibility than environmental concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart growth, as a service to the economy, environment and society, has increasingly become the development pattern for cities of the world, but the degree of smart growth varies from city to city, and not all smart growth plans are suitable for current cities or countries. Therefore, it is of practical significance to measure the success degree of smart growth plan. The current model is accompanied by some problems such as subjectivity, unable to prioritize each plan, and so on. In this paper, an evaluating model was established to scientifically measure and adjust the smart growth plan based on BP neural network and set pair analysis. In this model, an evaluating metric(I) was defined, which was obtained by multiplying the ability score(A) and the coordinative development index(C). Applied to city's current plan, the model can tell us how successful the current plan is for this city, thus on the basis of evaluating result, better new plans for the city in the future can be developed. Finally, the effects of the new plans for population, economy-environment- society were discussed based on Lokta-Volterra equations and the environmental Kuznets curve. A case study was presented in two cities, Karamay and Atlanta. The result showed that the current plan in Atlanta is more successful than that in Karamay, but both the two plans are moderately successful. According to the results, a series of new plans were proposed and their priorities were ranked, the result showed that Atlanta should give priority to urban greening while Karamay give priority to economic development, and the effect of the scientific intelligence growth plan is to expand city's environmental capacity, promote the fair competition between the foreign population and the local population, and improve the balanced node, making the environment damage smaller, society and economic grow better. The model provides powerful reference for cities in developed and developing countries to formulate smart growth plans, especially for developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive understanding of the interdependence between China's economy and carbon emissions can better serve China's transition towards a low-carbon economy, and can also provide reference for other developing countries. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the dependence of China's economy on CO 2 emissions: (i) the Tapio decoupling model was applied to quantify the decoupling elasticity between China's economy and CO 2 emissions; (ii) the structure decomposition technique was utilized to quantity the contribution of China's economic structure to the decoupling elasticity; (iii) the combined decomposition model which combined Cobb–Douglas (C-D) production function with Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) technique and was solved the residual problem was employed to identify more driving factors (labor input, investment, carbon coefficient, energy structure, energy intensity, economic structure, and technology state) affecting the decoupling elasticity. The main results were as follows: (i) The decoupling elasticity showed a downward trend during the whole period, and the decoupling state was characterized by two types: expansive negative decoupling (2002–2005) and weak decoupling (2000–2002 and 2005–2014). (ii) The industry sector played the most negative effect on the decoupling process expect 2013–2014. From the cumulative effect, the contribution of six sectors to promote decoupling effect was ranked as follows: Construction > Agriculture > Trade > Other > Transport > Industry. (iii) The most critical factor driving the increased CO 2 emissions was the investment effect, accounting for 145.34% of the cumulative total CO 2 emissions, while the energy intensity effect contributed to a cumulative reduction in CO 2 emissions of 1443.72 Mt. Finally, some policy recommendations were offered to achieve the decoupling of China's economic growth and carbon emissions. • Quantifying effects of investment on decoupling economy from emission in China. • Combining C-D function and LMDI to develop non-residual decomposition technique. • The decoupling elasticity showed a downward trend, dominated by weak decoupling state. • Industry sector played the most negative effect on the decoupling process. • The leading contributor to China's CO 2 emissions was the investment effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Bangladesh has developed a power generation expansion plan up to 2041. However, the plan did not fully consider the importance of sustainable development. This paper addresses this limitation and assesses both historical and future sustainability trends of Bangladesh's power generation system, as well as the sustainability of the Power System Master Plan (PSMP-2016) through multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) with respect to social, environmental, and economic dimensions of the sustainability framework. Out of a total of 19 sustainability indicators, there were 10 social, 4 environmental, and 5 economic indicators taken into account. It was found that Bangladesh's future power generation sector's sustainability is going to deteriorate from its present situation. Results of the analysis show that the sustainability index of 0.3769 in 2016 is going to degrade to 0.3249 in 2041. Most importantly, economic indicators dominate the sustainability measures, compared with social and environmental indicators. Thus, improvements in the economic indicators will result in a substantial increase in the sustainability index of the country's power generation sector. This indicates that energy policies need to be designed in such a way that a balance is achieved between all three dimensions to ensure a sustainable future electricity generation system. A similar analysis can also be applied to other countries where future power generation expansion planning is underway. Highlights • Sustainability assessment of power generation sector of Bangladesh. • Demonstrates sustainability indices for different power generation technologies. • Assesses sustainability trends of the future electricity generation system. • Supports sustainable power generation related policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract As the number of scrap cars increases rapidly, the management of their reverse logistics (RL) process has become an urgent issue for decision-makers in contemporary China. The process, capable of generating profits as well as minimizing negative environmental effects, mainly includes products acquisition, collection, inspection and disposition. Although the selection of take-back patterns is an essential part in the process, it is not well addressed by existing studies. Involving numerous related factors, the evaluation and selection of the take-back patterns of scrap cars are a comprehensive problem that can be formulated as a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem. In this paper, we propose a complete method to solve it systematically. Three patterns quite suitable for China are presented and a novel criteria system is developed for choosing the best one. The unavoidable uncertainty in practical situation is also considered in this work. We integrate the grey method and Decision-making and Trial Evaluation Laboratory (grey DEMATEL) to determine the weights of nine criteria, and a fuzzy method and Vlse Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (fuzzy VIKOR) are adopted to rank the three patterns based on expert evaluations. Sensitivity analysis is also used to test and verify the robustness of the proposed method. Finally, we draw a conclusion that the Producer Responsibility Organization Take-back pattern whose main body is formed by manufacturer union organization is most suitable for China. The study results could provide a theoretical guideline for decision-makers in China as well as other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract While the measurement and predictability of corruption are reported to be difficult due to its clandestine nature, this paper attempts to develop a measurement model for evaluating the proneness of the procurement process of construction projects to corruption. The model is developed using a soft computing approach (i.e. the Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation technique) to assess the levels of vulnerability with respect to the stages of corruption and their corresponding activities within the procurement process of construction projects. A review of related literature produced a 21-activity list encapsulated within the four stages of the procurement process. The list was evaluated by procurement and construction practitioners through an expert survey. The analysis of the survey results revealed an overall project vulnerability index which suggests that construction projects executed in developing countries are relatively susceptible to corrupt practices. The main stages of the process that were identified to be vulnerable were the contract stage (CTS) and the post-contract phase (PCP). The developed model is, possibly, the first measuring tool that evaluates and predicts a project's susceptibility to corruption and provides useful insights that can inform project parties, policymakers and anti-corruption activists in their efforts to implement necessary actions aimed at curbing the incidence of corrupt practices in construction projects in the developing countries. Highlights • Projects executed in developing countries are relatively susceptible to corruption. • The contract and the post-contract phase are identified to be most susceptible. • The developed model can be employed by other developing countries. • Specific extirpation measures are required rather than generic frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The electrification rate and unit rate of electricity are important factors for economic and social development; especially in developing countries. The supply of electric power at low rates can help in setting ambitious targets to expand the reach of electricity to remote rural areas. The private or local investment to build isolated microgrids could be a cost effective and technically viable solution to extend the electricity access in different countries. However, country specific feasibility studies are required which can help to estimate the required investment and life cycle expenditures. In this paper, an algorithm has been presented for optimal sizing and life cycle cost analysis of an off-grid solar PV system. As a case study, an off-grid PV system is designed to build a zero energy community in five capital cities of Pakistan in order to access the feasibility and potential of off-grid power systems throughout the country. Furthermore, life cycle cost analysis of designed PV system has been carried out in order to determine the unit cost of electricity. The results of economic model show that, the installed PV system can provide electricity at an average rate of 0.082 US$/kWh for all cities with a minimum rate of 0.076 US$/kWh achieved for Quetta whereas; cost of conventional electricity varies from 0.15 to 0.20 US$/kWh in Pakistan. It can be concluded that, installing an off grid PV system in Pakistan is viable both technically and economically. The produced electricity is 45–58% cheaper than the conventional electric power supply used in the country. This study can be used as a benchmarking and guideline to design off-grid PV power systems for other facilities and locations with estimated load demands. Highlights • Optimal sizing of an off-grid PV system for zero energy communities. • Life cycle cost analysis of designed off-grid PV system. • Estimation of life cycle saving potential and unit rate of electricity. • Environmental benefits of renewable based technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The trend of clustering industries into regional estates or cities was adopted in the mid 1900’s. At present, the number of industrial estates in the world is estimated to be between 12,000 and 20,000 () and this trend is continuing to rise in both developed and developing countries. The implementation of the EIP concept continues to evolve especially with the environmental threats and impact on climate change that industries pose. However, there is not yet a fully developed EIP that is operating; although some successful examples of regional by-product exchanges are functioning (). Actually, a significant number of projects have failed or have abandoned the goal of becoming an EIP. Furthermore the current body of knowledge on industrial ecology is not sufficient to provide practical solutions to the obstacles facing EIPs. This paper is based upon the Ph.D. Doctoral thesis research of D. Sakr. It was prepared to examine means to improve the uptake of cleaner production & industrial symbiosis in industrial areas in Middle East & North Africa Region focusing on Egypt as a case study. An extensive literature review was performed on eco-industrial development projects’ experiences around the world, in order to identify the critical driving and limiting factors for EIPs. This paper summarizes the lessons learned from worldwide EIP experiences as a basis for the planning and implementation of future EIPs. The paper reflects as well upon the Egyptian context for the identified EIP success and limiting factors. The identified key success and limiting factors are: the creation of symbiotic relationship, information sharing and awareness, financial benefits, organizational structure, and legal and regulatory framework. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Greenhouse gas emissions and pollution emanating from fossil fuel-based vehicles present a major environmental problem worldwide. These problems are particularly pronounced and more challenging in developing countries. Electric vehicles are often touted as one solution to improving air quality in cities and reducing pollution. However, a smooth transition to electric vehicles in developing countries is not straightforward. This transition can be enhanced if the factors enabling and driving the adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in developing countries are appropriately understood. However, our current knowledge, particularly regarding the manufacturing and servicing infrastructure required for BEVs, regulatory frameworks, and understanding of consumer demand in developing countries is still rudimentary. This paper develops a framework to explore the readiness of the upstream value chain players of BEVs in a developing country and provides a discussion on pathways for the transition. The framework builds on the Technology, Organization, and Environment (TOE) framework, as well as research on value chain analysis. Drawing on an analysis of original qualitative and quantitative data collected in Pakistan, which provides an interesting and relevant context for this research, the findings show that the transition to BEVs along the upstream value chain requires concerted development of technological capabilities and organizational capacity, as well as conducive policies, rules, and regulations. This paper develops and explains the relevance of the TOE framework in the unique context of upstream players in the value chain for BEVs. The key contribution of the paper is its development of a TOE-based structured instrument for measuring the readiness of upstream players in the BEVs value chain. The proposed framework serves as a diagnostic tool to track readiness for the adoption of electric vehicles in developing countries. In addition, the paper outlines possible pathways to enhance the transition to BEVs manufacturing. • TOE and value chain analysis provide valuable frameworks to understand challenges in the transition. • BEVs manufacturing is strongest in the organizational context, then technological & environmental contexts in Pakistan. • Strong upstream supply chains can make the transition easier. • Success in transition hinges on engaging the relevant stakeholders. • Phased manufacturing, nudges by government, and strategic collaborations can facilitate the transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper analyzes the practices adopted and difficulties experienced by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to transfer socially responsible behaviors to suppliers that operate in developing countries. In particular, a multiple case study was conducted on five Italian socially responsible SMEs. It was found that companies use different strategies as well as diverse management systems and tools to address Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) issues along their supply chains (SCs). The paper is innovative mainly since few are the existing studies that investigate the CSR practices adopted by SMEs in the SC. Furthermore, it is argued that our research can be helpful to SME managers willing to deal with CSR issues along their SCs, especially when developing countries are involved. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In Argentina, prior to the macroeconomic crisis of early 2002, power sector reforms had proven successful in delivering low electricity tariffs and increasing private investments. This had been achieved through the unbundling of electricity supply businesses and the introduction of competition, paying due attention to the lessons learned by forerunners in power sector reform, including neighbouring Chile. The reforms that had been implemented in Argentina were therefore deemed to have been a success. However, in the wake of the macroeconomic crisis and the devaluation of the peso, generators and gas suppliers found themselves in critical financial straights, which caused a halt to additional investment. The current challenge facing reforms in the Argentine power sector is to rebound from the financial ramifications of peso devaluation and to promote private investment. Given these basic facts, this paper traces the history of reforms in the Argentine electricity sector, assessing the progress that has been achieved and suggesting lessons for developing countries. It is often the case in developing countries that the unbundling of vertically integrated state-owned industries into privatised enterprises requires efforts to improve infrastructure as a prerequisite for the introduction of competitive practices. Bearing this in mind, this paper lays out measures that would be useful to consider for electricity sector reforms in developing countries from the following three perspectives: (1) Transition from a state-owned power companies to private enterprises; (2) Development of conditions required to promote infrastructure projects; and (3) Development of conditions for the establishment of a healthy and fair competitive environment, assuming that liberalisation is achieved once the conditions in (1) and (2) are met. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper describes the Norwegian method for Cleaner Production (CP) as well as results and experiences from its use over more than 12 years.Quantifiable results in terms of reduced wastes and emissions and improved material and energy efficiencies have been documented by many authors. Many countries as a strategy for improving environmental performance have also adopted the CP concept.This paper focuses on the intangible benefits and human factors derived from CP projects, how the present CP model may be improved and present ideas on how the CP concept can be expanded to more directly address the needs of developing countries. Improvements to the present CP model should include means for ensuring sustainability of the local CP centre and its activities and financial mechanisms to facilitate affordable environmental investments.The expansion of the basic CP concept should include modules that more directly address the challenges of creating job opportunities, eradicating poverty, protecting public health and improving safety. CP should no longer be viewed as a stand-alone option but be integrated in all business development activities to improve quality of life.The authors also encourage the development of a holistic view to include “greening of the supply chain”, recycling of materials and applying an LCA philosophy in product development.To speed up the adaptation of CP in the many very small enterprises that exist, an integrated approach to quality systems, CP and environmental management systems is proposed. Some of these ideas were recently implemented in the planning of a CP programme in Uganda.CP as a stand-alone option will not create a sustainable society, but expanding the concept in a similar fashion to that proposed in this article, is believed to be an important step in the right direction, provided that sufficient funding is available over an extended period. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper presents on the experience of the first year of implementation of the UNEP project ‘Strategies and mechanisms for promoting cleaner production (CP) investments in developing countries’. An insight into the experience gained in two developing countries, Guatemala and Zimbabwe is given in separate cases.The paper attempts a preliminary—by no means exhaustive—analysis of the current status of CP awareness among the financial community in selected developing countries and the main barriers to funding CP from a financial sector perspective. The experience gained in five developing countries allows to better investigate the ways whereby the financial community could, and perhaps should, more effectively promote financing of CP, thus contributing to the spread of the CP concept and measures at the macro (government), medium (industry associations, chambers of commerce) and micro (enterprises) levels. In doing so, the paper indirectly emphasises the role of other key stakeholders.Suggestions and recommendations expressed in the paper have to be taken clearly with a pinch of salt, as each country in the developing world has its distinct economic, political, social and cultural features. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper proposes a self-assessment model to evaluate the level of readiness of organizations to implement Green Lean initiatives. A systematic literature review was conducted to synthesize the key elements of the implementation of Green Lean, barriers and its critical success factors. The proposed instrument was validated through semi-structured interviews and workshops with experts from academia and industry and applied in four manufacturing companies in a developing country. The results revealed that the proposed self-assessment model is an appropriate instrument to determine the readiness of organizations for effectively implementing Green Lean. The proposed self-assessment model was able to display the potential challenges a company will face if it aims to integrate Green and Lean and implement it. The results of this paper will help the practitioners to conduct a diagnostic of requirements for Green Lean adoption, thereby increasing the probability of success of such an initiative before a company spends its resources on the project. Consequently, this paper will contribute to encouraging the effective implementation of Green Lean initiatives and serving as implications for further exploration and contribution to this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the rapidly deteriorating environment in developing countries caused by practices of manufacturing organizations and lack of adequate studies that can help manufacturing organizations to counter this issue, this paper aims to investigate the underlying relationship between total quality management (TQM) and the level of green manufacturing (GM) practices implementation in Palestinian food manufacturing companies (PFMC). The paper also investigates how GM practices mediate the relationship between TQM and Organizational Performance (OP) of PFMC. A quantitative research method using a survey instrument collected data from senior, quality, and human resources (HR) managers from 250 PFMC. The statistical data analysis indicated a significant positive correlation between TQM practices and overall OP (r = 0.605; p ≤ 0.01). This indicates that TQM practices significantly supports achieving overall OP objectives. Also, results found a significant positive correlation between the TQM practices and the implementation level of GM practices (r = 0.650; p ≤ 0.01), suggesting the significant role of TQM in enhancing organizational capabilities in implementing GM practices. Moreover, the results indicated that GM practices are equally important to TQM practices in enhancing overall OP; as GM practices were found to have a positive correlation with improving overall OP of PFMC (r = 0.827; p ≤ 0.01). Finally, TQM practices are found to have a significant indirect effect on OP mediated by GM practices (β = 0.55, p ≤ 0.05), whereas a significant total effect of TQM practices on OP were found (β = 0.64, p ≤ 0.05), reflecting that the GM practices' mediating effect partially accounts for roughly 86% of total effect of TQM practices on overall OP. This empirical study is considered as the first study investigating the impact of TQM practices on implementation of GM practices and their complementary impact on OP in Palestine, adding great value to literature via responding to calls to counter environmental issues in developing countries' context. [Display omitted] • TQM has significant positive impact on the implementation of GM practices in PFMC. • GM practices have a positive correlation with improving OP of PFMC. • GM practices positively mediates the relationship between TQM and OP in PFMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every country must face the problem of controlling industrial pollution during industrialization. Although low-carbon development has become important to global economic development, industrial pollution remains a problem in rapidly industrializing developing countries. With China as a case study, this paper utilizes the Malmquist index based on game cross-efficiency to measure the industrial pollution mitigation performance (IPMP) in each province of China. Labor and money variables related to industrial pollution mitigation are taken as the input indexes, and the reduction rate of various industrial pollution emissions are taken as the output indexes. From the perspectives of the public and the government, this paper further explores the influencing factors on the IPMP. Considering that there may be a nonlinear relationship between the influencing factors and the IPMP, nonparametric kernel regression is employed to explore the effect by the influencing factors, and the nonparametric bivariate density estimation is used to verify the regression results. The main conclusions of this study are as follows: (1) Due to the concentration of heavy industry, the IPMP is low in northern China. In contrast, the IPMP in central and western China is relatively high. (2) Public supervision has a positive impact on the IPMP. However, the results of heterogeneity analysis show that this effect is different in eastern, central and western China. As a result, under a high degree of public supervision, the regional IPMP will be significantly improved. (3) Public concentration has a positive "U"-shaped impact on the IPMP. The heterogeneity analysis shows that eastern China also has this "U"-shaped characteristic, while the public concentration of central and western China has a positive impact on the IPMP; that is, similar to the public supervision, under a high degree of public concentration, the regional IPMP will be significantly improved. (4) In areas where the enforcement of environmental law is strict, government supervision has a positive impact on the IPMP. By contrast, in areas where environmental law enforcement is not strict, government supervision does not have a positive impact on the IPMP. (5) Due to the failures of policy design and implementation, government concentration has a negative impact on the IPMP. China is the largest developing country in the world. It is of great significance to study its IPMP and the roles of public and government, as it provides other developing countries with insights regarding the experience of industrial pollution control. • The IPMP in northern China is relatively low. • The IPMP in central and western China is relatively high. • Public power can make positive impact on the IPMP with large scale. • Government supervision and concentration fail to improve the IPMP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ports serves all the globe to receive all their materials needs but it consumes a huge energy (fuel, diesel) for handling heavy cargo then it produces an important unclean emission of CO2 making serious air pollution influencing our One earth, our One environment, our One society and our One health and it's the appropriate time to appreciate the importance of breathing a clean Diamond Air. The present paper aims to reduce unclean production of CO2 emission of port crane and improve the clean air gains, so authors studies the case of the most relevant Atlantic port located in Casablanca at Morocco and uses its operational data about daily energy of 11 RTGs crane collected for the last two years. In order to understand the behavior of this energy consumption, the paper analyzes its data using machine learning tool: regression analysis statistical method to find out the factors influencing the production and the degree of influence then authors treats factors highly influencing by introducing inexpensive strategies and practices to large investment in cleaner air. Finally, this work contributes on large reduction of energy with a gain of 674.520 Euro/year and reduce 1 907,928 tons of CO2 emission/year of tones Co2 emission/year, with these practices port of Casablanca can be on sustainable clean development. • The paper promotes clean production in ports as well as promoting good health and well-being, as advocated in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals developed by the United Nations. • A robust machine learning model was proposed to reduce unclean port production of Casablanca, Morocco. • Energy saving increased to 50% and Co2 emission decreased to 50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the causes of growing carbon transfers between developing countries is likely to be the first step in their mitigation. With this in mind, the current paper uses multi-regional input-output analysis to investigate CO 2 emissions and value-added embodied in China-Brazil trade. We propose the use of value-added exports, rather than gross exports, to more accurately estimate the economic benefits of trade. We find enormous increases in both CO 2 emissions and value-added embodied in exports for China and Brazil between 2000 and 2014. During this period, China's position as a net CO 2 emissions and net value-added exporter vis-à-vis Brazil deepens. Major sources of increasing embodied CO 2 exports for China were the basic materials and electricity industries and for Brazil were the basic materials, agriculture and mining industries. Estimates of net carbon intensities reveal advantages for China in electronics and for Brazil in agriculture and mining. Structural decomposition analysis shows that the changing consumption in China and Brazil as well as the changing structure of intermediate exports from China to Brazil were important sources of increasing embodied CO 2 emissions. This latter finding was possible due to the method proposed in this paper of decomposing the production structure into the domestic, export and import production structures. In line with the key findings, various implications and emission abatement policies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different from the urbanization and aging population challenges experienced by developed countries, developing countries face huge impacts of these challenges on food security. Previous studies on the effects of urbanization and an aging population in developing countries on food security were mostly qualitative discussions and focused on individual aspects of grain production or consumption. In this paper, we combine rural household survey data with statistical data to comprehensively assess and reveal the impact of these two factors on food security in developing countries. Their impact on food security has both negative and positive aspects. Taking Northwest China as an example, the grain yield of every family will increase by 26.0 and −9.4 kg (P < 0.05) for every 1% increase of these two factors. For every 1% increase in urban and elderly population, regional grain consumption will increase by 0.07% and −0.09%, respectively. The negative impact of urbanization on the agricultural labor force and farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain is gradually increasing. Along with urbanization, food consumption of urban and elderly populations increased by 1.3 and 0.5 times, respectively, from 2000 to 2016. Coupled with the preference of urban residents for animal-based food products (the average annual consumption growth rate is 2.7%), the per capita food demand continues to increase, which brings about food security challenges. However, the improvement of these two factors promotes the development of agricultural mechanization and water-saving technology. This not only addresses the negative impact of labor shortage in grain production, but also reduces the grain water footprint and promotes its sustainable development. Based on the above research results, this paper proposes to use the economic benefits of urbanization to feedback to rural areas: strengthen technical guidance, train farmers and invest in machinery and equipment to promote the development of smart agriculture, and increase and refine agricultural subsidy policies to ensure the sustainable development of food production. The study can serve as a reference for other developing countries and ultimately contribute to ensuring global food security. Image 1 • Using survey data to quantify the impact of urbanization and aging on food security. • Reveal negative and positive impacts of urbanization and aging on food security. • Urbanization and aging have promoted the development of agricultural mechanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]