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Purpose This paper aims to investigate overlaps, complementarities and divergences between the literature on circular economy (CE) models and related literature in non-linear production models and frameworks, including CE, reverse logistics, closed-loop, industrial symbiosis and industrial ecology. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was conducted focussing on the benefits of non-linear modes adoption. Findings The results show a high degree of convergence in findings, gaps and weaknesses of these literatures. Negative environmental, economic and operational impacts are understudied. There is a scarcity of studies identifying practices resulting in empirically tested benefits. The business and society case for non-linear production is still largely built upon conceptual studies, modelling and a few case studies. Despite a normative focus, there is very little use of theory, in particular, management theories. Research limitations/implications First, the authors use only one, albeit highly recognized database, Scopus. This database may have omitted some relevant research, journals such as the Journal of Cleaner Production and Resources Conservation & Recycling that are more likely to publish such research and also have a more interdisciplinary approach. This is an important gap and interesting result to claim for more interdisciplinary research. Second, the filtering process used and the focus on Association of Business Schools top journals may have also omitted some relevant research, such as a large stream of literature in specialist journals such as Resources Conservation and Recycling and the Journal of Cleaner Production. Practical implications There are contradictions, tensions and epistemological ambiguity that needs to be critically addressed. Such tensions may be associated with the knowledge field that gave rise to these different non-linear production approaches. Many of them appeared at the same time, but from different sciences and disciplines with their own perspectives. Then in doing so, they create confusion in the definitions of CE, assumptions underlying modelling and business choices arising from this complexity. This can be minimized through the critical interpretation of knowledge to elucidate epistemological quandaries to improve the understanding of the economic, social and environmental impacts of practices. Social implications In some way, this result makes sense, as the authors have limited the search to management, business and accounts journals, especially talking about Operations Management journals. This is an important gap and interesting result to claim for more interdisciplinary research. Originality/value In addition to gaps previously described, the authors identified areas of tensions where the literature offers inconclusive – often contradictory – findings requiring further exploration. A better understanding of these tensions is required to understand the impacts of non-linear production and develop policy guidelines for industry and policymakers to scale-up CE.

This paper aims to explore the emergence of ‘Green Banking’ in Bangladesh, with a focus on the role of financial regulation and regulators in greening the financial sector. It also examines the contribution and involvement of banks and non-bank financial institutions in promoting green economic transition. The study is based on the review of secondary data collected from various sources, such as quarterly reports, annual reports, websites of the central bank of Bangladesh, and other commercial banks and non-bank financial institutions as well as various articles, and newspapers reports on green banking in Bangladesh. The collected data is reviewed using descriptive statistics. The research results reveal that the central bank of Bangladesh played a major role in greening the financial system of the country by implementing various green policies and regulatory measures. Although Bangladesh is still far behind the developed countries in terms of environmental performance, the country has made a remarkable progress in initiating and expanding green banking practices, infrastructure development, and accelerating green growth in recent years.

This paper is focused on analyzing the characteristics of firms that have environmental performance beyond the requirements of regulation in environmental protection. To identify such characteristics, we propose a value and context model building on environmental paradigms as conceptualized by Dryzek’s environmental discourse theory. Using multiple discriminant analysis (MDA) to analyze data collected from a multi-respondent survey of Argentinean polluting firms, we identify distinctive characteristics of firms going beyond regulation and firms that do not comply with regulation. In particular, comparing with other five environmental discourses, endorsement of green growth is evaluated in its connection with compliance patterns. We find that supporting green growth discourse (also known as ecological modernization) is one of the characteristics of those firms that go beyond compliance in their environmental performance.

PurposeThe instrumental-normative divide that has historically characterized approaches to societal sustainability has also resulted in a rift between underlying mental models and methods destined to address the issue. This separation makes our understanding and tackling of the present global ecological problems only limited and ineffective. The present work aims to draw on theoretical background to develop a conceptual framework for transitioning to integrated corporate sustainability.Design/methodology/approachDrawing inspiration from Luhmann’s (1995) theory of social systems, we consider the instrumental (hard) and normative (soft) methods (Jackson 2019) for corporate sustainability as “conceptual systems” that derive much of traditional social systems’ attributes. These systems are autopoietic, complexity-reducing and functionally differentiated. Following Luhmann’s philosophical grounding, we suggest that integrating the two systems of hard and soft methods boils down to constraining both systems’ internal complexity by imposing limitations on their operational structures. This translates into a decodification–recodification process whereby new methods emerge as a combination of initially disconnected structures.FindingsThe proposed conceptual integration framework is applied to the case of the Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) which has been recently subject to inconclusive controversy. Our work demonstrates that redesigning the SBSC’s architecture following the presented framework leads to embracing complexity, tensions and conflict all the while offering a systematic approach for properly identifying and quantifying cause–effect relationships. Moreover, the proposed framework scores high in Complexity and Systemicity measures, making it both durable and practically useful. More generally, this work drives home the point that an integrated approach to sustainability management is not only important but also feasible and theoretically durable.Research limitations/implicationsTheoretically, the present work underscores the contribution of systems theory, and particularly the Luhmannian perspective, to transcending some of the most salient “divides” in approaches to societal sustainability. The decodification–recodification process not only enables integrating two distinct conceptual systems, but it also transforms the divide into an opportunity to gain a fresher perspective on one of the most challenging issues of our time. This process may demand, however, some adjustments as we move across various function systems, which requires solid knowledge and understanding of the underlying “codes” that define the systems subject to integration.Practical implicationsThis work implies that integration of varied and sometimes outwardly opposed function systems can and must be carried out to achieve larger societal impact. With respect to the illustrated case, the emerging dynamic SBSC offers a viable strategic planning platform whereby managers and stakeholders can concurrently define, forecast and adjust the societal strategy that maximizes triple bottom-line indicators and sustainable development impact.Social implicationsProviding decision and policymakers with integrated sustainability management approaches and instruments will have a direct benefit on enhancing the way systems, and large corporations in particular, treat and deal with nature and human beings.Originality/valueWe propose that proper integration of multiple function systems, employing integrative, unbiased and structured methodologies, can be decisive in challenging current practices in sustainability management and in providing informed guidance for making the high-stake decisions needed in the transition towards sustainable development of business and society.

Private sector collaboration for sustainable development remains a “black box” in terms of collaborative governance mechanisms: the specific arrangements or types of collaboration used by multiple actors to come together and implement and oversee rules to align their efforts towards shared goals. Therefore, a theoretical framework is needed to guide the design of collaborative efforts towards the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) . We address such a need, using a systematic literature review to conceptualize the main dimensions of collaborative governance (hierarchy, formalization, centralization), and the factors influencing the impact of collaborative governance choice on sustainable development outcomes. Our results highlight that there are different types of collaboration as a governance mechanism for progress towards Sustainable Development Goals and that alternative governance arrangements should be combined. We also found that the success of collaboration is contingent not only on governance-specific dimensions but also on the type of SDG and the type of partners involved.

Highlights • This study empirically assesses the determinants of organizations’ intentions and organizations’ behaviors towards a circular economy for plastics. • Attitudes and perceived behavioral control of corporate decision makers are the strongest predictors of organizations’ intentions and organizations’ behaviors respectively. • Most organizations are willing to contribute to a circular economy for plastics, but they are failing to do so due to some critical barriers. • This study suggests some measures to overcome this intention-behavior gap. • Government or relevant institutions should provide incentives, disseminate knowledge, and establish networking platforms., The production and consumption of plastics, although inevitable in our modern life, are predominantly unsustainable and inefficient. Hence, the concept of a circular economy for plastics has been proposed as a sustainable approach to thrive both economy and our modern life. To implement a circular economy for plastics, an understanding of both individuals’ and organizations’ behaviors is needed since psychological effects often undermine technical solutions. We particularly focus on organizations’ behaviors since commercial plastic waste has not been thoroughly investigated compared to household plastic waste. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), we assess the determinants of intentions and behaviors of 637 organizations in Belgium towards a circular economy for plastics. Our PLS-SEM analysis support that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control of decision makers positively influence organizations’ intentions to implement best practices of plastic recycling. Furthermore, organizations’ intentions, perceived behavioral control, pressures, and enablers positively, whereas barriers negatively, influence organizations’ behaviors. Our study shows that most organizations have positive intentions, yet they seem to be failing in implementing best practices of plastic recycling due to some critical barriers. To overcome this intention-behavior gap and to attain a circular economy for plastics, our study suggests some measures.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how synergies between lean and green supply chain practices emerge. In particular, the authors explore which practices identified in the literature are actually implemented in a synergic way and determine what synergic results they bring. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth case study of the Brazilian subsidiary of a large multinational company was conducted using interviews, in-plant observations and document analysis. Findings The majority of the practices (26 out of 31) bring synergic results to lean and green performance. Synergies can emerge spontaneously (rather than being strategized) even when the implementation of green and lean practices is compartmentalized in different areas, with no department or supportive management team to treat them in a joined way. The strongest synergic results are found in practices related to suppliers and customers because these supply chain actors act as bridges between the lean and green areas. Research limitations/implications The authors did not have access to the company customers and suppliers. This restriction made the analysis of drivers skewed towards the perspective of the focal company and the way they framed their interactions. Second, the assessment of synergies was in the majority of cases qualitative. Originality/value Empirically, it is the first time that all synergic practices identified in the literature are explored through a case study. Theoretically, the authors developed a model of determinants of lean and green synergies based on constructs emerging from the data; behavioural literature in synergies and research on synergies in mergers and acquisitions.

This study proposes a technology- organization- environment (TOE) theoretical framework of critical factors that influence the successful adoption of blockchain technologies in the freight logistics industry and prioritize them using the analytic network process (ANP). The research findings indicate that ‘availability of specific blockchain tools’, ‘infrastructural facility’, and ‘government policy and support’ are the three topmost ranked significant factors that influence the adoption of blockchains in the freight logistics industry. These findings will aid government agencies, freight logistics firms and blockchain service providers in strategizing for the advancement and successful adoption of blockchain and improvement of overall organizational competitiveness.

Paper aims: The main objective of this work is to integrate a typology of green supply chain management practices with organizational theories.Originality: We provide a comprehensive typology of GSCM practices based on empirical evidence and conceptual arguments.Research method: Through a systematic review we identified 435 GSCM’s practices that were organized into categories according to their theoretical conception, organizational context and characteristics.Main findings: We identified three organizational context dimensions (innovation, performance and management) and proposed a conceptual model of theory-practice-context congruence, to guide the selection of theories for the design of research and analyses of GSCM practices.Implications for theory and practice: Our main contribution is the alignment of each category of practices and organizational dimension with the selected theoretical lenses that can help future investigations to deepen the analysis of GSCM practices. Besides the theoretical contributions, we believe this contribution can also achieve practitioners.

While prior ecolabel research suggests that consumers’ trust of ecolabel sponsors is associated with their purchase of ecolabeled products, we know little about how third-party certification might relate to consumer purchases when trust varies. Drawing on cognitive theory and a stratified random sample of more than 1200 consumers, we assess how third-party certification relates to consumers’ use of ecolabels across different program sponsors. We find that consumers’ trust of government and environmental NGOs to provide credible environmental information encourages consumers’ use of ecolabels sponsored by these entities, and consumers do not differentiate between certified versus uncertified ecolabels in the presence of trust. By contrast, consumers’ distrust of private business to provide credible environmental information discourages their use of business association-sponsored ecolabels. However, these ecolabels may be able to overcome consumer distrust if their sponsors certify the ecolabels using third-party auditors. These findings are important to sponsors who wish develop ecolabels that are more credible to consumers, and thus encourage more widespread ecolabel use.

This article examines whether or not customers cooperate in organisations' environmental performance, in what circumstances it happens; and how customers can collaborate with organisations in order to they improve their environmental performance. This research uses both the Ecological Modernisation (EM) and the Resource Dependence Theory (RDT) to analyse the effects of external Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) practices, namely, ‘Cooperation with Customers’ (CC) and ‘Green Purchasing’ (GP) on the Environmental Performance (EP) of organisations. A multi-method research is used, combining a survey and multiple-case studies of Brazilian organisations. The main results and contributions of this research include: (a) the Brazilian setting, in the context of EM, provides incentives for adopting GSCM practices, especially CC practices; (b) Brazilian organisations depend more on customers than on suppliers to improve EP; and (c) an original matrix for a better understanding of the roles of suppliers and customers to achieve a better EP through a GSCM approach is proposed. This paper provides an extension to EM and RDT theories applied to green operations management by showing that external GSCM can improve EP and such process depends more on CC than GP. Implications for B2B are highlighted. © 2017 Elsevier Inc.

Political will at the national and multilateral scale is coalescing around the emerging discourse of Green Growth. The narratives and practices of Green Growth have already been rejected by many stakeholders as a reformulation of business as usual discourse. However, this article argues that this critique is grounded in a false conflation of distinct interpretations of the concept. In place of homogenising all associated narratives, we argue for an aspirational Critical Green Growth perspective, socially inclusive and conducive to structural transformation, incipiently identified in Asian national policies (i.e. Korea, and Japan) and the United Nations Environment Programme. Drawing on this background, and other development insights, we conduct a ‘backasting’ exercise to identify trajectories leading to this imagined future of Green Growth. We address a key gap in the literature, the lack of dialogue between Green Growth and Develomental State studies. We then argue for the importance of the Green Growth State (GGS) in introducing fundamental change in this critical window of opportunity. Elements of this overarching concept would include broad characteristics of: a flexible and diverse policy mix; multi-stakeholder, multi-level governance; public trust and collaboration; and appropriate measurements of progress discouraging commodification of nature.

The Greening of Industry Network (GIN) is into its third decade of involvement in integrated environmental, social, and economic debates. This paper introduces GIN to another generation of thinkers and doers, and reintroduces it to participants who have had previous experiences with GIN and/or its activities. GIN's history and the various ‘debates’ sponsored by the organization over the years will be overviewed. We also identify debates and directions that we see continuing or emerging over the next few years, as GIN continues to evolve. Although GIN has been an active player in the debates about the greening of industrial development for two decades, it has evolved as social, technological, organizational, and economic developments changed. Over its two-plus decades, GIN has seen significant shifts in a number of directions, many of these shifts occurring in sporadic and unexpected ways. Climate change, resource depletion, sustainability, technological change with an expanding global communication network, social media, multiple recessions and growth periods, base of pyramid emphasis, a growing academic stream in business and the environment, have all contributed to the various lenses of GIN participants and thereby shaped action and activities in the Network. Change continues. GIN will be there to help understand and address some of these changes as they pertain to the Greening of Industry.