No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
A Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development
... Sala et al. (2015) highlighted the challenge of understanding "what contributes to a sustainable development and what does not". Our study utilizes the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) (see e.g., Broman and Robèrt, 2017) to frame how design, or sustainable design, can contribute to sustainable development. Included in the FSSD are for example eight principles that define socio-ecological sustainability that need to be considered throughout a design's, or product's, full lifecycle to contribute to sustainable development. ...
... Included in the FSSD are for example eight principles that define socio-ecological sustainability that need to be considered throughout a design's, or product's, full lifecycle to contribute to sustainable development. These eight principles are explicitly defined (Broman and Robèrt, 2017): "In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing… 1. Concentrations of substances extracted from the Earth's crust. 2. Concentrations of substances produced by society. ...
... Category two: Sustainable Product Development (SPD) design methods and are based on more than 15 years of research in close collaboration with the Swedish product development and manufacturing industry (see e.g., Byggeth and Hochschorner, 2006;Hallstedt et al., 2013;Watz and Hallstedt, 2022). The SPD design methods aim to support the strategic integration of socio-ecological sustainability, using the FSSD (Broman and Robèrt, 2017), in product development and manufacturing organizations by ensuring that a full systems perspective is incorporated in the early phases of design. The design methods support practitioners in e.g., anticipating the sustainability performance of different solutions, identifying sustainabilityrelated risks, and guidance towards more sustainable solutions. ...
... The problems derived from crossing these boundaries are occurring on a global scale, e.g., climate change, loss of biosphere integrity, land-system change, and altered biogeochemical cycles of phosphorus and nitrogen (Shapira et al., 2017). These problems narrow 'the funnel', which is a metaphor for the steadily decreasing capacity of the ecological and social systems to sustain humanity (Broman and Robèrt, 2017;Robèrt, 2000). The decreasing capacity is a result of the current unsustainable operation of society, policies, and business, and it implies the need for global sustainable development (Broman and Robèrt, 2017). ...
... These problems narrow 'the funnel', which is a metaphor for the steadily decreasing capacity of the ecological and social systems to sustain humanity (Broman and Robèrt, 2017;Robèrt, 2000). The decreasing capacity is a result of the current unsustainable operation of society, policies, and business, and it implies the need for global sustainable development (Broman and Robèrt, 2017). Any actions, being policies, products/services, or corporate activities, must be planned and managed in such a way that they contribute to global sustainable development. ...
... Sustainability assessment should support decision-makers to choose the most sustainable actions to move consistently towards greater sustainability (Gibson, 2006). In this regard, using a principle-based definition of sustainability is a valuable basis for sustainability assessment (Alayón et al., 2017;Glavič and Lukman, 2007;Shrivastava and Berger, 2010) as it avoids oversimplification and reductionism (Cohen, 2017), clearly defines the goal of sustainability (Missimer et al., 2017b) and practitioners do not need to know all the detailed consequences of the actions to be assessed (Broman and Robèrt, 2017). Such principles are provided by Robèrt (2002) and Broman and Robèrt (2017) in the ☆ Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study. ...
... DC is "the firm's ability to integrate, build, and reconfigure internal and external competences to address rapidly changing environments" (Teece et al., 1997, p. 516). However, there is strong evidence that business strategies designed to respond to global hyper-competition have further aggravated environmental destruction and social injustice (Broman & Robèrt, 2015). Borland et al. (2016) argue that to better manage the link between business strategy and sustainability, the DC concept should consider global biophysical ecosystems challenges. ...
... This would require firms to connect the sustainability macro and micro level of analysis, incorporating all micro-foundations that could help improve sustainability concept (Dyllick & Hockerts, 2002). The literature indicates that first-order sustainability principles, as summarized in Broman and Robèrt (2015), could help business organizations guide the implementation of strong CS strategies. ...
... Literature gaps show that the challenge to business administration theory, including business schools, is to help develop leadership oriented by humanistic principles (Gröschl & Gabaldon, 2018), supporting the implementation of models and indicators that measure and reward the effectiveness of those strategies (Tsalis et al., 2020). The adoption of models, tools, and step-by-step processes, as discussed in Broman and Robèrt (2015), could be a way to move firms' strategy towards sustainability, capturing innovation opportunities that will emerge in coping with grand social challenges. ...
This study explores the following theoretical research question: How can business ethics help to reframe corporate sustainability strategies? This paper’s contribution to corporate sustainability (CS) theory is the interconnection of concepts and models from disparate fields of thought, addressing gaps of perception that can impair the development of CS strategies. This paper’s main result is a comprehensive and articulated framework that links the societal level of sustainability to the organizational dimension of CS and the individual dimension of managers’ moral orientation. The framework reinforces the perception that business ethics driven by a normative orientation could improve CS results when supported by an organizational culture that allows reversing ethical blindness.
... The SPD design methods aim to support the strategic integration of socio-ecological sustainability in product development and manufacturing organizations. These design methods utilize the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (Broman & Robèrt, 2017) and strive to ensure that a full systems perspective is incorporated in the early phases of design. The design methods support practitioners in e.g., anticipating the sustainability performance of different solutions, identifying sustainability-related risks, and guidance towards more sustainable solutions. ...
... • Sustainable design competencies, and refer to the principles presented in the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (Broman & Robèrt, 2017). ...
... 315) highlighted the challenge of understanding "what contributes to a sustainable development and what does not". This thesis utilizes the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) (see e.g.,Broman and Robèrt, 2017) to frame how design, or sustainable design, can contribute to sustainable development. This framework includes eight principles that define socio-ecological sustainability and need to be considered throughout a design's, or product's, full lifecycle to contribute to sustainable development. ...
The manufacturing industry requires a rapid shift and change of practices to align with sustainable production and consumption. This, together with emerging technologies, upcoming legislation, and changing market trends push for a so-called sustainability transformation. The notion of sustainable design practices has been identified and highlighted as a crucial enabler to succeed in such a transformation. At the same time, design researchers develop design methods that can support organizations to adopt sustainable design practices and accelerate such a transformation. However, the industrial adoption of such design methods is challenging, and their use remains under-utilized.
Research in the design domain tends to study this issue from a process and methodological perspective, often resulting in 'pragmatic' proposals on how developed design methods can be modified and adapted, or 'improved', to meet the needs of practitioners. Such an approach, however, often fails to appropriately consider organizational and human-behavioral aspects to change, which in turn have been more studied in the management research domain. This opens up for research considering these three perspectives simultaneously when studying the adoption of design methods. Qualitative empirical data focused on the adoption of sustainable design practices using design methods was therefore collected, using participatory observation in several case studies with actors from the manufacturing industry. Three literature studies complemented the empirical data collection to understand the topic further.
This thesis identifies five key barriers to the adoption of sustainable design practices using design methods: (i) The prescriptive nature of design methods combined with the influence of human-behavioral aspects; (ii) The contextual complexity of design method adoption; (iii) A paradigm of product design that persists in the manufacturing industry; (iv) The presence of cognitive biases that risk of leading to a state of pseudo-sustainability; (v) Insufficient information and data capabilities. Two new concepts were also introduced, referred to as the dualism of design methods, and the situational design problem. These two concepts clarify the role of design methods and explain the barriers to adoption. Finally, pathways for future research to address these key barriers were proposed, including approaches to needs driven and contextually adapted adoption, and Sustainable design thinking.
... In this respect, sustainability connects with CSR through the management of Operations and Sustainable Supply Chain Management (Sroufe & Dole, 2022;Wiengarten & Durach, 2022). A framework for strategic sustainability (Broman & Robert, 2017) enables us to consider what is and is not sustainable. The framework consists of five levels: Systems-level understanding, defining Success, Strategic guidelines, Actions, and the application of decision-making Tools. ...
... The framework consists of five levels: Systems-level understanding, defining Success, Strategic guidelines, Actions, and the application of decision-making Tools. Broman and Robert (2017) note that societal change leading to sustainability can be achieved if leaders deeply understand not only the nature, enormity, and urgency of sustainability, but also the advantages and opportunities that proactivity toward sustainability could bring. ...
... Step TNS Provides a strategic approach by determining boundary conditions within which society can continue to function and evolve [58] Planetary Boundaries PB Proposes a set of eight safe and just Earth system boundaries that govern the Earth system and are necessary to maintain its resilience and stability [59,60] ...
... Step, provides a strategic perspective [24] by changing the perception from downstream environmental problems to upstream ones [17]. It provides a strategic approach by determining boundary conditions within which society can continue to function and evolve [58]. Its principles for the environmental dimension are in a social system; these are trust, common meaning, diversity, learning capacity and self-organisation [6]. ...
Recent decades have seen substantial increase in efforts to appease environmental challenges and to foster sustainability in business and society. As a direct result, numerous philosophies for sustainability have emerged, including Circular Economy, Sustainable Development Goals, Natural Capitalism, amongst many others. All of these are movements set to inspire, set goals, and guide towards improved sustainability performance, and as such, they can be described as a sustainability philosophy. Whilst each has its own origins and reason for emergence, plus its own target group(s), it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the philosophies apart and, therefore understand their nuanced differences. The chosen philosophies influence strategies, tools, and initiatives chosen by organisations. Particularly when these are seen from a corporate perspective, it is often difficult to know which one(s) to adopt and how to relate a company’s efforts to a particular sustainability philosophy. This study sets out to identify and review the current sustainability philosophies in an attempt to understand their origins, the similarities, and synergies between and across them and to identify gaps. By performing a systematic literature review divided into three phases, this study systematises fifteen sustainability philosophies based upon their key characteristics, such as the dominance and prevalence of sustainability dimensions, fulfilment of societal needs and integration of philosophy elements into company business processes. Additionally, it identifies patterns of geography, industry sector, and general application area to provide an overview and question the extent to which the philosophies can guide the transition to sustainability.
... The intersection analysis will support the hypothesis that current design approaches for whole-system sustainability can be brought together, if InTIME Design encompasses other DfS approaches or could be further expanded to include additional operations. Figure 3 graphically illustrates the exemplary intersection analysis between InTIME Design and The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (Broman and Robèrt, 2017). ...
... The selected design approaches from literature are: Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (Broman and Robèrt, 2017), Transition Design (Irwin, 2018), Transition Management (Nevens et al., 2013;Rotmans et al., 2001), Integrated Sustainable Engineering Design (Gagnon et al., 2012), Systemic Design Approach (Drew et al., 2021), Sustainable Technology Development (Weaver et al., 2017), and System Innovation for Sustainability (Gaziulusoy et al., 2013). All further mentioning of the approaches from literature relate to the above given references. ...
Interdisciplinary transition innovation, management, and engineering (InTIME) Design has been developed to overcome sustainability transition challenges in complex systems. The intersections of InTIME Design with a range of reported design for sustainability (DfS) approaches were analysed. Results demonstrate similar core principles across DfS approaches. InTIME Design accomplishes convergence of the studied approaches, and organises the DfS approaches into workflow phases, adds a complimentary wicked problem definition, and deploys systems engineering problem solving.
... Их много и они разнообразны. И для каждой компании свойственен свой набор рисков, учитывая географию размещения, отрасль, бизнесмодель, стратегию [12]. Но объединяет их принцип существенности и приоритетности. ...
Relevance. Sustainable Development Goals and ESG practices are an integral part of Russian business today. The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals is aimed at meeting the interests of a wide range of stakeholders. To assess the ESG result, the business uses the services of rating agencies that compile ratings and rankings, providing a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the level of sustainable development of the company. However, the results obtained are often assessed by experts as irrelevant and have a number of disadvantages in terms of their comparability.
The purpose is to show the variety of existing approaches and methods that are applicable in current conditions to assess the comparability of ESG practices.
Objectives: to present the existing techniques and techniques for evaluating ESG practices; to analyze the bottlenecks in the existing methodological base for ESG assessment; to assess the prospects for further development of the methodology for evaluating ESG indicators and to make recommendations for the further development of the ESG assessment system in Russia.
Methodology. The methodology presented by the author lies in the field of research of two sciences –sociology and economics. The application of an interdisciplinary approach allows using the expert interview method to identify the bottlenecks which are necessary for analysis and accounting, and the economic and statistical functionality will allow calculations that ensure comparability of the presented indicators.
Results. As a result of the consideration of the main approaches to the assessment of ESG indicators the set of methods and techniques was identified, which forms the basis of the methodological base for evaluating ESG practices. An analysis of existing techniques has revealed a number of bottlenecks that require careful analysis and accounting. Assessing the need for comparability of ESG indicators, expert opinions were divided, which characterizes the ambiguity of the unification process of ESG indicators.
Conclusions. Due to the changing geo-economic and geopolitical conditions, the angle of consideration of ESG practices in Russia has changed dramatically. The degree of government involvement has increased. In the current conditions, the development of methodological recommendations becomes particularly relevant when it comes to determining the proper Russian prerogatives of sustainability.
... The disastrous and permanent outcomes of synthetic fertilizers on soil health are alarming and demand sustainable agricultural development [139] in a way that can fulfill the needs of the growing human population without degrading the quality and fertility of the soil for next generations [140,141]. Studies have demonstrated that organic farming can mitigate the negative consequences caused by chemical fertilizers [142,143]. ...
Anthropogenic activities have resulted in land desertification in various regions of the world, leading to the degradation of critical soil characteristics such as organic matter (OM) content, nutrient stock, and prevailing biodiversity. Restoring such degraded soils through organic matter amendments and diversified crop rotations is thus an intrinsic part of organic farming. This review discusses a wide range of organic farming impacts on soil health and crop productivity by focusing on organic fertilizers and crop diversification. Conventional fertilizers were considered vital for agricultural production to harvest high crop yields. Nevertheless, they are now deemed as environmentally hazardous and an obstacle to sustainable agroecosystems due to intensive chemical inputs that damage the soil over time and have long-lasting impacts. Conventional fertilization results in nutrient depletion, loss of microbial diversity, organic matter reduction, and deterioration of physical characteristics of the soil. Conversely, organic fertilization makes use of naturally existing resources to improve soil health. Organic amendments such as biochar, manure, and fermented grass improve soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties and promote the growth and diversity of beneficial soil microorganisms—important in nutrient cycling and soil stability. They facilitate the uptake of nutrients, hinder crop pathogen growth, mitigate heavy metals, and decompose xenobiotic organic substances. Moreover, growing cover crops is also a major strategy to improve soil health. Diversified crop rotation with combinatorial use of organic fertilizers may improve soil health and agricultural yields without any detrimental impacts on the environment and soil, ensuring sustainable food production, safety, and security. This integrated approach contributes to minimizing the use of chemical fertilizers and their effects on environmental health. It also contributes to reducing agricultural inputs along with enhancing OM, soil microbial diversity and biomass, nitrogen fixation, and carbon sequestration. Therefore, cover crops and organic fertilization may offer sustainable agroecosystems and climate change mitigation.
... In light of the urgent challenges posed by climate change, resource depletion, and many other environmental, human health and social issues, it is crucial to reconsider our current mode of production and consumption of goods, and provision and use of services. This includes a shift towards practices that are aligned with sustainability principles (Broman and Robèrt, 2017) and fit within the planetary boundaries (Pope et al., 2017;Richardson et al., 2023). In this regard, digitalization is seen as one of the most promising transversal solutions to contribute to these objectives, including fulfilling the Agenda 2030 (Ghobakhloo, 2020;Mondejar et al., 2021). ...
The incorporation of digital technologies (DTs) and digital services into our daily lives is expected to grow in the years ahead. Whereas these technologies and services are recognised as important enablers of sustainable development, their resource footprint and environmental impacts are often underestimated or overlooked. One of the key proposals expected to mitigate the negative consequences of DTs and digital services is the development circular economy (CE) strategies. In an attempt to synthesise these important concepts while contributing to environmental sustainability, this paper introduces the Circular strategy Assessment for Digital Services (CADiS) framework. Its main goal is to support a simultaneous holistic understanding of the environmental impacts of digital services and the role of CE strategies in ameliorating them. Its open structure and granularity in terms of system coverage (nano/micro, meso and macro levels) and flow analysis (materials, energy and the role of data management) allow pinpointing the most suited interventions for achieving greater circularity and environmental sustainability. For this, the CADiS framework considers circularity (C) indicators and life cycle impact assessment (LCIA), which could be considered independently or merged, to promptly evaluate many scenarios at once. To demonstrate its practical application, a case study of an eHealth service deployed in three distinct elderly living schemes is presented. The evaluated digital health and well-being service integrates six types of electronic devices for urgent notifications, audio, and video communication, and is interconnected using Power over Ethernet (PoE) infrastructure. The results identified the scenario that incorporates regenerative/cleaner energy sources and closing material loops as the best-performing one. Given the ever-expanding importance of digitalization in our society, the CADiS framework is timely to facilitate environmental assessment reporting and increase the circularity of digital services to achieve sustainable development.
... XYZ aligns with these best practices, ensuring the project is both market-responsive and financially viable. Additionally, incorporating Monte Carlo simulations, as demonstrated by (Broman & Robèrt, 2017), allows developers to evaluate multiple scenarios and prepare for various financial outcomes, which helps in securing strategic partnerships and investment. The plan's phased approach to construction ensures that quality and timeline adherence, as noted by (Lines et al., 2015), can significantly reduce cost overruns and delays, common issues in large-scale developments. ...
Indonesia's growing urbanization, population growth, and changing work behaviors have increased the demand for diverse housing options. PT XYZ, established in 2021, plans to meet this demand by developing low-rise apartments and landed housing in smart residential areas in secondary cities. This research aims to assess the feasibility of this project by analyzing market demand, financial performance, and regulatory factors. Using financial models such as Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Payback Period (PBP), as well as sensitivity analysis and Monte Carlo simulation, this research evaluates the financial viability of the project. The results show strong profit potential, with a positive NPV and IRR of 57.41%, achieving a payback within four years. The project not only fulfills the housing needs of Millennials and Gen Z, but also aligns with government initiatives to promote home ownership. The implications of this research include improving housing accessibility for young, dynamic demographic groups, such as Millennials and Gen Z, as well as strengthening developer strategies in the face of changing market challenges.
... Sustainability has become an important topic for organizations and academics, Studies focus on how the organizations to the increasing pressures in the field of environmental management, and how it can gain a competitive advantage through its environmental activity (Borland et al., 2016: 295) [7] as he points out (Broman & Robèrt, 2017: 20) [8] point out that the discussion about sustainability must go beyond simply reducing the negative impact to include potential positive impacts , If possible The ~ 316 ~ evolution of management from traditional to sustainable strategy. Sure (Kurucz et al., 2017: 190) [9] The traditional ways of driving Strategy Such as planning, organizing, managing and controlling can be effective, but to achieve Sustainability Strategy For radical change, leadership requires completely different skills and abilities Helps organizations transform strategically Sustainable, taking into account environmental, humanitarian and social issues along with financial and profitability issues. ...
The current research aims to identify the strategic capabilities variable as an independent variable and the strategic sustainability variable as a dependent variable and test the relationship of correlation and influence between them. The main research problem was to answer the question posed, which states: The role of the strategic capabilities possessed by the organization in achieving its orientation towards sustainability strategy. In order to achieve this goal, a diagram was assumed that explains the nature of the relationship between the variables, and in light of the diagram, a set of statistical hypotheses was formulated. The field aspect of the research was applied in the General Company for the Pharmaceutical Industry-Samarra and its affiliated factories. The size of the population reached 528, and the researchers chose the research sample in a random manner, as the sample size reached 226 working individuals. The questionnaire was distributed to them, and only 225 were retrieved, with a response rate of 99%. The researchers used a group Among the statistical methods are the arithmetic mean, Pearson correlation, and the simple linear regression equation, in addition to confirmatory structural validity and reliability. a group of ready-made statistical programs was used, which are: Spss and Amos and Excel. The researchers reached a set of conclusions, the most important of which is: There is an influence relationship Strategic capabilities have a strong positive impact on strategic sustainability. This confirms that paying attention to the dimensions of strategic capabilities and identifying them correctly may enable the company to comply with environmental, social, and economic pressures and laws. in addition to presenting a set of recommendations, the most important of which is an invitation The senior management of the company under discussion is seeking to hold a workshop and training courses, seek the assistance of specialized trainers, and benefit from research centers in universities to enhance the capabilities of its working members.
... As of 2019, natural ecosystems had declined by 47 % on average, relative to their earliest estimated states (IPBES, 2019), and as of 2020, global natural capital -the planet's stock of renewable and non-renewable natural resources had declined by nearly 40 % since the early 1990s (WWF, 2020). At the global scale, we are reaching or exceeding environmental limits (Steffen, et al., 2015;Broman and Robèrt, 2017;IPCC, 2021;Persson, et al., 2022), including in terms of land system change and biosphere integrity (Richardson, et al., 2023). In these regards, Holling et al. (2002) highlight that land use transformations affect the landscape at the scale where plant-and animal-controlling interactions unfold in ecosystems, and IPBES (2019) reports that "land-use change is the direct driver with the largest relative impact on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems". ...
Biodiversity and natural ecosystems underpin human life and wellbeing, yet they are systematically degraded by anthropic activity, with land use change being the direct driver most impacting terrestrial ecosystems. Since scholars argue that solving the biodiversity crisis hinges on the problem conceptions that steer governance, and since land use is governed predominantly at the national level, we seek to identify the problem conceptions expressed through the governance of the land use – environment nexus in a country where ecosystem degradation persists despite tenure security: Mauritius. Through interviews with key informants, corroborated by documentation review, we investigate the current governance systems across legislative, policy, and institutional frameworks to elicit the main governance issues that may reveal underlying problem conceptions. Our results point to weak commons and compromise approaches, which systematically enable land use changes for financial maximization at the expense of natural ecosystems. Economic optimization and ecosystem prioritization approaches were not observed despite recognition of nature’s role in the wellbeing of citizens. In this context, which may be similar in many developing countries, the introduction of biophysical and monetary natural capital accounting is recommended to provide commensurate data on the benefits derived from ecosystems and those derived from economic activities, in order to better inform compromise and prioritization.
... The methodology followed in this paper can be divided into four phases: (1) identifying the vision, where do we want to be; (2) identifying the research areas, what are the main research topics which are important in achieving this vision; (3) gaps identification, where are we now, and how does this fall short of our vision; and (4) roadmap definition, how do we start addressing the gaps. Our approach is inspired by previous research roadmaps and approaches [34,35]. We start by defining our vision in Section 2, in which we sketch what we wish to achieve. ...
... According to the literature, sustainable development includes a number of accepted definitions (Sanwal 2004). This happens because each time, a different weight is given to the components that make up sustainable development (Broman and Robèrt 2017). For example, economists evaluate sustainable development based on well-being (Costanza et al. 2016). ...
It is a fact that worldwide energy reserves are constantly decreasing. Simultaneously, climate change poses a strong threat to our planet’s future. Therefore, it is imperative to turn to sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions, such as renewable energy sources. One of the renewable energy sources is wind energy, which has important characteristics and advantages and presents itself as a prominent solution to the issue that has arisen. The production of energy via wind is done by using wind turbines. However, disposing of wind turbines in landfills or incineration can cause serious health and environmental problems. As a result, recycling of wind turbines is a realistic approach for the renewable energy sector to assure the long-term sustainability. Based on the above, this work investigated recycling methods and relevant operations. In particular, it includes a concise review on the topic and a data analysis of previously unpublished data regarding wind turbines installed in Greece (data obtained from Greek Center for Renewable Energy Sources (CRES)), which were meticulously analyzed, offering the main findings of this scientific venture. The factors that contribute to the sustainability of wind turbines (whether small or large power) were explored. According to the results, the main recyclable materials are concrete (79.86%), steel (19.03%), fiberglass (0.73%), copper (0.24%), and aluminum (0.14%) of the total weight of the wind turbine. In 2024, it is expected that 59,110 t of concrete; 13,445 t of steel; 370 t of fiberglass; 127 t of copper; and 74 t of aluminum will be recycled. Therefore, the economic advantage is enormous, which could lead to new investment opportunities and job growth in the recycling industry. It is critical to make timely decisions on the recycling process. The larger the scale of recycling, the greater the economic and environmental benefits for societies.
... Используя самый общий подход государственные бюджеты можно рассматривать как результат решений ответственных лиц, которые по закону несут ответственность за сбор, перераспределение и расходование бюджетных средств. В настоящее время сложность бюджетного процесса обусловлена наличием множества конфликтов, переговоров и решений, принимаемых многими должностными лицами, руководителями государственных учреждений, менеджерами, персоналом, клиентами программ, налогоплательщиками и общественностью в целом [3]. ...
Ключевые задачи, решаемые правительствами при помощи бюджетной политики связаны, прежде всего, с устранением сбоев, которые могут возникнуть в результате несовершенной рыночной экономики на рынке и устранением негативного влияния внешних факторов. В этой связи актуальным является поиск решения проблемы повышения устойчивости функционирования бюджетной системы. Цель исследования заключается в оценке целесообразности использования механизма бюджетирования в режиме реального времени в процессе составления и исполнения государственного бюджета Российской Федерации для целей обеспечения устойчивого развития и безопасности национальной бюджетной системы. Результаты показали, что необходимо не только четко определить правила игры и установить ограничения для участников бюджетного процесса, но и разработать эффективные инструменты реализации бюджетных правил. Это позволит уменьшить число конфликтов между участниками бюджетного процесса и избежать необходимости конкурировать за бюджетные потоки.
... The contemporary business landscape is witnessing a pivotal shift towards sustainable practices. Organizations are under growing pressure to adopt environmentally and socially responsible behaviors in order to cater to the diverse needs and expectations of various stakeholders, including investors, employees, customers, and regulators (Broman & Robèrt, 2017;Centobelli et al., 2020;Porter & Kramer, 2011;Stål et al., 2023). In this context, companies engage in sustainability practices to establish their legitimacy; however, in practice, this is not necessarily reflected in the ethical behavior of the company, which may not align with the expectations of their stakeholders (García-Sánchez et al., 2021;Gull et al., 2023). ...
... Responding to problems requires a certain level of environmental knowledge. In this sense, environmental education plays a critical function in building pro-environmental behavior, environmental commitment and support for sustainable tourism development in society [20]. Environmental education is in a linking position to build knowledgeable and strong societies against environmental problems [21]. ...
This research has been conducted to determine the environmental commitment of local people and its effect on the intention to support sustainable tourism development based on the Value–Belief–Norm Theory. In addition to related studies in the literature, the present study also examined the moderating role of environmental education. The study data were obtained from local people living in Manavgat, Antalya, one of the most notable tourism destinations in Turkey. Prior to testing the hypothetical research model through the structural model, the data were examined for outlier calculations, normality distributions, and potential multicollinearity issues. As a consequence of obtaining satisfactory findings, the structural model was tested using the AMOS program. Moreover, the Process macro (model 1) was preferred to measure the moderator effect. The results of this research demonstrate the consistency of the Value–Belief–Norm Theory and show that residents’ personal norms influence their environmental commitment and intention to support sustainable tourism development. Furthermore, the findings of this study revealed the moderating role of environmental education in these relationships. Several theoretical and practical implications have been identified for destination management organizations, industry managers, policy-makers, and academics working in the field.
... The contemporary business landscape is witnessing a pivotal shift towards sustainable practices. Organizations are under growing pressure to adopt environmentally and socially responsible behaviors in order to cater to the diverse needs and expectations of various stakeholders, including investors, employees, customers, and regulators (Broman & Robèrt, 2017;Centobelli et al., 2020;Porter & Kramer, 2011;Stål et al., 2023). In this context, companies engage in sustainability practices to establish their legitimacy; however, in practice, this is not necessarily reflected in the ethical behavior of the company, which may not align with the expectations of their stakeholders (García-Sánchez et al., 2021;Gull et al., 2023). ...
The growing emphasis on sustainability in the business landscape has prompted scholars and industry practitioners to explore the role of corporate governance, particularly the board of directors, in promoting corporate sustainability. Companies are called upon to operate ethically and to redefine their objectives beyond mere economic pursuits to create social impacts that contribute to sustainability challenges. Corporate governance plays a key role in this regard, as it defines the purpose and ethical orientation of the firm, thereby shaping its sustainability. While previous research has primarily focused on observable board characteristics, this study delves into a critical yet underexplored aspect of sustainable boards, i.e., the sustainability experience. Drawing on the upper echelon and resource dependency theories, our research examines how the sustainability experience of board members influences a firm’s sustainability performance, investigating the moderating effect of board age. We analyzed European listed companies from 2014 to 2020, and our findings show that the effect of board sustainability experience on firm performance is contingent on board age. Specifically, our results show that younger boards amplify the positive effect of sustainability experience, while for older boards, this effect diminishes, up to the point of being completely mitigated, highlighting a potential misalignment between sustainability efforts and ethical business conduct. This study is pioneering in investigating the joint effects of board sustainability experience and board age on a firm’s sustainability, thus, providing valuable contributions to theory and practical recommendations for firms in director recruitment, as well as recommendations for regulatory practices.
... CD é "a capacidade da empresa de integrar, construir e reconfigurar competências internas e externas para lidar com ambientes em rápida mudança" (Teece et al., 1997, p. 516). No entanto, há fortes evidências de que as estratégias empresariais concebidas para responder à hipercompetição global agravaram ainda mais a destruição ambiental e a injustiça social (Broman & Robèrt, 2015). Borland et al. (2016) argumentam que para melhor gerir a ligação entre a estratégia empresarial e a sustentabilidade, o conceito de CD deveria considerar os desafios globais dos ecossistemas biofísicos. ...
Resumo Este estudo explora a seguinte questão teórica de pesquisa: como a ética nos negócios pode ajudar a reformular as estratégias de sustentabilidade corporativa? A contribuição deste artigo para a teoria da Sustentabilidade Corporativa (SC) é interligar conceitos e modelos de campos de pensamento díspares, abordando lacunas de percepção que podem prejudicar o desenvolvimento de estratégias de SC. O principal resultado deste artigo é um arcabouço teórico abrangente e articulado, que liga o nível societal da sustentabilidade, ao nível organizacional da SC, e ao nível individual da orientação moral dos gestores. O arcabouço reforça a percepção de que a ética empresarial de orientação normativa, quando amparada por uma cultura organizacional que permita reverter a cegueira ética, pode melhorar os resultados da SC.
... După părerea autorilor Broman și Robèrt [3], un capital ecologic, social și financiar este important pentru o societate durabilă și pentru tranziția către o astfel de societate. Prin urmare, constatăm o interdependență evidentă dintre logistica verde și dezvoltarea durabilă care poate fi realizată în domenii precum transportul ecologic, depozitarea ecologică, ambalajul ecologic, managementul de mediu, colectarea și gestionarea datelor logistice sustenabile și gestionarea deșeurilor. ...
Nowadays, there are many ways to understand sustainability and sustainable development. Among researchers today, there are different perspectives on how to approach the concept of green logistics. Being one of the main components of the sustainable development concept, a systematic approach to green logistics allows consideration of all its other components. In economic terms, this means planning and managing logistics activities to achieve maximum economic benefits. Socially, we consider providing safe working conditions for company employees, as well as manufacturing safe and high-quality products and/or implementing environmentally friendly services. From an environmental point of view, we refer to the reduction of negative environmental impact by applying modern technologies. It is obvious that despite the different approaches to understanding green logistics, it has both an applicative and practical character. Green logistics is an important business differentiator as it demonstrates the company’s positioning in relation to the future of the market and the economy, as well as its commitment to consumers and the environment. Commitments to sustainable logistics deliver benefits such as a good corporate reputation, cost savings, environmental responsibility, supply chain efficiency and opportunities for new partnerships. Therefore, green logistics is a step forward that can be implemented by all companies, regardless of their segment or size.
... The wealth of such environment will be diverted and concentrated to few peoples' hand. This will lead to increase poverty, increase dependence on the few rich in the environment who actually have a hidden mission in the political economy of poverty, increase in unsafe and insecurity environment and finally, this will cumulate into no sustainability in the environment's development (Ema 2015;Broman & Robèrt 2017;Aluko, 2017a). ...
The level of safety in a country is a yardstick for it potential growth and sustainable
development. If the environment is not safe, there will be no viable economic activity going on and thus the level of poverty and inequality in such environment will be high. Amidst of the unsafe environment, there is usually some group of people benefiting from such political economy scenario. Such group will therefore wish to continue to benefit from such environment at the expense of the larger society thereby creating deeper poverty gaps. The question this paper seeks answer is; to what extent is Nigeria’s environment safe for sustainable development to take place as a recipe for developing countries? The relative deprivation theory is used to establish the fact that deprivation of the people in an environment leads to inequality and poverty. This deprivation hinders rapid socioeconomic and political activities to take place by creating an unsafe political economy environment which as well affects sustainable development. Data from Afrobarometer database on Nigeria were examined, analysed and interpreted. The paper concludes that making the environment more secure for economic activities reduces poverty and inequality. The study recommends that an equitable distribution of income should be enforced first to the immediate environment whose land was usurp and then to the other federating units also.
... Regions such as the Middle East and Australia face soil problems Collection: Functional Genomics for Developing Climate Resilient Crops because of land changes, deforestation and climatic conditions that have more detrimental effects on arid and semi-arid conditions (Nosrati and Collins 2019;Zeraatpisheh et al. 2020). Strategies are needed for developing land for the agriculture without depleting natural resources (Broman and Robèrt 2017). ...
Climate change significantly affects crop production and is a threat to global food security. Conventional tillage (CT) is the primary tillage practice in rain-fed areas to conserve soil moisture. Despite previous research on the effect of tillage methods on different cropping systems, a comparison of tillage methods on soil water storage, crop yield and crop water use in wheat (Triticum aestivum) and maize (Zea mays) under different soil textures, precipitation and temperature patterns is needed. We reviewed 119 published articles and used meta-analysis to assess the effects of three conservation tillage practices (NT, no-tillage; RT, reduced tillage; ST, subsoil tillage), on precipitation storage efficiency (PSE), soil water storage at crop planting (SWSp), grain yield, evapotranspiration (ET) and water use efficiency (WUE) under varying precipitation and temperature patterns and soil textures in dryland wheat and maize, with CT as the control treatment. Conservation tillage methods increased PSE, SWSp, grain yield, ET and WUE in both winter wheat-fallow and spring maize cropping systems. More precipitation water was conserved in fine-textured soils than in medium-textured and coarse-textured soils, which improved ET. Conservation tillage increased soil water conservation and yield under high mean annual precipitation (MAP) and moderate mean annual temperature (MAT) conditions in winter wheat. However, soil water conservation and yield were greater under MAP <400 mm and moderate MAT. We conclude that conservation tillage could be promising for increasing precipitation storage, soil water conservation and crop yield in regions with medium to low MAPs and medium to high MATs.
The study determined the key principles of sustainability factor variables to be integrated to building projects for sustainable building projects delivery in Enugu State, Nigeria. In order to carry out the study, nine local government areas (three each from the three senatorial zones of the state) were sampled based on urbanization and population of inhabitants in the area. A total of four hundred (400) questionnaires were distributed to stakeholders in the built environment while three hundred and forty four (344) representing 86.0% of the respondents were returned and used for the analysis. The data was analyzed using common size percentage analysis, mean score using five point likert rating scale, severity index/ranking, regression and correlation analysis. The results show key principles of sustainability consists of environmental, economic and social factors. It ranked first with mean score of 4.40 and severity index of 88.1% while the social sustainability factors ranked second with mean score of 4.10 and severity index of 81.9%. the least in the ranking was environmental factors with mean score of 4.00 and severity index of 80.0. The work concluded that key sustainability principles integrated to building projects are design, construction with whole life operation and maintenance would enhance the economic welfare, environmental health and social wellbeing of communities in Enugu State. The study recommends that the integration of key principles of sustainability to building projects would require Government and community participation, in terms of finance, education, training and awareness creation through public private partnership to achieve sustainable building projects delivery and facilitate urban renewal programme in the state.
Social and environmental challenges are forcing organizations to develop sustainable business models (SBMs). Literature on SBMs has identified the importance of stakeholders and collaboration. Collaboration and positions of stakeholders within the value‐chain opens the discussion about organizational boundaries and their role in enhancing or hindering sustainable business model innovation. Through a literature review, this study analyzes 53 papers at the intersection of SBMs and boundaries to clarify how SBMs change organizational boundaries, and how these boundaries affect the sustainability values of organizations. We aim to identify key stakeholders, who hold negotiation power at organizational boundaries. The paper identifies important managerial questions that may assist organizations in the process of unpacking sustainable value and broaden their scope of key stakeholders. Finally, we formulate future research areas to advance research at the intersection of SBMs and organizational boundaries.
This paper aims to explore and analyse the temporal evolution of the concept of stakeholder involvement, highlighting the transformations, influences, and interpretations that this concept has undergone over the years. The particular setting is business models for sustainability (BMfS). Through in‐depth bibliometric literature review and critical analysis, co‐citation analysis is used to identify the past themes in the topic and bibliographic coupling analysis to explore its recent developments. Future developments of the themes are then outlined. The paper proposes a conceptual framework called Sustainability Strategy Map for Stakeholder Involvement that can help organisations move towards business models for sustainability, acting on purpose, architecture and involvement to achieve outcomes. The goal is to create a detailed map of the evolution of this concept over time, highlighting crucial milestones, controversies, and connections with other key concepts. Major results show that, compared with the past, recent research is more practical, improvement‐oriented, expanded to polluting industries and focused on economic performance. Finally, stakeholder involvement shifted from management and engagement to integration, a deeper and longer connection characterised by a strategic relationship.
Street classification is crucial in urban and transportation planning. Conventional approaches prioritize car movement, while recent ones emphasize sustainable modes like walking, cycling, and public transport. However, the literature on sustainable street classification remains limited. Hence, this study aims to develop a method for reformulating and evaluating street classification in an urban municipality under sustainability principles.
Four scenarios with varying urban centers and street network classifications are developed: a “do-nothing” scenario and three backcasting scenarios prioritizing sustainable mobility. The method considers factors such as street width, land uses, current classification, public transport and cycling routes, street continuity, and the quality of the urban environment. A two-dimensional matrix (street significance vs. mode priority) is employed to develop new street categories in the backcasting scenarios, with geospatial and network analysis playing a crucial role. These scenarios are then evaluated using multicriteria analysis (REGIME method), incorporating various urban and transportation criteria.
Applied to Kallithea in Athens, Greece, the results show that scenarios proposing new urban centers and readable street classification with traffic calming zones are more efficient. Additionally, they cultivate better conditions for sustainable transportation. This novel method provides valuable insights for policymakers and planners, while contributing to the scientific debate on sustainable mobility planning.
Soil tillage is a fundamental agriculture practice aimed at preparing the soil for planting, managing crop residues, controlling weeds, preparing the ground for the next crop, integrating leftover crops and nutrients into the soil, and enhancing soil structure. However, tillage practice significantly influences activities like soil moisture, temperature, aeration, and mixing the crop residues within the soil. This article explores the impacts of traditional tillage methods and alternative approaches to reduce production costs, environmental consequences, and safeguard soil for sustainable crop production through the secondary source of results as published research papers, documents, government official and institution reports. Traditional tillage method involves the mechanical disruption of soil, which affects critical factors such as moisture retention, temperature regulation, and aeration. While use of such heavy machines can improve short-term productivity, its long-term impacts include soil compaction, erosion, and loss of organic matter, leading to environmental degradation and declining soil health. In contrast, No-till and reduced tillage practices offers a promising solution to contemporary challenges such as global climate change, water conservation, rapid soil degradation, and desertification. Under this system, wide range of crops can be grown effectively in low production cost by reducing fuel and labor requirements. No-tillage and minimal tillage is being adopted across a wide range of farm sizes, from small plots of land to vast expanses, in various countries around the world with promising sustainability.
Strategic impact assessment (SIA), also known as strategic environmental assessment (SEA), is a systematic approach to decision-making that considers the dimensions of a green economy transformation for sustainable development. Although, Namibia has made significant strides to attain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) 5, 13 and 15 i.e. gender equality, climate action and life on land respectively, the country seems to be struggling to meet the other aspects of the SDG targets. The chapter reviews relevant documents and analyzes results to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the current impact assessment methodologies, in the context of the UN-SDGs. Followed by a qualitative research approach, utilizing a case study design and purposive sampling technique. The target population comprised personnel from the National Environmental Affairs, Development Planning Commission, and Lands and Resettlement Authority in Namibia, key exploration of stakeholders in SEA administration. Data collection involved conducting in-depth interviews with six officers, two from each institution, using semi-structured interview guide. The findings show that Namibia undertook a voluntary SEA between 2008 and 2013, although it is not yet a legal mandate. It is evident that the drivers of SEA legislation have the potential to a green economy transformation for sustainable development with 64.3% SDG index score and 89.7% spillover score in Namibia. The level of this SDG achievement indicates the country’s commitment to SIA in land use and spatial planning policies, plans and programs for sustainable development. The research also identifies potential improvements and recommendations for a more robust impact assessment framework in guiding sustainable development. Enhanced stakeholder engagement, integrated social and economic aspects more effectively, strengthened the capacity of governments and stakeholders, and encouraged the use of SIA as a tool for development policies, plans and programs (PPPs). The study concludes that SIA plays a crucial role in guiding green economy transformation for sustainable development and that improvements can be made to enhance its effectiveness in promoting sustainable development.
Decisions made in early phases of the product innovation process heavily influence the sustainability performance of a product. This study presents a literature review of approaches for assessing product sustainability performance in early phases and identifies and analyses six main challenges and opportunities from a strategic sustainability perspective: (i) finding the right combination between qualitative and quantitative approaches; (ii) avoiding reductionism; (iii) managing trade-offs; (iv) conceptualizing and defining sustainability; (v) thinking strategically; and (vi) considering both negative and positive impacts. The review also found that the terms assess, evaluate, and measure are all used in relation to sustainability performance. Based on an analysis of semantics and etymology, the study describes differences between the terms and how they should be used, arguing that assess and evaluate are more suitable when describing sustainability performance, while measure can be used in relation to indicators that can form part of an assessment or evaluation.
Increasing number of nations are moving to a green economy as a vital avenue to accomplish the objective of sustainable development, and China has made a mark among those countries. This study evaluated green economy efficiency (GEE) using the super slack-based measure (Super-SBM) model and empirically investigated the relationship between GEE and sustainable development (SD) using the mediation effect econometric model. The examination of this article led to the following results: (1) As China’s growth method was completing the transition of old and new drivers, its GEE and SD were both demonstrating a fluctuating increasing trend. (2) The influence of GEE on SD was nonlinear and exhibited an inverted U-shape, with moderate GEE encouraging SD and excessive GEE limiting SD. (3) The industrial structure upgrading (ISU) indicator had a substantial mediating role in the process of GEE influencing SD, where an increase in GEE improved ISU, which in turn promoted SD. Therefore, for improved SD, we need to comprehend the scale not to mindlessly pursue GEE, and should stress the function of ISU. Our results give vital insight for understanding the link between GEE and SD.
For many organizations, digital transformation and sustainability are often viewed as separate paradigms. Recent research has explored the potential impacts of digital initiatives and sustainable solutions and recognized the interrelationship between digital transformation and sustainability. To shed light on the convergence of digital transformation and sustainability, this chapter conducted a comparative literature review to identify key dimensions of digital transformation and sustainability frameworks. Among the identified dimensions, six dimensions, including Strategy and Vision, Innovation, Technology, People, Organization, and Ecosystem and Partnership, were identified as the common themes. They also lay out a solid foundation for further exploring the 'digital sustainability paradigm'.
This article evaluates the effectiveness of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) in addressing youth
unemployment, using the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipal area as a case study. The study examines
whether the PYEI achieved its goals of reducing youth unemployment, promoting skill development, and providing
meaningful employment opportunities. The government launched the PYEI to tackle rising youth unemployment,
which has significant socio-economic implications. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the study integrates
quantitative and qualitative research methods, drawing data from a convenient and purposive sample of beneficiaries
and school administrators in Bizana. Findings reveal that the programme's objectives were achieved in the short term,
with some young people absorbed into employment within the first six months, gaining skills, experience, and income
to support their families. However, the study identifies a lack of a withdrawal plan, leaving beneficiaries unemployed
after the programme. The study recommends expanding the programme to other departments and engaging the
private sector in employing young people. Additionally, placing youth in positions relevant to their qualifications is
suggested to enhance skill acquisition and future employability. This study aligns with the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs), providing insights into the monitoring and evaluation of youth development programmes and their
impact on youth unemployment.
Keywords: Capacity Development; Empowerment; Human Capital; Youth Development; Sustainable Development;
Programme Evaluation; Public Policy
This study explores the crucial role of strategic communication in AI-driven sustainability initiatives, emphasizing its potential for stakeholder engagement and message dissemination. It highlights how strategic communication bridges the gap between complex AI technologies and practical implementation, fostering public trust and policy support. The chapter identifies challenges such as technical complexity, data privacy, and cultural sensitivities, advocating for a comprehensive approach with stakeholder analysis, adaptive communication strategies, and continuous feedback mechanisms. The proposed communication model and implementation framework address these challenges by leveraging advanced digital tools, fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration, and ensuring transparency to achieve the SDGs. Embedding sustainability into organizational values, supported by strategic communication, is essential for fostering a global sustainability culture. These insights offer guidance for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to enhance AI-driven sustainability initiatives.
This paper conducts a comprehensive review following the PRISMA methodology to explore the evolution and necessity of quality management in the era of Society 5.0, covering publications from 2017 to 2022. Through a meticulous process involving planning, conducting and reporting the re-view, along with a theory-driven selection and analysis of content, it aims to construct a theoretical model for quality management in Society 5.0. This model underscores the integration of quality management with Society 5.0’s principles, focusing on human-centric technological advancement and addressing social challenges to enhance life quality. The findings reveal a framework that could drive the transition to Society 5.0 by leveraging key inputs for tangible outcomes. The paper’s originality lies in its in-depth analysis and the proposed model’s potential to guide industries and governments towards sustainable development in the context of Society 5.0, marking a valuable contribution to future research in this field.
Концепція сталого розвитку ґрунтується на екологічній цілісності, економічному зростанні та соціальній справедливості. Ефективна робота підприємства в таких умовах може бути забезпечена шляхом координації екологічних та технологічних процесів. Важливим аспектом впровадження цілей сталого розвитку на підприємстві є створення розуміння і готовності до змін серед співробітників. Однак дослідження показують, що переважна більшість менеджерів стикається зі спротивом співробітників до змін і небажанням впроваджувати інновації у свою роботу. З цієї причини впровадження концепції сталого розвитку в роботу підприємства потребує створення специфічних умов, які сприятимуть економічному зростанню, ефективному розподілу ресурсів та підвищенню рівня лояльності персоналу. Важливо виявляти та розвивати HR та навички співробітників, які можуть бути корисними для них і майбутнього розвитку підприємства, а також забезпечувати гнучкість і ефективність бізнесу.
In the decarbonization of the steel, cement, and chemical industries in Germany, green hydrogen is expected to play a crucial role. The utilization of green hydrogen in the production processes of said industries requires organizations to modify their business model, requiring sustainable business model innovation (SBMI). Numerous tools and frameworks that support organizations in the process of SBMI have been proposed in the literature in recent years. However, the applicability of these tools and frameworks for steel, cement, and chemical companies that intend to utilize green hydrogen to produce their goods remains unexplored. This paper aims to assess the suitability of SBMI tools and frameworks for steel, cement, and chemical companies planning to use green hydrogen in their production. It conducts a systematic literature review on SBMI tools and frameworks, reviews current green hydrogen projects in these industries, and evaluates the identified tools and frameworks using an evaluation matrix. Based on the evaluation, the Cambridge Business Model Innovation Process (CBMIP) was identified as the most suitable SBMI framework.
Humanity is facing and driving numerous, multifaceted and interconnected crises that are fundamentally endangering the socio-ecological systems’ qualities that are essential for the meeting of human needs in the long term. This thesis considered the role of Education for Sustainable Development as a leverage point to address causes of these crises and support a global transition towards sustainability. The research centered on examining how development of sustainability-focused leadership education within higher education institutes can contribute to the cultivation of durable and effective sustainability leaders. A qualitative action research approach was used to study two educational programs; the Master’s in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability program at Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden and the Humanitarian Design Summit program operated by Engineers Without Borders Australia. The action research on these cases was supported and complemented by questionnaires, surveys, interviews, content analysis and thematic analysis, as well as literature reviews and mirroring with other similar studies internationally. The research investigated the experiences of participants within these programs, the pedagogies that influenced those experiences and the outcomes of the programs.
Findings suggest that education can play a significant role in the development of sustainability leadership and the thesis offers guidance and strategies to support that as an outcome from conscious design and operation of sustainability leadership programs. The research highlights the difficult context facing sustainability leadership and the importance of development of ‘inner qualities’ (termed intrapersonal capacities) in response. These capacities may serve as a basis for leaders to endure enacting sustainability leadership by helping them cope with the challenging nature of the work and by providing a clearer language for leadership development. The research also suggests several pedagogical considerations and scaffolds that can be used by educators in their design and cultivation of learning environments for sustainability leadership development. This includes reflections on learning design for transformational learning, the outcomes of transformational learning in students, the use of reflective pedagogies and the development of sustainability-contextualized learning environments.
The thesis contributes to the fields of sustainability leadership, education for sustainable development and complexity by providing an overview of the state-of the-art of the intersection of these fields and concrete advice and tools to enhance educators’ possibilities to design and implement higher education learning environments that can promote development of leaders capable to cope with and lead effectively in the burdensome and complex reality that sustainability transitions entail.
The chapter explores the interdependencies and interactions among diverse domains and sectors that must be considered for achieving real sustainability. Sustainability is a systemic concept as nothing can ever be sustainable in isolation. The interconnectedness, interdependencies, and interactions among diverse systems are well-documented. Many authors have suggested a systemic approach to achieving sustainability in different sectors. However, most of the research still confined itself to one industry or one subsystem. The question is whether we have been missing a systemic thinking and approach, considering much larger domains and multi-sectoral interdependencies and interactions. By exploring how different sub-systems interact with one another, the chapter brings out the need for a systematic approach and suggests a framework based on the concepts proposed by Ostrom and by Weitz, an integrated approach for policy and innovation.
Purpose
An effective business model (BM) is essential for the success of any company, with sustainable innovation being a critical component of this model. This entails finding creative ways to meet present needs without compromising future generations. In this regard, cooperation can be crucial in developing sustainable innovation. This paper investigates how different types of cooperation impact the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) innovation for environmental sustainability. In this sense, it intends to compare the effects of cooperation acquired nationally or at a European level.
Design/methodology/approach
The methods used are logistic regression for the sample of 87,374 observations from 14 countries of the Eurostat Community Innovation Survey (CIS) database.
Findings
The results confirm that cooperation with national or European agents significantly impacts the innovation for environmental sustainability of SMEs; however, not all cooperations have the same significance level. At a national level, cooperation with the suppliers of equipment, materials, components or software, clients or customers and universities or other higher education institutes impacts the innovations for environmental sustainability developed by SMEs. At a European level, cooperation established with other enterprises within your enterprise group, equipment, materials, components or software suppliers, clients or customers and government, public or private research institutes significantly impacts innovations for environmental sustainability.
Originality/value
This study also provides substantial theoretical contributions on the subject and more information about the importance of cooperation by SMEs in developing innovation for environmental sustainability.
Sustainability is increasingly becoming a priority for business leaders as it challenges the very existence of the traditional way of conducting business. Businesses aim to reinvent themselves by engaging in business model innovation for sustainability (BMIfS). However, this journey is challenging, complex, and associated with a high risk of failure. It involves multiple development stages and changes in various business model components and may take different avenues. Researchers are increasingly addressing this challenge and have developed types of support to guide businesses on this journey. However, there is no overarching support type to address BMIfS. This article provides an overview and categorisation of 40 types of support available to business practitioners pursuing BMIfS efforts. Our work categorises the types of support based on five dimensions: BMIfS innovation stage, BMIfS type, BMIfS component, dynamic and iterative perspective, and validation status. This comprehensive overview can serve as a database for both scholars and business practitioners. Through the review and categorisation process, we uncovered BMIfS dimensions that are in need of further investigation and support. Notably, we found no available support type that addresses the acquisition of sustainable start-ups as a type of BMIfS—an increasingly prevalent BMIfS strategy employed by incumbents.
The circular economy (CE) has risen in prominence as a potential model to improve sustainability. However, the relationship between circularity and sustainability is complex. This chapter reviews the literature debating if and when CE practices lead to sustainability gains. The chapter discusses conceptualizations of CE and sustainability; analyzes mechanisms linking CE implementation to varied, ambiguous, or even contradictory sustainability impacts; appraises common CE and sustainability assessment methods and tools; discusses gaps in evaluating this nuanced relationship; and proposes an integrated assessment framework focused on life cycle thinking, local-to-global scale effects, and capturing unintended consequences of CE activities. Findings indicate that while CE principles hold promise for enabling sustainability, the dynamics between circularity and sustainability are highly case-specific. Developing capabilities to consistently quantify when and to what extent “circular” practices lead to “sustainable” outcomes is an open challenge requiring continued empirical demonstration.
The vast and growing array of concepts, methods and tools in the sustainability field imply a need for a structuring and coordinating framework, including a unifying and operational definition of sustainability. One attempt at such framework began over 25 years ago and is now widely known as the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. However, as with the larger sustainability field, the social dimension of this framework has been found to not be sufficiently science-based and operational and thus in need of further development. In this two-part series an attempt at a science-based, operational definition of social sustainability is presented. In part 1 a systems-based approach to the social system was presented, based on extensive literature studies as well as conceptual modelling sessions using the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development as the guiding structure. The focus of that study was on the essential aspects of the social system that need to be sustained, namely trust, common meaning, diversity, capacity for learning and capacity for self-organization. The aim of this second paper is to identify and present overriding mechanisms by which these aspects of the social system can be degraded, thereby finding exclusion criteria for re-design for sustainability. Further literature studies, conceptual modelling sessions and initial testing of this prototype with partners in academia, business and NGOs were performed. Based on the understanding of the essential aspects of the social system and the identified overriding mechanisms of degradation of these, a hypothesis for a definition of social sustainability by basic principles is presented. The proposed principles are that in a socially sustainable society, people are not subject to structural obstacles to: (1) health, (2) influence, (3) competence, (4) impartiality and (5) meaning-making. Overall, the two papers aim to provide a hypothesis for a definition of social sustainability, which is general enough to be applied irrespective of spatial and temporal constraints, but concrete enough to guide decision-making and monitoring. It is also a further development of the social dimension of the FSSD, which practitioners and researchers have requested for some time and can act as a support towards better integration of social sustainability in many other fields, e.g., sustainable product innovation, sustainable supply chain management, sustainable transport system development, and others.
The vast and growing array of concepts, methods and tools in the sustainability field imply a need for a structuring and coordinating framework, including a unifying and operational definition of sustainability. One attempt at such framework began over 25 years ago and is now widely known as the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. However, as with the larger sustainability field, the social dimension of this framework has been found to not be sufficiently science-based and operational and thus in need of further development. In this two-part series an attempt at a science-based, operational definition of social sustainability is presented. In this paper (part one), a systems-based approach to the social system is presented, as a basis for presenting a zero-hypothesis of principles for social sustainability in part two. Extensive literature studies as well as conceptual modelling sessions were performed and the social system was examined from various angles - complex adaptive system studies, human needs theory and other social sciences, and insights from these fields were woven together. The whole work was structured and guided by the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. The focus of the study was on the essential aspects of the social system that need to be sustained (that cannot be systematically degraded) for it to be possible for people to meet their needs. These essential aspects were found to be trust, common meaning, diversity, capacity for learning and capacity for self-organization. Trust seems to be generally acknowledged to be the overriding aspect of a vital social system. A sense of common meaning is also stated by several authors as an important part of social capital and something that helps to keep a group or society together. Diversity is acknowledged as essential for resilience; in the human social system this can be interpreted as, e.g., diversity of personalities, ages, gender, skills. Capacity for learning and self-organization are also motivated from a resilience point of view by several authors. These results form a basis for the hypothesis for a definition of social sustainability presented in paper 2, which in turn is a step towards creating an enhanced support for strategic planning and innovation for sustainability.
The key role of engineers for the transformation of society towards sustainability is a strong motivation for increasing the environmental knowledge within engineering education. Doing this by the concept of integration is presently considered more appropriate than to develop more new education programmes for environmental specialists. This paper describes the integration of environmental aspects into a mechanical engineering education programme. The Natural Step Framework has been used as a basis for this integration. It has been possible to include environmental knowledge without compromising the engineering quality of the programme.
In 1992, it was clear that the challenge of transforming tertiary chemistry education to assist with leadership development for what is now called “sustainability” held important potential. There were no appropriately focused university courses. Green chemistry had not been named. So a course for upper level undergraduates and graduates, now entitled Chemistry and Sustainability (C&S), was launched to build both professorial and student competence for advancing the relationship between commercial chemistry and health and the environment. C&S has undergone iterative development ever since to better educate students in sustainability leadership. This contribution reviews the insights that clarified into what is important for tertiary education to address in chemical sustainability. The reviewed C&S concepts, methods, tools, and assessments include: 1) the strategic thinking, 2) three early sets of principles evaluated for relative steering power toward the most hazardous chemical sustainability challenges, 3) the syllabus and objectives, 4), the presentation style, 5) the thematic content highlighting; (i) the organizational tool for green science technical challenges called the C&S Bookcase, (ii) the conceptual-analytical tool for identifying future-safe technologies called the Technology-Sustainability Compass (TSC), and (iii) the ethical code developed to provide students with a theoretical foundation for sustainability path-finding called the Code of Sustainability Ethics for Leaders (COSEL), 6) the interdisciplinary content meshing technical chemical education with (i) the pursuit of transgenerational justice developed from the ethics of Hans Jonas, (ii) the history of chemical pollution, (iii) the impact of toxic elements, persistent molecular pollutants and endocrine disruptors on health and the environment, and (iv) strategic leadership for sustainability, 7) the use of stellar internet resources on the health and environmental content of energy and chemicals to emphasize immediacy, relevancy and importance, 8) the homework assignments, and 9) the 2014–15 student course analyses. This review is intended to deliver cognition grenades to vaporize clouds of obscurity shielding fortresses of unsustainability in the chemical enterprise—the most demanding sustainability challenges today are cultural strongholds that must be breached and not technical rivers that must be forded. The key C&S transformative insight is that cultural blockades against the rational advancement of sustainability within the chemical and allied enterprises, the resulting impacts, and the strategies for breaking free should be emphasized with the relevant technical content in the quest for competence in educating leaders for a sustainable world. This long review is a concatenation of four thematic reviews, so integrated to help interested teachers design related courses.
Recently, an approach for global sustainability, the planetary-boundary approach (PBA), has been proposed, which combines the concept of tipping points with global-scale sustainability indicators. The PBA could represent a significant step forward in monitoring and managing known and suspected global sustainability criteria. However, as the authors of the PBA describe, the approach faces numerous and fundamental challenges that must be addressed, including successful identification of key global sustainability metrics and their tipping points, as well as the coordination of systemic individual and institutional actions that are required to address the sustainability challenges highlighted. We apply a previously published framework for systematic and strategic development toward a robust basic definition of sustainability, i.e., the framework for strategic sustainable development (FSSD), to improve and inform the PBA. The FSSD includes basic principles for sustainability, and logical guidelines for how to approach their fulfillment. It is aimed at preventing unsustainable behavior at both the micro, e. g., individual firm, and macro, i.e., global, levels, even when specific global sustainability symptoms and metrics are not yet well understood or even known. Whereas the PBA seeks to estimate how far the biosphere can be driven away from a "normal" or "natural" state before tipping points are reached, because of ongoing violations of basic sustainability principles, the FSSD allows for individual planners to move systematically toward sustainability before all impacts from not doing so, or their respective tipping points, are known. Critical weaknesses in the PBA can, thus, be overcome by a combined approach, significantly increasing both the applicability and efficacy of the PBA, as well as informing strategies developed in line with the FSSD, e. g., by providing a "global warning system" to help prioritize strategic actions highlighted by the FSSD. Thus, although ongoing monitoring of known and suspected global sustainability metrics and their possible tipping points is a critical part of the evolving sustainability landscape, effective and timely utilization of planetary-boundary information on multiple scales requires coupling to a strategic approach that makes the underlying sustainability principles explicit and includes strategic guidelines to approach them. Outside of such a rigorous and systems-based context, the PBA, even given its global scale, risks leading individual organizations or planners to (i) focus on "shares" of, e.g., pollution within the PBs and negotiations to get as high proportion of such as possible, and/or (ii) awaiting data on PBs when such do not yet exist before they act, and/or (iii) find it difficult to manage uncertainties of the data once such have arrived. If global sustainability problems are to be solved, it is important that each actor recognizes the benefits, not the least self-benefits, of designing and executing strategies toward a principled and scientifically robust definition of sustainability. This claim is not only based on theoretical reasoning. A growing number of sectors, businesses, and municipalities/cities around the world are already doing it, i.e., not estimating "allowed" shares of, say fossil CO2 emissions, but gradually moving away from unsustainable use of fossil fuels and other unsustainable practices altogether.
The planetary boundaries framework defines a safe operating space for humanity based on the intrinsic biophysical processes
that regulate the stability of the Earth system. Here, we revise and update the planetary boundary framework, with a focus
on the underpinning biophysical science, based on targeted input from expert research communities and on more general scientific
advances over the past 5 years. Several of the boundaries now have a two-tier approach, reflecting the importance of cross-scale
interactions and the regional-level heterogeneity of the processes that underpin the boundaries. Two core boundaries—climate
change and biosphere integrity—have been identified, each of which has the potential on its own to drive the Earth system
into a new state should they be substantially and persistently transgressed.
Many specific methods and tools have been developed to deal with sustainability problems. However, without a unifying theory it is unclear how these relate to each other and how they can be used strategically. A Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) is being developed to cover this need for clarity and structure. The aim of the papers of this review is to study how this framework can guide the use and improvement of detailed methods and tools, in particular to support Sustainable Product Innovation (SPI). First, a new strategic life-cycle management approach is presented, in which the selection of aspects to be considered are not based on typical downstream impact categories, but on identified major violations of sustainability principles. Then it is shown, in theory and practice, how this approach can inform other methods and tools like systems modelling and simulation, as a basis for an integrated 'toolbox' for SPI.
The aim of this paper is to advance research on sustainable innovation by adopting a business model perspective. Through a confrontation of the literature on both topics we find that research on sustainable innovation has tended to neglect the way in which firms need to combine a value proposition, the organization of the upstream and downstream value chain, and a financial model, in order to bring sustainability innovations to the market. Therefore, we review the current literature on business models in the contexts of technological, organizational, and social sustainability innovations. As the current literature does not offer a general conceptual definition of sustainable business models, we propose examples of normative 'boundary conditions' that business models should meet in order to support sustainable innovations. Finally, we sketch the outline of a research agenda by formulating a number of guiding questions.
The natural-step framework is used by over 100 organizations, including many global corporations in Europe and the United States, to provide strategic direction for their sustainability initiatives. The framework is built on the concept of simplicity without reduction. Out of respect for complexity, we designed it to provide a compass, a guide for strategic direction. The framework consists of a backcasting planning process for sustainable development based on four principles (system conditions) for sustainability. The framework does not prescribe detailed actions. Once an organization understands the framework, it identifies and specifies the detailed means by which to achieve the strategy, because it knows its business best. The steps in the planning process are understanding and discussing the system conditions for sustainability, describing and discussing how the company relates to the system conditions in today's situation, creating a vision of how the company will fulfill its customers' needs in the future while complying with the system conditions, and specifying a program of actions that will take the company from today's situation to the future vision.
According to one perspective, organizations will only be sustainable if the dominant neoclassical model of the firm is transformed, rather than supplemented, by social and environmental priorities. This article seeks to develop a "sustainability business model" (SBM)-a model where sustainability concepts shape the driving force of the firm and its decision making. The SBM is drawn from two case studies of organizations considered to be leaders in operationalizing sustainability and is informed by the ecological modernization perspective of sustainability. The analysis reveals that organizations adopting a SBM must develop internal structural and cultural capabilities to achieve firm-level sustainability and collaborate with key stakeholders to achieve sustainability for the system that an organization is part of.
Backcasting is a planning methodology that is particularly helpful when problems at hand are complex and when present trends are part of the problems. When applied in planning towards sustainability, backcasting can increase the likelihood of handling the ecologically complex issues in a systematic and coordinated way, and also to foresee certain changes, even from a self-beneficial point of view, of the market and increase the chances of a relatively strong economic performance. To that end, backcasting should be performed from a set of non-overlapping principles that are general enough to be helpful in the coordination of different sectors of society and in business, as well as to cover relevant aspects of sustainability. Such principles are helpful when developing reliable non-overlapping indicators for monitoring of the development when coordinating various measures from different sectors of the society or within individual firms with each other, and when handling trade-offs in a relevant way. Furthermore, the transition can benefit from being undertaken in a strategic step-by-step manner, by which such investments search for those that combine two qualities: (i) technical flexibility to serve as platforms for future investments in line with non-overlapping principles of sustainability, and (ii) good possibilities of giving relatively fast return on investment. This framework for planning is developed together with the Natural Step, a non-government organization, and in collaboration with a network of scientists and business. Examples are given from firms applying the framework.
We have studied the Factor X concept through an imagined future lens provided by a framework of basic principles for sustainability for the whole ecosphere. From such a backcasting perspective, three areas seem to be of particular importance when it comes to an application of the Factor X concept for sustainable development: 1. A sufficiently large perspective. The Factor X concept should encourage policy- makers to think big in terms of resource productivity gains. At the same time, it should avoid the 'technical fix' trap, by continuously relating various flows to social as well as ecological aspects of sustainability in the whole ecosphere. 2. Qualitative aspects. The factor by which a certain flow needs to be reduced to stay within the assimilation capacity of the ecosystems differs widely depending on what flows we study. Still other aspects of sustainability are not quantitative at all, and need other indicators. 3. Dynamic aspects. In order to reduce certain flows, other flows may need to be increased. Rebound effects create a similar problem. A certain flow within a system may increase as a rebound effect to reduced flows within a subsystem. It is impor- tant to look at the environmental consequences for secondary flows in a dynamic way, and to always consider sustainability regarding all flows as the objective.
The Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) Karlskrona, Sweden, will begin a new Master's programme focusing on sustainable development in September 2004. The programme is intended to contribute to a growing international network of sustainability practitioners, including early and mid-career professionals, resource managers, executives and political decision-makers. As with many programmes of this type, this one will require coverage of numerous complex economic, social and ecological issues. In so doing, it will cover a number of interrelated disciplines concepts and tools (e.g. environmental science, system dynamics, public policy, business strategies, corporate social responsibility, dematerialization and 'green technologies'). Various sectors of the sustainability arena will also be studied including agriculture, transportation, health, energy and product development. To deal with the high complexity inherent in sustainable development, we intend to test the enhanced learning capabilities of three unique and interrelated aspects of this Master's programme including: (1) a structured comprehension of sustainable development, using "Backcasting from Basic Socio-Ecological Principles of Sustainability"; (2) free creativity within basic constraints established by the structured comprehension and (3) a learning process that 'walks the talk' with respect to free creativity within basic constraints. Recognizing that "society within the biosphere" is inherently a complex system, the programme will revolve around a generic, structured model for planning and decision- making in any complex system. The model is adaptable to any system at any scale - e.g. an organization, a football game, and in this case, "society in the biosphere". The programme distinguishes five essential system levels including: (i) the system; (ii) success; (iii) strategy; (iv) actions and (v) tools. Second, a structured comprehension, anchored to basic principles at the success level - the 'trunk and branches of sustainability' - allows for and promotes free creativity on actions in a particular context - the 'leaves'. Third, the students will be exposed to a learning process of creative use of actions and tools that the model allows for in any organization - sharing the basic trunk and branches and practicing free creativity amongst the leaves. The programme's learning process will facilitate a systematic approach to analysis of all kinds of current sectors and problem areas through envisioning of solutions and finding strategic paths of actions and tools towards sustainable outcomes within those sectors. It will culminate in a thesis, following the same general structure, during the last-half of the programme.
The number of tools and approaches to develop sustainability is growing rapidly. Sometimes they are presented as if they are contradictory or in competition. However, a systems approach consistent with basic principles and the requirements of sustainability shows that these tools are complementary and can be used in parallel for strategic sustainable development. In fact, it is only when using these approaches outside of the systemic context of sustainability that they become contradictory. This paper is a collective effort of scientists who have pioneered some of these tools and approaches.The paper maps essential elements for developing sustainability and documents how these elements relate to the application of the respective tools. The objective is to show how these tools and approaches relate to each other and build on each other when used for planning for sustainability.
We present a general framework to plan for sustainability and then relate it to some well-known tools for sustainable development. This framework follows from principles for how a system is constituted (ecological and social principles), and contains principles for a favorable outcome for the system (sustainability), as well as principles for the process to reach this outcome (sustainable development). The principles for sustainability define the favorable outcome and direct problem-solving upstream towards problemsources. A program of activities is then constructed by backcasting from defined outcomes to the current problems. This is followed by “metrics”, i.e. various concepts for measuring and monitoring the activities. Most concepts and tools for sustainable development function as metrics, for instance life cycle assessment (LCA), ecological footprinting (EF), and Factor X. An environmental management system (EMS), like ISO 14001 or EMAS, is an administrative vehicle that should systematically align a firm's specific outcomes, activities and metrics with a general framework for sustainability. From a strategic point of view, metrics should measure alignment of activities with the principles contained in a framework for sustainability. A framework is not an alternative to concepts and tools for metrics. We need them all, because they represent different interrelated levels of strategic planning.
The backcasting methodology is proposed for scenario analysis of changes over 20–100 years into the future. Backcasting can be applied to areas of human activity; here it is assumed that the method will be used to analyse environment and development problems at the national level as part of studies undertaken within the Human Dimensions of Global Change Program. Some indications are given as to how to integrate natural system considerations into the human system scenarios.
Conceptual modelling has gained a lot of interest in recent years and simulation modellers are particularly interested in understanding the processes involved in arriving at a conceptual model. This paper contributes to this under- standing by discussing the artifacts of conceptual model- ling and two specific conceptual modelling processes: knowledge acquisition and model abstraction. Knowledge acquisition is the process of finding out about the problem situation and arriving at a system description. Model ab- straction refers to the simplifications made in moving from a system description to a conceptual model. Soft Systems Methodology has tools that can help a modeller with knowledge acquisition and model abstraction. These tools are drawing rich pictures, undertaking analyses 'one', 'two', 'three', and constructing a root definition and the corresponding purposeful activity model. The use of these tools is discussed with respect to a case study in health care.
The prisoners' dilemma is a game-theoretical construct about trust. It can be seen as a simple version of the ‘tragedy of the commons’, which is often used in the sustainability context as a metaphor for the tension between responsibility for common resources and the perceived self-benefit to individual organizations, regions or nations who neglect such responsibility in the short term. However, other game theory and developments in sustainability science imply that the prisoners' dilemma mind-set is delusive and misleading for both business and policy making. It helps obscure an even more important aspect of proactive leadership for sustainability: the potential self-benefit of understanding the dynamics of major system change better than one's ‘competitors’. The UN 1972, 1992, and 2012 summits on sustainability, as well as the many summits on climate change, have been valuable milestones for influencing societal leadership at all levels. However, due to the prisoners' dilemma mind-set, they have also indirectly helped reinforce the idea that sustainability only pays off if the costs of achieving it are shared by all. That, in turn, has encouraged decision makers to believe that ’our organization's, region's or nation's sustainability activity must rely on policy making changing the rules of the game for everybody’. This focus on policy making as the only or main facilitator of sustainability efforts delays the needed transition of global society. By considering game theory such as tit-for-tat and modern systems science for sustainability, this paper illuminates major shortcomings of the prisoners' dilemma in the context of sustainability, and attempts to provide a more fruitful mind-set that can be motivated both theoretically and empirically. It is argued that a large part of the self-benefit of proactivity for sustainability is direct, i.e. independent of other actors' actions for the common good. In addition, it is argued that the self-benefit to businesses can be further increased through voluntary collaboration with other businesses to promote the common good, as well as through collaboration between proactive businesses and policy makers. Currently, none of this is intelligently and operationally part of mainstream leadership and public discourse on sustainability. The clarifications provided in this paper can lead to a much needed shift in mind-set among many leaders, not least political leaders, many of which seem to be trapped in simplistic prisoners' dilemma thinking and who act accordingly.
Electric vehicles seem to offer a great potential for sustainable transport development. The Swedish pioneer project GreenCharge Southeast is designed as a cooperative action research approach that aims to explore a roadmap for a fossil-free transport system by 2030 with a focus on electric vehicles. It is the following combination of objectives that puts demand on a new process model adapted for cross-sector and cross-disciplinary cooperation: (i) a fossil-free transport system in Sweden by 2030 and, to avoid sub-optimizations in the transport sector, (ii) assuring that solutions that support (i) also serve other aspects of sustainability in the transport sector and, to avoid that sustainable solutions in the transport sector block sustainable solutions in other sectors, (iii) assuring cohesive creativity across sectors and groups of experts and stakeholders. The new process model was applied in an action-research mode for the exploration of electric vehicles within a fully sustainable transport system to test the functionality of the model in support of its development. To deliver on the above combination of objectives, a framework was needed with principles for sustainability that are universal for any sector as boundary conditions for redesign, and with guidelines for how any organization or sector can create economically feasible step-by-step transition plans. The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) is designed to serve such purposes and therefore is embedded into the new process model. The exploration of this new model also helped to identify four interdependent planning perspectives (’Resource base’, ’Spatial’, ’Technical’ and ’Governance’) that should be represented by the respective experts and stakeholders using the model. In general, the new process model proved helpful by giving diverse stakeholders with various competences and representing various planning perspectives a common, robust, and easy-to-understand goal and a way of working that was adequate for each of their contexts. Furthermore, the evolving process model likely is relevant and useful not only for transport planning and electric vehicles, but for any other societal sector as well and thus for sustainable community planning in general.
Electric vehicles seem to offer a great potential for sustainable transport development. The Swedish pioneer project GreenCharge Southeast is designed as a cooperative action research approach that aims to explore a roadmap for a fossil-free transport system by 2030 with a focus on electric vehicles. In the first paper of this tandem publication, the authors propose a new generic process model embedding the Framework of Strategic Sustainable Development. The purpose of applying it in an action-research mode as described in this paper was twofold: (i) to develop a vision for sustainable regional transport and a coarse roadmap towards that vision, and, while doing so, (ii) get additional empirical experiences to inform the development of the new generic process model. Experts from many sectors and organizations involved in the GreenCharge project provided vital information and reviewed all planning perspectives presented in Paper 1 in two sequential multi-stakeholder seminars. The results include a sustainable vision for electric vehicle systems in southeast Sweden within a sustainable regional transport system within a sustainable global society, as well as an initial development plan towards such a vision for the transport sector. The vision is framed by the universal sustainability principles, and the development plan is informed by the strategic guidelines, of the above-mentioned framework. Among other things, the vision and plan imply a shift to renewable energy and a more optimized use of areas and thus a new type of spatial planning. For example, the vision and plan implies a lower built-in demand for transport, more integrated traffic modes, and more multi-functional use of areas for energy and transport infrastructures, for example. Some inherent benefits of electric vehicles are highlighted in the vision and plan, including near-zero local emissions and flexibility as regards primary energy sources. The vision and plan also imply improved governance for more effective cross-sector collaboration to ensure coordinated development within the transport sector and between the transportation sector and other relevant sectors. Meanwhile, the new generic process model was refined and is ready to be applied and further tested in the GreenCharge project and in other projects within the transport sector as well as other sectors. The study confirmed that the new generic process model suggested in support of sustainable transport system and community development is helpful for giving diverse stakeholders, with various specialties and perspectives, a way of working that is goal-oriented and builds on effective, iterative learning loops and co-creation.
In the first part of this series of two articles, an approach was presented that takes the entropy production associated with any process as a measure of the resource consumption of that process. Entropy production is thereby used to approximate the intuitive notion of consumption, which can best be described by the term "loss of potential utility." This article presents an application example from the metallurgical sector. The related concept of exergy analysis is discussed and compared against the entropy approach. It was found that the production of 1 ton of refined copper generates 90.2 megajoules per Kelvin of entropy. A comparison with exergy analyses of copper production processes from the literature shows agreement at least on the order of magnitude. While results in one case deviate from the entropy analysis by about 40%, in another case the deviation is about 160%. One can only speculate on the reasons for this discrepancy, without knowing the exact process specifications of the processes analyzed. For entropy production as a measure for resource consumption, a baseline for comparison and interpretation of the results based on natural entropy disposal and reduction mechanisms is suggested.
In the emerging field of industrial ecology one of the unsettled questions is the degree to which design for the environment, closing energy and materials loops, and other industrial ecology concepts apply at the firm level. In this article we examine this issue with a particular focus on whether industrial ecology can guide company strategy and efforts to enhance competitiveness. We conclude that industrial ecology thinking will often be useful for firms seeking to improve their resource productivity and thus their competitiveness. The systems perspective that industrial ecology promotes can help companies find ways to add value or reduce costs both within their own production processes and up and down the supply chain. But industrial ecology cannot always be counted upon to yield competitive advantage at the firm level. In some cases, the cost of closing loops will exceed the benefits. In other cases, regulatory requirements do not fully internalize environmental costs, and thus polluting firms may gain temporary or permanent cost advantages relative to companies that attempt to eliminate all emissions. Finally, because industrial ecology focuses attention on materials and energy flows, it may not optimize other variables that contribute to competitiveness within the corporate setting.
Sustainable transport analyses are traditionally carried out from two fundamentally different perspectives:
a) Internal travel analysis at an organisational level, often as part of corporate environmental audits to develop internal travel policies and company travel plans.
b) Macro analysis of the transport system at large, in order to assess traffic flows in relation to alternative infrastructure measures and policy actions at regional level.
From a holistic global perspective, both these subsystems should share common visions and long-term targets for sustainability. This would require derivation of processes and tools by which subsystems at different scales could be interlinked and informed by global principles for sustainability. A key component of such work would be to synthesise approaches (a) and (b) in order to facilitate mutual understanding between private and public actors, and between public transport authorities governing the supply of transport services. At present there is rarely mutual understanding between these parties, which risks creating watertight bulkheads between users and providers in the transport system.
This case study examined a local travel planning network in the largest business district of Sweden, Kista Science City (KSC), where (as in most larger urban business districts in the world) travel demand is likely to exceed the capacity of the transport system in the coming decade. To counteract this development, some major companies were invited to join the decision process in a joint venture with public authorities. In the project, a backcasting-orientated travel planning model was applied and refined for future monitoring of the process in a regional context. Key findings were:
• Identification of motives for companies to engage in company travel planning.
• Demonstration of a need for construction of tangible target scenarios pinpointing the utility and benefits of target fulfilment from both a company and an employee perspective.
• The first follow-up results of Climate and Economic Research in Organisations (CERO) processes implemented in companies, which showed that emissions reduction targets were met (and even exceeded).
• Construction of a regional target scenario, consistent with the company-specific target scenarios, in order to obtain constructive and target-orientated stakeholder dialogue.
• Final selection of a regional action plan designed to meet the regional target scenario for KSC.
Various sets of skills for dealing with sustainability and the complexity of the modern world have been put forward by different actors in the field of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). In connection with these skills, pedagogical methods such as lifelong learning, social learning, problem-based learning, dialogue education, and empowerment for ESD have been discussed. This paper looks at how these theories and methods can be put into practice by examining a real-world example of a sustainability master's program at Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) in Sweden. In 2004, BTH launched the international transdisciplinary master's program Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability, which aims to develop leaders who will be able to address the ever-increasing sustainability challenge. The program combines a robust scientific framework for planning and decision making toward sustainability, with the leadership skills needed to energize large-scale societal change. In 2009, the Engineering Education for Sustainable Development (EESD) observatory awarded BTH the ranking of No. 1 in Sweden and third in Europe for demonstrating success in EESD. This paper describes the specific pedagogical approaches and design elements that were implemented to train and develop the skills and expertise surrounding leadership for sustainable development. It further presents and analyzes survey data taken from program alumni reflecting on the success of the program. The results of the survey clearly show that while there is room for improvement, overall the program design is extremely successful in equipping its graduates with the skills necessary to address the sustainability challenge. Finally, the authors offer reflections on the lessons learned after six years of continual improvements.
Increasing awareness in business and society regarding socio-ecological impacts related to society's use of materials is a driver of new materials management practices. The aim of this study is to gain insight into what considerations come into focus and what types of solutions are revealed when companies apply a strategic sustainability perspective to materials management.
Through literature reviews and semi-structured interviews we found that the companies studied have assessed material choices and related management actions, not only regarding their potential to reduce a selection of current socio-ecological impacts, but also regarding their potential to link to future actions to move towards the full scope of socio-ecological sustainability. Through this approach, these companies have found several ways through which materials with characteristics that are commonly considered problematic can be managed sustainably by making strategic use of some of these “problematic” characteristics and other characteristics of the materials. For example, a material associated with problems at end of life, could be managed in closed loops facilitated by the persistence of the material. Based on the findings, we conclude that by not applying a strategic sustainability perspective to materials management, organizations risk phasing out materials perceived to be unsustainable which, managed differently, could be helpful for sustainable development.
The enlargement of complexity and effects of environmental problems has increased the need for a ‘compass’ to point us in the direction of sustainability. The four principles—System Conditions—which we have earlier described, along with a step-by-step approach to meet them, is such a compass. The System Conditions are first order principles for Sustainability:• they do not cover the whole area of Sustainability;• they are complementary, i.e. they do not overlap;• they are all necessary;• they are applicable at different scales and activities.The compass provides a model that does not only imply restrictions to business and policy-making, but also opportunities from a self-interest point of view. The model makes it possible to foresee changes regarding demands and costs on the future market. A number of business corporations and municipalities apply the compass as a guiding tool to the future market, asking the following strategic questions for each of the System Conditions:1. Does this measure decrease our dependence on lithospheric metals, fuels and other minerals—primarily when waste from such materials are already accumulating in the ecosphere?2. Does this measure decrease our dependence on persistent unnatural substances, primarily when such substances are already accumulating in the ecosphere?3. Does this measure decrease our dependence on activities which encroach on productive parts of Nature, e.g. long distance transport or other deleterious exploitation of green surfaces, over-fishing, etc?4. Does this measure decrease our dependence on using an unnecessary large amount of resources in relation to added human value?
The ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Standard has become a wide-spread administrative tool in the field of corporate responses to sustainability. As a framework for the administering of sustainable development in firms, ISO 14001 in itself does not speak of strategic planning for sustainability, nor of upstream solutions of problems at their source. Furthermore, confusion exists with respect to where ISO 14001 fits in relation to a complex array of tools for sustainable development. This research proposes the integration of a “backcasting” method that embodies a five-level approach to planning in complex systems, with the ISO 14001 planning process requirements. The result is a strategic planning framework that focuses on the minimum requirements for a sustainable society and embeds them in a process to assist firms in their sustainability initiatives.
Underlying every significant issue that organizations and societies face is the question: How can we create desired results in an increasingly interdependent world? That question has been the focus of Peter Senge's work for more than 20 years. It also is at the heart of the Society for Organizational Learning's research in innovation, large-systems change, sustainability, the future of education, and leadership development. In June 2003, 335 researchers, consultants and executives from business, government, and civil society gathered at SoL's first Global Forum, in Helsinki, Finland. This article was adapted from Peter's remarks at that forum.
We have previously developed a method for sustainable product development (MSPD) based on backcasting from basic sustainability principles. The MSPD informs investigations of product-related social and ecological sustainability aspects throughout a concurrent engineering product development process. We here introduce “templates” for sustainable product development (TSPDs) as a complement. The idea is to help product development teams to arrive faster and more easily at an overview of the major sustainability challenges and opportunities of a product category in the early development phases. The idea is also to inform creative communication between top management, stakeholders, and product developers. We present this approach through an evaluation case study, in which the TSPDs were used for a sustainability assessment of televisions (TVs) at the Matsushita Electric Group. We study whether the TSPD approach has the ability to (1) help shift focus from gradual improvements of a selection of aspects in relation to past environmental performance of a product category to a focus on the remaining gap to a sustainable situation, (2) facilitate consensus among organizational levels about major sustainability challenges and potential solutions for a product category, and (3) facilitate continued dialogue with external sustainability experts, identifying improvements that are relevant for strategic sustainable development. Our findings indicate that the TSPD approach captures overall sustainability aspects of the life cycle of product categories and that it has the above abilities.
Companies committed to integrating sustainability concerns into product decisions are confronted with the daunting task of assessing hundreds, or thousands, of materials and goods. Further complicating efforts have been the rapid growth of environmental and social assessment principles, strategies, actions, and tools. The lack of clarity on how existing approaches are complementary or distinct has resulted in ambiguities about pathways forward for companies. This current state of the field highlights the need to draw out interconnections between the wide range of current work on integrating environmental and social issues into material, product, and other business decisions. This articleddeveloped through collaboration among several environmental, social, and sustainability-oriented researchers and practitionersdaddresses this need through building upon pre-existing work [J. Cleaner Prod. 10(3) (2002) 197; J. Cleaner Prod. 8(3) (2000) 243]. It proposes adaptations on a framework for organizing the assessment field, including development of exemplary sustainable product characteristics and their inclusion in a ''strategic sustainable development'' decision-making model and process [J. Cleaner Prod. 10(3) (2002) 197]. The article also argues for an expansion of analytical approaches within this previously developed framework in order to highlight social aspects of sustainability and landscape-level issues. Finally, the article puts these elements together to describe a pathway forward for companies. In the conclusion, areas for future research are highlighted.
The Ecological Footprint (EF) is a method for estimating the biologically productive area necessary to support current consumption patterns, given prevailing technical and economic processes. By comparing human impact with the planet's limited bioproductive area. this method tests a basic ecological condition for sustainability. The ecological footprint has gained popularity for its pedagogical strength as it expresses the results of its analysis in spatial units that can easily be communicated. Many EF estimates have been performed on a global, national and sulrnationallevel. In this paper. we review the method and critically assess it from a sustainability perspective based on first order principles. We examine: •Which aspects of sustainability are already covered by existing EF assessments;•Which further aspects ofsustainability could be made accountable through the EF (such as areas needed to assimilate waste streams that are not yet accounted for in present assessments); and•Those aspects ofsustainability that cannot be accountable through the EF. Thereby needing complimentary auditing tools.Since the EF is a measure of renewable biocapacity, we argue that some dimensions of ecological sustainability should not be included in the EF. These include human activities that should be phased out to obtain sustainability, such as emissions of persistent compounds foreign to nature and qualitative aspects that represent secondary uses of ecological areas and do not, therefore, occupy a clearly identifiable additional ecological space. We also conclude that the EF is useful for documenting the overall human use or abuse of the potentially renewable functions and services of nature. Particularly, by aggregating in a consistentway a varity of human impacts, it can effectively identify the scale of the human economy by companson with the size of the biosphere.
This article seeks to extend understanding of how sustainability is operationalized in firms by considering the example of Interface Inc. In particular, we assess the sustainability policy and strategies of Interface Inc. within the frame recourse of an ecological modernization (EM) perspective of sustainability. One question of particular interest is whether organizations are able to implement an EM-aligned worldview through their own internal capabilities or whether changes to the wider socio-economic system are required. The analysis of Interface's experiences suggests that, at this stage, an organization cannot fully adhere to an EM perspective of sustainability; its success is also dependent on changes to the wider socio-economic system in which the firm operates. The critical factors in implementing sustainability that emerged from the Interface case study are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
In the emerging field of industrial ecology one of the unsettled questions is the degree to which design for the environment, closing energy and materials loops, and other industrial ecology concepts apply at the firm level. In this article we examine this issue with a particular focus on whether industrial ecology can guide company strategy and efforts to enhance competitiveness.
We conclude that industrial ecology thinking will often be useful for firms seeking to improve their resource productivity and thus their competitiveness. The systems perspective that industrial ecology promotes can help companies find ways to add value or reduce costs both within their own production processes and up and down the supply chain. But industrial ecology cannot always be counted upon to yield competitive advantage at the firm level. In some cases, the cost of closing loops will exceed the benefits. In other cases, regulatory requirements do not fully internalize environmental costs, and thus polluting firms may gain temporary or permanent cost advantages relative to companies that attempt to eliminate all emissions. Finally, because industrial ecology focuses attention on materials and energy flows, it may not optimize other variables that contribute to competitiveness within the corporate setting.
Sustainable management of materials and products requires continuous evaluation of numerous complex social, ecological, and economic factors. A number of tools and methods are emerging to support this. One of the most rigorous is life-cycle assessment (LCA). But LCAs often lack a sustainability perspective and bring about difficult trade-offs between specificity and depth, on the one hand, and comprehension and applicability, on the other. This article applies a framework for strategic sustainable development (often referred to as The Natural Step (TNS) framework) based on backcasting from basic principles for sustainability. The aim is to foster a new general approach to the management of materials and products, here termed “strategic life-cycle management”. This includes informing the overall analysis with aspects that are relevant to a basic perspective on (1) sustainability, and (2) strategy to arrive at sustainability. The resulting overview is expected to help avoid costly assessments of flows and practices that are not critical from a sustainability and/or strategic perspective and to help identify strategic gaps in knowledge or potential problems that need further assessment. Early experience indicates that the approach can complement some existing tools and concepts by informing them from a sustainability perspective-for example, current product development and LCA tools.
Ecological economics occasionally makes universal claims about how to understand and measure change in systems of human–environmental interaction. In terms of environmental policy, one of the most influential universal concepts that has come out of the ecological economics literature recently is ecological efficiency (or eco-efficiency). This article uses eco-efficiency as a vehicle to illustrate that universal indicators of human–environmental interaction are theoretically unfounded and practically problematic. Population ecology and neo-classical economics are identified as two theoretical approaches that have contributed to the emergence of universal concepts such as eco-efficiency. The limited applicability of the approaches is highlighted by putting them in comparative context with approaches that make less universal claims, namely, systems ecology and institutional economics. Investigating indicators of human–environmental interaction from disciplinary perspectives that are rarely found in indicator literature offers novel insights on what indicators are for and how they should be applied. The article concludes with a call for scale sensitive generalization in the development of future indicators.
This article aims to explore a new approach to assess company decision systems regarding sustainability-related communication and decision support between senior management and product development levels. The assessment approach was developed in theory and its applicability was directly tested in action research in two small and medium-sized companies and two large companies. The results were validated against experiences made by two management consultancies. Our study indicates that successful companies should: (i) integrate sustainability into business goals and plans, backed up by suitable (ii) internal incentives and disincentives and (iii) decision support tools. Our study also indicates that the new assessment approach can be used as a template to assess the current state of sustainability integration in company decision systems.
In this paper, we present a method for sustainable product development (MSPD) with the aim of integrating social and ecological aspects of sustainability with a strategic business perspective in product development. The method applies backcasting from basic principles for sustainability, which allows a strategic approach, and it includes a modular system of guiding questions that are derived by considering these principles and the product life cycle. Initial testing in Swedish companies indicates that the suggested MSPD promotes a ‘bird's eye’ perspective and encourages and aids development of products that support society's transformation towards sustainability. Furthermore, it is concluded that the modular system provides flexibility and user-friendliness.
Sustainable development is a highly complex problem area, which will probably call for major changes of industrialized societies in the long run. How could futures studies contribute to a policy forming process directed to these problems? And what kind of knowledge about the future is most needed? It is argued that a backcasting approach, due to its problem-solving character, is well suited to these kinds of long-term problems. Fundamental theoretical assumptions behind backcasting are traced. One conclusion is that the merits of backcasting should be judged in the context of discovery rather than in the context of justification. Also, if one is inclined to see teleology as a specific form of understanding, beside causality, then backcasting becomes interesting. Backcasting studies typically aim at providing policy makers and an interested general public with images of the future as a background for opinion forming and decisions.
In a recent article of this journal, Robert et al. [Journal of Cleaner Production 10 (2002) 197] define five hierarchical and interdependent levels for a systems approach for strategic sustainable development (SSD) to move toward the desired outcome, the state of sustainability. This paper evaluates the concept of industrial ecology (IE) by considering its application and use in terms of the strategic sustainable development model. The author argues that the applications of the concept of IE can contribute to all five levels in the hierarchical model. However, the paper shows that if IE is used outside the systems model, four risks and difficulties are generated that can lead to suboptimal solutions, problem displacement and problem shifting. Recommendations derived from ecological economics and environmental management are made for ways to proceed with the integration of IE into the broader SSD concepts and approaches.