Achievement Of Sustainable Goals Research Articles

Regeneration in an ecological perspective. Urban and territorial equalisation for the provision of ecosystem services in the Metropolitan City of Milan

In Italy, the current reform of the planning system intends to modify the land-use planning model and to address regeneration and environmental issues in contemporary cities, involving both public and private actors. In this perspective, Performance-based planning can use market-based tools such as urban and territorial equalisation, compensation and local taxation to support and incentivise the design of Nature-based solutions, Green and blue infrastructures and Ecosystem services. This article presents research developed for the Metropolitan City of Milan. The research identifies a number of environmental indicators that evaluate the outcomes of the metropolitan and local planning process and actions. The evaluation will allow the Metropolitan City to differentiate financing policies and promote multiple actors to achieve sustainability goals using the territorial and urban equalisation tool and a connected bonus reward system.

The Impact of Sustainable Supply-Chain Partnership on Bank Loans: Evidence from Chinese-Listed Firms

With the rapid development of economic globalization, keeping the global supply chains sustainable is becoming increasingly important in improving supply chain performance and firm value. To fully understand the role of the supply chain relationship, it is necessary to comprehensively assess different characteristics of supply chain partnership in achieving sustainability goals. This study explores the implication of concentrated supply-chain partnership on loan features. Using a sample of Chinese-listed firms, we find that concentrated customer or supplier bases positively influence loan features, including loan size, loan maturity, and loan cost. We propose that concentrated customer and supplier bases influence the loan features through different mediators. Through mediating analysis, concentrated customer bases affect loan features through better corporate governance and lower operational risk, and concentrated supplier bases through lower operational cost and longer accounts payable cycle. The benefit of a concentrated chain partnership is more pronounced when customers or suppliers have a greater certification role, less uncertainty, and stronger geographical advantage. The results are robust to instrumental variable analysis, propensity-matched analysis, and alternative measures of chain partnership concentration. Findings in this study have important implications for understanding the sustainable supply-chain partnership management and loan decisions of banks in an emerging market.

Valorification of Egyptian volcanic tuff as eco-sustainable blended cementitious materials

Rhyolite rocks extend from southern Egypt to northern Egypt in the Eastern Desert, and no effective economic exploitation of them has been discovered so far. The pozzolanic activities of different volcanic tuffs (VT) supplied from the Eastern Desert located in Egypt have been investigated as natural volcanic pozzolan materials to develop new green cementitious materials for achieving sustainability goals in the construction field. Experimentally in this paper, the pozzolanic activities of seven diverse specimens of Egyptian tuffs taken with standardized proportions of 75:25% (Cement: volcanic tuffs) were investigated. Pozzolanic features of such tuffs are examined comparatively via strength activity index (SAI), TGA, DTA, and the Frattini’s test. Chemical composition, petrographic, and XRD analysis were also performed for tuffs samples. The pozzolanic reaction degrees were determined according to the compressive strengths at 7, 28, 60 and 90 days with different replacement ratios (20, 25, 30 and 40%) of tuffs samples. Additionally, the micro-filler effects in mortar and concrete were determined by measuring the heat of hydration in mortar samples and the compressive strength of concrete with different additive ratios for tuffs samples besides, the concrete slump test. The results show that TF6 gives a lower cement heat of hydration value which is less than 270 J/g at 7 days. Also, its performance in concrete is better than silica fume at late strength (28 days) since the concrete index value is 106.2% by compared to the concrete index of silica fume 103.9 and therefore it can be used as an alternative to high price and quality variable silica fume (SF) for producing high-performance green concrete. Due to the good pozzolanic behavior proved by nearly most volcanic tuffs, along with their low cost, this study will be profitable for very auspicious the use of Egyptian volcanic tuffs for developing sustainable and eco‑friendly blended cement.

Urban Sustainability Through the Lens of Migration - Case Study: City of Leskovac, Serbia

Abstract Sustainable spatial transformation, urban governance, and the constraints of urban-rural development can be traced through migration. In the Republic of Serbia, after the rapid increase in the number of people living in urban areas due to internal migration, structural changes in settlements have begun with natural decline and emigration. However, the far-reaching effects of migration on shrinkage have received little attention in policy or practice. To shed light on and predict possible future patterns, this paper looks at the attitudes and intentions of the population towards migration and identifies determinants that influence migration plans for possible future flows inside and from the Republic of Serbia. The paper is based on data from a survey and interviews conducted in the area of the City of Leskovac (N = 1124) with the population 20 + years, local authorities, civil society and the private sector, i.e. those who play a central role in addressing the challenges and optimizing the opportunities created by the growing trend of migration. The survey results show that most respondents support the emigration process, which is mainly influenced by economic factors. In this context, the trend of emigration is expected to continue in the future, and it is perceived as an obstacle to achieving sustainability goals and rarely as an opportunity.

On the dynamics of return collection in closed-loop supply chains

The effective operations of closed-loop supply chains (CLSCs) can help companies achieve sustainability goals and boost economic performance. In practice, CLSCs must collect used products, a complex process that is often constrained by collection station capacity. However, how collection station capacity influences the bullwhip effect and the dynamic performance of CLSCs remains unclear. Here, we develop a system dynamics model for CLSCs that integrates traditional manufacturing with remanufacturing and explore the effects of the stochastic capacity constraint of the collection station on the bullwhip effect of CLSCs. We find that, generally speaking, a collection station with looser or more stable capacity constraints tends to reduce bullwhip of CLSCs. However, pertinent interactions emerge between the relevant parameters; in some situations, reducing the capacity level of a collection station may be reasonable and beneficial when the stochastic capacity constraint is very stable, or when customer demand is highly variable. We also consider the partial backlog in return collection, a phenomenon associated with the stochastic capacity constraint of a collection station, and identify a new trade-off between CLSC sustainability and economic performance. Ultimately, our findings provide evidence that will guide managers’ plans for the capacity management of return collection in CLSCs.

A Review on Concrete Composites Modified with Nanoparticles

Recently, various nanomaterials have extensively been used to achieve sustainability goals in the construction sector. Thus, this paper presents a state-of-the-art review involving the uses of different nanomaterials for production of high-performance cementitious, geopolymer, and alkali-activated concrete composites. The effects of nanomaterials on the fresh properties, mechanical properties, and durability of diverse nanoparticle-modified concrete composites are analyzed. The past developments, recent trends, environmental impact, sustainability, notable benefits, and demerits of various nanomaterial-based concrete production are emphasized. It is demonstrated that nanomaterials including SiO2, Al2O3, TiO2, and Fe2O3, etc., can be used effectively to enhance the microstructures and mechanical characteristics (such as compressive strength, flexural, and splitting tensile strengths) of the modified concrete composites, thus improving their anti-erosion, anti-chloride penetration, and other durability traits. In short, this communication may provide deep insight into the role of diverse nanoparticle inclusion in concrete composites to improve their overall attributes.

Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices in Ghana

The study assessed the sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices of 303 manufacturing firms in Ghana with an annual turnover of not less than $1,000,000, which were purposively selected for the study. A questionnaire comprising closed-ended questions was used to collect data on the SSCM practices of the firms, which were sustainable product design (SPD), sustainable process design (SP), supply-side collaboration (SSC) and demand-side collaboration (DSC). A weighted average index was used for the data analysis the results of which revealed that in manufacturing firms under study, SPD had a mean score of 4.44, SP had a mean score of 4.48, SSC had a mean score of 4.52 and DSC had a mean score of 4.52. The study identified many issues policymakers should look at to promote SSCM practices in manufacturing firms. In addition, policies should prioritise energy/material consumption; the reusing, recycling and recovering of materials; a standardised product design to facilitate reuse; environmentally-friendly materials, products and manufacturing processes; the easy disassembly of materials products; product life cycle analysis; and the formalisation of procedures for environmentally-friendly product design. Based on the diminishing of the world’s natural resources and the importance of SSCM, it is recommended that all manufacturing firms in Ghana and the world adopt SSCM practices. Moreover, manufacturing firms need to collaborate with their customers to anticipate and solve sustainability problems to achieve sustainability goals.

Achieving Sustainability Goals in Central Asia: The Importance of “the Middle”

As the world passes the midpoint of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), clarity about the implementation of this agenda becomes increasingly critical. Equally important is the extent to which the SDG framework is succeeding or failing in different contexts. This study explores the role and importance of the “implementers”, mid-level actors that bridge policymaking between national leaderships who set policy and grassroots efforts. Focusing on three SDGs (#2, 6 and 15), thirty (30) such implementers were selected through purposive sampling combined with subsequent reputational strategies. The knowledge and attitudes of these actors toward the goals and progress of their respective nations were evaluated through structured interviews. While the general outlook on their countries’ capacity to reach the proposed goals was positive, the detailed review of SDG targets showed signs that those in “the middle” were highly uncertain as to whether these goals could be reached. Considering the critical role of these implementers in translating policy to action, this creates serious concern about the path forward in sustainable development moving toward 2030 and beyond. Moreover, critical reconsideration of the process of implementing the SDGs needs to be undertaken to capitalize on the expertise and strategic capacity of “the middle” of sustainable development.

Experimental and machine learning approaches to investigate the effect of waste glass powder on the flexural strength of cement mortar.

Using solid waste in building materials is an efficient approach to achieving sustainability goals. Also, the application of modern methods like artificial intelligence is gaining attention. In this regard, the flexural strength (FS) of cementitious composites (CCs) incorporating waste glass powder (WGP) was evaluated via both experimental and machine learning (ML) methods. WGP was utilized to partially substitute cement and fine aggregate separately at replacement levels of 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, 10%, 12.5%, and 15%. At first, the FS of WGP-based CCs was determined experimentally. The generated data, which included six inputs, was then used to run ML techniques to forecast the FS. For FS estimation, two ML approaches were used, including a support vector machine and a bagging regressor. The effectiveness of ML models was assessed by the coefficient of determination (R2), k-fold techniques, statistical tests, and examining the variation amongst experimental and forecasted FS. The use of WGP improved the FS of CCs, as determined by the experimental results. The highest FS was obtained when 10% and 15% WGP was utilized as a cement and fine aggregate replacement, respectively. The modeling approaches' results revealed that the support vector machine method had a fair level of accuracy, but the bagging regressor method had a greater level of accuracy in estimating the FS. Using ML strategies will benefit the building industry by expediting cost-effective and rapid solutions for analyzing material characteristics.

Analysis of social barriers to sustainable innovation and digitisation in supply chain.

Organisations are consistently becoming more and more conscious about sustainability issues that are being raised on various platforms by regulatory bodies and other social activists. Digitisation of supply chains and other technologies like recycling has emerged as one solution that helps achieve sustainability goals by bringing more transparency into the system regarding emissions. Adopting these sustainability and digitisation-related technologies in the supply chain is a major issue, and there are many social issues related to their implementation and adoption. This study aims to identify social barriers to sustainable innovations and digitisation in the supply chain. A total of eight barriers are identified and analysed using BWM and DEMATEL methodologies. The results indicate that work-related circumstances and employment disruptions are the most prominent social barriers, which also influence other barriers. Organisations need to hire and train manpower in skills related to sustainable and digitisation technologies to secure their jobs and facilitate the adoption of these technologies in the supply chain.

Building a Sustainable Future: Exploring Green Finance, Regenerative Finance, and Green Financial Technology

This paper presents an overview of sustainable finance and focuses on the crucial role of green and regenerative finance in promoting sustainability in the contemporary world. It discusses how green financial technology (green fintech) leverages technology to support sustainable finance and reviews the latest advancements in green technologies, and how they are utilized to mitigate the effects of climate change. In addition, it highlights the importance of governance in these two areas of sustainable finance. Several real-life case stories are also presented to illustrate the successful applications of green technologies by organizations and individuals to mitigate the effects of climate change and achieve sustainability goals. In sum, the overarching goal of this paper is to demonstrate how harnessing the power of green and regenerative finance and green fintech is crucial in ensuring a sustainable future for all.

On Hyperparameter Optimization of Machine Learning Methods Using a Bayesian Optimization Algorithm to Predict Work Travel Mode Choice

Prediction of work Travel mode choice is one of the most important parts of travel demand forecasting. Planners can achieve sustainability goals by accurately forecasting how people will get to and from work. In the prediction of travel mode selection, machine learning methods are commonly employed. To fit a machine-learning model to various challenges, the hyperparameters must be tweaked. Choosing the optimal hyperparameter configuration for machine learning models has an immediate effect on the performance of the model. In this paper, optimizing the hyperparameters of common machine learning models, including support vector machines, k-nearest neighbor, single decision trees, ensemble decision trees, and Naive Bayes, is studied using the Bayesian Optimization algorithm. These models were developed and optimized using two datasets from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey. Using several criteria, including average accuracy (%), average area under the receiver operating characteristics, and a simple ranking system, the performance of the optimized models was investigated. The findings of this study show that the BO is an effective model for improving the performance of the k-nearest neighbor model more than other models. This research lays the groundwork for using optimized machine learning methods to mitigate the negative consequences of automobile use.

Companies’ actions for more sustainable consumption

This paper investigates how companies may efficiently enhance customers’ sustainability awareness, first, by identifying the root causes of consumers’ low level of engagement in sustainability. Second, by understanding the most trustworthy sorts of advertising. Third, comprehending the SHIFT framework to find solutions based on the previous three steps. This paper proposes actions for businesses to improve their customer’s awareness of sustainability. Due to underlying root causes such as lack of knowledge about sustainability, lifestyle, sustainable products, and the activities businesses make to achieve sustainability goals, individuals with unsustainable lifestyles have wrong beliefs that impact their behaviours. As a result, companies should address the various root causes using the most trusted and influential factors, including social media, conferences, and word of mouth, to create a new consumer profile more involved in sustainability. Companies can use the SHIFT framework to make people feel and believe they are part of the problem and the solution. This study directs businesses towards solutions that address the underlying causes of the problem by addressing beliefs and feelings and engaging consumers.

Triple Bottom Line Analysis and Assessment Towards Sustainable Palm Oil Plantation

Palm oil agroindustry face challenge in business process sustainability. Most of the research consider all stage of business in sustainability analysis moreover less of consideration in upstream parts. This research aims to analyzes the palm oil plantation sustainability performance to provide recommendation in achieving sustainability goals for upstream business parts. This research was conducted in two most productive location in producing palm oil in the world: Sumatera and Kalimantan, Indonesia. A multi-dimensional scaling with leverage analysis were applied to assess the palm oil plantation sustainability performance and provide potential improvement recommendation. The result show that the model had successfully to analyze the sustainability performance on triple bottom line dimensions: economic, social and environment. Twenty-one indicators were assessed and found location sustainability performance on palm oil plantation. Leverage analysis provide recommendation to improve the performance, including CPO quantity loss, CPO quality loss, workers personal rights condition, corporate social responsibility, soil condition and water management.

Study on the Hydration and Physical Properties of Cement by M18 Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer Modified Graphene Oxide

Graphene oxide (GO) as a new nano-enhancer in cement-based materials has gained wide attention. However, GO is easy to aggregate in alkaline cement mortar with poor dispersibility. This hinders its application in practical infrastructure construction. In this work, GO-M18 polycarboxylate compound superplasticizer (GM) were obtained by compounding the M18 polycarboxylate superplasticizer with GO solution at different mass ratios. The dispersion of GM in alkaline solution was systematically studied. The phases and functional groups of GM were characterized by XRD and FTIR. The effects of GM on the cement mortar hydration and the formation of microstructure were investigated by measuring the heat of hydration, MIP, TG/DSC, and SEM. The results show that the long-chain structure of the M18 polycarboxylate superplasticizer can increase the interlayer spacing of GO and weaken the force between GO sheets. The modified GO can be uniformly dispersed in the cement slurry. GM can accelerate the early hydration process of cement, which can increase the content of Ca(OH)2 and decrease the grain size. It can optimize the pore size distribution of cement-based materials, increase the density of harmless and less harmful pores, thereby improving mechanical properties. Such methods can transform traditional cement-based materials into stronger, more durable composites, which prolong the life of cement-based materials and reduce the amount of cement used for later maintenance. This provides an idea for achieving sustainability goals in civil engineering.

Effect of inflation on EOQ model with multivariate demand and partial backlogging and carbon tax policy

The concept of green inventory systems is very important for economic growth and development in the era of sustainable development. There is a special need for green inventory systems to identify and manage perishable products since spoilage and deterioration can lead to significant losses of items, which negatively affect the satisfaction of consumers. As perishable products decay continuously (such as vegetables, fruits, milk, juices, frozen foods, baked foods), their demand is adversely affected as well as customers' purchasing decisions. The more realistic assumption is a price-sensitive demand. As well as deterioration rates, perishable products have an expiration date-dependent deterioration rate. Further, inventory holding, and the deterioration of perishables contribute significantly to carbon emissions when operating the inventory system. A carbon tax policy is more flexible and effective when it comes to reducing carbon emissions due to its environmental conscious nature. We develop two sustainable inventory procedures for perishable items based on a practical scenario in which the buyer has a limited storeroom. So, to achieve sustainability goals, a model for inventory management for perishable products based on expiration dates is presented in this paper. We distinguish between two inventory schemes: (i) one that allows shortages and fractional backlogs, and (ii) one that does not allow shortage. In both schemes, both the decay rate and demand function show an upward trend against storage time. Since the decay rate increases with storage time, it is assumed that the cost of storing items is linearly related to storage time. numerical examples along with a real-life case study are presented to validate the inventory schemes after several decision-making findings have been derived.

The flexural behavior of Hollow core concrete slabs with different shape

Hollow slabs are slabs of reinforced concrete in which voids allow the concrete to be reduced in size. This type of slab results in reduced raw materials Consumption and increased insulating properties to achieve sustainability goals. This paper reported an experimental research program focused on the study of the bending behaviour of the elements of hollow slabs of normal-strength concrete. Three models of the one-way concrete slab were cast, It had dimensions of 1020 mm length, 420 mm width, and 100 mm thickness. The first model did not contain holes (solid) and the second model contained five circler opening holes with a 50 mm diameter, while the third model contained five square opening holes with 44 mm dimension, where the area of the second and third model were the same despite the difference in the shape of the opening. The results showed that the bearing capacity of the circular hollow core slab is higher by 12% compared to the square hollow core slab according to the type of voids and both of holes made the hollow core slab with a decrease in load capacity of 11% to 25% when compared to the solid slab. The solid slab has lower deflection value compared to the two hollow slabs whose weight is reduced by 23% compared to the solid slab.

Valuing the value: An affordances perspective on new models in the electricity market

Prosumers can actively participate in electricity markets through new market models. Peer-to-peer, community self-consumption, and transactive energy are the three market models which are said to complement traditional electricity markets, enabling prosumers to create and capture value. To date, however, the characteristics of these models and incentivisation opportunities for prosumers cannot be easily distilled. Here, we propose a framework to distinguish between these market models based on involved parties (peers, communities, and grid operators) and traded commodities (electricity and flexibility). Furthermore, we compare the capacity of the different models in value generation for and by prosumers, which extend beyond financial benefits, by differentiation. In doing so, we systematically draw out the value generation potential in the dynamic between market models' capacities and prosumers business models. In doing so, a larger number of prosumers can be engaged and empowered in becoming active market actors, stimulating the ongoing energy transition towards achieving sustainability goals.

Achieving Sustainability in Smart Cities & Its Impact on Citizen

Life became digitalized and smartly controlled that requiring more energy usage. Smart cities and urbanization focus on the challenge of worldwide urbanization through the recognition of opportunities to integrate social, physical, environmental and technological infrastructure. Urbanization expands the need of all services including water, power, transportation, as well as other facilities. All those infrastructures should be delivered to citizen within a short period of time with very well controlled systems to provide more simple and comfortable life. Furthermore, stakeholders and citizens should be responsible and cooperative with government and organizations in order to achieve better solution for smart sustainable living approach. Although the smart urbanization has the potential to become a positive transformative force for every aspect of sustainable development in cities, there is a lack of knowledge using the smart and sustainable concepts in cities. Therefore, this paper aims to propose a framework which merges the sustainable aspects with the Smart city components. The paper started by an analytical study about smart cities fields and their needs, then a study for sustainability aspects, all this end with a framework tested by a questionnaire to propose guidelines and recommendations to be followed by city planners in order to achieve sustainability goals in smart cities for better impact on citizens.

Soil Properties and Bacterial Communities Associated with the Rhizosphere of the Common Bean after Using Brachiaria brizantha as a Service Crop: A 10-Year Field Experiment

Intensive agricultural farming practices, such as monoculture, require long bare fallow periods and the overuse of agrochemicals, which compromise soil health over time. Increasing plant diversity in agroecosystems with service crops represents a promising alternative to achieving sustainability goals. However, how specific cover crop species influence the abundance and structure of soil bacterial communities remains to be solved. In this study, we assessed the effects of B. brizantha in two different agricultural cycles for 10 years in a common bean monoculture system in the northwestern region of Argentina (NWA) by measuring chemical, physical, and microbiological parameters in the rhizosphere, as well as by screening the rhizobiome using 16S rRNA sequencing. The ten-year inclusion of B. brizantha had a positive impact on properties in the rhizosphere compared to the common bean monoculture. The bacterial beta-diversity was different among treatments, but not the alpha-diversity. The most abundant phyla were Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi and Myxococcota. The predicted functions related to chemoheterotrophy and aerobic chemoheterotrophy were increased under B. brizantha treatments compared to the bean monoculture. The inclusion of the pasture B. brizantha contributed to restoring soil health and minimizing soil degradation.