Composite Sustainability Index Research Articles

Organic or Non-organic Agriculture: Comparison of Organic and Conventional Farming Sustainability

Reduction of the level of greenhouse gas emissions from sector of agriculture are one of the serious issues across European Union. The dairy industry is responsible for generating a significant amount of emissions from enteric fermentation, manure and long-term storage. The amount of emissions produced depends highly on factors such as livestock feeding and manure management systems, feed intensity and quality. Farms that have high milk yield also produce more liquid manure, leading to an increase in overall emissions from manure management.Organic farming has been valued as one of the most suitable solutions to conventional agriculture for the achievement of climate goals. Organic farming can be described as a farming approach based on prevention, ecological processes, and the restriction of pesticides. Restricting pests and lower yields can have a negative impact on production costs and revenues. However, organic farming has lower operating costs and higher product costs, which can increase overall incomes.The research aims to evaluate the environmental, economic and social dimensions of conventional and organic farming, comparing were comparing on their integral environmental, economic and social sustainability. The core element for the sustainability assessment is the construction of the composite sustainability index using data for scientific literature, reports and statistics.

Novel process optimization based on machine learning: A study on biohydrogen production from waste resources

The biomass poultry litter and sewage sludge co-gasification is a good thermochemical method to produce hydrogen energy meanwhile to mitigate the consumption of fossil fuels. However, the operation optimization in the complex process system is important while computationally difficult because of high nonlinearity and many first-principle constraints. To address the optimization of this biohydrogen production process, a methodology framework for achieving the optimal operations is thus presented. The complete process system is first simulated and decomposed into upstream gasification process and downstream hydrogen purification for reducing computational complexity through the thermodynamic equilibrium-based simulation. Totally 1400 data points by pairing total 15 operating conditions with a composite sustainability index objective are generated through the random sampling and data classification strategies, which are then used for the construction of the artificial neural network (ANN)-based prediction models. ANN models of two subprocesses demonstrate the satisfactory prediction accuracy with R2 value of 0.98 and 0.99, respectively, which are then integrated with mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) for the optimization of upstream process and downstream process step-by-step. The MILP problems based on the ANN models are solved with lower optimization time of 45∼100 s compared to the heuristic algorithm optimization (3–6 h) based on the thermodynamic equilibrium-based simulation. The optimal sustainability index values of two processes are 0.80 and 0.91 which are both improved compared to the existing optimization results (0.79 and 0.84). This study emphasizes the optimization potential of the integration approach of machine learning-based modelling and mathematical programming for developing the optimal waste-to-energy processes.

Water resources sustainability assessment in the Vietnamese Srepok River Basin

AbstractThis study proposes a sustainability assessment framework for managing the water resources of the Vietnamese portion of the Srepok River Basin (VSRB). A sustainability hierarchy was developed using five, ten, seven and five sustainability indicators to characterize economic, environmental, social and management dimensions of the basin's water resources. Reliable weights for each of these sustainability components were assigned using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process evaluations of judgements obtained from five highly experienced experts. The sustainability levels were ranked in increasing order of Management > Economic > Environment > Social, allowing a composite sustainability index to be assessed. By taking into account economic, environmental, social and management perspectives, the assessment provides a comprehensive understanding of the sustainability of water resources in the VSRB.

La transition vers une prospérité durable - Un modèle macroéconomique écologique stock-flux cohérent pour le Canada

This paper presents a stock-flow consistent (SFC) macroeconomic simulation model for Canada. We use the model to generate three very different stories about the future of the Canadian economy, covering the half century from 2017 to 2067: a Base Case Scenario in which current trends and relationships are projected into the future, a Carbon Reduction Scenario in which measures are introduced specifically designed to reduce Canada's carbon emissions, and a Sustainable Prosperity Scenario which incorporates additional measures to improve environmental, social and financial conditions across society. The performance of the economy is tracked using two composite indicators constructed especially for this study: an environmental burden index (EBI) which describes the environmental performance of the model; and a composite sustainable prosperity index (SPI) which is based on a weighted average of seven economic, social and environmental performance indicators. Contrary to the widely accepted view, the results suggest that ‘green growth’ (in the Carbon Reduction Scenario) may be slower than ‘brown growth’. More importantly, we show (in the Sustainable Prosperity Scenario) that improved environmental and social outcomes are possible even as the growth rate declines to zero.

Microbial applications and agricultural sustainability: A simulation analysis of Dutch potato farms

CONTEXTFertilisers and plant protection products are essential for the economic viability of arable agriculture, but their overuse leads to environmental problems. Microbial applications have been proposed as a solution to reduce these environmental problems in arable farming. Experimental results suggest that microbial applications can increase yields and reduce abiotic stresses with fewer fertilisers and plant protection products. However, the overall effects of microbial applications on farm economics, the environment and social dimensions have not been quantified yet. OBJECTIVEIn this study, we assess the capacity of microbial applications to enhance the sustainability, including environmental, economic and social dimensions, of Dutch potato production. METHODSWe model a baseline scenario and a microbial application scenario with Monte Carlo simulation, and compare the scenarios using a composite sustainability index. The microbial application scenario is based on data from a Delphi expert elicitation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSThe model indicates that, at present, microbial interventions do not contribute to the sustainability of Dutch potato production. In fact, the conventional baseline approach is more sustainable compared to the scenario involving microbial applications. In the microbial application scenario, cost per hectare of potato production is almost three times higher than in the baseline scenario, which are not covered by the 3.7% yield and 9.8% revenue increase. However, microbial applications can reduce CO2 emissions by 60% and active substances by 6.6%. Technological advancements are necessary to reduce costs per unit of production and increase environmental sustainability. SIGNIFICANCEThis study explores the impact of microbial applications on agricultural sustainability amid uncertainty, emphasising the need to quantify their effects. This study highlights the importance of economically viable sustainable practices to incentivise farmers' adoption. While efficient microbial applications can reduce reliance on conventional pesticides and fertilisers, they currently cannot contribute to the Farm-to-Fork reduction goals. Future research should focus on cost-effective microbial applications for disease prevention. We provide four routes for further research on microbial applications.

Composite sustainability index for online and distance education

The surge in internet usage and the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic have emphasized the significance of online and distance education. However, there is a scarcity of scholarly research on the sustainability of initiatives implemented through these modalities, and the existing measurement methodologies for sustainability are not well suited to this particular context. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between sustainability and the performance of online and distance education and proposes a composite sustainability index to assess these programmes. The methodology for constructing this index follows the stages outlined by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and employs both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The qualitative techniques involve interviews conducted with a group of field experts in order to ascertain the prioritization of indicators. Data from these interviews is used to identify key indicators for further prioritization. The application of quantitative analysis involves the characterization of participants and the execution of calculations for finalizing, weighting, normalizing, and aggregating indicators, resulting in the creation of the composite sustainability index. This mixed-method approach is consistently applied throughout the index development process. The study yields a comprehensive sustainability index that assesses online and remote education programmes. It identifies 15 sustainability criteria corresponding to key sustainability dimensions and quality deployment pillars. The practical implications of these indices hold great significance, as they can provide valuable guidance to strategic decision-makers in enhancing current offers and shaping future policies and resource allocations for programmes delivered through online and distance education methods.

The impact of farm size on sustainability of beef cattle farms: A case study of the Samsun province, Turkey

ABSTRACTMany global agricultural problems, such as the decline of agricultural land, soil pollution, climate change, water scarcity, and rural poverty threaten the sustainability of agricultural production systems. This study aimed to (i) develop a methodology to measure the sustainability of beef cattle farms, (ii) measure economic, social and environmental sustainability, and (iii) determine the impact of farm size on the sustainability of beef cattle farming. The study data were collected from 155 beef cattle sample farms via face-to-face surveys in Samsun Province, Turkey. A multi-stage process was employed to measure sustainability. The most important factors contributing to sustainability were determined as the debt-asset ratio, beef yield, and production cost for economic sustainability; the adequacy of educational institutions in the village or district and misunderstanding with neighbours for social sustainability; paying attention to meteorological conditions for pesticide use and nature conservation for environmental sustainability. The composite sustainability index was determined as 0.43 in small farms, 0.51 in medium farms and 0.61 in large farms. It has been found that an increase in the farm size had a positive impact on economic, social, and environmental sustainability of beef cattle farming. The methodology and indicators developed can be used to ensure the sustainability of different agricultural sectors.

Assessing and comparing the sustainability of organic and conventional wheat farming in India: An indicator-based approach

Achieving agricultural sustainability requires a comprehensive assessment of economic, social, and environmental dynamics. This assessment must be supported by scientifically validated indicators that measure all aspects of the system. This study aims to assess and compare the indicator-based farm sustainability of wheat farming in Punjab, India, under two farming systems: conventional farming (CF) and organic farming (OF). This study is based on cross-sectional data collected through a primary survey of 348 wheat growers (143 organics and 205 conventional). A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to collect the data. Based on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 2008 index construction methodology, a composite sustainability index (CSI), economic sustainability index (ESI), social sustainability index (SSI), and environmental sustainability index (EnSI) have been constructed. The study is motivated by the significant focus on wheat-rice monoculture in Punjab, which has led to declining agricultural growth, over-exploitation of groundwater, and excessive use of agro-chemicals, among other sustainability issues. The empirical results of CSI show that OF is more sustainable than CF in terms of environmental and social sustainability, whereas CF is economically more viable than OF. The study suggest that the government should adopt a balanced approach that encourages and promotes both farming systems simultaneously. To enhance the sustainability of CF, the focus should be on resource conservation technologies, farm practices and ensuring farmers’ well-being, while financial incentives, educational opportunities, and market expansion are crucial for making OF more sustainable.

An indicator-based sustainability assessment framework in manufacturing organisations

Several tools and methodologies were developed for manufacturing organizations to evaluate their sustainability performance. However, the growing number of methods and tools casts some doubt upon the applicability, efficiency, and capability of those methods by real manufacturing companies. Therefore, tools that offer a standard assessment of the sustainability performance of the organization with a systematic view are much needed. On the other hand, tools are not only expected to qualitatively assess sustainability but to be capable of recognizing the opportunities that help manufacturers have a more sustainable organization. To that point, the present study will focus on the following questions: “How can we help manufacturing organizations in terms of assessing sustainability?” and “How can we help manufacturing organizations discover opportunities to reach a better state of sustainability?”. To respond to the questions, the study will use the indicator-based sustainability assessment framework that has been previously introduced by the authors and to develop a composite sustainability indicator. As a contribution to the literature, knowledge extraction and formalisation methods like Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) and Association Rule Mining (ARM) are employed in the development process of the composite Indicator. In fact, FCA and ARM helped create a novel method to select and weigh and aggregate indicators and therefore develop a composite sustainability index. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the proposed framework will be examined by a real case company.

Sustainability assessment framework of biomedical scaffolds: Additive manufacturing versus traditional manufacturing

Sustainability assessment is a method for regulating and enhancing the sustainability performance of a product, process, or system. New technologies have streamlined the process of sustainable growth by progressively moving from conventional manufacturing to new technologies. The current study developed a sustainability assessment framework from the lifecycle perspective of a medical device i.e., scaffold. The framework first involved economic, environmental and social assessment to assess scaffold's life cycle supply chain with two different manufacturing routes, i.e. additive manufacturing (AM) and traditional manufacturing (TM) routes. Further, the sustainability index weight of different indicators and subsystems has been evaluated. Finally, the overall composite sustainability index for AM and TM routes has also been calculated using the entropy weight method (EWM). The economic assessment revealed that AM route has significantly lower cost (20%) than TM route for unit scaffold. Additionally, production rate of TM was found to be lower than AM (24.24%) instead of having high machine capacity utilization. The TM route showed higher environmental load, especially from fabrication, sterilization, and material processing stage. Similarly, social assessment also presented that AM is superior to TM methodology for workers and customers. The subsystem index's weight showed that environmental index (0.8292) has high importance followed by economic index (0.1473) and social index (0.0235). The overall composite Sustainability Index (SI) showed that AM route (SI = 0.9271) is more sustainable than TM route (SI = 0.0136). The sensitivity analysis proved the robustness of the method without changing the ranks of the subsystem's index. Overall, the work provides a quantitative perspective for sustainability assessment of a medical product's life cycle supply chain, which is greatly helpful in making differentiated management measures in the medical industry.

Does shale gas exploitation contribute to regional sustainable development? Evidence from China

Shale gas is a growing contributor to China's natural gas production. It is seen as a key component of the country's energy transition. As a major shale gas producing region, Chongqing has large shale gas production and high expectations for its future development. However, it is unclear how regional sustainability will be affected by this shale gas boom. To help answer this question, this paper establishes a sustainability assessment framework covering three economic-social-environmental dimensions and 21 specific indicators; obtains a composite sustainability index (CSI) of districts and counties in the Chongqing region based on the Entropy Weight Method (EWM); and then empirically analyses the impacts of shale gas development in Fuling and neighbouring districts by using the Synthetic Control Method (SCM). Our results show that the level of sustainable development in Chongqing has a fluctuating increase, with a rapid rise in the CSI for the sample area, but shale gas development activities do not contribute significantly. Further analysis shows that the CSI is relatively stable when weights are changed and indicators are substituted, and the scale of the shale gas industry may limit its impact on sustainable development. The synthetic control results for sub-dimensional sustainability indices are also not significant. However, the potential for sustainability levels in the environmental dimension and in region adjacent to shale gas field to be affected by shale gas development is greater. Developers and governments can focus on assessing these two aspects if shale gas production is larger.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Agricultural and Forestry Policies in Achieving Environmental Goals through Environmental Policy Documents

To achieve the set climate targets by 2030 and become climate neutral by 2050, each Member State must develop a National Energy and Climate Plan (hereinafter – NECP) that contains practical and effective measures to achieve the targets set. The effectiveness of the agricultural and forestry measures defined in the Latvian NECP was assessed through the definition of appropriate indicators, an expert survey, and a composite sustainability index. The linkage between the measures or action lines in the Latvian NECP related to agriculture and forestry, the European Green Deal measures and the objectives of the European Union Bioeconomy Strategy was assessed. The results show that the effectiveness of agricultural and forestry measures is most influenced by factors such as quality, financing, and specificity. The description of the measures should be more detailed, with specific activities, indicators to be achieved, and amounts and funding sources planned for each activity. The lowest scoring measures are specific measures whose impacts cannot be measured and are not explicitly mentioned as relevant in the European Bioeconomy Strategy, the European Green Deal.

The status quo of the EU transport sector: Cross-country indicator-based comparison and policy evaluation

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are declining in all major sectors in the European Union, with the exception of one sector that has seen a significant increase in GHG emissions over the past decade - transport sector. The European transport sector faces a significant challenge in achieving the decarbonization goal set by the European Green Deal. Although the European Commission is planning to introduce a set of EU-level measures, such as the inclusion of road transport in the EU Emissions Trading System, the progress of greening the transport sector has so far largely depended on national policies. To understand whether European countries are committed to rapidly adapt to low-carbon transport systems, it is crucial to evaluate what progress have national policies achieved so far in moving towards a sustainable transport system. This study used a three-level assessment of transport sector sustainability across European countries. First, this study assessed the overall sustainability level of the transport sector in all European Union Member States and the United Kingdom using the composite sustainability index method for cross-country comparison. Countries were compared using 15 transport indicators grouped into four dimensions (mobility, sustainability, innovation, and environment) based on the latest available data from 2017 obtained from Eurostat, European Commission, and Odysee-Mure databases. Second, in order to identify the dynamics of progress, Logistic Mean Division Index (LMDI) decomposition analysis was conducted to assess the changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transport sector over ten years, taking into account the five main factors: emission intensity effect, renewable energy (RES) transition effect, energy intensity effect, economic growth effect, and population growth effect. Third, to analyse what has impacted the sustainability of the transport sector in countries, the study highlighted several key policies (directions) for decarbonizing transport from the analysis outlining the good practice policies from the best performing countries. The combined results of the composite sustainability index and decomposition analysis revealed significant differences between Nordic, Western, and Eastern European countries, suggesting that different approaches should be taken in developing effective sustainability policies for transport.

Sustainability assessment of Indian Sundarban delta islands using DPSIR framework in the context of natural hazards

Since the inception of the concept, sustainability has been interpreted as encompassing social, economic, and environmental dimensions of it. It is now rapidly shifting from a concept to a measurable state of the human-ecological dynamic system. Recent research is focusing on an integrated approach, due to the absence of a perfectly defined sustainable condition with the presence of some driving forces in the environmental system as a reference. In the recent world, severe natural hazards are increasingly having a fatal impact on societal and economic strata. The islands of Indian Sundarban Delta are the focus of this study as their sustenance is highly at stake due to climate change induced sea level rise, cyclone, tidal surge, and severe land erosion. The main objective of this study is to design a model for obtaining a composite sustainability index of three adjacent islands of western part of Indian Sundarban Delta (ISD) Sagar, Mousani and Ghoramara which are facing severe hazard impact based on the ‘Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response’ (DPSIR) framework integrating all three dimensions. Indicators have been categorised into state indicators and driving forces under ten profiles chosen from three dimensions of sustainability. The impact score of driving forces over any profile has been considered as a product of values of drivers and states from that profile. The total sustainability score was attained by summarizing the impact scores assigning the same weights and different weights respectively, to the sustainability indicators. The sustainability score shows that Sagar is in a better position than the other two islands.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Agricultural and Forestry Policies in Achieving Environmental Goals Through Policy Documents

Abstract To achieve the climate targets set by 2030 and become climate neutral by 2050, each Member State must develop a National Energy and Climate Plan (hereinafter NECP) containing practical and effective measures to achieve the targets. The research sought a connection between the measures or action lines in the Latvian NECP related to agriculture and forestry, the European Green Deal goals and related strategies. The effectiveness of the agricultural and forestry measures defined in the Latvian NECP was evaluated by defining appropriate indicators, an expert survey and a composite sustainability index. The results show that the effectiveness of agricultural and forestry measures is most influenced by quality, financing, and specificity factors. The lowest-scoring measures were specific measures whose impacts cannot be measured and are not explicitly mentioned in the European Green Deal. Therefore, the description of the measures should be more detailed, with specific activities, indicators to be achieved, and amounts and funding sources planned for each activity.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY AND RETURN ON INVESTED CAPITAL OF PAKISTANI FIRMS

The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of corporate sustainability on the return on invested capital performance for the non-financial sector in Pakistan. The data has been taken from the KSE-100 Index of 74 Non-Financial Firms for the period of 2015-2020 by taking the data from the sustainability reports, annual reports and website disclosures of the respective companies. The index for sustainability is based on the five sub-indices namely, economic, environmental, social, governance and health & safety indicators with the composite overall sustainability index. The panel regression model technique has been applied using the fixed effect to analyze the individual indicators as well as composite effect of sustainability index for the evaluation of company’s performance. The results for the study indicates positive effect of economic, environmental, social, governance sustainability indicators and a composite sustainability index on the return on invested capital. This research depicts clear relevance of the sustainable practices on the corporate strategy and its financials. The findings of this study will be useful for respective companies’ management to better understand the importance of sustainability practices in corporate strategy for the better performance of the company. Keywords: Corporate sustainability, return on invested capital, non-financial firms, fixed effect, health & safety sustainability, environmental sustainability

Comprehensive sustainability assessment of a novel solar-driven PEMEC-SOFC-based combined cooling, heating, power, and storage (CCHPS) system based on life cycle method

Combined cooling, heating, and power systems powered by renewable energy could efficiently reduce the dependency on fossil fuels and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. This study presents a novel solar-driven proton exchange membrane electrolysis cell and solid-oxide fuel cell-based combined cooling, heating, power, and storage (CCHPS) system integrated with the parabolic trough photovoltaic-thermal (PTPVT) collector. The efficient PTPVT collector is employed to effectively generate solar electricity and thermal energy concurrently. A robust energy management strategy for optimal utilization of solar energy is proposed to smooth the solar energy fluctuations and proactively respond to the user's dynamic load demands. With the entropy weight method, a comprehensive sustainability quantitative analysis based on the life cycle method, which encompasses eleven indicators covering energy, environmental, and economic multi-attributes, is conducted to evaluate the sustainability performance of the proposed system. Meanwhile, the operating characteristics of proactively responding to the user's dynamic load demands under different operating modes and the effects of key parameters are also investigated. The results demonstrate that when the receiver side length of the PTPVT varies from 0.04 m to 0.08 m, the electric efficiency of the PTPVT declines from 24.19% to 22.93%, and the grid electricity consumption of the hybrid system increases by 16.62 MWh per year. Besides, the annual investment cost, annual net saving cost, and simple payback period are demoted by 709.52 $, 1233.01 $ and 0.09 year, respectively. The composite sustainability index of the hybrid system with a 0.04 m receiver side length of the PTPVT illustrates optimal comprehensive sustainability performance with 0.998.

Quantitative sustainability assessment and sensitivity analysis for a solar-driven combined heating and power system integrated with organic Rankine cycle and ground source heat pump

Integrating renewable energy and combined heating and power (CHP) systems saves fossil energy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and increases system efficiency. This study proposes a solar-driven CHP system integrated with an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and a ground source heat pump (GSHP). A quantitative sustainability assessment method is used to evaluate the sustainability performance of the CHP system. This method aggregates the technical, economic, environmental, and social performance of the solar-driven CHP system through an information entropy approach to obtain a composite sustainability index. The results indicate that the solar-driven CHP system scenario with a heat distribution ratio of 75% has a higher composite sustainability index (0.768). A sensitivity analysis of the sustainability performance of the solar-driven CHP system under the optimal scenario shows that the emissions reduction ratio of SO2, CO2, NOx, and PM2.5 are positively correlated with solar irradiation, and the annual cost-saving ratio is more influenced by electricity prices, the job opportunity is more sensitive to job factors of the concentrated solar power. The above results indicate that the quantitative sustainability assessment method is helpful for the selection of CHP systems.

Sustainability implications of using precast concrete in construction: An in-depth project-level analysis spanning two decades

Conventional cast in-situ, precast and prefabricated construction are construction methodologies with increasing construction modularity. Construction methodologies and modularity, in turn, are determinants of sustainability onsite. This paper analyses 38 construction projects in Hong Kong, spanning a substantial period of twenty years for a systematic comparison on their construction methodology and sustainability performance. Specific indicators are developed to evaluate projects’ sustainability performance with various levels of prefabrication. Environmental sustainability indices capture the carbon emissions and waste generation of projects. Social sustainability indices represent the human resource usage and overall accident rate of projects. Economic sustainability indices denote the project cost and time used for completion. Finally, a composite sustainability index is compiled. The study finds significant positive correlations between the percentage of prefabrication applied onsite and the sustainability attributes. Detailed project analysis further suggests that the highest sustainability performance was found in projects that adopted modular integrated construction methodology (MiC) as the primary construction methodology.

A macro-scale sustainability assessment of micro-scale traffic smoothing projects in highways

ABSTRACT Generally, urban traffic management evaluates micro-scale projects based on traffic indices, such as travel time, that ignore the sustainability criteria and impacts of changes on adjacent areas. Therefore, the aim is to assess the sustainability of micro-scale traffic congestion removal projects on highways with a wider vision. Five proposed scenarios were evaluated using ten sustainable transportation indicators (STIs) that represent various aspects of sustainability. Scenarios were simulated in Aimsun, and STIs were derived directly and indirectly from the outputs. The results showed that even small changes could improve the operation of the network. Finally, a decision-making method was implemented to prioritize the scenarios. The combination of STIs based on the criteria for the Tehran 2025 horizon as a composite sustainability index (CSI) helped to determine impacts of each scenario. Although all scenarios improved traffic indices of the network, some failed sustainability criteria.