Sustainable Development Goals Framework Research Articles

Glocalizing sustainability: how accounting begins for sustainable development goals in city administration

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the adoption of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the new performance perspective in cities. It also aims to understand how accounting for SDGs begins in city administrations by following Power’s (2015) fourfold development schema composed of policy object formation, object elaboration, activity orchestration and practice stabilization.Design/methodology/approachFocusing on a network of cities coordinated by the Finnish local government association, we analyzed the six largest cities in Finland employing a holistic multiple case study strategy. Our data consisted of Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs), city strategies, budget plans, financial statements, as well as results of participant observations and semi-structured interviews with key individuals involved in accounting for SDGs.FindingsWe unveiled the SDG framework as an interpretive scheme through which cities glocalized sustainable development as a novel, simultaneously global and local, performance object. Integration of the new accounts in city management is necessary for these accounts to take life in steering the actions. By creating meaningful alignment and the ability to impact managerial practices, SDGs and VLRs have the potential to influence local actions. Our results indicate further institutionalization progress of sustainability as a performance object through SDG-focused work.Originality/valueWhile prior research has focused mainly on general factors influencing the integration of the sustainability agenda, this study provides a novel perspective by capturing the process and demonstrating empirically how new accounts on SDGs are introduced and deployed in the strategic planning and management of local governments.

Russian University Students’ Volunteering within the Framework of Sustainable Development Goals and Values

The article deals with the issue of university students’ volunteering aimed at pursuing the sustainable development goals under conditions of global crisis and transformation of Russian educational policy in terms of renewal of the higher education upbringing function on the basis of traditional values of the Russian civilization. Russia’s activities on achieving sustainable development goals address carrying out infrastructure projects and Green Agenda. Although large-scale state program of volunteering support and development is being executed, volunteering for sustainable development is not given close attention. Ecological and social volunteering prioritized by governmental regulatory documents is not consistent with implementing sustainable development goals. The need to facilitate volunteering development in universities accomplishing the mission of social and economic development of society in partnership with businesses and civil society institutions is underestimated both in research and in practice. Using system and activity approaches, the authors set the goal to describe the present state of students’ ecological and social volunteering as an efficient platform for attaining sustainable development goals and necessitate its further systemic support. It is shown that the concept of sustainable development is not being an ideological orientation of volunteering practices, although students’ competences aimed at promoting common welfare could be more efficiently developed not only at theoretical level but through real volunteering for the good of future generations. In cross-sectoral partnership of universities, businesses and state, ecological and social goals are achieved by means of volunteering under the supervision of the state while Russian businesses, applying the ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) principles, do not spare their efforts on collaborative development. As for the subjective factor impeding the development of university students’ volunteering the lack of ideological orientation towards sustainable development, which could be based on universal values specified by Russian culture codes

Analyzing the relationship between consumers’ and entrepreneurs’ food waste and sustainable development using a bibliometric approach

The present study investigates the relationship between food waste and sustainable development, aiming to reveal contextual insights and present novel findings regarding the pivotal importance of waste and environmental strategies toward a circular economy. This research represents an effort to delineate methodological and thematic contributions, thoroughly analyze key themes, examine co-citation patterns, assess collaboration among countries, and identify current knowledge gaps in the literature. As waste management takes precedence within the framework of sustainable development goals, policymakers, and academia will better understand how effective food waste management can contribute to environmental sustainability. Methodologically, we employ systematic review, employing the PRISMA approach, analyzing 761 final papers, and investigating the relationship between food waste and sustainable development. We delve deeper to reveal contextual insights and present empirical findings that underscore the critical role of food waste in the economy and environment. Furthermore, guided by the identified knowledge gaps, we illuminate potential future research avenues that hold immense promise for advancing our understanding of food waste and its impact on sustainable development.

Exploring the asymmetric effect of fiscal policy instruments in encountering environmental degradation: proposing an SDG framework for India.

Asian countries are facing difficulties in attaining sustainable development goals (SDGs), and India is not an exception to it, with environmental degradation being one of the primary issues. Therefore, a policy-level reorientation may be required to address it. From this standpoint, fiscal policy instruments may come in handy towards fully integrating the SDGs into its agenda. The present investigation designs an SDG framework for India that could serve as an example for other Asian nations. This study introduces a new investigation exploring the relationship between fiscal policy instruments and environmental quality in India by examining the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis from 1990 to 2021. A nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model is applied for empirical examination. The findings indicate that positive and negative shocks in fiscal policy instruments have significant impact on carbon emissions in both the long and short run. The study has also found evidence of an "inverted U-shape" EKC for India. These results are valuable from a policy perspective for India and other Asian countries to address environmental issues. The study has also outlined potential outcomes that may benefit India's fiscal policy in resolving environmental issues and attaining better economic growth. In the end, the study proposes a policy framework that supports SDG 7, SDG 8, SDG 12, SDG 13, and SDG 17 objectives.

Localizing human rights through the Sustainable Development Goals: The case of Los Angeles

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have achieved widespread influence among various state and nonstate actors globally. Although the UN General Assembly intended the SDGs for national governments, local-level actors have emerged as key stakeholders in defining and implementing the goals. Human rights movements have long advocated for the inclusion of local voices in international law. I bridge these discourses to investigate how the SDGs framework can socialize government actors to incorporate human rights principles in local governance. Specifically, I explore how local-level actors have advanced human rights through the localization—local adoption and adaptation—of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the case of Los Angeles. The iterative process of localization in Los Angeles illustrates the dialectical process of human rights globalization and emerging institutions that can enable rights realization locally. The case highlights the (1) global and local factors that shape localization, (2) how partnerships lead to more explicit attention to human rights over time, and (3) the ways in which Los Angeles is now shaping localization transnationally. I discuss the critical role of local government actors as agents of norm diffusion, and the need to expand community engagement mechanisms in pursuit of SDG localization and human rights globalization.

A material world: how can materiality assessments be used to define organizational sustainability priorities, while taking into account the United Nations’ SDGs?

Purpose This paper aims to contribute to existing academic work and business practice by presenting original empirical findings and by providing insights into priority setting on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in organizations. From an academic viewpoint, it not only adds to previous work on the topic of SDG materiality (e.g. Van Tulder and Lucht, 2019) but also aims to contribute new insights into the steps that are crucial and influence the adoption of the SDGs in materiality assessments. It may also add to the literature by providing new knowledge on the strategic considerations that organizations may make and institutional dynamics that encourage organizations to implement the SDG materiality method. Design/methodology/approach By executing a national survey research in Belgium through a collaboration between academics of Antwerp Management School, Louvain School of Management (UCLouvain) and the University of Antwerp, and supported by Belgium’s Federal Institute of Sustainable Development, the authors have obtained several insights into the SDG landscape in Belgium for various types of organizations, including companies, governmental and nongovernmental organizations and educational institutions. This research builds further on a first national survey (SDG Barometer Belgium, 2018) on the adoption and implementation of the SDGs. However, an important aim of this research is to shift the emphasis to more prominent new elements, such as whether or not organizations use the SDGs in materiality assessments. While the main part of the data for this research were collected through an online questionnaire, document analyses were conducted based on the sustainability reports of BEL 20 companies, the benchmark stock market index of Euronext Brussels consisting of 20 companies traded at the Brussels Stock Exchange, and seven interviews were held to obtain additional insights. Findings A total of 386 organizations across sectors responded to the question “Does your organization perform a materiality analysis”, of which 210 organizations completed the question “Does your organization align the materiality analysis with the SDGs,”after an “exit route” based on a positive answer to the first question. When diving into the survey results, the authors see that no more than 12% of the 210 organizations performing a materiality analysis align their materiality analysis with the SDGs, while 14% indicate that they do not account for the SDGs at all in their materiality analyses. The results show that 41% of the organizations take into account the SDGs to a certain degree when performing their materiality analysis. Speculating on an explanation for these results, it may be the case that organizations do not yet think about coupling the SDGs to their materiality assessment, experience difficulties in practice or generally lack the knowledge for relating the SDGs to the sustainability topics that are relevant to them. This seems in line with other research (e.g. Van Tulder and Lucht, 2019), as the results of this study indicate that it seems to be difficult for organizations to relate the SDGs to the existing sustainability priorities or materiality analyses of companies. Originality/value The real contribution of this paper essentially lies in the description of the Janssen Pharmaceuticals case. The company recognized that today’s internally focused approach to goal setting is not enough to address global challenges. Hence, looking at what is needed externally from a global perspective, taking into account sustainability thresholds and setting ambitions accordingly, is needed to bridge the gap between current performance and required performance. From the Janssen Pharmaceuticals case, the authors learned that external stakeholders are an extremely useful source of information to address the required performance by using the SDG framework. For sure, SDG materiality analyses are still in an early phase of development and knowledge on how to conduct such an analysis may be lacking. Future efforts – or the lack thereof – may indicate whether or not companies consider such analyses as sufficiently relevant. Although the uptake of the SDGs is in progress, it remains to be seen which, if any, materiality method will eventually turn out as a new dominant way of defining material issues. The findings presented in this study hopefully serve as a basis for further investigation of the topic.

Impact of sustainable development goal orientation on supply chain collaboration and sustained competitive advantage: Evidence from the tea and coffee industry

According the Resource Based View (RBV) theory and the sustainable development goals (SDG) framework, this study investigates the structural relationships between sustainable development goals, supply chain collaboration, and sustained competitive advantage. Data were collected from a survey of 359 firms in Thailand's coffee and tea supply chains and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings show that partnership is the most influential aspect of the SDG, whereas resource sharing is the most influential aspect of supply chain collaboration. Findings also show that supply chain collaboration has more influence than capability to enhance sustained competitive advantage. This research sheds light on the linkage between sustainable development goals and supply chain collaboration and capability, which affects the firm's sustained competitive advantage.

Articulating Organic Agriculture and Sustainable Development Goals: Serbia Case Study

With the greening of agriculture, there is a need to better link the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and organic agriculture in developing countries. However, in Serbia, there is a huge gap between the potential of their implementation and the actual situation. This paper assessed the strengths and weaknesses of SDGs and organic agriculture in Serbia and how their relationship can contribute in the development of sustainable agriculture. Key data and indicators of the economic, agricultural and social development of Serbia from international and national databases, as well as recent publications related to the selected topic, were assesed. The results showed that the restricted development of organic agriculture in Serbia stems from the undeveloped awareness of consumers, slower acceptance of alternative agricultural systems and the volatility of mainstream conventional agricultural production. The integration of organic agriculture into the largest conceptual and strategic frameworks, such as the SDGs, can offer a true transformation of local food systems and could result in positive feedback to the environment and society. In the long term, the SDGs framework can help connect various dimensions of sustainable agriculture, stakeholders and policymakers. The future focus should be on how to create entry points for agricultural transformation based on certified organic methodologies and how to integrate agricultural heritage into the realisation of SDGs.

COMPETENȚELE LEGALE ŞI IMPLEMENTAREA AGENDEI 2030 DE CĂTRE UNIUNEA EUROPEANĂ

Legal competences and implementation of the 2030 Agenda by the European Union Abstract: With the adoption on September 25, 2015 of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development of the UN, a general framework of Sustainable Development Goals and related goals was established, which the European Union, through its member states, undertook to implement. The 17 objectives, included in the mentioned document, are not “legally binding”, and their implementation is affected by the legal powers assigned to the coordination of the EU and the member states. The provisions of the treaties, as well as the jurisprudence of the EU Court of Justice, theoretically allow the European Commission to assume a greater role in both the internal and external dimensions of its sustainable development policies. However, legal coordination powers are not specifically invoked in the European Commission’s implementation strategy. 

Investigating Environmentally Responsible and Sustainable Development of Pre-service Teachers

This study aims to investigate environmentally responsible and sustainable development of 56 pre-service teachers which relevant to framework of sustainable development goals. The qualitative data were collected and analyzed by summarizing general perspectives. The 9 concepts were found and reported. The ways to sustain environments and education students to reach sustainable development can be done by Reduce, reuse, recycle; Conserve water; Save energy; Sustainable transportation; Grow trees and keep open areas green; Waste management; Support eco-friendly products; Reduce carbon footprint; and Conserve biodiversity. These frameworks and perspectives should be incorporated in education and classroom in action.

Fixability–Flexibility Relations in Sustainable Territorial Spatial Planning in China: A Review from the Food–Energy–Water Nexus Perspective

Territorial spatial planning involves fixability and flexibility in different driving factors related to control and development orientation, and they play an important role in regional sustainable development, especially in developing countries such as China. With rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, China has been impacted by conflicts between development and protection in territorial space. To integrate the contradictions among different territorial spatial planning measures, planners and scholars have started to focus on studies regarding fixability–flexibility relationships and integration. However, the relationship between and integration of fixability and flexibility in territorial spatial planning have yet to be clearly summarised. This paper explores an innovative research direction for the fixability–flexibility relations in territorial spatial planning from a new perspective, the Food–Energy–Water Nexus, which is a dynamic and comprehensive framework for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) studies. This paper covers the existing research on fixability and flexibility in territorial spatial planning. Moreover, after summarising the conflicts of fixability and flexibility, the dialectical relationship between and the integration of fixability and flexibility are researched.

Empowering local communities engagement: Rural tourism and business innovation for SDGs desa

Purpose: This study investigates the role of social entrepreneurship and business innovation in empowering local communities for rural tourism development within the framework of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Research methodology: A comprehensive review of the existing literature on social entrepreneurship, business innovation, and rural tourism development is conducted. The study also involved qualitative interviews with key stakeholders and community members in the selected villages, followed by thematic analysis of the data. Results: The findings reveal that Social entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in fostering community engagement, promoting social inclusivity, and creating sustainable tourism initiatives. On the other hand, business innovation enables local communities to differentiate themselves, enhance visitor experiences, and improve the overall competitiveness of rural tourism destinations. Limitations: This study acknowledges certain limitations, including the selection of a limited number of case study villages and potential bias in qualitative interviews. Further research is needed to explore the generalizability of the findings across different contexts. Contribution: This study contributes to the understanding of the synergistic relationship among social entrepreneurship, business innovation, and rural tourism development. These findings provide insights for policymakers, community leaders, and practitioners in designing effective strategies to empower local communities and promote sustainable tourism within the SDGs Desa framework. Novelty: The novelty of this study lies in its comprehensive examination of the combined influence of social entrepreneurship and business innovation on rural tourism development in the context of sustainable development goals (SDGs Desa). This highlights the potential of these concepts to drive positive change and create inclusive and resilient rural tourism destinations.

Traditional Atlantic Diet and Its Effect on Health and the Environment

The universal call to action for healthier and more sustainable dietary choices is the framework of the United Nations's Sustainable Development Goals. The Atlantic diet, originating from the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, represents an example of a traditional diet that aligns with these principles. To explore a 6-month intervention based on the Atlantic diet's effects on metabolic and environmental health, assessing metabolic syndrome (MetS) incidence and the carbon footprint. The Galician Atlantic Diet study was a 6-month randomized clinical trial designed to assess the effects of this regional traditional diet on families' eating habits. The study was conducted from March 3, 2014, to May 29, 2015, at a local primary health care center in the rural town of A Estrada in northwestern Spain and involved a multisectoral collaboration. Families were randomly selected from National Health System records and randomized 1:1 to an intervention or control group. This secondary analysis of the trial findings was performed between March 24, 2021, and November 7, 2023. Over 6 months, families in the intervention group received educational sessions, cooking classes, written supporting material, and foods characteristic of the Atlantic diet, whereas those randomized to the control group continued with their habitual lifestyle. The main outcomes were MetS incidence, defined per National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines, and carbon footprint emissions as an environmental metric using life cycle assessment with daily dietary intake as the functional unit. Initially, 250 families were randomized (574 participants; mean [SD] age, 46.8 [15.7] years; 231 males [40.2%] and 343 females [59.8%]). The intervention group included 126 families (287 participants) and the control group, 124 families (287 participants). Ultimately, 231 families completed the trial. The intervention significantly reduced the risk of incident cases of MetS (rate ratio, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.13-0.79) and had fewer MetS components (proportional odds ratio, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.42-0.82) compared with the control condition. The intervention group did not have a significantly reduced environmental impact in terms of carbon footprint emissions compared with the control group (-0.17 [95% CI, -0.46 to 0.12] kg CO2 equivalents/person/d). These findings provide important evidence that a family-focused dietary intervention based on a traditional diet can reduce the risk of incident MetS. Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms and determine the generalizability to other populations, taking into account regional cultural and dietary variations. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02391701.

SDG dilemma in local policymaking in Ghana: when ambition and reality collide

ABSTRACT How to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a dilemma for policymakers. While the broad SDG framework provides a comprehensive blueprint for development, implementing the integrated SDGs remains a challenge in many contexts, especially where resources are limited. Moreover, employing selectivity and prioritization in implementation presents the risk of overlooking the most transformative goals. This paper examines whether local practitioners in Ghana employ grafting and pruning techniques in SDG implementation and how this selectivity and prioritization impacts SDG outcomes. We adopt a qualitative approach to analyse SDG prioritization decisions at the local government level, where essential services necessary to meet SDG targets are delivered. Local practitioners indicate that while they aspire to implement an integrated SDG framework, their implementation reality, including inadequate resources and political pressure, compels them to prioritize. Thus, practitioners prioritize basic social and economic needs and capitalize on the linkages between the SDGs to achieve multiple objectives.

Using Sustainable Development Goal Indicator 14.7.1 to Measure Sustainable Fishery: The Statistical Limitations

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 14.7.1 is the only statistical indicator under the SDG framework which measures the progress to achieve sustainable fisheries. However, despite its advantages, it suffers from substantial limitations. One main problem is that it is ambiguous what this indicator really measures and what the definition of sustainable fisheries is, which is the core concept of SDG Indicator 14.7.1. In particular, this indicator has both an environmental dimension and an economic dimension, but it is unclear how one indicator can exactly reflect these two dimensions at the same time. In addition, while SDG Indicator 14.7.1 emphasizes inclusiveness in name, its definition, methodology, and practical application reveal the exclusion of a substantial number of countries from this indicator. These limitations not only diminish the anticipated functionality of SDG Indicator 14.7.1 but also contradict the objective of inclusivity. Such shortcomings of SDG Indicator 14.7.1 are possibly a result of the non-statistical considerations during the development of this indicator, including possible political influence on the statistical scientific process. A number of implications for improving the further development and use of this indicator are provided, such as the provision of more specific data and metadata

Islamic Social Instruments and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Framework

This research will try to measure the priority scale of several Islamic social instruments within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. This is also a form of the contribution of Islam towards the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals, so that it will not only act as a solution in alleviating poverty and income distribution, but also become one of the global instruments collected in the Development Goals Global Sustainability. This research shows that the Sustainable Development Goals criteria that are most relevant to the Islamic philanthropy framework that emerged in order are: 1) Social Development, 2) Economic Development, 3) Inclusive Development, and 4) Environment Development. Meanwhile, in the context of alternative Islamic social instruments, the research highlights that the most relevant to the 17 points of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include: 1) Waqf, 2) Islamic Micro Financing, 3) Zakah, and 4) Islamic Micro Insurance.

The interconnectedness of European Banking and Shadow Banking for sustainable development goals: Insights from a network GVAR model

The goal of this study is to examine the interdependencies between the banking sector and shadow banking sector in selected European economies through the lens of sustainable development. Using a node-theoretic structure and a network GVAR model, we investigate the relationship between these sectors in a Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework. With this in mind, we examine the interlinkages between the various economies, using a network GVAR model so as to examine the potential dominance of some entities in the system. We conclude that in Europe there are two important financial systems operating simultaneously: one is the European system, where Germany plays a leading role, and the other is the United Kingdom. Analytically, a shock to the banking sector of the European economies will have an impact on the shadow banking sector of the other European economies, whereas shocks to the shadow banking assets of the individual European economies will not have a statistically significant impact on the banking assets of the other European countries. Moreover, shocks in the British banking system significantly impact the European shadow banking assets, while shocks in the shadow banking assets of European member states do not significantly affect the British GDP, suggesting the importance of cross-border collaborations in SDG efforts. By exploring the interdependencies between European banking and shadow banking sectors, this study contributes to the understanding of how financial systems can influence sustainable development. The findings emphasize the significance of fostering innovation across borders and leveraging international interactions to achieve the SDGs.

Are the UN Sustainable Development Goals a Valuable Platform for Advancing a Basic Income? A Critical Historical Studies Account

Abstract United Nations (UN) leaders suggest that the world is not on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The purpose of this paper is to explore whether the SDGs provide a valuable platform to call for a basic income (BI) globally. Adopting a critical historical studies approach, the article traces the evolution of ‘development’, including the UN decades of development, the Millennium Development Goals, and the SDGs. It subsequently describes the structural adjustment and poverty reduction efforts by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and then outlines why the SDG framework may be helpful in advancing a BI. We argue that as climate-related disasters increase, a BI will be vital in providing a modicum of security in an increasingly unstable world. Calls for BI must be anchored to a broader change agenda that recognizes the causes of poverty and income inequality, and seeks their dismantling and redress.

Perceiving progress and imbalance of environmental SDG indicators in China using big data

ABSTRACT In the past decades, the environment has changed drastically in China with rapid economic development. Lack of data, especially data with spatiotemporal information, has however hindered evaluating progress of environmental indicators in the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) framework. Here, we evaluate and explore geospatial information of 20 environmental SDG indicators from six SDGs in China from 2010 to 2020 using big data. We show China has improved rapidly in most of the 20 indicators, except for indicator 13.2.2 (CO2 emission). 63.5% of China’s land mass showed improved states for the SDG indicators. By 2020, four of the indicators were found to have achieved their 2030 targets. It is predicted from the existing data that 10 of the 20 indicators can achieve their targets smoothly by 2030, but two indicators will lag behind. We quantitatively show China’s progress towards the environmental SDG indicators, and put forward timelines and suggestions for policy makers.

Environmental monitoring in European regions using the sustainable development goals (SDG) framework

The paper focuses on environmental monitoring in European regions using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) framework. Adopted in 2015, the United Nations SDG are a set of global goals developed to guide countries towards sustainable development. Although designed for the national level, it is growingly argued that achieving the SDG requires action at the sub-national, local level. With this in mind, in this paper, we use indicators co-designed by researchers and SDG practitioners from European regional administrations to monitor the environmental status of selected European regions over a period of time. We consider environmental monitoring a domain that encompasses activities beyond the monitoring and reducing CO2 emissions alone and widely regards biodiversity and conservation, ecosystems, climate change, environmental pollution and human ecology. By default, this touches upon different sectors of society (from energy to mobility, and production to consumption), and the latter is also reflected in the SDG and their targets. To this end, we isolate indicators that directly and indirectly address the environment as a domain to highlight areas where there is a need for improvement. Finally, the paper provides insights into how the SDG framework can be used to monitor environmental progress at the regional level in Europe and how the current policy framework might also contribute to this progress.