Social Sustainability Assessment Research Articles

Effective hydropower renewable energy source selection using fuzzy neutrosophic boundary approximate area

Small hydropower plants in rural areas are contributing to marginal economic growth and social progress, but their social sustainability assessment is under-studied. Previous studies have shown that no single renewable energy source (RES) can fully meet all sustainability criteria, despite their focus on single-user systems. Scaled renewable energy systems have varying impacts across different systems, involving technical, environmental, social, and economic aspects. This paper proposes a Triangular Fuzzy Neutrosophic Numbers (TFNNs) as an extension of the multi-attributive border approximation area comparison (MABAC) method for hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM). The proposed method is utilized to assess the selection of hydropower as the most efficient and sustainable renewable energy source for society. Pairwise comparison matrices were used to determine priority vectors and weighted averages of indicators for seven criteria. The evaluation framework analyzed five key dimensions of hydropower plants. The most stable renewable energy source, pumped storage hydropower (60.78%), was found to be followed by run-of-river hydropower (56.39%), impoundment hydropower (50.03%), storage hydropower (39.78%), and offshore hydropower (07.95%). The study offers valuable insights for policymakers and implementer on sustainable electricity solutions for hydropower. Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) improves facility efficiency by ensuring optimal operation of coal and nuclear generators without energy loss. The system can provide a stable and reliable power storage solution for renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

A copula-based exponential probabilistic model for factor-dependence social sustainability assessment

A copula-based exponential probabilistic model for factor-dependence social sustainability assessment

Multiple-Criteria Methods for Assessing Social Sustainability in the Built Environment: A Systematic Review

Studies related to social sustainability assessment have presented a variety of methods and criteria, but there is a need to better understand how these studies incorporate multiple criteria along with the issues addressed, the decision-makers, and the overall process followed to promote more socially sustainable outcomes. A systematic literature review methodology is conducted to identify, analyze, and synthesize scholarly articles that use multiple criteria to assess the built environment’s social sustainability. This study explores types of problems, decision-makers, criteria, and methods adopted by researchers. The analysis involved 42 studies identified in the Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases. The results revealed a diverse range of studies, covering various issues, project types, and methodologies, highlighting the multifaceted nature of social sustainability evaluation in the context of the built environment. The most considered social sustainability issues in the studies were ‘Impacts in Community’ and ‘Employment’. While most of the selected papers used multi-criteria decision-making/aiding (MCDM/A), not all engaged in these methods for decision-making purposes. Moreover, despite the prevalence of studies involving multiple decision-makers, issues related to group decision-making were often insufficiently addressed. The types of problems that the methods are used for are discussed, as well as the decision context and the process for selecting methods, thereby highlighting future research opportunities. Future studies should ensure that the criteria used are manageable but encompass all facets of social sustainability in the built environment, prioritizing methodological rigor when selecting MCDM/A methods and focusing on the nuances of preference aggregation in group decision-making scenarios.

Comparing social sustainability assessment indicators and tools for bio-districts: building an analytical framework

Bio-districts are a practical example of a sustainable food system, which uses agroecological principles as tools for rural development. This research aims to understand the role of bio-districts in sustainable development, particularly in relation to social impacts. It does so by developing a framework for assessing social impacts in the context of alternative food systems. To this end, a two-step methodology is adopted. In the first part, a systematic literature review is carried out according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol. It presents the state of the art in social impact assessment of bio-districts, identifying the approaches and indicators used to assess social standards, codes of good practice and, more generally, the factors influencing social sustainability in rural areas. In addition, a set of social themes is developed and validated through a content analysis to uncover the trends in the debate on social sustainability in bio-districts. In the second part, promising analytical frameworks and tools from the literature are compared on the basis of how deeply they assess social issues related to bio-districts. Finally, a description of the main steps that should be taken to adapt existing tools and frameworks to the local context is presented. A detailed framework specifically addressing the social impacts of bio-districts was not found in the literature. IDEA, MOTIFS, PG tools, RISE, SAFA guidelines, SOAAN guidelines and S-LCA are considered a suitable starting point for the bio-districts’ analysis, although tailored adjustments are required.

Toward a Methodology for Social Sustainability Assessment: a Review of Existing Frameworks and a Proposal for a Catalog of Criteria

Social sustainability and, in particular, its measurement and reporting are gaining importance in society, politics and business but are facing major challenges. This is because there are no standardized and uniform approaches or frameworks. The existing approaches cover social issues, but no systematic presentation has been proposed. Moreover, there is no approach that can be applied in both management accounting and financial reporting. The aim of this paper is to present a catalog of criteria for addressing this issue and thus to close the research gap. For this purpose, frameworks utilizing catalogs of criteria for social sustainability assessment and reporting are analyzed and critically reviewed. One major weakness found is that all frameworks are oriented around only socially protected values in their catalogs. As social sustainability is focused on the impact on stakeholders, these are frequently missed. One solution to this problem is to adopt a 1:1 ratio of socially protected values to stakeholders, which is developed and described in this paper via a catalog of criteria. Furthermore, a systematic presentation of social issues using a four-level structure is proposed. Social indicators are, in turn, assigned to subcategories, to supercategories, and finally to stakeholders. This not only improves transparency and comprehensibility but also simplifies decision-making. A procedure model for the application of the catalog is also suggested. Such a catalog has not been described in previous research.

Multi-criteria social sustainability assessment of highland maize monoculture in Northern Thailand using the SAFA tool

Multi-criteria social sustainability assessment of highland maize monoculture in Northern Thailand using the SAFA tool

Assessment of Safety Levels in the Agricultural Sector for Supporting Social Sustainability: A Quantitative Analysis from a National Point of View

The scientific debate about sustainability in the agricultural sector is growing worldwide, especially thanks to the increasing awareness of customers towards the impact of their consumption behaviors. While a great deal of attention is given to the economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability, social sustainability assessment often focuses on the quality of life of farmers and the local community; the dimension regarding occupational health and safety (OHS) is not so analyzed even if the agricultural sector could be evaluated as one of the most hazardous ones all over the world. From this point of view, workers are considered high-risk groups mainly due to the presence of hazardous equipment and chemicals. The aim of this work is to propose a cross-analysis developed on public databases reporting data about injuries in the Italian agricultural sector—provided by the Italian National Institute for the Insurance of Work-Related Injuries (INAIL)—in order to point out the main sources and causes that led to these injuries. The injury analysis will allow companies as well as institutions to define more effective prevention strategies to increase the social sustainability levels of this sector. Even if results are limited to the Italian sector, they could outline some directions for improving social sustainability levels as well as research gaps and possible future research directions in order to prevent injuries in the agricultural sector.

Implementing the Integrated Social Sustainability Assessment to Norway: A Citizen-Centric and Expert-Weighted Approach

To achieve sustainability, more economic and environmental initiatives, projects, and policies must have a positive impact on society, advance social justice, and enhance the general well-being of people and communities. This study proposes a quantitative and qualitative framework to assess social sustainability in different urban regions. A multi-category approach is used to determine what categories and indicators of social sustainability city governments and academia should consider to ensure that their policies and projects align with community values. The next step involves assessing residents’ satisfaction through citizen participation. This framework, entitled the “Integrated Social Sustainability Assessment (ISSA)”, was applied in three zones of the Furuset area in Oslo. The results of the three diagrams show how community strengths and weaknesses can be identified, allowing projects to be prioritized in a way that benefits citizens in the long term and provides a comparative score. This framework provides policymakers with useful tools and guidelines for creating policies and projects that are sustainable, equitable, and capable of meeting the needs of their communities in a measurable manner.

Critical indicators for assessing the life cycle social footprint of Australian freeways

Purpose Freeways in Australia play a significant role in connecting distant communities, shifting freight and strengthening the country’s economy. To meet the growing needs of present and future generations, delivering a socially sustainable road infrastructure that creates generational benefits is essential. However, the existing literature reveals the lack of comprehensive indicators to assess the social sustainability performance of freeway projects. Therefore, this paper aims to identify a critical set of system-specific indicators to evaluate the life cycle social footprint of Australian freeways. Design/methodology/approach This study conducted 31 interview questionnaire surveys with actively engaged stakeholders involved in various freeway projects around Australia. The data collected was analysed using fuzzy set theory and other statistical approaches. Findings The study identified 42 critical indicators for assessing the social sustainability performance throughout the life cycle of freeways in the Australian context. For example, stakeholder involvement, reduction of casualty rate due to road accidents, fair remuneration to project workforce and improved accessibility to required services. Practical implications The context-specific opinions extracted from the industry experts and the comprehensive set of critical indicators identified would ensure that all the vital aspects of social sustainability are considered throughout the life cycle of Australian freeways in the future, assisting the decision-makers in enhancing the project’s social sustainability performance. Originality/value The linguistic explanations associated with the ratings given by the industry experts provide greater insight into the context of the life cycle social sustainability assessment of Australian freeways exclusively.

Serviceability parameters and social sustainability assessment of flax fabric reinforced lime-based drywall interior panels

In the search of more environmentally-friendly construction materials, the use of natural-based fibers has gained much attention as reinforcement in the inorganic-based matrix. In this paper, the nonwoven flax fabric reinforced lime composites are created using a dewatering technique, and the serviceability parameters –thermal conductivity, sound absorption coefficient, and residual flexural resistance after exposure to elevated temperature– are determined experimentally. The tests are carried out on two different lime composites prepared under two distinct curing regimens, i.e., accelerated carbonation in a CO2 chamber and natural carbonation in laboratory conditions, to evaluate the effect of forced carbonation. In addition, the experimental results of the serviceability parameters are included in the MIVES model (Integrated Value Model for Sustainability Assessment) to evaluate the social sustainability of the developed material as an interior drywall panel. MIVES, a type of multi-criteria decision-making method, is based on the value function concept and seminars with experts. According to the results of experimental tests, the accelerated cured sample has higher thermal conductivity (∼4 times) and lower sound absorption coefficients (∼20%) than the naturally cured one. Nonetheless, the flexural performance of the former is 50% (at room temperature) and 100% (at elevated temperature) better. As for the social sustainability index assessed by the MIVES-based multi-objective approach, it ranges between 0.65 and 0.75 (out of 1.0) for both lime composite panels, at least 20% higher than the control lime panel with no reinforcement. The sustainability model designed for this research can be used for assessing the social sustainability performance of other materials although the weights assigned by the experts could be adapted to reflect the perceptions and local preferences.

Developing Social Sustainability Criteria and Indicators in Urban Planning: A Holistic and Integrated Perspective

One of the main reasons for today’s urban problems is the disregarding of social sustainability in urban interventions and the lack of an approach that evaluates social sustainability with all its issues as a universal and holistic one. In this context, the aim of this study is to determine and categorize social sustainability criteria, objectives, and indicators to measure and to assess social sustainability for ensuring the sustainability of cities that could be used in all urban areas and applied in urban planning. Within this scope, social sustainability criteria, objectives, and indicators identified by international organizations and academic/scientific studies on different scales and in urban areas were evaluated systematically and analytically. A matrix has been generated according to the frequency of occurrence of social sustainability criteria and indicators. Although research studies focus on criteria and indicators according to scale, subject, and specified matters. It is a necessity to identify social sustainability criteria and indicators that can be used on every scale and in every urban area. Accordingly, ten criteria have been determined: population, accessibility, education and skills, health, housing, security, belonging, participation, social capital and social cohesion, urban life quality, satisfaction, and adequacy of services. Based on the criteria, targets, sub-targets, indicators, and indicator definitions for each criterion have been identified. However, the significance of each criterion is addressed, as well as the reasons for their necessity for social sustainability. This study proposes a universal, detailed, and holistic perspective for the measurement and assessment of social sustainability that enables the use of both quantitative and qualitative data together and envisages the use of mixed techniques in obtaining and evaluating data. In addition, criteria and indicator systems will be able to guide practitioners and policymakers to make decisions related to the social structure before and after the implementation of urban projects.

Supporting policymakers by Integrated Social Sustainability Assessments (ISSA) - case study of Furuset area in Oslo

Aspirations to improve health equity and well-being, as well as the sustainability of the environment, are interconnected. Therefore, it is imperative that the public health system, environmental science, and other sectors work together to achieve these goals. For a city to be sustainable and to take into account the well-being of its citizens, an assessment tool is essential for evaluating and achieving sustainable objectives. One way to measure sustainability and well-being is to assess the performance of social, environmental, and economic principles. The authors proposed and developed a framework titled Integrated Social Sustainability Assessment (ISSA). The paper presents one of the results of an application of this tool in one of the Oslo neighbourhoods. This study describes how this result can support policymakers and urban authorities about pressing problems of each area/neighbourhood through the lens of citizens and allow them to make necessary environmental changes in order to improve citizens’ health and well-being. By achieving the outcomes, we will be able to develop sustainable strategies toward sustainable transformation at the neighbourhood level.

Framework for selecting and setting boundaries for social sustainability indicators in a life cycle perspective

The historical consumption of natural resources to fulfil the demands of the growing population have resulted in severe environmental degradation. Therefore, understanding the role of fulfilment of human needs and the social aspect of sustainability is crucial in the transition towards more sustainable societies. We present a methodological framework for a social sustainability assessment that includes a full life cycle perspective and is based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The framework comprehends operationalisation of the social aspects of the SDGs and includes means/tools to achieve the environmental targets through a six-step guide. A demonstration of the method’s application is given by applying the six-step framework to a case study: the Danish building sector focusing on SDGs 3 Good health and well-being, 7 Affordable and clean energy, 8 Decent work and economic growth, 9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure, 10 Reduced inequalities and 11 Sustainable cities and communities, 12 Responsible consumption and production, 13 Climate action and 15 Life on land. The final social indicators and the associated targets indicate in which areas a building is absolute social sustainable and in which areas the social performance falls short. The developed framework supports an informed and transparent selection of relevant social indicators across the life cycle while setting objective absolute targets.

Social sustainability assessment of road infrastructure: a systematic literature review

Social sustainability assessment of road infrastructure: a systematic literature review

Environmental, economic, and social sustainability assessment: A case of using contaminated tailings stabilized by waste-based geopolymer as road base

Contaminated tailings, e.g., iron tailings, could be stabilized by low-carbon geopolymers for recycling as road base, but the sustainability has yet to be evaluated comprehensively. This study developed a sustainable framework from the life cycle perspective, consisting of quantitative indicators in environment, society, and economy, to assess five stabilization cases (i.e., M1, M2, C1, C2, and cement). Moreover, a modified AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process)-CRITIC (CRiteria Importance Through Inter-criteria Correlation)-TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) model was applied to select the most sustainable stabilization method. The sustainability scores of four cases using geopolymers were higher than that of the cement case (0.22), with C2 (0.75), C1 (0.64), M1 (0.56), and M2 (0.54), respectively. Sensitivity analysis confirmed that the assessment results were relatively stable, especially when the subjective weight of the economy was not the highest (the cement counterpart had economic advantages). This study constituted a novel approach to complement the selection of sustainable stabilization cases, bridging the gap of focusing exclusively on green stabilization performance.

Community‐centred approach for assessing social sustainability in mining regions: A case study of Chingola district, Zambia

AbstractSocial sustainability has received the least attention among the three‐pillars of sustainable development in the mining regions of Africa. However, with the rapid population growth globally, social sustainability assessment using clearly defined indicators is becoming essential to ensuring urban sustainability, specifically in mining regions. This study assessed the contribution of the mining industry to the social sustainability of the Chingola district in terms of cumulative impacts and the extent to which CSR initiatives have contributed to a social sustainability profile. Mixed methods including in‐depth key informant interviews guide and observation were used to collect data on social sustainability. The data were collected from 10 out of the 28 wards of Chingola, selected using a systematic random sampling. A total of 500 households of which 49 households (with a sampling unit of 10) and 10 key informants' stakeholders were purposively selected. Aggregation and normalization techniques were used to construct the composite indicators depicting the strength of each indicator. The social sustainability of the Chingola district based on the calculated composite indicators varies from weak‐to‐moderate sustainability. The proposed indicators could serve local government and mining companies, redirect development schemes, re‐strategize the stakeholders' involvement, and support corporate governance.

FLAVIA-LCT - Framework for systematic literature review to analyse vast InformAtion in life cycle thinking studies

With the increasing interest in Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) applications for assessing the sustainability of processes, products and services, up-to-date syntheses and evidence-based critical outcomes analysis are required to guide future studies and policymakers. The systematic literature review is probably the most suitable approach for highlighting evidence of effects, impacts, and methodological choices, mapping the current knowledge and gaps in LCT fields, including methods such as Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Costing, Social Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment. Although several statements and guidelines for health care and ecology disciplines and one checklist for systematic literature review limited to Life Cycle Assessment (STARR-LCA) exist, it is still missing a framework for conducting systematic literature reviews in LCT field. This paper proposes a “Framework for systematic Literature review to Analyse Vast InformAtion in Life Cycle Thinking studies” (FLAVIA-LCT) to assist and guide researchers in structuring the processes of gathering, synthesising, and reporting outcomes from search strategy development to critical evaluation, considering the essential information to be included in a review manuscript. This framework can be used by anyone planning a literature review on one or more LCT methods.

Bibliometric analysis of sustainability papers: Evidence from Environment, Development and sustainability.

This study aims to highlight the current trends in the literature on sustainability by applying a bibliometric review of papers on sustainability published in Environment, Development and Sustainability. Bibliometric analysis is a quantitative approach to bibliographic materials that highlights the core theoretical and empirical research on a specific field. In addition, it allows the classification of previous studies. Previous bibliometric reviewers were limited to sustainability papers in specific industries, while this study considers all papers on sustainability to provide further insights on overall sustainability topics. The analysis was based on keyword cartography analysis, bibliometric authors' citation analysis, bibliometric papers' citation analysis, bibliometric references' co-citation analysis, journals' co-citation cartography, and qualitative content analysis. A total of 997 articles on sustainability were reviewed. Bibliometric analysis was performed using VOSviewer and content analysis was performed using WordStat. Six major clusters were identified: environmental sustainability, sustainable development, urban sustainability, ecological footprint, environment, and climate change. In addition, the results reveal that Environment, Development and Sustainability has increasingly experienced important growth in research papers and citations, reflecting its significant contribution to the sustainability research field. In addition, this study presents recommendations for future research opportunities in the field of sustainability. The findings of this study have implications for sustainability research, such as the assessment of environmental and social sustainability in multinational institutional contexts and across industries as well as the examination of the impact of environmental and social sustainability on different corporate aspects and decisions. This study is the only one to review the key topics on which papers published in Environment, Development and Sustainability are focused and can be largely used for sustainability practices. This study provides an overview of how the literature on sustainability has developed, as well as a summary of the most productive authors, along with countries, organizations, and journal sources. This offers an opportunity for future research to focus on this topic.

Relevance of Environmental Factors in the Steel Life Cycle for a Transition toward Circular Sustainable Production and Consumption Systems: A Joint Bibliometric and Bibliographic Analysis

The design of steel structures has evolved thanks to the increased ability to model the behavior of more complex structures. However, further constraints arise from the need for a transition toward more sustainable production and consumption systems. In particular, the assessment of the economic benefits and efficiency of existing production systems should be integrated with assessment of environmental, economic and social sustainability. In the case of steel, and limited to the environmental dimension, the literature covers various study areas, ranging from the analysis of resource flows to the assessment of steel’s environmental impacts. However, an integrated view of existing peer-reviewed studies is currently missing. The purpose of this work is to overcome this shortcoming with a review that considers and integrates research on the steel life cycle from various perspectives: analysis of material flows; quantification of emissions; environmental monitoring and indicators; and circular economy aspects, including reuse and recycling. This study is based on a deep bibliometric and bibliographical analysis of the above-cited aspects, including the key topics, authors and journals, to single out some potential research directions that have previously been neglected. The results of the analyses indicate that, even though discussed in the literature, the redesign of products is still lacking adequate consideration. The same gap was also evidenced when it came to studies on the management of waste materials and recommissioning. There is also still a lack of knowledge on the possible meaningful indicators of environmental sustainability in the case of steel. Moreover, while digital technologies that enable sustainability are being intensely developed and widely implemented, the design, testing and application of sensors for the environmental monitoring of steel production is under-studied and the interaction of environmental factors with steel structures is poorly addressed. Finally, this work evidenced poor attention with respect to water and soil pollution generated in different phases of the steel life cycle. All these aspects should be considered in future research, which would also have a beneficial effect in the implementation of informed policies for a transition toward a circular and sustainable steel life cycle.

Progress of social assessment in the framework of bioeconomy under a life cycle perspective

The bioeconomy is positioned as a sustainable pathway to address the climate crisis and decrease the consumption of fossil resources. Life cycle methodologies are recognised as useful tools for assessing sustainability issues of production and consumption patterns. Nevertheless, the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) methodology is less explored despite its potential, although it is true that social sustainability assessment in promoting bioeconomy strategies requires more attention. This study describes the state of the art of the S-LCA methodology under the bioeconomy framework, critically analysing the main procedural and practical issues of its implementation, and the eventual specificities, as well as providing some of the challenges for future studies. This review highlights methodological weaknesses that require further research, related to the definition of system boundaries and cut-off criteria, the method of impact assessment, and the selection of societal issues and stakeholders, as well as uncertainty, among others. In addition, particularities of the bioeconomy in the life perspective were noted, such as multifunctionality and allocation issues of bio-based products, as well as the strong interest in biofuel production systems. Therefore, more efforts are desirable to address the diversity of challenges towards the progress of the S-LCA method in line with other life cycle approaches (environmental and economic). However, the updated S-LCA Guidelines represent a useful and valuable starting point on the way towards a comprehensive (i.e., diverse social concerns) and standardised social assessment under a life cycle perspective.