Socio-environmental Practices Research Articles

The impact of customer pressures and government regulations on the implementation of socio-environmental practices in organic certification in the Amazon region

PurposeThis research analyses the impact of customers and government regulations on the implementation of socio-environmental practices in certifying organic agricultural products. It explores the dyad’s relationship between the focal company and its suppliers in the application of socio-environmental practices.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a quantitative methodology through a survey approach, with a sample of 206 agro-extractivists from the acai berry supply chain. The data are evaluated using regression analysis.FindingsThe main results reveal that customer pressure positively influences the implementation of social and environmental practices, but suggest a non-significant relationship between government regulations and the impact on environmental practices implementation. Social and environmental practices are positively related to operational performance. A moderating effect of organic certification is found in the relationship between customer pressure and the application of environmental practices.Originality/valueThe main contributions are exploring the use of socio-environmental practices in an emerging economy and organic certification as a moderating variable, revealing an “institutional void” that may hamper the enforcement of government regulations.

Cooperation and Collective Action as Strategies for The Development of Haitian Agriculture

Objective: The objective of this study was to understand the beliefs of Haitian citizens about collective action and cooperativism to assist in the economic development of Haiti through family farming, using Mancur Olson's Collective Action Theory as an analytical theoretical framework. Theoretical framework: The study is based on the "Collective Action Theory", as developed by economist Mancur Olson in his work "The Logic of Collective Action". The theory proposes a model for the construction of collective actions based on the understanding of group needs and the ability to achieve challenging goals. Method: The study is characterized by a qualitative case study, conducted in the interior of "Cayes Jacmel," Haiti, using intentional sampling for interviews with forty Haitian farmers. Results and conclusion: The study observed that family farming depends on the implementation of new technologies and a credit system to boost agricultural practices. The study concluded that cooperativism and collective action in the Haitian context have the potential to boost the development of family farming and promote economic, political, and social progress. Research implications: The study provides critical insights into Haitians' perceptions of collective action and its role in economic development. It underscores the importance of cooperation, challenges political structures, and highlights the need for international aid aligned with sustainable agriculture. Originality/value: The study's originality lies in its focus on collective action as a driver of economic progress, aligning with the scope of the RGSA. The study's value extends to its potential to shape socio-environmental practices within Haitian society.

Companies’ E-waste Estimation Based on General Equilibrium Theory Context and Random Forest Regression Algorithm in Cameroon: Case Study of SMEs Implementing ISO 14001:2015

Given the challenge of estimating or calculating quantities of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in developing countries, this article focuses on predicting the WEEE generated by Cameroonian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that are engaged in ISO 14001:2015 initiatives and consume electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) to enhance their performance and profitability. The methodology employed an exploratory approach involving the application of general equilibrium theory (GET) to contextualize the study and generate relevant parameters for deploying the random forest regression learning algorithm for predictions. Machine learning was applied to 80% of the samples for training, while simulation was conducted on the remaining 20% of samples based on quantities of EEE utilized over a specific period, utilization rates, repair rates, and average lifespans. The results demonstrate that the model’s predicted values are significantly close to the actual quantities of generated WEEE, and the model’s performance was evaluated using the mean squared error (MSE) and yielding satisfactory results. Based on this model, both companies and stakeholders can set realistic objectives for managing companies’ WEEE, fostering sustainable socio-environmental practices.

The Sustainable Benefits of Construction and the Perception of Cement Workers

Objective: The challenge of this work was to diagnose the sustainable benefits of civil construction and the perception of employees in a cement factory based on a new production methodology.
 
 Method: The study was carried out through quantitative and cross-sectional research, with the application of a questionnaire via Google forms for employees and customers of the factory under study.
 
 Results and conclusions: The sampling plan was 62.79% male, 58.14% married, 28.93% aged between 28 and 32 years old, 32% technical level, 11.63% post graduates and 22% of participants demonstrated understanding about sustainability. 77% of employees are unaware that the industry used a less aggressive production method for the environment, unique in Maranhão. We conclude that the industry under analysis has sought to implement good socio-environmental practices, but to achieve more expressive results, it needs to qualify and involve the entire production and consumption chain of the civil construction market with qualification programs, to guarantee the horizontalization of information with effective socio-environmental actions and thus preserving future generations.
 
 Research implications: The research highlights the perception of workers/collaborators in the cement industry on the consumption and sale of products that minimize the negative effects on the environment.
 
 Value of originality: This is original research that contributes to the understanding of the impact of the cement industry, during the production process, from the extraction of raw material. Since it degrades the environment by contaminating water and soil, it also interferes with human health, in addition to proposing the search to balance the negative socio-environmental impacts through cement production.

Exploring Yoruba Fire Cultures through Proverbs

This article argues that Yoruba proverbs are an essential source of popular wisdom on socio-environmental practices accessible through creative reconstruction and interpretation of their historical contexts. Learning from the everyday knowledge and accumulated wisdom of ordinary people holds significant promise at a time of unprecedented socio-environmental crisis and widespread calls for transformative change across scales. Drawing on the collection of Yoruba proverbs by Oyekan Owomoyela, broader Yoruba oral literature, Yoruba popular culture and a cross-disciplinary selection of academic literature, this article curates and reimagines nine Yoruba proverbs on the theme of fire, using these as an entry point to interrogate aspects of ecology and local understanding and practices of living with fires among the Yoruba people.

Family businesses and sustainable development goals

We analyzed the effect of family businesses participating in the Corporate Sustainability Index on adopting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our sample consisted of 43 Brazilian companies listed in the Corporate Sustainability Index (CSI) that totaled 126 observations from 2019 to 2021. We submitted the data to exploratory factor analysis to estimate the different dimensions of the SDGs (social, economic, and environmental) that, therefore, were analyzed using panel data regression. We found that family-run companies reduce practices linked to the social dimension of the SDGs. However, the fact that the company is family-owned or has family control does not influence practices linked to the SDGs in the social, economic, and environmental dimensions. We found that family-run companies are unrelated to adopting SDG practices in the economic and environmental dimensions. Our results contribute to discussions about the environment, sustainability, investments that value socio-environmental responsibility, the activities of family businesses, and adherence to the SDGs. Especially when showing that the different characteristics of family businesses in Brazil that make up the CSI generally do not imply an increase in practices related to the SDGs. Therefore, our findings can help investors, creditors, and regulatory bodies decide on adopting socio-environmental practices.

The challenges of an inclusive study on sedimentary rocks for students in the 6th grade of elementary school

Understanding Physical Geography and its learning processes in the school environment often leads us to a traditionalist conception that was perpetuated for many years, with a descriptive geography with German characteristics and many contents that involve memorization. Currently, thinking about learning results in enabling a practical and interactive content that should be worked with children aged 11 and 12 years. As a methodological proposal, we seek to build paths for the understanding of Physical Geography, valuing the student's daily life. To this end, this extensionist proposal includes integrative activities on the theme of Sedimentary Rocks, thinking about pedagogical strategies integrating socio-environmental practices in the elaboration of didactic materials, scripts for field practices, including students in local and global realities, valuing their place and their learning time.

Policies and socioenvironmental dynamics for ecosystem management

The continuous loss of biodiversity has extended the Convention on Biological Diversity's target towards safeguarding 30% of the planet by 2030 with some form of protected area management. This is a challenge, considering the poor compliance of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets reported in several assessments, and that 37% of the remaining unprotected natural areas are inhabited by indigenous and local communities. Modern conservation policies tend to convert areas destined for protection into complex socioecological landscapes, so it is critical to develop policies capable of establishing long-term harmonious relations between local societies and their environments. Despite the fundamental importance of defining this interrelation, methodologies for evaluating it are still unclear. We propose a method for assessing the outcome of policies in socioenvironmental practices based on a historical-political ecology analysis of a region, the construction of socioenvironmental scenarios, and comparing populations scattered through the study area. Each “scenario” is a relation between nature and society after a shift in public policies. Conservation scientists, environmental managers, and policymakers can use this methodology to assess old policies, design new ones, or map the socioenvironmental dynamics in their area of interest. Here, we detail this approach and illustrate its application in the coastal wetlands of Mexico. The method can be outlined as follows:•Deduce socioenvironmental epochs for a region by analysing its historical political ecology.•Analyse the socioenvironmental dynamics in selected case studies scattered through the region.•Use the resulting scenarios as conceptual bridges between internal policies and current socioenvironmental dynamics.

Regulatory influence on sustainability reporting: evidence from Murray–Darling Basin Authority in Australia

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the sustainability reporting of a public sector organisation (PSO). This study focuses on socio-environmental practices of a major agro-economic platform in Australia – the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) to provide a unique perspective on water resource management and sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThis longitudinal qualitative case study collects published data from the MDBA’s annual reports over 21 years (1998–2018) and considers economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability using legitimacy and institutional theory.FindingsThis study finds that the MDBA’s sustainability reporting is influenced by its response to the Water Act 2007 and the Basin Plan 2012 regulations and to maintain its legitimacy with stakeholders. The MDBA wished to pursue sustainability through integrating these regulations complemented by stakeholder expectations. Although all categories increased in reporting, the environment category has the highest primacy in achieving a healthy basin through sustainable water management for the long-term benefit of the stakeholders.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the PSOs sustainability reporting literature. Particularly, this study provides insights of sustainability reporting patterns and practices over a long period through a longitudinal study. This study contributes new knowledge on the awareness of PSOs sustainability practice which has implications for governments, regulators, policymakers, managers and other stakeholders.Originality/valueThe Australian PSOs setting is under-researched from the perspective of a regulatory framework. The MDBA case provides unique insights on water resource management and sustainability which has value for many countries around the world.

Upcycling Process: Consumer and Organization Perception

Objective: This paper aims to assess consumer perception of the use of upcycled by-products and understand the positive and negative aspects of upcycling practice and how it impacts the social, environmental, and economic dimensions of organizations that opt for this process. Theoretical framework: Environmental concerns have made organizations look for sustainability-oriented innovation practices that can become competitive advantages. Upcycling, characterized by the reutilization and transformation of waste into new value-added products, is among the alternatives. Method/design/approach: Quantitative-qualitative applied research was performed. The quantitative stage of the research was carried out using a survey to assess consumer perception. In the qualitative stage, semi-structured interviews were conducted with administrators who use upcycling in their production process. Results and conclusion: The analyses indicate that upcycling is considered a sustainable alternative for production and consumption. However, there are barriers that need to be overcome as regards the use and dissemination of this practice, so that the theme can be increasingly discussed in society and applied by organizations, impacting consumer relationships. Research implications: This research contributes theoretically by providing information derived from the collection of primary data, as regards consumer and administrator´s views on upcycling. From a practical perspective, it is expected this contribution can raise the awareness of society, consumers, existing organizations, and those yet to emerge for the existence and multiple possibilities of upcycling. Originality/value: The study also contributes to the reflection on the use of new socio-environmental practices that can be applied in organizations, from the perspective of consumers and administrators.

Socio environmental responsibility practices and organizational performance in public companies

Purpose: Analyze the relationship between socio-environmental responsibility practices in the economic and financial performance of companies listed in [B3].
 Methodology: Social and environmental information found in the annual sustainability reports published in accordance with the GRI 4 (Global Reporting Initiative) standard were used. For economic performance, the metrics EBITDA and ROA were considered, while for financial performance, market-to-book and Tobin's Q were used, collected on the Economática® platform. Binomial logistic regression was used to evaluate 220 observations corresponding to the period from 2014 to 2018.
 Results: It was not possible to verify the relationship between the disclosure of socio-environmental practices on economic performance, measured by the companies' accounting result variables. However, it suggests that there is a negative influence of the disclosure of information on socio-environmental practices on the financial performance measured by market variables.
 Study Contributions: Despite the demands made by the set of stakeholders on companies for the practice of socioenvironmental actions, the market does not favorably recognize the organizational effort. The results point to indications that investors may consider organizational investments in socioenvironmental practices as undesirable.

Urban political ecologies of the apple: practices of corporate-led and community-led trade in the London city region

ABSTRACT This article investigates the urban political ecologies of the apple in London city region. As one of the largest cities in Europe, London is a pertinent site to explore the challenges and possibilities of future food systems. The apple is used as a lens to explore the diverging urban political ecologies of corporate-led and community-led food systems. A mixed method qualitative research approach combines a series of semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in producing, distributing and trading apples with practice-based ethnographic fieldwork, responding to calls within urban political ecology for more situated and grounded approaches that build new understandings of socio-environmental practices. Research shows diverging practices and biophysical properties of the apple amongst producers supplying multiple retailers and those operating via a community-led trading mechanism, which includes a farmers’ market and fruit and veg box scheme. Fieldwork suggests apple production for multiple retailers is retail-led, placing increasing pressures upon producers. Biophysical properties of the corporate-led apple are becoming increasingly standardised; narrow in terms of varietal range, and; privatised, via the rise of club brand apples. In contrast, fieldwork suggests community-led trade is based upon producer-led, agroecological approaches to production, distribution and trade. Biophysical properties of the community-led apple are context-dependent and diverse in terms of varietal range, quality and size. Community-led trading is identified as a mechanism for scaling agroecology through cultivating community social and ecological relations and producer-led approaches. To become more than marginal, agroecology and community-led trade require enabling policy, planning and legislative frameworks.

English

In the Brazilian contemporaneous context, there is evidence of society's demands for companies to carry out their activities in a responsible manner in the social and environmental spheres. In the coal mining industry, the debate is even more eminent because of the significant environmental impacts generated by the mining activity. The present study aims to analyze the determinants of socio-environmental practices of coal companies in the South of Santa Catarina (SC) and Rio Grande do Sul (RS) in the perceptions of company managers and institutions by these actions, under the perspective of social capital. The research is empirical and is supported by a descriptive qualitative approach, using documentary analysis and interview as a data collection technique. From the point of view of the research strategy, it consists of a multicase study. Managers from two national and private capital companies were interviewed, with importance on their economic area in SC and RS, respectively: Copelmi Mineração Ltda and Carbonífera Catarinense Ltda. Managers of two institutions benefited by the actions of the respective companies, which characterize social-environmental responsibility related to theories of social capital. The results demonstrated empirical evidence of social capital constituted in the existence of networks of relationship between the companies and the institutions impacted with focus on the reciprocity. It was detected that the synergy among those involved, as a motivation for social and environmental actions, produces improvement in the search for quality of life and in the training of the impacted.   Key words: Social responsibility, social and environmental actions, social and environmental determinants, share capital, social actions.

Sensing the deathscape: Digital media and death during COVID-19

Across cultures, death has traditionally encompassed diverse material and ritual assemblages. Funeral practices are a unifying element of death, presenting an opportunity for communal memorialization of the deceased. These practices are environmentally embedded, spanning traditional graveyards and floral memorials, to contemporary green burials and body farms. However, COVID-19 has disrupted socio-environmental practices, due to disease transmission concerns that have manifested new constraints to funerary space. Here, I contemplate the digital deathscape during COVID-19 through three vignettes: the first considers Hart Island mass-burial drone footage and the emergence of a necropticon. The second vignette considers the emergence of domestic deathscapes and their significance to digitally broadcast (DB) funerals. The third vignette, Billy’s funeral, gives interview-based insights into the porous domestic deathscape of a DB funeral guest, Samantha. All three vignettes contemplate the experience of remotely sensing the deathscape and the scenarios that arise when traditionally hidden or ‘in-place’ death rituals arise ‘out-of-place’.

Public Sector Social-environmental Diagnosis Model: application in a federal autarky, Rio de Janeiro

Abstract: The Brazilian public administration system has thousands of organizations and departments at federal, state, and municipal levels, distributed throughout the national territory. These conduct activities that can have significant social and environmental impacts. The present research aims to propose a sustainability index through the Public Sector Social-environmental Diagnosis Model (DISASP). This model is based on the Environmental Management Accounting System developed by researchers from the Federal University of Santa Catarina. The proposed model complements this system by including the guidelines of the Environmental Public Administration Agenda, a Ministry of the Environment program that encourages socio-environmental management practices in the government sector. The DISASP method was tested in a federal autarky in the city of Rio de Janeiro. For institutional diagnosis, seven managers were sent a questionnaire containing 124 questions with eight thematic axes: Rational Use of Natural Resources and Public Goods; Adequate Waste Management; Quality of Life in the Work Environment; Awareness and Training; Sustainable Public Procurement; Sustainable Construction; Social and Environmental Responsibility; and Institutional Management. A “weak” sustainability index was obtained, indicating the need for this sector to improve its socio-environmental performance. The study indicated that DISASP adequately fulfilled its role as an instrument for assessing socio-environmental practices in the public sector. Future studies should extend application of the DISASP method to the autarky under study at various points in time, as well as apply it to other public agencies.

Russian Coal Companies Ecological Responsibility Practices as a Social Development Harmonization Factor in the Globalization Context

In recent years globalization has created a new set of challenges and imperatives for industrial business, one of the most significant of which is greening. Indeed widespread environmental pollution increases many social groups interest. In the article the authors analyze Russian coal enterprises corporate management socio-environmental practices as a tool for regional social development harmonizing in a globalizing context. From the position of intellectual dynamics corporate social responsibility phenomenon substantial features are analyzed. Evolution features of Russian entrepreneurs socially responsible management practices reception are shown. Ecological aspect of management and environmental protection significance and vitality are justified in a view of the increased man-caused damage caused by coal industry enterprises. Environmental practices implemented features characteristic by the coal business in the openness and transparency world context are clarified. The list of advantages obtained by coal enterprises in the case of target groups environmental interests and needs satisfying is determined. It`s proved that greening becomes a modernization driver of coal business, as a result of which it is integrated into all business processes of enterprises. In conclusion, study main results are summarized.

Echoes of Ecologies: Quest(s) for Sustainability, Writing, and Activism

Echoes of Ecologies: Quest(s) for Sustainability, Writing, and Activism Giulia Lepori (bio) and Michał Krawczyk (bio) Departure In January 2016 our customary lives caught their breath to get on a plane that would begin our itinerant project in South America— four months of traveling life that we enclosed in an independent ethno-graphic research named Echoes of Ecologies: a blog collection of practices of ecological sustainability. Since its conception, the plural title was chosen to acknowledge the great variety of nuances within the words ecology and sustainability. From the humanistic perspectives of our backgrounds in anthropology, languages, and literary studies, we view sustainability as an ontology based on inextricable environmental and social relations. However, back in 2015, when we opened the blog, as we prepared for the travel, and had to provide an accessible introduction to the research, we were not as focused as we are today on its conceptualization. Over the years, as our reflections evolved, we readjusted the description of the project, and today the homepage reads, Nowadays Echoes of Ecologies is an independent investigation on the stories of the ecological relationships between humans and nonhumans. Initially the project took shape as an itinerant travel in South America, through Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia, to document and inform about socioenvironmental practices of ecological sustainability. . . . Echoes of Ecologies means stories of relations . . . the narrations from the first travel, together with those from following experiences day by day in the circle of change. Word and image, images in words, video [End Page 103] and text, texts with videos, writings and photographs, a written photograph.1 Blessed by the financial ability to buy the tickets, we put theories aside, packed some luggage, and moved to one of our dream places, covering more than 9,000 km through the core of South America, to gather and narrate the reasons and manners of people caring for an ecologically sustainable life. From gardening at 3,600 m to attending environmental education in rural schools, our multisited, mobile fieldwork represented sustainability as a gradual dynamic learning process toward a conscious way of being human. As early researchers, it was our first attempt to apply our studies to a fieldwork investigation, hence our decision to attend to topics that reflected our feelings, interests, and practices. Spontaneously, the ethnography of our blog became research within the research— recounting the lives of those who sought their ecological sustainability in South America helped us conceive our cycle of discovery at home in Italy. We envisioned our project as an opportunity to publicly perform activism— intended as ethical thought and action that acquire political value as they trigger changes in both inner and outer landscapes. That is in part why we resolved to have a photo-narrative blog, to blend word and image in a creative and informative way that would be widely accessible. As it turned out, the recollection of our travels on the blog became an alternative story place to (not always easily) advocate for a sustainable world while we were on the move. This article is an autobiographical account of how our disciplines handled ethnographic research to illuminate the strict connection we found between writing and activism within the humanities. Thus, we analyze our project through the lens of “empirical subjectivity,”2 in which the first-person poetical dimension generates both hindsight for our itinerant fieldwork and insight into the application of our studies. In acknowledging such connection, we use ethnographic material from our blog as the leitmotif between the present text and the narration during the research. The Making For the creation of the project, we decided to adopt the social bargaining philosophy, as we felt akin to those who “are willing to earn less [End Page 104] money in order to employ their time to contribute to socio-political and environmental change.”3 We contacted associations, rural schools, NGOs, collectives, or individuals to go live with them and understand their practices, in exchange for work, solutions, and stories for different imaginaries of life on Earth. Click for larger view View full resolution Fig. 1. Giulia writing at Conamuri Headquarters, Asunción, Paraguay. Behind, the flag reads, “Stop violence against women.” Courtesy of Echoes of...

A temática sustentabilidade na formação em administração: a influência de elementos contextuais, organizacionais e curriculares

Este artigo traz a educação superior como elemento chave para promover ação e mudanças. O enfoque é a formação de gestores partindo-se do pressuposto que as organizações e seus atores são essenciais para promover impactos positivos na sociedade. Neste contexto, este artigo se propõe a responder ao seguinte questionamento: De que maneira elementos contextuais, organizacionais e curriculares podem colaborar para a presença da temática Sustentabilidade na formação superior em Administração? Assim, o objetivo geral envolveu analisar em que medida elementos contextuais, organizacionais e curriculares colaboram para a formação superior em Administração sob a perspectiva da Sustentabilidade. Para tanto, foi realizado um estudo de caso de cunho qualitativo em uma Universidade privada do Rio Grande do Sul. A coleta de dados foi dividida em quatro etapas considerando: análise detalhada dos Planos de Ensino das disciplinas, realização de entrevistas junto a atores chave na gestão da instituição, grupo focal com estudantes, aplicação de questionário junto a estudantes dos últimos semestres do curso, e dados secundários presentes no site institucional e em documentos internos da instituição. Os principais resultados mostram que existe um movimento institucional que emerge principalmente da característica comunitária da Universidade e das avaliações externas. Existem práticas socioambientais, mas a IES é percebida mais sob a perspectiva da inovação e não da Sustentabilidade. O currículo da Administração sofreu mudanças que incluem a inserção de disciplinas específicas das áreas, o que vai ao encontro da demanda manifestada pelos estudantes.

Deconstructing coastal sustainable development policies: towards a political ecology of coastalscapes in Vietnam

Sustainable development has become the mantra, or the global utopia, for multiscalar development worldwide, being promoted by governments and international organisations through the support to social and environmental policies. However, the concept of sustainability, as well as the Agenda 2030 and SDGs, remain controversial due to socio-political and environmental contradictions. This article analyses the promotion of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and related initiatives oriented towards sustainable coastal governance in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. It emerges that these policies, rather than promoting sustainable coastal governance and preserving local communities practices and knowledge, support a controversial green growth vision and the unsustainable neoliberalisation of socio-environmental practices.

Práticas do disclosure voluntário socioambiental em cooperativas agropecuárias brasileiras

The objective of this article is to describe the voluntary disclosure of socio-environmental practices in Brazilian agricultural cooperatives. In order to reach the outlined objective, we analysed the annual reports on the websites of a non-probabilistic sample of the largest Brazilian agricultural cooperatives, referring to the period of 2015. For data analysis, the averages by subcategory and three indices of disclosure rate were used: Disclosure Index (DI), Business Disclosure Index (SDI) and General Business Disclosure Index (IGDE), General Index of Social Disclosure (IGDs). In addition, a fifth disclosure index was developed: the General Index of Environmental Disclosure (IGDa). The results obtained allow us to affirm that there is more disclosure of social information than environmental information, especially in relation to employees, concerns with the community and education, and that there is still a long way to go regarding good socio-environmental voluntary disclosure of agricultural and livestock cooperatives.