Sustainability Index Research Articles

Sustainable education index and copper trade interconnections

The trend in copper trade raises significant concerns regarding global mineral resource sustainability. This study investigates how sustainable education impacts copper trade in China, analyzing data from 1990 to 2021. Findings reveal that a 1% increase in the Sustainable Development Index leads to a reduction in copper trade: exports decrease by 0.14%–0.27% and imports by 0.35%–0.57%, highlighting the negative influence of sustainable education on trade. GDP growth positively affects copper trade, while the official exchange rate impacts exports and imports differently due to currency fluctuations. Urbanization boosts both exports and imports, driven by infrastructure expansion. Additionally, loans to the private sector specifically enhance copper imports. To foster sustainable copper trade, China should invest in sustainable education, promote gender equality in education, encourage green economic growth, implement an effective carbon tax, and provide green loans for the copper sector.

Exergy and Energy Analysis of Forced Convective Thin-layer Solar Drying of Tiger Nuts (Cyperus esculantus L.)

Aims: To study the exergy and energy analysis for thin-layer solar drying of tiger nuts; and also to determine the drying kinetics for the thin-layer solar drying of tiger nuts. Study Design: Yellow variety of tiger nuts were dried in a forced convection solar dryer to determine the exergy and energy indices. Place and Duration of Study: Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria between October, 2022 to March, 2023. Methodology: The experiment was conducted at three different air velocities of 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 m s-1 and two different loads of 70 and 140 g. The tiger nuts were dried from average initial moisture content of 52% (wb) to final moisture content of 10.2% (wb), at an average temperature range of 50.5 to 51.2 ºC. Energy utilization, exergy loss rate, exergy efficiency, improvement potential, and sustainability index were determined. Results: The results of energy utilization, exergy loss rate and improvement potential ranged from 2.1 to 5.09 W, 0.25 to 0.93 W and 0.08 to 0.54 W respectively; however, these values increased with increasing air velocities and loads. The results of exergy efficiency and sustainability index ranged from 41.8 to 68.49% and 1.72 to 3.17 respectively; these values increased with decreasing air velocities and loads. Graphical plots of moisture content with drying time showed that the moisture content of the tiger nuts decreased with increasing drying time. The characteristic nature of the curve is indicative of the fact that there was an initial higher rate of drying, which gradually declined with drying time. The results also showed that the drying rates of the tiger nuts ranged from 6.03 to 8.44 %MC/hr; and these values varied with the different air velocities and loads. Conclusion: The results from this research will serve as a guide in reduction of energy costs for the optimum design of convective dryers.

Global environmental sustainability trends: A temporal comparison using a new interval-based composite indicator

Assessing progress on the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals is crucial for evaluating the sustainability of a Country, although this is not easy, considering the interdependencies or interconnections of individual goals with others, and the fact that there are several indicators for each goal. The aims of this research are: (1) to propose a novel interval-based environmental sustainable composite index (ESI) suitable to monitor the worldwide environmental SDGs' implementation at national scale, (2) to solve the problem of missing data in large databases and the subjectivity in computing a composite index (CI), (3) to group and compare statistically countries according to the ESI, and (4) to represent spatially the results to identify areas of the world more or less environmentally sustainable than others. Clustering and Sankey diagrams have supported the temporal and spatial analysis of ESI trends, showing that Canada, Brazil, New Zealand, and several European countries have been the most sustainable in 2019. The novelty of this indicator is that each country presents an ESI central value, the most probable value of the composite indicator, and a range, which represents the uncertainty given by the lower and upper bounds. In this sense, it is possible to better interpret the results of the composite indicator, while simultaneously obtaining a measure of the uncertainty of the results. The composite indicator can be used to monitor countries’ vulnerability towards the unsustainability risk, as well as countries that are not able to escape from a sort of “unsustainability trap”.

Assessing sustainability in smallholder vegetable farms in Benin Republic: A matrix approach

This study aims to assess the level of sustainability in vegetable-based agrifood production systems in Benin and to propose actions to enhance sustainability, food safety, and year-round production in the vegetable production systems. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 200 vegetable farmers in contrasting agroecological areas (with areas of extensive production of staples and intensive production of vegetables), using the “Indicateur de Durabilité des Exploitations Agricoles” (IDEA) framework (an on-farm sustainability index). Most of the surveyed vegetable farmers produced a wide range of crops, including leafy vegetables (amaranth, African eggplant, and African basil) and peppers, grown by more than 50% of the farmers. The average scores achieved by the vegetable farms regarding three dimensions of sustainability—ecological, social, and economic—were 35, 41, and 63, respectively, out of a maximum score of 100. All three sustainability dimensions of the vegetable farms were, on average, at a low level and improvements were needed for them to reach an acceptable standard. The vegetable farms located in the south of Benin had, on average, a higher sustainability score than those in the north: around 50% of vegetable farms in the south had a medium score, while the sustainability level of almost 75% of vegetable farms in the north was low. Interventions seeking to improve the sustainability of vegetable farms in Benin should focus on the promotion and adoption of eco-responsible practices that improve on-farm biodiversity, water conservation, and the effective allocation and management of land and labor, to mitigate the environmental impacts of vegetable production.

Change in the sustainability of regional agricultural systems: based on an emergy decomposition analysis

Abstract In the context of rapid population growth and limited arable land resources, the agricultural system has to provide enough food in a sustainable way. Regional agricultural systems have good consistency in agricultural practices, management decisions, social economy, and climate, which is of great significance in ensuring food security. In this study, emergy analysis and the logarithmic mean divisia index method were integrated to construct an evaluation framework from the dimensions of socio-economic environment, resource environment, climate environment, and ecological environment. Then we evaluated and analyzed the changes in agricultural system sustainability from 1990 to 2019 in the mainstream of Liaohe River Basin, a typical agricultural basin in China. The results showed that the Emergy sustainability index (ESI) decreased from 0.17 to 0.14, and factors Δ Pt/Gt (social and economic development level), Δ G/I (agricultural economic benefits), and Δ Gt/G (economic structure) from the socio-economic environment dimension had the greatest impact on changes in ESI. Moreover, society and economy affected the factors in the resource environmental dimensions through the allocation of policies and resources, which in turn directly affected ESI. The influence of factors from the climatic environment and ecological environment weakens as the ability to manage agricultural systems increases. The research provided a reference for the planning and management of sustaining agricultural systems at a regional scale.

Choosing the Best Sustainable Prefabricated Building Systems Using the Analytical Network Process (ANP) Technique

Attention should be paid to prefabricated construction, as the consumption of raw materials in traditional construction is large and affects the country's resources and economy. Sustainable prefabricated building systems in Iraq suffer from a clear weakness in management due to the use of old methods and a lack of focus on important management criteria. This research addresses this issue by modeling the analytical network process (ANP) technique to select the best types of systems. By reviewing the general literature, 80 indicators were identified within the 12 relevant categories. These indicators formed the basis of a closed questionnaire distributed to 90 experienced respondents. Three prefabricated building systems were identified based on the structural composition (load-bearing wall system, frame system, and box system). The expert questionnaire was analyzed using the ANP technique and the Sustainability Index (SI) for each system was found using the Excel program and it was found that the best sustainable prefabricated building system is the box system. This research helps to improve the management of prefabricated building projects and increase speed, quality, pollution, and reduce the cost of housing in Iraq, which suffers from high costs

From ratings to resilience: The role and implications of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance in corporate solvency

In an era marked by growing global turmoil, the strategic role of environmental finance and green investment in fostering sustainable development has never been more crucial. Particularly in regions beset by crises, enterprises find themselves at the forefront of efforts to develop resilience and stability. Leveraging insights from information effect theory and stakeholder theory, this study delves into an intricate interplay to unveil the impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance on corporate solvency. In particular, the study investigates how ESG considerations influence short-term and long-term solvency metrics. Utilizing data from the listed constituent enterprises of the Stock Exchange of Thailand Sustainability Index (SETTHSI) during 2015 – 2023, the findings reveal a positive correlation between ESG performance and solvency at current levels, with no significant lag effect. Further analysis suggests that higher-polluting firms exhibit a stronger correlation between ESG performance and solvency compared to their non or lower-polluting counterparts. The findings remain robust across various assessments encompassing heterogeneity analysis by implementing group regressions and testing for endogeneity using the Propensity Score Matching approach, ensuring the reliability and applicability of the results which underscores the practical significance and theoretical relevance of the study, with profound implications for long-term enterprise resilience and broader social advancement.

Experimental comparison investigation on the performance analysis of desert crystal sand roses and sand grain as natural effective heat storage materials in conical solar distillers: 4E and sustainability analyses

Conical solar distillers represent one of the most important technologies for producing low-cost freshwater in remote areas. However, its drawback is its limited freshwater production due to heat loss, so the present study aims to use natural effective heat energy storage materials to reduce heat loss, improve productivity, and avoid the higher cost of producing freshwater. To achieve this goal, comparison investigations on the performance analysis of Desert Crystal Sand Roses and Sand Grain as natural effective heat storage materials in conical solar distillers to improve freshwater productivity and at the same time avoid the high cost of producing freshwater. To achieve this goal experimentally, three identical conical solar distillers were built and tested in El Oued, Algeria. The first is the classical conical solar distiller (CCSD). The second is the conical solar distiller with the Natural Desert Crystal Sand Roses (CSD-SR). The third is a conical solar distiller with the Natural Desert Sand Grain (CSD-SG). The experimental results demonstrated that incorporating the Desert Crystal Sand Roses as natural storage materials in the distiller basin represents an innovative design that is characterized by serving as corrugated surfaces to enhance the absorbed rates of solar rays and interface surface area with the basin water, in addition to representing effective heat energy storage materials. Where using the Desert Crystal Sand Roses (CSD-SR) increases the cumulative productivity to 9.29 L/m2 per day with an improvement of 95.58 % compared to CCSD. Also, the use of Desert Crystal Sand Roses (CSD-SR) improved the energy efficiency, exergy efficiency, and sustainability index by 94.45, 227.45, and 2.9 % compared to CCSD. Also, the exergo-economic analysis indicated that the annual energy and exergy outlets were 94.48 and 227.42 %, respectively. Additionally, the cost per liter of produced freshwater from CSD-SR was reduced by 48.61 % compared to CCSD.

Exergo-enviro-economic analyses of solar energy based novel air cooling system

Implementation of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units in buildings for space cooling represents a passive method for achieving thermal comfort and reducing power consumption. This paper introduces solar energy assisted in-direct evaporative cooling system with a novel multi-passage dry channel. The main objectives are to evaluate exergy variations, sustainability, and total cooling cost based on the inlet conditions for four modes: A, B, C, D (without evaporative cooling, with evaporative cooling, preheating, and preheating with humidification). This comparative study explores thermal performance enhancement of an indirect evaporative cooling system across four operational modes. Mainly, the exergy outlet values increase significantly by 77.39%, while exergy destruction decreases by 54.86%. Both energetic and exergetic coefficient of performances witness remarkable enhancements, with energetic Coefficient of Performance (COP) rising by 321.32%. Exergy efficiency experiences a notable enhancement of 29.974%, and sustainability index shows a consistent upward trend, with a 119.34% increase observed in Mode D compared from Mode A. Entropy generation decreases significantly, indicating improved system efficiency. Total capital cost per unit of cooling capacity decreases notably, highlighting cost savings. These findings underscore the effectiveness of incorporating preheating and humidification processes in optimizing indirect evaporative cooling system performance, emphasizing both exergy efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Sustainability of farmer organizations in Uganda: the role of organizational and institutional factors

In Uganda, despite government support, many farmer organizations are short-lived or exist solely to receive subsidies. Existing literature evaluates the sustainability of farming systems, technology impacts, and non-certified markets, yet a gap remains regarding the sustainability of farmer organizations. This study addresses this gap by determining a sustainability index and the effect of organizational and institutional factors on the sustainability of farmer organizations in central and northern Uganda. It highlights how regional disparities impact organizational sustainability. Using cross-sectional data from 272 farmer organizations across 12 randomly selected districts, a multilevel mixed-effects linear regression in Stata13 was employed. Results indicate that Ugandan farmer organizations have a low sustainability index of 36%, with central organizations slightly outperforming northern counterparts by 2%. Significant differences exist between northern and central organizations in terms of finances, resources, value addition, training, and leadership. Additionally, internal financial dependence, leadership committee size, farm management, and value addition training greatly enhance sustainability. Specifically, regional level variables contribute 21% to changes in the sustainability of farmer organizations in Uganda. To enhance sustainability, farmer organizations should engage in income-generating activities aligned with their economic, environmental, and social welfare objectives. The government should also intensify leadership, farm management, and value addition training.

Optimization of reservoir operation by sine cosine algorithm: A case of study in Algeria

The optimal operation of the reservoir has vital importance in water engineering. In the presented article, a new optimization method, named sine cosine algorithm (SCA) was employed to obtain operating policy for an irrigation system. The SCA was utilized for the monthly operation of the Boukerdane Dam placed in the north of Algeria. The fitness function was the minimization of the total shortage for the studied period. Three scenarios considering three different seasons of inflow (dry, normal and wet) are used to optimize the reservoir system’s operation. The SCA outputs were compared with particle swarm optimization (PSO) and kidney algorithm (KA). The outcomes indicated that the SCA surpassed the PSO and KA in convergence rate. The general results indicated the low speed of KA and PSO in achieving convergence. The results indicated that the highest RES (resiliency index), SUS (sustainability index) and REL (reliability index) achieved by the SCA were 65, 86 and 92 %, respectively. Comparing the third scenario with the first and second scenarios, it was observed that the third scenario (wet seasons) improved the results.

Does it matter to be a part of the sustainability index?

ABSTRACT We study how companies’ sustainability performance affects their future operational and financial performance. Using firms’ inclusion in the FTSE4Good index series as an indicator of sustainability performance, a quasi-natural experiment shows that sustainability has a beneficial effect on firms’ long-term financial performance. Our findings show a notable rise in the companies’ profitability following their addition to the sustainability index. Additionally, companies that are part of the sustainability index are considered to have higher value compared to firms that are not part of a sustainability benchmark.

Conditional volatility targeting strategy considering jump effects: Evidence from sustainable ESG equity index

This paper considers the sustainable ESG equity index in the proposed conditional volatility targeting strategy. The research first detects jump risk using a jump test and then extends Bongaerts et al. (2020) by addressing jump risk and employing different volatility models to project volatilities under the conditional volatility targeting strategy. To capture consideration of the fact that index return dynamics, we propose an ARMA-GARCH jump model that can capture the characteristics of jump persistence, autocorrelation, and volatility clustering according to the return of the sustainable equity index. Our numerical analyses reveal that the portfolio allocation using a sustainable equity index to predict volatility, combined with a conditional volatility target strategy, can achieve higher performance. Furthermore, the proposed ARMA-GARCH jump model can enhance the performance with conditional volatility targeting strategy.

The New European Development Scoreboard for SDG11 at the European Level

Urban development is a current priority in terms of improving the sustainability of cities amid demographic pressure and intensive economic development in the European Union. In this context, we aim to critically analyze the progress achieved by the European Member States in the period of 2010–2022 from the perspective of Sustainable Development Goal 11—Sustainable Cities and Communities—and conceptualize the new development scoreboard from the perspective of SDG11. The methods used consist in applying principal components analysis for a set of 15 sustainability indicators related to the studied objective and designing the new sustainability index from the perspective of the ODD11 and the European ranking. The results of the study will allow for the formulation of public policies useful for European decision makers to improve the progress made relating to this objective, and we believe that their implementation could support the transformation of European cities in a sustainable and equitable way.

Development and modeling of power, hydrogen and freshwater production based on a novel double-flash geothermal power plant

In this article, a novel geothermal energy-assisted multigeneration plant is proposed and analyzed from the thermodynamic, economic, and environmental perspectives. In the design of the geothermal power system, a transcritical Rankine cycle, which employs CO2 as the working fluid (tCO2-RC), a Kalina cycle (KC), a hydrogen generation sub-plant, and a desalination unit are considered. The reverse osmosis (RO) desalination process is used for freshwater production, while the proton exchanger membrane (PEM) electrolyzer is utilized for hydrogen generation. In addition, parametric analyses are conducted to ascertain the impacts of the temperature of the geothermal source, mass flow rate, and flash chamber pressure on system performance. According to the results, the plant's overall energetic and exergetic efficiencies are determined to be 8.6 % and 34.9 %, respectively where the net power production is calculated as 3317.94 kW, and the system's total irreversibility is found to be 5852.88 kW. Furthermore, the hourly H2, O2, and freshwater generation amounts are 8.5 kg, 49.1 kg, and 9.3 m3, respectively. Finally, the levelized energy cost (LEC) and sustainability index of the system are found to be 0.128 USD/kWh and 0.215.

Sustainability index development by integrating lean green and Six Sigma tools: a case study of the Indian manufacturing industry

PurposeIndia’s manufacturing sector employs about 12% of the labour force and contributes to about 17% of the nation’s GDP. The Indian government intends to implement several initiatives under the “Make in India” and Atma Nirbhar Bharat banners to increase the manufacturing sector’s share of the nation’s GDP to 25% by 2025. Applying lean manufacturing, green manufacturing and Six Sigma is crucial to ensure that India’s manufacturing sectors grow sustainably in international markets. This study aims to identify sustainability indicators and ascertain their respective weights to evaluate the sustainability performance of the Indian manufacturing industry.Design/methodology/approachThis research identifies 25 sustainability indicators and classifies them into the triple bottom line of sustainability based on an evaluative literature review and expert opinion. The Best Worst Method was utilised to determine the weights of the sustainability indicators. The sustainability index was developed to evaluate economic, social and environmental sustainability.FindingsThe sustainability performance of a foundry in a significant Western Indian State city was assessed by applying the developed sustainability index. After the adoption of integrated lean, green and Six Sigma (LG&SS) strategies and related practices in the foundry, there has been a notable improvement of 68.03% in the economic index, 61.62% in the social index and 13.24% in the environmental index.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed sustainability index is applied and evaluated specifically for assessing the sustainability performance of Indian manufacturing SMEs. It can be used to substantiate firm’s sustainability performance and also to assess the improvement in firm’s performance in economic, environmental and social dimensions after implementing various operational excellence practices. However, it cannot serve as a benchmark tool across similar companies or organisations.Practical implicationsThe developed sustainable index can be used to analyse the company or organisation’s sustainability performance and see how various strategies have improved things. Practitioners can use this index to assess social, economic and environmental performance and focus on areas that need improvement.Social implicationsThe proposed sustainability index serves as a vital tool for monitoring a firm’s progress in triple bottom line (TBL) dimensions of sustainability, tracking a diverse range of indicators and encouraging sustainable organisational practices.Originality/valueThis study attempts to assess the economic, social and environmental performance of Indian Manufacturing SMEs by proposing a sustainability index.

Effect of fluid flow behavior on sustainability and exergy efficiency of solar heat collectors having multiple V‐ribs with gaps

AbstractIn the current numerical study, the viability and sustainability of a solar heat collector (SHC) have been rigorously analyzed through the lens of exergy analysis. The SHC with roughness in the form of symmetrical V‐rib gaps has been selected for detailed numerical investigation. The study focuses on deriving the dominant parameters affecting the performance of the SHC, including the relative gap width (), number of gaps () in the limbs of ribs, and fluid flow Reynolds number, which varied from 4000 to 18,000. The absorber plate with roughness was thoroughly examined to evaluate the losses and irreversibility that persist in the thermal system. The results of the numerical analysis revealed the maximum exergy efficiency to be 3.87%. Furthermore, the study examined the long‐term feasibility of the system, evaluating its sustainability index at a remarkable 1.0319 value, while the magnitude of the waste–energy ratio fetched an impressive score of 0.991. Additionally, the study found that the system has a significant improvement potential of 10.04. Overall, these findings provide critical insights into the performance and sustainability of SHCs, paving the way for future research and development in this crucial field.

Eco-friendly chemometric analysis: Sustainable quantification of five pharmaceutical compounds in bulk, tablets, and spiked human plasma

The development of sustainable chemometric methodologies is crucial in pharmaceutical analysis to ensure accurate chemical quantification with little environmental effect. This study introduces novel chemometric techniques for the simultaneous measurement of Rabeprazole (RAB), Lansoprazole (LAN), Levofloxacin (LEV), Amoxicillin (AMO), and Paracetamol (PAR) in various samples, including lab-prepared mixtures, tablets, and spiked human plasma. Taguchi L25 (5^5) orthogonal array design to construct the calibration and validation sets was employed, the techniques used named Principal Component Regression (PCR), Partial Least Squares (PLS-2), Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), and Multivariate Curve Resolution-Alternating Least Squares (MCR-ALS). The models were validated for their effectiveness in resolving complex spectra from overlapping components, the models achieving high correlation coefficients (R≥0.9997) and the relative error of prediction (REP) and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), were (0.2221 to 0.8022) and (0.0352 to 0.1767), respectively. The bias-corrected mean square error of prediction (BCMSEP) was (−0.00065 to 0.00166). The application of various assessment tools for evaluating greenness, blueness, and whiteness offered valuable insights into the environmental impact and sustainability of the developed methods compared to the reported ones. According to the Need Quality Sustainability (NQS) index, the developed methods align with sustainable analytical practices and support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs).

Are the EAT-Lancet dietary recommendations associated with cardiometabolic health? – Insights from the Generation XXI cohort from childhood into early adolescence

BackgroundThe prospective effect of healthy and planetary diets on cardiometabolic health at young ages remains unclear. ObjectivesThis study aims to investigate the prospective associations between adherence to the EAT-Lancet dietary recommendations at age 7 and the prevalence of obesity and Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) at 7, 10, and 13 y old. MethodsParticipants are children from the Generation XXI birth cohort who completed 3-d food diaries at age 7, with complete data in variables of interest (n = 3564). Adherence to the EAT-Lancet dietary recommendations was evaluated using the World Index for Sustainability and Health (WISH); a higher score indicates a healthier and environmentally sustainable diet. At 7, 10, and 13 y, anthropometrics (weight, height, and waist circumference), blood pressure, serum-fasting triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glucose were measured. Obesity and MetS prevalence were determined by the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation criteria, respectively. Adjusted custom binomial log-linear models were used to calculate prevalence ratios (PR) and the respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) (covariates: mother’s age, education, prepregnancy body mass index (BMI), gestational diabetes, child’s sex, age, Tanner stage, sports practice and total grams of the remaining food). ResultsFrom 7 to 13 y, obesity decreased from 14.1% to 9.3% and MetS increased from 1.0% to 5.1%. Higher WISH scores at 7 y were associated with a lower prevalence of obesity, measured by both BMI (≥97th percentile: PR = 0.912; 95% CI: 0.839, 0.991; PR = 0.882; 95% CI: 0.79, 0.938, respectively at 10 and 13 y) and waist circumference (≥90th percentile: PR = 0.899; 95% CI: 0.830, 0.974; PR = 0.858; 95% CI: 0.782, 0.942, respectively at 10 and 13 y). For each 10-point increase in the WISH, a reduction of 16% in MetS prevalence at 13 y was observed (PR = 0.837; 95% CI: 0.732, 0.957). No significant effects were found at younger ages. ConclusionsAdherence to the EAT-Lancet diet from an early age may help reduce cardiometabolic risk in early adolescence.

Optimizing safe and sustainable public transit for wellness tourism: Southeast Asian case studies

This study presents the development of the Reinforcement-Learning Multi-Objective Artificial Multiple Intelligence System (RL-MOAMIS) framework, aimed at optimizing public transport systems specifically designed for wellness tourism in Southeast Asia. The framework is tailored to enhance the safety, sustainability, and economic viability of bus routes that connect key wellness destinations across Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. By integrating safety and environmental sustainability principles through a mixed-integer programming model, the RL-MOAMIS framework introduces two innovative improvement methods inspired by metaheuristic operators and employs a reinforcement-learning-based approach to dynamically select enhancement strategies. The empirical results demonstrate that the RL-MOAMIS framework significantly outperforms conventional methods, such as the Genetic Algorithm and Whale Optimization Algorithm, achieving a 27.45% increase in optimization efficiency, a 15% improvement in safety metrics, and a sustainability index enhancement ranging from 7.35% to 13.48% across all routes. The findings underscore the potential of RL-MOAMIS as a comprehensive and adaptable solution for optimizing public transport in wellness tourism. These improvements not only provide safer and more sustainable transportation options but also support economic development in rapidly urbanizing regions. The implications of this study are significant for policymakers, urban planners, and tourism developers, offering critical insights for the design and implementation of public transport systems that cater to the unique demands of wellness tourism.