Sustainability Paradox Research Articles

The Paralysis of Perceived Powerlessness – How Emotional Tensions Influence Corporate Climate Action

In responding to the climate crisis, organizations navigate in an increasingly volatile emotional milieu in which feelings of fear, guilt and anger may influence corporate sustainability transformations and climate action. We conduct an eight-month ethnographic case study of an Energy Company (EnCo) in Germany to understand how intra-individual emotional tensions influence the externally visible corporate sustainability transformation process over time. Through analysis of observational, interview, and documentary data we explore emotional tensions that emerge from paradox corporate role expectations and emotional display rules which compete against corporate actors’ true emotions and beliefs about climate change. We develop a dynamic leader-follower-interaction model that shows how the leaders’ emotional display affects the perceived sustainability commitment and sustainability action of followers over time. We argue that emotional dissonance fosters the delegation of responsibility to act against climate change to authorities with more perceived power. The paper contributes to the literature of paradox theory and organizational responses to climate change by drawing attention to the relevance of emotions in navigating the corporate sustainability paradox over time.

Working in the Gaps: Exploring the Strategy Work of Accomplished Sustainability Professionals

This study explores how experienced sustainability professionals perform strategy work to integrate sustainability into business strategies and processes. Drawing on in-depth interviews and research on strategy-as-practice, sustainability, and paradox, we bring to light how divergent frames and competing temporalities conjointly work against sustainability integration. We develop a theoretical model that explains how sustainability professionals use persistent optimal cyclical stretching to navigate these barriers and integrate sustainability into businesses. We show that cyclical stretching constitutes an essential form of strategy work that requires sustainability professionals to continuously and judiciously open and stretch others’ cognitive frames, temporal horizons and practice domains before cementing gains. By unpacking the complex process of cyclical stretching, the study offers new insights into the hard-fought strategy work involved in realizing sustainability transitions and draws attention to how divergent temporal orientations are central to the study of sustainability paradoxes and tensions.

To Levy or Not? The Paradox of Revenue Generation and Sustainability of Free Public Library Services in Ghana

As the gap between decreased budgetary allocation and the need to sustain free and improved quality public library services continues to increase, librarians are expected to think more innovatively about how to bridge this gap while ensuring the notion of free public library services is not compromised. This study aimed to investigate revenue mobilization and the sustainability of free public library services in Ghana. The study adopts a multiple case study approach, exploiting the advantages of the use of a combination of varied data collection techniques using 3 Regional Public libraries in Ghana to enhance representativeness. The data was collected from some major stakeholders, including Head Librarians, library staff and patrons of public libraries using questionnaires and qualitative interview sessions. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were employed in selecting respondents for the study. Descriptive statistics, inferential statistics and thematic analysis were deployed as analytical tools to examine the data. Based on the findings of the study, the researchers conclude that the challenge is in tracking down the elusive mix of fee-based services that deliver more than they take away. We therefore, admonish that those who still preach against fee-based services on moral grounds accept the reality that seeking alternative funding (beyond government’s subventions) to sustain public library services has become a Hobson’s choice to most public librarians. Recommendations are also proffered in mitigating the present challenges affecting service delivery in public libraries.

Credit Card Use, Hedonic Motivations, and Impulse Buying Behavior in Fast Fashion Physical Stores during COVID-19: The Sustainability Paradox

The health crisis caused by COVID-19 has affected consumption and payment patterns worldwide. Consumers have had to change their habits and deal with new sanitation guidelines and have often struggled with lengthy infrastructure closures. These factors significantly influenced both the choice of payment methods and purchase decisions made by consumers. Still, consumption patterns during the pandemic as a new social situation have not yet been thoroughly investigated. As the unsustainable consumption of resources is an important issue, this paper aims to analyze the relationship between credit card use, hedonic motivations, and its impact on the impulsive buying behavior in physical fast fashion stores during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. For this purpose, an online survey was conducted on a sample of 300 regular fast fashion buyers in physical stores. Structural equation modelling was used for the data analysis. The results show that there is a significant relationship between credit card use and impulse buying behavior for fast fashion in physical stores, as well as between credit card use and social shopping. It is also observed that hedonic motivations such as gratification shopping, value shopping, novelty-seeking shopping, and adventure-seeking shopping are related to impulse buying behavior. Therefore, this evidences the unsustainable overconsumption, thereby having a higher negative environmental and social impact. With the increased popularity of cashless payment methods, including credit cards relaxing tighter budgets during the pandemic, fast fashion impulse buying should be considered an important issue in individual, social and environmental well-being. Consequently, the need for more responsible consumption and sustainability-focused value orientation arises so as to mitigate the environmental impact of the fast fashion industry.

Role of Mathematics in Sustainable Management Practice

Many people think that Sustainable Development and Mathematics are completely unrelated. The mathematical models, methods and challenges are enormous in the sustainable management practices or issues which are hugely complex, requiring more subtle scientific and mathematical and statistical tools. The mathematical and numerical models and soft system methodology rely on dynamical systems in control theory as well as practice at reconciling economic and ecological dimensions through a common modelling framework to cope with environmental management problems from a perspective of sustainability. To combine both public and social choice traditions with multi-criteria decision analysis in order to deal with sustainability paradoxes in a complex world with multiple dimensions, values and scales can be through mathematical methods .The applications of mathematical models are necessary to evaluate sustainability in quantitative terms, a large number of indicators, processes, and their interrelations must be taken into account and both present and future values of various indicators must be generated. Traditionally, sustainability is assessed based on a single aspect and using isolated indicators through the applications of mathematical philosophy.

The facets of the sustainability paradox

Purpose This paper aims to examine why the sustainability paradox exists and how it unfolds by focusing on intraorganizational dynamics. It explores how organizational actors perceive and make sense of sustainability and thereby contribute to the sustainability paradox. Design/methodology/approach In a case study on IREN, an Italian listed multi-utility with considerable engagements with sustainability, data collection through interviews, e-mails and document analysis revealed contradictions raised by directors and middle managers. Findings were analyzed by iterating with the literature used to frame this study, which combines organizational sensemaking, paradoxes and management control. Findings The sustainability paradox comprises various facets. Directors and middle managers interpret sustainability differently depending on their role within the organization and their perceptions of the concept itself. Different interpretations thus occur within and across organizational levels and functions, impacting how sustainability is implemented and monitored. The use of parallel management control systems (MCSs) reflects multiple and fragmented sensemaking, which explains the facets of the sustainability paradox. Research limitations/implications Although this work illuminates the role played by individuals at top- and middle-management organizational levels and MCSs in relation to the sustainability paradox, more research is needed on how individuals make sense of sustainability at the lowest organizational levels. Practical implications Organizations claiming commitment to sustainability must establish communication forms on the practicalities of sustainability throughout the organization to stimulate shared sensemaking and the design and use of inclusive MCSs. Originality/value This paper explains why and how organizations unconsciously enact various facets of the sustainability paradox.

Contesting Sustainability of Mega-Events in Chinese Metropolises: A Narrative and Practise Review

Since the Rio Summit, sustainability has been enshrined in the official claims of mega-events, and scholars' sustainability concerns over mega-events persist. This research is one of the few contextualising the debates in China where mega-events have become prevalent and contributed to metropolitan boosterism since the 1990s. It argues that the ill-defined, ambiguous meaning of sustainability leaves room for host cities to discursively strike a balance between environment protection, social equity and economic growth, but unavoidably leads to paradoxes of sustainability in actual practises. The argument is supported by a longitudinal study on 12 major mega-events held or to be held in Chinese metropolises. Narratively, Chinese government's articulation of sustainability declared by international organisations of top mega-events has evolved technocratic and inclusive. Practically, amongst the three variants of sustainability, economic sustainability, and environmental sustainability appear to work better than social sustainability. Findings of this research call for clarified narratives and concrete measures to guide mega-event practises.

Carsharing Business Models’ Strategizing Mindsets Regarding Environmental Sustainability

Carsharing is seen as one of the most promising business model innovations for transforming the mobility system towards sustainability. Yet, carsharing businesses are faced with similar sustainability paradoxes as business in general; whether a company’s business model is pushed towards sustainability depends on its strategizing mindset. However, few studies have addressed the strategizing mindsets of carsharing providers. The present study addresses this gap with an empirical assessment of (1) the relevance of environmental sustainability in the strategies of carsharing corporations compared to their proclaimed vision and (2) the underlying type of strategizing mindset, i.e., corporate purpose and vision. In using a Sustainability Balanced Scorecard approach in a reversed manner, accompanied by an objective hermeneutic methodology, we reconstructed strategy maps out of two distinct carsharing business models, unveiling for each company its strategic reasoning, its understanding of corporate purpose and its underlying strategizing mindset. The results reveal that none of the carsharing businesses follow a mindset that orients their strategy to a systems-based view and accordingly do not provide solutions to environmental problems. The study not only adds to our understanding of carsharing companies, it also introduces a conceptual framework that allows the investigation of purpose in comparison to vision, revealing a company’s strategizing mindset.

Introduction: “The Unexpected Caribbean” Part II

Introduction: “The Unexpected Caribbean” Part II

A Conceptual Model of Sustainability Paradox Governance

Managing sustainability in for-profit organizations can give rise to multiple tensions, including tensions between financial and social objectives and meeting competing stakeholder demands on the firm. Recent research into tensions created by sustainability issues suggests that framing those tensions paradoxically – as competing objectives that are interconnected and persist through time – has been shown to assist in managing those tensions and even promote innovative solutions. The purpose of this research will be to gauge how directors on boards for for-profit companies experience and embrace paradoxes related to sustainability. Specifically, it will examine how a “paradox mindset” – a willingness to embrace multiple tensions among competing objectives – relates to the types of sustainability paradoxes experienced by these board members. Based on the corporate governance, sustainability, and paradox literature, a new conceptual model and propositions are developed.

Sacrificing the local to support the national: Politics, sustainability, and governance in Nepal’s hydropower paradox

Developing run-of-the-river (ROR) hydropower can pose a sustainability paradox. The paradox can occur when countries prioritize hydropower development to achieve national-level sustainable development targets while failing to include project-affected communities in planning processes. This research developed a comparative study examining the ways social and political relations were articulated between hydropower companies and project-affected communities across 12 ROR hydropower sites in the Gandaki River basin of Nepal. The study details how the introduction of hydropower can feasibly offer local communities coveted benefits such as increased water and electricity access and availability. Outcomes of ROR hydropower development, however, were not uniform across study sites and spatially uneven development was manifest. Consequently, many of Nepal’s ROR hydropower projects exacerbate social and political inequalities in Nepal’s mountain river basins, which in turn fuel hydropower driven conflicts. Drawing on theories of global change, energy justice, and political ecology, this research highlights opportunities currently being neglected in Nepal to bring local communities into processes linked to national sustainable development goals and targets and to address injustices embedded in the development of ROR hydropower resources.

Last-mile logistics in the sharing economy: sustainability paradoxes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore sustainability paradoxes in sharing economy initiatives by focusing on logistics management in last-mile logistics.Design/methodology/approachIn this exploratory study, a total of 10 case studies were conducted in three categories of companies: anti-waste platforms, food delivery platforms and bicycle delivery companies. Twenty-seven face-to-face interviews with founders and/or managers and contractors (couriers, logistics service providers or volunteers) were the primary source of data collection. The heterogeneity of the sample enabled the authors to build an understanding of sustainability paradoxes in the logistics of sharing economy initiatives.FindingsThe findings indicate how logistics management impacts the sustainability of sharing economy initiatives in last-mile delivery. The authors identify seven paradoxical tensions (five of them social) generated by the contradictions between the organizations' promised environmental and social values and the impacts of their operations.Research limitations/implicationsThis exploratory research is based on a qualitative study of 10 cases and 27 interviews from heterogeneous samples; further empirical research is needed to ensure generalization.Practical implicationsThe paper increases the understanding of environmental and social paradoxical tensions and awareness of logistics challenges.Social implicationsThe paper helps identify ways to reconcile promised values and impacts generated by sharing economy initiatives while managing last-mile delivery.Originality/valueThe results enrich the literature about the paradoxes in sharing economy initiatives by providing illustrations in last-mile logistics and exposing the underlying challenges for sharing economy logistics actors.

Towards A Conceptual Framework of Sustainable Practices of Post-consumer Textile Waste at Garment End of Lifecycle: A Systematic Literature Review Approach

Fashion is characterised by rapidly changing trends and consumption patterns which have led to complexities and dynamism of the fashion supply chain (SC). Excessive generation of wastes highlights the need for innovative ways to address unsustainable practices by feeding the waste back into the supply chain system. This paper reviews the extant literature on sustainability within the fashion industry’s supply chain to establish available sustainability practices to manage post-consumer textile waste (PCTW) at garment end of lifecycle. Four sustainable practices emerged from the review—education and engagement, recovery and redistribution, reuse, and recycling—and are central to a framework that shows the interaction of garment end of lifecycle practices and could the achievement of strategic competitive advantage. Our findings emphasise the importance for interaction and collaboration between consumers and retailers and further involvement of the entire supply chain. In addition, sustainability paradoxes were evident across the sustainable practices. To avoid this, for retailers are urged to shift towards cradle to cradle (closed loop) lifecycle supply chains. Furthermore, retailers should evaluate the practices they adopt by questioning their aim in the achievement of sustainability. We suggest that firms should consider the entire supply chain when adopting a sustainable practice and each agent’s role in achieving the overall outcome of sustained competitive advantage.

The Paradox of Dutch Sustainability

Sustainability in the Netherlands embodies an enormous paradox. On the one hand, the Netherlands has an international reputation as an environmentally friendly country, while on the other hand, the country perpetuates fossil fuel capitalism. This research uses a discourse analysis to draw up the context of this paradox. It expands upon the notion of Dutch sustainability, using the concept of ecological modernization and a critique on the Protestant ethic. Second, the history of land reclamation in the Netherlands is framed in the context of sacrifice zones, relating it to the contemporary practice of sea level rise adaptation and flood prevention on a global scale. This contextual approach begins to explain why this paradox of sustainability exists, and why Dutch sustainability currently does not include a notion of environmental justice.

Towards sustainable servitization: A literature review of methods and frameworks

Service-based business models have attracted growing interest as means to capture sustainable value. There is still unclear terminology and lack of understanding on how servitization can locate sustainability as central value. The purpose of this study is to consolidate the terminology and methods for servitization, to identify factors and elements that contribute to a sustainability perspective. The followed methodology includes a comprehensive literature review, further analyzed through a conceptual framework using an evidence-based approach. The findings of this study will clarify existing terminologies and frameworks while supporting the development of service-based business models that avoid the sustainability paradox of servitization.

Sustainability paradox of peri-urban regions in India – reflections on the Chennai urban region

Sustainability paradox of peri-urban regions in India – reflections on the Chennai urban region

Destination Design: A heuristic case study approach to sustainability-oriented innovation

The landscape of research outputs in tourism planning is fragmented and multi-disciplinary. Design as a meta-discipline has the power to integrate sectoral thought and inject creativity, non-linear thought and transdisciplinarity into planning processes, particularly when tackling sustainability challenges. This paper defines Destination Design as a novel framework capable of evolving the concepts of spatial and participatory planning using the design thinking cognitive style to address sustainability paradoxes. The features of Destination Design are explored through the unique case study of sustainability-oriented innovation in the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site. Results show that design thinking can be invaluable for pioneering pro-sustainability initiatives. Further, creative forms of engagement might encourage the acceptance and support of local transformations, but are difficult to implement.

Paradox of sustainability in tobacco control in Thailand: A comprehensive assessment of three-decade experiences.

Over the past 3 decades of tobacco control, Thailand has gained international recognition as a middle-income country with sustained achievement of declining smoking prevalence. However, the number of key Framework Convention on Tobacco Control measures implementation is still far away from the highest-level implementation. As a result, we aim to explore explanatory factors for the paradoxical phenomenon of sustainability in tobacco control in Thailand, to understand what the paradox means, why it happens, and how to take further steps in minimizing the paradox. We used a mixed-method approach comprising qualitative (review of literature and documents plus Program Sustainability Assessment Tool [PSAT] guided key informant interviews) and semi-quantitative methods (PSAT scoring, Theory of Change [TOC], and causal-loop diagram [CLD]) to synthesize all the findings from the qualitative data. Across all eight domains, sustainability scores at the local level are lower than the national level. The highest total score was in three domains: political support, partnership, and organizational capacity. The lowest total score was for the strategic planning domain. We propose a set of key strategic elements and drivers for future strategic planning. Using CLD, we capture a high-level view of tobacco control with dynamic interactions between contexts, mechanisms, interventions, and outcomes. We believe the deep understanding of tobacco control and the proposed strategy to counteract transnational tobacco companies in Thailand will guide future sustainable actions to reduce the prevalence of smoking, especially in the strategic planning domain that has the lowest PSAT score.

Addressing the Sustainability Paradox: The Analysis of “Good Food” in Everyday Life

This paper investigates food consumption in terms of socio-spatial practices as complex patterns of meanings, competencies and materialities that shape daily life. The praxeological approach that we advise might improve food sustainability policies by tackling the current sustainability paradox: persisting unsustainable food consumption despite significant media coverage of food sustainability issues and considerable political attention to this matter. Acknowledging the importance of both individual action and collective conditions in shaping food routines, we argue that the sustainability paradox might be overcome through integrating the analysis of social structures and individual behavior, and consequently addressing the determinants of sustainability in daily life. To this end, we analyze narrative interviews on “good food” regarding cultural meanings, individual competencies, and diverse materialities that govern food consumption, identify common themes and discuss their relevance for food policy. We show that food is part of complex orderings of socio-spatial practices, including embodied knowledge, patterns of commensality and constraints of orchestrating daily life, which cannot be addressed appropriately by targeting individual consumption behavior only.

Energy Sustainability Paradox: Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities of Solar LED Street Lights in Sokoto, Nigeria

Sustainability, quest for greener environment and energy/cost savings are some of the driving forces for the global push in utilizing renewable energy resources for powering street lights especially those located in densely populated areas. Photo-voltaic and LED technologies are considered by many as a match made in heaven as they are essential if not mandatory for achieving these goals. For 11 years (between 2007 and 2018), there has been a significant effort by Sokoto State Government to light up streets in the central part of the city using these two technologies. Using a descriptive approach, the paper established the status, challenges and opportunities associated with solar powered Light Emitting Diode (LED) street lights in Sokoto over the 11 years period. Out of 450 installed units in the city, only 25% are functional at present. The number is also gradually diminishing. The technological, social and institutional challenges associated with managing LED street light devices in the city were equally discussed. Promises of the technology, climatic conditions of the city and current push for metropolitan security are among the potential drivers for continuous implementation of the technology in the city. However, while the available solar power in the city serves as a driving force, its association with higher temperatures makes equipment maintenance difficult thereby undermining sustainability.