Sustainability Performance Index Research Articles

IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF SUSTAINABLE HUMAN RESOURCES IN COFFEE BEAN SUPPLY IN THE SATAK COFFEE AGROINDUSTRY, KEDIRI DISTRICT

The supply of coffee beans in Indonesia involves several stakeholders, namely farmers, collectors and KUB (Joint Business Group). Sustainable supply activities are human, economic, social, environmental and technological resource management activities. The aim of this research is to analyze the sustainability performance of human resources in the supply of coffee beans in Indonesia. The data processing stage is identifying the supply of coffee beans in Indonesia. Analysis of identifying the supply of coffee beans in Indonesia, analysis of added value, measurement and assessment of the sustainable supply performance index for coffee beans. The added value of coffee bean supply was analyzed using the Hayami modification. SCOR-AHP (Supply Chain Operations Reference-Analytical Hierarchy Process) is used to measure the sustainability performance of human resources. The supply status of coffee beans is calculated using the Multi-Dimensional Scaling (MDS) technique with R software. The value added ratio for coffee farmers is low (46.58%) compared to collectors with (71.31%) and KUB (86.35% ). Farmers' supply performance is 71.99% lower than collectors with a value of 88.15% and KUB 86.77%. The economic dimension of sustainability is almost sustainable (78.39), the social dimension is sustainable (89.25), the environmental dimension is almost sustainable (79.63) and the technological dimension is almost sustainable (67.68). The aggregate value of sustainable supply shows 78.72% which means almost sustainable. This research recommends a strategy for building partnerships between coffee farmers and coffee cafes to improve performance and sustainability of the supply of coffee beans.

Quantifying synergies and trade-offs in the food-energy-soil-environment nexus under organic fertilization

Recycling livestock manure in agroecosystems can maintain crop production, improve soil fertility, and reduce environmental losses. However, there has been no comprehensive assessment of synergies and trade-offs in the food-energy-soil-environment nexus under manure application. Here, we evaluate the sustainability of maize production under four fertilization regimes (mineral, mineral and manure mixed, manure, and no fertilization) from the aspect of food security, energy output, soil quality, and environmental impact based on a five-year field experiment. Manure and mineral mixed fertilization maintained grain and straw quantity and quality compared with mineral fertilization. Manure and mineral mixed fertilization increased stem/leaf ratio and field residue index by 9.1–28.9% and 4.5–17.9%, respectively. Manure also maintained the theoretical ethanol yield but reduced the straw biomass quality index by increasing ash. Further, manure application increased the soil quality index by 40.5% and reduced N2O emissions by 55.0% compared with mineral fertilization. Manure application showed the highest sustainability performance index of 19, followed by mineral (15), mixed (13), and without fertilization (8). In conclusion, manure application maintains food production and energy output, enhances soil quality, and reduces environmental impact, thereby improving the sustainability of maize production.

Modelling the inhibitors of integrated sustainable lean manufacturing system in the South Indian SMEs using fuzzy logic

PurposeSmall and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) that operate with modest financial investments and commodities face numerous challenges to remain in business. One major philosophy used by SMEs these days is the implementation of lean manufacturing to get solutions for various issues they encounter. But is lean getting sustained over time? The purpose of this research is to design a Sustainable Lean Performance Index (SLPI) to assess the sustainability of lean systems and to pinpoint the variables that might be present as potential lean system inhibitors which hinder the sustainability of leanness.Design/methodology/approachA multi-level sustainable lean performance model is constructed and presented based on the literature research, field investigation and survey conducted by administering a questionnaire. Fuzzy logic approach is used to analyse the multi-level model.FindingsSLPI for the SMEs is found using fuzzy logic approach. Additionally, the ranking score system is applied to categorise attributes into weak and strong categories. The performance of the current lean system is determined to be “fair” based on the Euclidean distance approach and the SLPI for SMEs.Research limitations/implicationsThis work is concentrated only in South India because of the country’s vast geographical area and rich and wide diversity in industrial culture of the nation. Hence, more work can be done incorporating the other parts of the country and can analyse the lean behaviour in a comparative manner.Practical implicationsThe generalised sustainable lean model analysed using fuzzy logic identifies the inhibitors and level of performance of SMEs in South India. This can be implemented to find out the level of performance in the SMEs after a deeper study and analysis around the SMEs of the country.OriginalityThe sustainable assessment of lean parameters in the SMEs of India is found to be very less in literature, and it lacks profundity. The model established in this study assesses the sustainability of the lean methodology adopted in SMEs by considering the lean and sustainability attributes along with enablers like technology, ethics, customer satisfaction and innovation with the aid of fuzzy logic.

Sustainability in adoption of new improved rice variety innovations in West Kalimantan Province: Review of economic aspects

New Improved varieties (NIV/VUB) are the cheapest technological innovation that can make rice production enhanced. Therefore, the utilization of VUB must be maintained. The purpose of this study was to determine the sustainability status and performance index of the adopting VUB innovation and its leveraging factors in terms of the economic aspect. Information related to the factors is highly needed for the sustainable use of the VUB. The data of this study were gradually obtained. The first stage was collecting information on the economic aspects and the driving factors of the sustainability in the adoption of new superior varietal innovations by conducting focus group discussions (FGDs). The second stage was interviewing experts about conditions and predictions of the driving factors. Multi-Aspect Sustainable Analysis (MSA) was applied to analyse the sustainability status and the factors. The results revealed sustainable adoption of the VUB concerning economic aspects. Moreover, performance of the economic aspects will increase in the future in terms of encouraging the sustainability of the adoption with assuming that conditions are unchanged despite the absence of the government intervention. The biggest driving factor of the economic aspect is credit granting.

Growing cover crop mixtures are more sustainable than single cover crop in continuous cotton cropping: Comprehensive assessment from 3-year field experiment

Cover cropping combined with nitrogen (N) application reduction is considered as an attractive practice due to increasing resources use efficiency while improving soil health and cash crop productivity. Yet comprehensive assessment studies have rarely been reported from energy, environmental, economic and ecological perspectives under different cover cropping systems. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted during 2019–2022 with four N application rates (i.e., 0 (N0), 112.5 (N1), 168.75 (N2) and 225 (N3, as a control) kg N hm−2) under four cover cropping systems (i.e., continuous cotton (CC), Orychophragmus violaceus with cotton (OC), Vicia villosa with cotton (VC), and an Orychophragmus violaceus and Vicia villosa mixture with cotton (MC) relay intercropping). Field observations were incorporated into a life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental footprint, energy flow, ecosystem service value and economic and ecosystem economic benefits. Relay intercropping cover crops can reduce the carbon footprint per unit area (CFa) by 36.7%, increase the ecosystem service value by 64.4% and ecosystem economic benefits by 7.8% compared with the CC system, in which MC system had better performance than OC and VC systems at above aspects. N application rates notably increased net energy, CFa, NFa, ecosystem service value, and ecosystem economic benefits. After considering the comprehensive index of energy, environment, the economy and the ecosystem economy, the sustainability performance index of MCN2 (Orychophragmus violaceus and Vicia villosa mixture/cotton relay intercropping with 168.75 kg N hm−2) combination increase by 51.7% compared to all treatments average. Taken together, the study results demonstrated that introducing cover crop mixture into monoculture cotton was more sustainable and cleaner cotton production practice than sing cover crop or fallow in the Yellow River basin and other regions with similar ecological conditions.

SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Sustainable Balanced Scorecard (SBSC), Organizational Sustainability Performance Index (OSPI), and Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE) are all tools that help organizations measure and manage their sustainability performance. SBSC integrates sustainability considerations into traditional performance management systems, while OSPI and ISE provide sustainability performance benchmarks for organizations to assess their sustainability performance and identify areas for improvement. These indicators reflect a growing emphasis on measuring and managing sustainability performance in organizations and are likely to become increasingly important as stakeholders demand more transparency and accountability in sustainability reporting. Sustainable Management System (SMS), Environmental Management Accounting (EMA), Sustainability Management Accounting (SMA), and the Composite Index of Sustainable Development (ICSD) are all indicators that reflect the growing emphasis on sustainable practices and accounting frameworks in today’s business and economic. SMS helps organizations integrate sustainability considerations into their operations, while EMA and SMA provide tools for identifying and measuring the environmental and social costs and benefits of business activities. ICSD measures a country’s progress towards sustainable development based on various economic, social, and environmental indicators. These indicators suggest a growing recognition of the importance of sustainability in economic development and decision-making processes, and are likely to become increasingly important as organizations and governments continue to prioritize sustainability.

Sustainability performance evaluation of fruit chip SMEs

Due to increasing competition in various business sectors, business actors must adopt modern and effective management methods and tools to maintain their competitive advantage. Sustainability indicators are a key factor in maintaining competitive advantage and successful performance of Fruit Chips SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) in Malang City. This study adds environmental and social perspectives as part of the sustainability balanced scorecard (SBSC), so that performance measurement is identified using six perspectives. This study contributes to theory and practice by creating a model to measure the sustainability of the performance of Fruit Chips SMEs. Then, the results of the calculation of the sustainability performance index are classified based on the sustainability category so that the sustainability status of the Fruit Chips SMEs can be obtained by 87%. This percentage is included in the category of good sustainability performance.

Does financial inclusion index and energy performance index co-move?

Financing strategies and energy performance have been extensively studied previously, and researchers frequently overlook the co-movements of integration of financial inclusion and energy performance index in the E7 Context. To address this gap, current research estimates the co-movement between the financial inclusion index and sustainable energy performance index to reflect the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. Our findings show that in E7 economies, China exceeds the other nations in terms of energy performance. With a steady score, Russia is second in the group. Indonesia and Turkey are respectively fourth and fifth, and their total results show excellent prospective performances for sustainability. Mexico and Brazil follow this ranking with bad results and the lowest scores reported in the study results. The study findings are helpful for policy formulation and assessment. The study presented recommendations about financial inclusion and energy management practices in COVID-19 and delivered insights about the energy performance index in E7 economies.

Assessing Social Sustainability Performance in Textile Industry using Integrated Fuzzy Best-Worst Method and Fuzzy Inference System

The main purpose of the research primarily focused on the development of sustainable social indicators and to test their usefulness and applicability in the Nigerian textile sector in terms of social performance. The integrated Fuzzy Best-Worst method (FBWM) and Fuzzy inference system (FIS) was presented to aid in the evaluation of these indicators. The outcomes demonstrate that employee rights received the highest score of 0.206 in the study. Employee rights are regarded as the most crucial and critical factor. Furthermore, among the indicators, fair salary has the highest global weight. The case company's sustainability performance index was 0.248, which was in the "poor" performance category. A case study was conducted in a Nigerian textile industry to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method. These findings will assist managers and policymakers in the textile manufacturing industry, particularly in emerging economies such as Nigeria, in developing strategies to lay the groundwork for social sustainability and transition to truly sustainable textile manufacturing industry.

Održiva evaluacija učinka organizacije korišćenje balansiranih kartica uspeha i analitičko hijerarhijskog procesa

The present study uses the Analytic Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy Comprehensive method to evaluate the sustainable performance index with different sustainable dimensions on organisational performance measures. Limited integration methods available, inadequate exploration of sustainable dimensions, insufficient attention to key performance indicators, and lack of comparative studies have prompted the present study. This empirical study reveals that a balanced scorecard can be effectively applied to an aerospace organisation for sustainable performance evaluation. It is essential to select proper key performance indicators for a performance measuring system. This paper presents the study carried out on the sustainable performance evaluation in an aerospace organization in the Indian context and found the sustainability of the Organisation as moderate Level. The survey also identifies the Levels of different segments such as learning and growth, internal business, social and environmental dimensions, finance, customer dimension, etc. Suggestions are also included for the improvement of levels of various segments. The paper also covers the impact of locational differences or product segments on sustainable performance.

Toward the development of an Islamic banking sustainability performance index

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to suggest a model that yields a sustainability performance index for Islamic banks (IBs). This index is expected to account for stakeholders’ viewpoints while considering sustainability and Maqasid Al-Shariah as bases.Design/methodology/approachFirst, based on the relevant literature review refined through consultations with academic, banking and Shariah experts, the main stakeholders and their corresponding lists of relevant attributes and sub-attributes are identified. Then, adopting a multi-attribute utility approach and based on a second step of interviews with experts, an aggregated index is suggested. Finally, the developed index is applied to five famous Islamic banking groups over the period 2005–2019.FindingsEmpirical evidence shows that the banks used in the implementation do not achieve high scores of the suggested index. This can be interpreted through a lack of Islamic normative aspects and low adherence to sustainability practices. Specifically, they are not functioning on a justice basis and are deficient in providing sufficient varieties of Islamic products. They are also more interested in economic sustainability and are not involved in environmental and social ones.Originality/valueThe developed index not only considers the compliance of the banking activities with Shariah, but it also addresses their sustainability from the main stakeholders’ perspectives. The suggested model provides a transparent performance evaluation tool for IBs omitting all causes of conflict of interests and certifies the fairness of the resulting assessments.

Sustainability-driven optimization of ultrasonic atomization-assisted micro milling process with ceramic matrix composite

The micro milling of ceramic matrix composites poses huge challenges in machining process as the anisotropic characteristic, strength-to-weight ratio and high cutting temperature. Apart from that, the emission and disposal of lubrication liquids have a negative impact on the environment conservation. In order to acquire better machinability of ceramic matrix composites, a new micro milling technique integrated with ultrasonic atomization based on water-based lubricating agent and coolant is presented in this work. Correspondingly, the novel sustainability-driven optimization framework of machining parameters is developed for the proposed ultrasonic atomization-assisted micro milling operation. The integration criteria of sustainability assessment with manufacturing process and machined product have been investigated in the technical, economic and environmental aspects, in which tool remaining useful life, stochastic machining process variables, surface quality of machine product, machining cost and carbon emission are included. The estimation accuracy of the related sustainability criteria are validated with a series of machining conditions. The proposed tool remaining useful life prediction method can significantly improve the ultimate life of micro cutting tool, the average prediction errors of cutting forces, energy consumption and surface roughness are 11.83%, 9.60% and 11.02%, meanwhile, the machining cost and carbon emission can also be reduced with ultrasonic atomization lubrication compared to those under flood fluids. Then, on the basis of the overall sustainability criteria, the multi-objective optimization framework is carried out to obtain the optimal machining parameters with the improved cuckoo search methodology, wherein the dimensionality of multiple variables is reduced by the principal component analysis. The comparison results about preferred and optimal machining parameters, and the related radial diagram of integral sustainability performance index validate that the sustainability performance of ultrasonic atomization-assisted micro milling operation could be enhanced by the proposed comprehensive optimization framework. The developed sustainability-driven optimization system offers a basis for the sustainable micro manufacturing technique of difficult-to-cut composite materials.

Farm-scale practical strategies to reduce carbon footprint and emergy while increasing economic benefits in crop production in the North China plain

How to achieve China's “Carbon Peak” and “Carbon Neutrality” targets in the agriculture sector is crucial but still remains challenging. This study thus aims to assess the effects of crop rotations and farm size with optimized nitrogen (N) rate on carbon footprint (CF), emergy and economic benefits to promote agricultural transformation in the North China Plain (NCP) based on 792 on-farm questionnaires. Our results showed that the CF and emergy of wheat ( Triticum aestivum Linn.)-soybean ( Glycine max (Linn.) Merr.) was 32–45% and 20–21% lower than that of wheat-maize ( Zea mays Linn.) and wheat-peanut ( Arachis hypogaea Linn.) mainly due to reduced N application by the biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and pre-crop effects of soybean, while the farming net income (FNI) was lowest in the wheat-soybean mainly because of the low soybean yield. Furthermore, the sustainability performance index (SPI) was highest for wheat-soybean while lowest for wheat-maize. Large-size farms (LF, larger than 3.3 ha) efficiently reduced N rate without negatively influencing crop yield, thus decreasing CF and emergy compared to smallholders (SF, smaller than 3.3 ha), and the total farming profit was much higher in the LF due to the scale effect. Our results indicated that the joint application of increased soybean planting area in concert with larger farm size using optimized N rate was beneficial for reducing CF and emergy, but also increasing crop production in the NCP. However, low soybean yield was the critical factor that constrained soybean planting area in the NCP. We suggest that practical, cost-effective strategies to increase soybean yield with concurrent financial subsidies are urgently required to maximize the eco-benefits of wheat-soybean rotation in promoting agricultural green development in the NCP. • The carbon footprint (CF) and emergy was lowest in wheat-soybean. • The sustainability performance index (SPI) was highest in wheat-soybean. • Large-size farms induced lower CF and emergy compared to smallholders. • Optimizing crop rotations with larger farm size and better N managements should be beneficial for SDGs.

An Integrated DPSIR-SD Framework for Sustainability Assessment of Roads in Australia

The Australian Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) Summit in 2018 attracted much-needed national attention towards environmental goals and targets compared with other aspects of sustainability. Road infrastructure is the backbone of modern society and plays a crucial role in accomplishing a targeted balance between these aspects of sustainability and achieving the SDGs. This article presents an integrated sustainability performance assessment methodology that acts as a decision support tool. A series of two conceptual modelling techniques—drivers—pressure—state—impact—response (DPSIR) and system dynamics (SD)—is employed, with the cause-and-effect relationships of the sustainability indicators developed utilising the DPSIR framework, and a quantitative analysis carried out through a subsequent SD model. The end result is the generation of a Sustainability Performance Index (SPI) for road infrastructure created by analysing the SD model and DPSIR index layer relationship. The benefits and applicability of the proposed methodology are validated through case study analysis. The overall aim is to determine restricting factors and response strategies influencing road infrastructure and transport sustainability performance during the operation and maintenance phase. Thus, a significant contribution is made through the proposed methodology for assessing factors influencing the long-term achievement of the SDGs.

Energy Sustainability Performance Index of Biodigester Using Energy LCA-Based Indicators

Nowadays, it is still difficult to measure organizations’ performances due to the complexity of energy systems, their multiple functions, and the usage of unclear indicators. Organizations need to consider energy issues to contribute to sustainability. This paper aims to develop a methodology for measuring energy sustainability performance for a biogas plant, but the idea of the study is to establish to which degree the methodology may be substituted for the traditional methods based on multicriteria decision-making, which are used for sustainability assessment. Hence, the evaluation performance method combines fuzzy numbers, linguistic scale, and energy life-cycle indicators. The evaluation is carried out for the biodigester, presenting its results in terms of energy sustainability performance index for two scenarios (p and q) considering the three-dimensional sustainability structure. The results pictured that the value of energy sustainability performance index q (0.382) is relatively lower than the index achieved for scenario p (0.815). Biodigester for scenario q does not demonstrate a positive perspective on a transition toward energy sustainability. The presented methodology is a new simple method aimed at replacing the current energy performance assessments into a technology evaluation solution considering uncertainties, which is not supported by the software. The suggested energy life cycle analysis indicators could be used to evaluate similarly sized biogas plants across countries. They might be also used for prioritization of plants modeling various energy parameters or inspirational for energy decision-makers to deliver more flexible and reliable outcomes within an uncertain environment.

Ontologies representing multidisciplinary decision-making rationales for sustainable infrastructure developments

• Two ontologies are developed for multidisciplinary decision-making. • A tuple of 〈DMs〉, 〈DC〉, 〈DAs〉, and 〈SPIs〉 is proposed to represent MDM rationales. • They specify heterogeneous decision preferences in evaluating sustainability. • They are validated using case studies as formal, comprehensive, and reusable. • They serve as a decision support system for infrastructure professionals. A multidisciplinary decision-making (MDM) process is required for sustainable infrastructure developments in early design stage of integrated project delivery. Decision makers from multiple disciplines employ heterogeneous decision criteria when evaluating decision alternatives for the project developments. This results in uncertainty in alternative prioritization as the scoring ranges of sustainable performance indexes for those alternatives are indistinguishable. This study has formalized the rationales of decision coordinators for converting scores of sustainability performance indexes assessed by decision makers to the normalized ones based on their preferred decision criteria in a consistent and collective manner. Two ontologies have been formalized, which include 45 classes, 119 properties, 50 sub-properties and their facets. The ontologies are validated using three cases of sustainable infrastructure developments. Validation results indicate that they are formal, comprehensive, and reusable in representing MDM rationales, i.e., the interrelationships among decision makers, decision criteria, decision alternatives, and sustainability performance index. Theoretically, these two ontologies contribute to the Triple Bottom Line theory and social choice theory by specifying heterogeneous decision preferences in evaluating sustainable infrastructure developments. For practical implications, the developed ontologies serve as a computer-readable decision support tool to systematically store and communicate MDM information between multidisciplinary professionals in infrastructure project management.

Cumulative Sustainability Performance Index of Contractors and Consultants: Toward a Prequalification System

AbstractDelivery of sustainable buildings requires infusing sustainability criteria into project decisions. Hiring a suitable contractor and consultant for the delivery of green buildings is critic...

An intelligent sustainability evaluation system of micro milling

Micro milling is widely used to manufacture complex miniature structure with high quality, and the related sustainability evaluation is a complicated multi-factor decision-making problem. This paper proposes an intelligent system for evaluating sustainability performance of micro milling process based on the principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm and the back propagation (BP) neural network. As a critical influence factor of sustainability evaluation, the non-linear micro cutting tool life can be predicted by integrating the particle filter (PF) algorithm and the long short-term memory (LSTM) network based on the stochastic tool wear. Then, the systematical sustainability assessment metrics of micro milling process are analyzed in the environmental, economic and social perspectives. Considering the nonlinearity and complexity of sustainability evaluation, the intelligent integrated PCA-BP evaluation method is used to improve the calculation efficiency and simply the evaluation process, in which the dimension of multiple sustainability evaluation factors is reduced by the PCA algorithm. The micro milling experiments with workpiece material Al6061 were conducted to validate the feasibility of the proposed intelligent evaluation methodology. The intelligent sustainability evaluation results agree with the traditional weighted sustainability performance index analysis on the basis of the manner “higher is better”. For the proposed intelligent integrated PCA-BP evaluation method, the training steps reduced from 65 times to 38 times and the prediction accuracy increased from 82.57% to 90.59% compared to the traditional BP network. The comparison results showed that the proposed intelligent integrated PCA-BP evaluation method can obtain the sustainability evaluation value automatically with high efficiency and practicability, and it also provides the decision-making base for the micro milling process optimization.

Corporate sustainability performance throughout the firm life cycle: Case of Egypt

The role of corporations in society is an age-old debate among practitioners and academics. The corporations’ primary goal is to excel, prosper, and expand financially is no longer suitable for the community. Unfortunately, the need for financial prosperity leads to hazardous workplaces, chemical exposure, and urban decay. Therefore, companies now view internal and external corporate responsibility as a critical business strategy for sustainable management. Thus, examining the impact of firm life cycle stages on business activities, notably sustainability programs and CSR investments, can shed light on a company’s CSR initiatives and sustainability choices. This study uses 420 firm-year data samples from 2013 till 2018 in examining the association between CSR proxied by corporate sustainability performance (CSP) index and firm life cycle for firms listed in the S&P/EGX ESG index. A thorough search of the relevant literature shows that this is the first study to demonstrate this association in Egypt empirically. Our findings show a significant relationship between CSP and firm life cycle stages. The results also show that the firm life cycle has greater explanatory power for CSP levels than previously thought. Therefore, organizations should choose and implement CSR initiatives based on their life cycle stage to ensure long-term value and growth

Selecting the best logistics service providers by evaluating the sustainability performance using AHP and linear programming problem

Many manufacturers and retailers often outsource their logistics functions to logistics service providers (LSPs) to focus more on their core business process. Due to the competitiveness and the popularity of the sustainability concept, those organisations evaluate their prospective LSPs not only based on economic aspects but also social and environmental aspects. This paper proposes a framework that can be used by organisations when evaluating and selecting LSPs based on their sustainability performance. A composite sustainability performance index (CSPI) is constructed, incorporating multiple dimensions and indicators related to economic, social, and environmental aspects, which are widely used to measure sustainability performance. A linear programming (LP) model is then proposed, which allows the organisations to decide the desired number of LSPs after considering all requirements and limitations. The proposed framework is flexible as it depends on the sustainability requirements of the organisation when selecting LSPs.