Triple Bottom Line Sustainability Research Articles

Think Twice to Achieve a Sustainable Project Management: From Ecological Sustainability towards the Sustainable Project Management Cube Model

This work aims at contributing to a new Sustainable Project Management (SPM) paradigm, focusing on the role of project managers as a key element. The contribution of this research has both practical and theoretical implications. It presents the first results of a project developed under the Erasmus+ program Think Twice, recommending a set of ecological practices to motivate and develop project managers’ skills to adopt Sustainable Project Management. Subsequently, supported by a literature review and content analysis of the data collected for this project, an original conceptual model is presented: the Project Management Triple Sustainability Cube. This tool is intended to guide project managers on their journey to sustainability in project management, comprehensively and systematically. To this end, the tool outlines guidelines for adopting comprehensive practices according to the triple bottom line sustainability vectors (environmental, social, and economic) relating to people, processes, and innovative solutions (go/no digital) throughout the project life cycle.

Quality characteristic extraction for complex products with multi-granular fuzzy language based on the triple bottom lines of sustainability

Advanced product optimization design methods can greatly improve the market competitiveness of enterprises in manufacturing industry and promote the sustainable development of economy, society and environment. Quality characteristic is the carrier of product quality and closely related to sustainable product design. To manage reasonably the environmental, economic and social goals in actual product design, this paper proposes a quality characteristic extraction method for complex products with multi-granular fuzzy language based on the triple bottom lines of sustainability. Satisfaction evaluation of a customer group expressed in multi-granular fuzzy language is given full consideration with the adoption of dominant granular structures. Interval rough number (IRN) is employed for product quality function development (QFD) to fully retain the calculation simplicity of rough sets and expression flexibility of interval numbers in the correlation transformation between customer requirements and quality characteristics. A multi-objective optimization model for the quality characteristic extraction of complex products is established according to the triple bottom lines of sustainability, and an improved fruit fly optimization algorithm with the segmented variable step size is designed to solve it efficiently. Lastly, the rationality and effectiveness of the proposed method are demonstrated by the case study of a computer numerical control (CNC) machine tool.

What Are Best Practices in Impact Measurement to Support Organisations in Measuring the Triple Bottom Line of Sustainability?

What Are Best Practices in Impact Measurement to Support Organisations in Measuring the Triple Bottom Line of Sustainability?

Developing Theoretical Sustainable Building Material Selection Framework for Ethiopia

The construction industry regarded as one of the pivotal aspects of achieving the objectives of sustainable development in communities. In this regard, the choice of building materials is one of the challenges in order to improve program performance with respect to sustainable development, and the use of sustainable materials is an effective step towards achieving sustainable construction. Selection of sustainable building materials represents an important strategy in the design and construction of buildings in Ethiopia. One of the principal challenges is the process of prioritizing and aggregating relevant criteria into a selection framework. Therefore, the purpose of this framework in building projects is to look at the complexity of the interactions between sustainability building materials and architects and to set up a knowledge-based decision support system. After conducting a thorough literature review, case study (BREEAM, LEED, CASBEE, LBC, and G-SEED), questionnaire, and discussion with selected experts, 27 sustainable building material selection criteria items identified based on the sustainable triple bottom line. A survey of Ethiopian architectural firms was conducted to capture their awareness of sustainable building materials. A total of 199 registered offices, based on Ethiopia's construction ministry in 2021. From among these, 51 offices chosen, as a sample size randomly. One of the study's limitations is that it excludes other stakeholders, such as the client, who may have an influence on material selection. Another drawback is that since elements are used to organize materials and components, Ratings are thus based solely on product performance within each constituent group. On the other hand, this study excluded several items. For example, "products" such as lighting, water fixtures, HVAC, and electrical fixtures are not included.

The Percentage Result, as Well as a Critical Review of the Common Characteristics of Various Sustainable Building Material Selection Frameworks

There are various frameworks for selecting sustainable building materials around the globe. However, it is difficult to get literature that describes their common characteristics, so the purpose of this paper is to try to provide a general framework for architects, and designers based on the literature review only. After conducting a thorough and systematic literature review, the number of observations for each data point shown as a percentage frequency distribution, which typically represented using tables. The process of creating a percentage frequency distribution entails first determining the total number of sustainable building material selection categories (such as economic, environmental, technical, social, and so on) to be represented, then identifying sustainable building material items (subcategories) within each category based on different authors' ideas to be represented. Finally, a general framework for sustainable building material selection developed. Finally, the proposed framework, which based on the sustainable triple bottom line concept, includes three dimensions: different authors frequently select economics (72%), environment (54%), and social (36%). Alternatively, it convert into a percentage of a hundred, it will be 44.50%, 33.3%, and 22.2%, respectively. As a result, we can conclude that when a designer selects a material, it is better to consider the three critical dimensions that are economic, environmental, and social factors.

Life cycle sustainability assessment of road infrastructure: a building information modeling-(BIM) based approach

A significant share of federal and regional infrastructure budgets is spent on constructing, maintaining, repairing, and replacing road infrastructure. Due to its magnitude, sustainable road construction practices can support national sustainable development goals (e.g. The Federal Sustainable Development Strategy of Canada). However, the quest for sustainable road construction practices has been hindered by the lack of expertise, information, and resources. The advent of building information modeling (BIM) provides more extensive access to functional and physical data of construction material. Published literature has overlooked BIM-based methods that facilitate the life cycle sustainability evaluation of road construction techniques. This paper presents a methodological framework for life cycle thinking-based road infrastructure evaluation. This framework compares the life cycle sustainability performance of alternative road pavement construction methods. A BIM-based visual program has been created to automate the proposed framework. The program was demonstrated by comparing three road construction methods for a collector road. Results indicated that geomembrane road is the best solution based on the triple bottom line of sustainability. The proposed Life cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) framework, a BIM-based tool, and the implementation road map will assist infrastructure managers in selecting the most sustainable road construction method that will consequently support United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

A Decision Framework for Solar PV Panels Supply Chain in Context of Sustainable Supplier Selection and Order Allocation

Sustainable supplier selection and order allocation (SSSOA) is paramount to sustainable supply chain management. It is a complex multi-dimensional decision-making process augmented with the triple bottom line of sustainability. This research presents a multi-phase decision framework to address a SSSOA problem for the multi-echelon renewable energy equipment (Solar PV Panels) supply chain. The framework comprises of fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision-Making techniques augmented with fuzzy multi-objective mixed-integer non-linear programming mathematical model. The various economic, environmental, and social objectives were optimized for a multi-period, multi-modal transportation network of the supply chain. The results show that among the various sustainable criteria selected in this study, product cost, environmental management system, and health and safety rights of employees are the most important for decision-makers. The results of the mathematical model highlighted the impact of multimodal transportation on overall cost, time, and environmental impact for all periods. An analysis of results revealed that transfer cost and customer clearance cost contribute significantly towards overall cost. Furthermore, defect rate was also observed to play a critical role in supplier selection and order allocation.

Circular economy and second-hand firms: Integrating ownership structures

Sustainable management of materials and resources provides sustainable solutions that form the basis for a circular economy (CE). However, there is limited empirical research that represents the effects of business models on the triple bottom line of sustainability and ultimately contribute to the implementation of CE systems. Therefore, in this study, we aim to explore the role of second-hand firms with different ownership structures and their specific impact in promoting CE. A multiple case study based on semi-structured interviews was conducted in Finland. Findings show that ownership structures and the underlying motivations determine the societal legitimacy and transparency of the second-hand firms that in turn contribute to reducing the environmental burden and improving societal well-being locally. Similarly, results reveal that collaborative approaches among second-hand firms and other stakeholders might improve the circular flow of products and materials, ultimately contributing to the implementation of CE. The main contribution of this study is that it highlights the role of second-hand firms and their ownership structures on the implementation of CE systems at the local level and therefore moves away from traditional business models where production firms are usually the unit of analysis.

Decision support framework for integrating triple bottom line (TBL) sustainability in agriculture supply chain

PurposeThis paper aims to address the conceptual and practical challenges in integrating triple bottom line (TBL) sustainability in the agriculture supply chain (ASC). It identifies the key enablers for each of the three dimensions of TBL sustainability, analyses their causal relationships as well as cross-dimensional interactions under each TBL dimension. Further, it develops a decision support framework (DSF) for the assessment of TBL sustainability practices and policies in ASC and validates it through a case study.Design/methodology/approachAn interpretive structure modelling (ISM) methodology is deployed to establish the interrelationships among all TBL enablers and to identify the enablers with high driving power on sustainable ASC. Brainstorming by a group of experts was used to identify the relevant enables. Finally, a DSF was developed as a resultant of ISM.FindingsThe paper provides a set of enablers with high driving power that can significantly influence the sustainability practices and policies in ASC. The social enablers directly help to enhance the effect of economic enablers and collectively these enhance the effect of environmental enablers. If agriculture firms and supply chains design innovative policies and develop practices based on these enablers, they can achieve sustainable ASC. Consequently, the living standards of the people directly or indirectly associated with the agriculture firm or supply chain can be improved without compromising on economic performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper consolidates the fragmented knowledge of sustainable supply chain management in the agriculture sector and suggests a DSF to policymakers, managers and practitioners for assessing TBL sustainability practices and policies. The DSF has wide applicability in other sectors of production and operations management as these sectors also face the challenge of achieving TBL sustainability across their supply chain.Practical implicationsThe DSF, developed in the paper, is a useful tool for practitioners to frame and analyse sustainability initiatives and policies for ASC. A firm or supply chain may achieve TBL sustainability if it succeeds in uplifting the social status of its stakeholders.Social implicationsIt is a first step towards addressing the practical challenge of integrating sustainability in the agriculture sector of emerging economies and provides a path to improve the livelihood of people in the agriculture sector. Stakeholder engagement with a focus on collaboration and awareness may lead to the desired social and environmental consequences. Potential adverse social effects also need to be considered.Originality/valueThis paper focusses on the so far rather neglected but essential aspect of integrating TBL sustainability in the agriculture sector of emerging economies. The hierarchal representation and classification of the TBL sustainability enablers of sustainability is a unique effort in the field of ASC. Development of DSF is one of the first attempts to create a mapping between various enablers of TBL sustainability. The novelty of the study lies in the sector-specific, holistic evaluation of TBL sustainability policy measures that may lead to improvements in practice.

Three-echelon apparel supply chain coordination with triple bottom line approach

PurposeAn apparel supply chain primarily consists of geographically distant suppliers, manufacturers and retailers. The coordination among the members of the supply chain becomes difficult when we consider the triple bottom line of sustainability in it. Moreover, the complexity increases with the change in dominance power of the respective members. However, the task of managing the channel further becomes complicated after incorporating sustainability and dominance power simultaneously into the supply chain. To fill this gap, this paper focuses on designing of mechanism and demonstration of three-echelon model to coordinate sustainable supply chain.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the noncooperative game theoretic method has been applied for the exploration of models. The various structures of the centralized and decentralized supply chain are considered on the basis of a player's dominance power. The model uses simultaneous and sequential move games to analyze optimal profit of supply chain agents, total channel profit, green innovation level and corporate social innovation level.FindingsAnalytical results show that simultaneous game performs better than the sequential game. The consumer sensitivity toward green and social innovations increases total channel profit. We also proposed a linear two-part tariff contract model. The proposed model enhances the sustainability level and leads to perfect channel coordination. Using a numerical example, we present the effectiveness of multiple game structures under centralized and decentralized settings. The results reveal that channel efficiency is the highest in the two-part tariff contract followed by a simultaneous move game structure and lower in the cases of sequential move game.Research limitations/implicationsIn this research, model setting are deterministic and there is no any information asymmetry. Therefore researchers are encouraged to study multiechelon sustainable supply chain coordination models under stochastic and information asymmetry settings.Practical implicationsThe paper includes implications for the development of sustainable supply chain coordination model to tackle the problems of dominance power, sustainability issues and lower channel efficiency of supply chain.Originality/valueThis study proposes game-theory-based three-echelon sustainable supply chain for the channel coordination.

A Pythagorean Fuzzy Approach for Sustainable Supplier Selection Using TODIM

Several firms have become increasingly concerned with sustainability in recent decades and are thus implementing environmental and social changes in their businesses and supply networks. This article aims to assess suppliers based on green design, corporate social responsibility, energy consumption, and other sustainability factors that might aid the growth of a company. Characteristics used in this study will help to accomplish economic, environmental, and social responsibility for organizations to reduce global warming and natural resource depletion. We have used the data given in the article of Zolfani et al. by implementing Pythagorean fuzzy TODIM (an acronym in Portuguese for iterative multicriteria decision making) to calculate the rank of suppliers based on the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) sustainability framework. Both TODIM and PF-TODIM are simple to compute, stable, consistent, and accurate, but we have proved by calculations why Pythagorean fuzzy TODIM should be chosen over TODIM in such situations, where decision makers do not have access to a reliable data source. Finally, we performed a sensitivity analysis on both TODIM and PF-TODIM, and the results bolstered the utility of the model.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABILITY IMPLEMENTATION FOR BUSINESS CORPORATIONS

Sustainability is the current trend adopted by major business corporations in Malaysia. Abundant evidence reveals corporations are now recognizing that aligning business operation with sustainable ways adds more value. Previous literature shows sustainability has become a strategic imperative for all businesses. Apart from that, having a sustainable building in their asset portfolio contributes towards achieving the management strategic corporate goals. Therefore, this research aims to discuss what are the corporate goals or corporate expectations from going green. In conjunction with that, secondary data collection was thoroughly reviewed from previous studies. Then, primary data consolidates via questionnaire distribution on 117 persons directly involved in green management. The data then analyzed via relative importance index (RII) to identify the importance level for expected corporate goals. Derivation of deeper conceptual findings uses the sustainable triple bottom line theory as a guide. The result indicates four major goals of corporations including the environment, maximization of economic value, and minimization of economic and social costs. This research provides ample evidence for further research in green management.

Lean & Green on Industry 4.0 Context – Contribution to Understand L&G Drivers and Design Principles

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the implementation of Lean & Green (L&G) in an Industry 4.0 (I4.0) environment can enhance the potential impact of the L&G approach and help manufacturing companies moving towards higher operational and sustainable performances. The research work developed here shows that although a proper definition of L&G is neither exposed worldwide nor explicitly implemented under that name, the current industrial firms are deeply concerned about the demanding challenge of keeping businesses flexible and agile without forgetting strategies to minimize the acceleration of climate change. So, one contribution of this paper is the identification and characterization of L&G drivers and design principles, supporting a robust and well-informed L&G systems implementation. As inferred from the research work, this challenge demands high quality and updated data together with assertive information. Thus, the implementation of L&G in I4.0 contexts is the answer to overcome the identified barriers. Likewise, an L&G system contributes to overcoming the challenges of I4.0 implementation regarding the triple bottom line sustainability concept. Consequently, another contribution of this paper is to depict why an L&G system performs better in the I4.0 context.

The Sustainability Dimensions in Intelligent Urban Transportation: A Paradigm for Smart Cities

The transportation sector has traditionally been considered essential for commercial activities, although nowadays, it presents clear negative impacts on the environment and can reduce social welfare. Thus, advanced optimization techniques are required to design sustainable routes with low logistic costs. Moreover, these negative impacts may be significantly increased as a consequence of the lack of synergy between the sustainability objectives. Correspondingly, the concept of transport optimization in smart cities is becoming popular in both the real world and academia when public decision making is lit by operations research models. In this paper, however, we argue that the level of urban smartness depends on its sustainability and on the level of information and communication technologies developed in the city. Therefore, the operations research models seek to achieve a higher threshold in the sustainable transport standards in smart cities. Thus, we present a generic definition of smart city, which includes the triple bottom line of sustainability, with the purpose of analyzing its effects on city performance. Finally, this work provides a consolidate study about urban freight transport problems, which show that sustainability is only one facet of the diamond of characteristics that depict a real smart city.

Towards Sustainable Oxalic Acid from CO2 and Biomass.

To quickly and drastically reduce CO2 emissions and meet our ambitions of a circular future, we need to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon capture and utilization (CCU) to deal with the CO2 that we produce. While we have many alternatives to replace fossil feedstocks for energy generation, for materials such as plastics we need carbon. The ultimate circular carbon feedstock would be CO2. A promising route is the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formic acid derivatives that can subsequently be converted into oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is a potential new platform chemical for material production as useful monomers such as glycolic acid can be derived from it. This work is part of the European Horizon 2020 project “Ocean” in which all these steps are developed. This Review aims to highlight new developments in oxalic acid production processes with a focus on CO2‐based routes. All available processes are critically assessed and compared on criteria including overall process efficiency and triple bottom line sustainability.

Introducing a conceptual model for wellbeing tourism – going beyond the triple bottom line of sustainability

ABSTRACT The need to re-envision alternative paradigms in tourism is becoming evident with the increasingly experienced climate change and degradation of life supporting ecosystem services, to which the tourism industry has a significant adverse contribution. Could tourism be re-envisioned to bring positive effects on social, environmental and individual wellbeing? In this paper, we present the outcome of an extensive literature review and a cross-border post card workshop with researchers and tourism officials. Drawing on this, a conceptual framework of a comprehensive, relational idea of wellbeing tourism is proposed, that extends beyond our current notion of sustainability and the widely used and accepted triple bottom line model (TBL). The suggested model proposes a shift from focusing on sustainability alone, to giving increased attention and value to integral health and to life quality. The paper highlights that wellbeing tourism can only truly be reached when all its suggested six pillars are fulfilled in a relative balance among the community related external ones (environment, economy, social; “sustainability”) and those that may be experienced as individual (body, mind, soul). The importance of wellbeing tourism supporting a society with the governing characteristics of happiness, harmony, and abundance, building collaborative and regenerative systems are emphasised.

A recipe for sustainable development: assessing transition of commercial foodservices towards the goal of the triple bottom line sustainability

PurposeThis study aims to critically evaluate the factual triple bottom line (TBL) sustainability performance of commercial foodservices as featured in peer-reviewed academic publications.Design/methodology/approachThe commercial foodservices’ sustainability performance-related articles were collected for a systematic review. An inductive thematic analysis was applied to the eligible articles.FindingsThe contribution of the commercial foodservice sector to the TBL sustainability is highlighted through eight themes: food waste management; food safety and hygiene; food allergy management; provision of healthy meals; local food use; employment of the disadvantaged; well-being of (non)managerial personnel; and noise level management.Originality/valueThe critical evaluation of the actual TBL sustainability measures adopted by commercial foodservice providers highlights the feasibility of the measures, thus calling for their broader industry uptake. Research gaps and issues for future investigations are accentuated for scholars to support the industry in its progress towards the goals of the TBL sustainability.

Industry 4.0 implementation and Triple Bottom Line sustainability: An empirical study on small and medium manufacturing firms

BackgroundThe current level of industrialization has generated many challenges worldwide, including ecological hazards, climate change, and the overuse of non-renewable natural resources, thereby creating an increasing demand for achieving the goal of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). In this regard, Industry 4.0 can be used as a crunch point to contribute to the production process that can help achieve sustainable development. PurposeWhile the Malaysian government proposed the “Industry4ward” approach to enhance technological adoption, there is scarce empirical evidence in the literature that validates SMEs for Industry 4.0. Using Dynamic Capability View (DCV), this study proposes a framework that includes core determinants like top management commitment, supply chain integration, and IT infrastructure, that can significantly influence Industry 4.0 implementation toward achieving TBL sustainability. Design/methodology/approachEmploying simple random sampling, the study adopted a quantitative approach based on 199 useable respondent's feedback collected through a survey questionnaire of 900 employees from Malaysian SMEs. The statistical analysis was performed using Structural Equation Modeling (Partial Least Square, SmartPLS 3.3.2). FindingsThe results show that top management and IT infrastructure significantly impact Industry 4.0 implementation and sustainability. In contrast, the analysis also demonstrates that supply chain integration is insignificant to Industry 4.0 implementation in SMEs. The findings also indicate that the relationship between the determinants of Industry 4.0 and TBL sustainability can be mediated by the “effective implementation” of Industry 4.0. RecommendationsThe study highlights the practical consequences of the role and use of the determinants in Industry 4.0 implementation. Its findings help managers and policy-makers to optimize value creation to achieve sustainable development goals. Limitations and future researchFocusing only on Malaysian manufacturing SMEs may restrict the generalization of the study; thus, a benchmarking analysis from other industrial settings is encouraged. The questionnaire-based survey is a further limitation of the study.

Measuring sustainability performance using an integrated model

This study presents a sustainability performance measurement model integrating the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) perspective and the Fuzzy multiple-criteria decision-making (FMCDM) approach. First, this study proposes a list of twenty-one indexes of sustainability, based on four BSC-based dimensions, in line with triple bottom line sustainability dimensions, derived from the literature and experts’ inputs. Then, the relative weight of each sustainability index was evaluated using the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP). To demonstrate the proposed approach, we practically measure the sustainability performance using three MCDM methods — Simple Additive Weighting (SAW), fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Situation (TOPSIS), and fuzzy Multi-Criteria Optimization and Compromise Solution (VIKOR). Finally, strategies for improving sustainability performance for a real-word case are suggested. The proposed measurement model can be an appropriate tool for industrial managers seeking to evaluate the efficacy of their sustainability strategies.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability in a Hospitality Family Business

The triple bottom line of sustainability has been the foundation to assess the overall performance of organizations in the hospitality sector. Family businesses are operating in a very competitive environment, and their practices are heavily scrutinised by stakeholders. This paper considers the value of action research in the field of family businesses in the hospitality sector through the prism of organizational learning. The focus of the research is to understand how a Scottish family business learns and implements corporate social responsibility and sustainability practices and how they embed the practices in their activities in a bed and breakfast. The family business used in this research is based in Paisley, Scotland. The use of action research enabled this research to follow a recurring spiral learning process of diagnosing, planning, acting, and evaluating to achieve organizational learning. The action learning contributed to re-thinking the communication between actors involved in the Scottish hospitality sector and family businesses to open a dialogue and produce norms and to contribute to knowledge about a new small-business social responsibility orbital framework.