Sustainable Development Capability Research Articles

Study on the Structure, Efficiency, and Driving Factors of an Eco-Agricultural Park Based on Emergy: A Case Study of Jinchuan Eco-Agricultural Park

The eco-agricultural park is a new comprehensive agricultural technology system integrating agricultural production, rural economic development, ecological environment protection, and efficient resource utilization. Therefore, an in-depth analysis of the ecosystem structure of eco-agricultural parks will help achieve the goal of coordinated symbiosis between human development and environmental protection. This study takes the research area of the Eco-agricultural Park of Jinchuan Town, Huinan County, a typical town in the Changbai Mountains of Northeast China. Based on field surveys, market research, farmer consultation, and related data collection, emergy theory and methods are used to construct an emergy model for the park. The value evaluation index system integrates the unique emergy index of the agricultural ecosystem with the traditional emergy index system to conduct a targeted evaluation of the park’s functional structure and sustainable development capabilities in order to improve the efficiency of material and energy use and provide technical reference for ecological construction and comprehensive development of agricultural industry in mountainous areas in northern China. The research results show that: (1) The annual input total emergy of the eco-agricultural park is 4.04E+24 sej/a, and the emergy of labor input, electricity input, and topsoil loss is relatively high. The park is in a labor-intensive stage. The annual output total emergy is 5.09E+24 sej/a, the park is dominated by planting and forestry industries. (2) The park’s emergy utilization intensity is high—production efficiency is high, economic development is advanced, and the system’s self-control, adjustment, and feedback functions are vital—and plays a significant role in promoting the development of the regional economy. However, the park relies more on investment from external resources, and production in the park puts pressure on the environment. (3) The current sustainable development capability of the study area is weak, and the factors affecting the sustainable development capability are mainly energy loss and uneven distribution of industrial areas in the park. Effective measures to promote the transformation of the park to develop technology-intensive industries and improve the sustainable development performance of the park were proposed. These include: adjusting the proportion of industries in the park; reducing high-energy external input emergy, such as industrial auxiliary emergy; reducing the loss of non-renewable natural resources through ecological engineering measures, such as reducing the depth of slope runoff in the park; and combining modern resource-based production technology and environmentally sound management methods to reduce energy loss and rational use of natural resources.

Examining the Interplay between CEPSA’s ESG Performance and Financial Performance: An Overview of the Energy Sector Transformation

This study delves into the financial performance of the Compañía Española de Petróleos, S.A.U. (CEPSA) within the context of the ongoing ESG transformation in the Energy Sector. The primary aim of this research is to understand the critical dimensions essential for evaluating energy companies’ ESG performances. The research assesses the changes in CEPSA’s financial indicators over the last five years (2018–2022). The report uses DuPont analysis to evaluate CEPSA’s environmental and social responsibility performances. The study examines several financial performance metrics, including return on net assets, profitability, and corporate financing structure changes. The methodology of this study comprehensively assesses CEPSA’s sustainable development trajectory and ESG management system. The analysis reveals that CEPSA has consistently improved its sustainable development capabilities over the last five years by establishing a comprehensive ESG management system. While return on net assets and profitability indicators have shown positive trends, the financing structure has changed significantly. Notably, the proportion of debt financing has increased substantially, and there is a slight decline in the net profit margin. The formal transformation in 2020 further influenced increases in liabilities and fixed assets for CEPSA. The study focuses on CEPSA’s sustained improvements in ESG management and the associated shifts in financial metrics, adding originality to the study and offering a nuanced perspective on the evolving landscape of sustainable practices. The study reveals the financial implications of ESG transformation in the energy sector and offers valuable insights for stakeholders. Moreover, this research contributes to the existing literature by employing the DuPont analysis system to explore the intricate relationship between ESG performance and financial indicators in the energy sector.

Evaluation of sustainable development capacity of water sources: a case study of China.

The issue of water scarcity has drawn attention from all over the world. The coordination of the interaction between ecological and environmental development of water sources and socio-economic development is currently an essential issue that needs to be solved in order to safeguard the water resources environment for human survival. In this essay, we suggest a paradigm for assessing the sustainable exploitation of water resources. First, three ecological, economic, and social factors are investigated. Twenty essential evaluation indexes are then constructed using the Delphi approach, along with an index system for assessing the potential of water sources for sustainable development. The weights of each evaluation index were then determined using the combination assignment approach, which was then suggested. The coupled degree evaluation model of the capability for sustainable development of water sources was then developed. In order to confirm the viability and validity of the suggested model, the model was used to assess the Liwu River water source's capacity for sustainable growth in the context of the South-North Water Transfer in Shandong, China. It is believed that the aforementioned study would serve as a helpful resource when evaluating the capacity of water sources for sustainable development.

A 2TLNS-based exponential TODIM-EDAS approach for evaluating sustainable development of cross-border e-commerce platforms under uncertainty

In the context of globalization, cross-border e-commerce platforms have become the main way for enterprises to achieve international trade transformation and overseas investment. From this, it can be seen that cross-border e-commerce platforms are of great importance to the development of enterprises, and the development of cross-border e-commerce platforms is also a necessary choice for the development of the times. In the new era, in order to make cross-border e-commerce platforms better serve enterprises and bring economic benefits to their development. The sustainable development capability evaluation of third-party cross-border e-commerce (TPCBEC) platform is a MAGDM. Recently, the Exponential TODIM (ExpTODIM) technique and Evaluation Based on Distance from Average Solution (EDAS) technique has been employed to cope with MAGDM issues. The 2-tuple linguistic neutrosophic sets (2TLNSs) are employed as a tool for portraying uncertain information during the sustainable development capability evaluation of TPCBEC platform. In this paper, the 2-tuple linguistic neutrosophic number Exponential TODIM-EDAS (2TLNN-ExpTODIM-EDAS) technique is implemented to manage the MAGDM under 2TLNSs. Finally, a numerical study for sustainable development capability evaluation of TPCBEC platform is constructed to validate the implemented technique. Thus, the main advantages of the proposed 2TLNN-ExpTODIM-EDAS technique are outlined: (1) the proposed 2TLNN-ExpTODIM-EDAS technique not only handles the distances information from the 2TLNNAS, but also portrays the DMs’ psychological behavior during the sustainable development capability evaluation of TPCBEC platform. (2) the proposed 2TLNN-ExpTODIM-EDAS technique analyze the behavior of the TODIM technique and EDAS technique as MADM techniques when they are hybridized.

Achieving sustainable development with sustainable packaging: A natural‐resource‐based view perspective

AbstractSustainable packaging is a pivotal aspect of sustainable development, involving multi‐faceted issues such as stakeholder management and environmental policy compliance. Despite the efforts to find packaging solutions, the extant literature is largely fragmented, featuring a high level of heterogeneity among studies that spread across different disciplines, with the majority examining important packaging issues in isolation. A study that systematically consolidates findings of different important areas of sustainable packaging implementation is lacking. This challenges companies' adoption of research findings in business strategy development. Thus, this paper conducts a systematic literature review combining keyword co‐occurrence analysis, thematic analysis and qualitative content analysis to uncover major research domains, consolidate important findings and reveal unsolved research gaps, which are crucial to advancing sustainable packaging management. The findings reveal four major research domains: (1) sustainable packaging materials and properties, (2) management practices of sustainable packaging, (3) consumer behaviours towards sustainable packaging and (4) packaging waste management. Drawing on the natural‐resource‐based view (NRBV) theory and the review findings, this study proposes four future research directions: (1) identifying ways to enhance the commercialisation of sustainable packaging technological innovations, (2) uncovering reasons for insufficient social aspect investigation in sustainable packaging research, (3) exploring strategies to enhance stakeholder integration in sustainable packaging management and (4) examining contingency factors of packaging waste management effectiveness. The research agenda is important to provide practical and managerial insights for business strategy development in sustainable packaging to achieve pollution prevention, product stewardship and sustainable development capabilities to gain future growth and competitive advantage.

Evaluating the impact of China's MSW sorting pilot policy on urban sustainable development: Empirical evidence from 95 cities.

The escalating challenge of municipal solid waste (MSW) critically tests the sustainable development capacities of urban centers. In response, China initiated pilot policies in 2017 aimed at bolstering MSW management. The effectiveness of these initiatives, however, necessitates empirical scrutiny. This study leverages panel data spanning 95 cities at the prefectural level or higher, covering the period from 2006 to 2020, to assess the impact of the MSW sorting pilot policy on urban sustainable development using a difference-in-differences approach. The research found that the MSW sorting pilot policy has significantly increased the processing volume of MSW, thereby enhancing the sustainable development capabilities of cities. Further, the study identifies augmented fixed asset investments as a key mechanism through which pilot cities have enhanced their MSW management capabilities. Notably, the policy's stimulative effects are more pronounced in less densely populated and economically lagging regions. These findings provide critical insights for developing nations in shaping MSW sorting strategies and advancing urban sustainability.

Effect of Household Investment in Human Capital On Economic Development in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria

This study investigated the effect of “Household Investment in Human Capital on Economic Development in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State” using health care, poverty reduction and political participation as proxies for development. It made use of primary data collected using the instrument of questionnaire administered to the residents in the area. Statistical tools such as frequency distribution table, percentages and mean were used to present and analyze the data while the chi-square was used to test the formulated hypothesis. The study showed a significant positive effect of household investment in human capital investment on economic development in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State. It therefore recommended that households should be granted some tax reliefs to increase their disposable income capability for sustained human capital investment and sustainable economic development. The government is also advised to redouble their investment on infrastructure and the educational sector to support the effort the households.

The Impact of ESG Performance on Corporate Value

As environmental problems have been increasingly serious, the concept of "sustainable development” has gradually taken hold. ESG, which reflects a company's sustainable development capabilities, has become a trend and attracted widespread attention in the academic community. However, there is still a lack of a unified understanding of the specific association between ESG and corporate value. This article analyzes literature in the international financial field related to ESG in recent years and explores the way ESG influences corporate value from the perspectives of impact, influencing mechanism, and heterogeneity. The aim is to provide insights into future research directions in this field. This article found that there are three impacts of ESG performance on corporate value: promotion, inhibition, or irrelevance. ESG performance mainly affects corporate value from four aspects: financing constraints, green innovation, corporate efficiency, and corporate risk. The heterogeneity of ESG performance mainly depends on factors such as property rights, marketization degree, information transmission efficiency, company size, and industry environmental sensitivity. Future research on ESG should be centered on empirical research that examines ESG’s comprehensive influence and regional heterogeneity of ESG performance.

Exploring the Relationship Between Non-Financial Information and Corporate Financial Performance: Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies

With the increasing impact of climate change and resource depletion, society is confronted with significant environmental and social challenges, which have made sustainable development a focal point for the entire community. ESG, as a vital metric for measuring a companys sustainable development capabilities. The development of ESG evaluation system can promote enterprises to pay more attention to ESG, thus contributing to the sustainable development of society and environment. Furthermore, the development of ESG practices has the potential to positively influence a companys financial performance, thereby serving as a driving force for economic advancement. A sample of 342 listed companies is analyzed using descriptive statistics and OLS regression analysis. The results show that ESG performance has no significant impact on the financial performance of enterprises, and it can neither help enterprises obtain more profits nor make enterprises bear more financial pressure. Based on these findings, the paper suggests the following recommendations: (1) Enhance the management and integration of ESG evaluation systems. (2) Foster increased societal attention towards the ESG performance of companies.

Green Innovation, Environmental Certification, and the Sustainable Development of Enterprises in China

Purpose - Achieving sustainable development has always been the most important issue for enterprises. Owing to global warming and environmental deterioration, environmental management is increasingly becoming a major concern for enterprises and the external world, especially stakeholder behavior. This study explores whether enterprise environmental management can contribute to its sustainable development, and how stakeholder behaviors can influence this relationship.
 Design/Methodology/Approach - This study uses a fixed effects regression model to empirically test the data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2012 to 2020, and investigates the impact of corporate environmental behavior (i.e. green innovation and environmental certification) on the sustainable development of enterprises. It also explores the moderating role of government support and analyst attention in the impact of environmental management on corporate sustainability.
 Findings - The research results showed that enterprise environmental management, namely, green innovation and environmental protection certification, can promote sustainable development capabilities. Simultaneously, government support and proper attention from analysts can have a positive moderating effect on green environmental management and improve sustainable development.
 Research Implications - This study enriches relevant theories on enterprise environmental management and sustainable development, proposes the importance of government support and external institutional supervision, and provides a reference for sustainably developing enterprises from the perspective of stakeholder behaviors.

Strategic Tasks of State Support for the Post-War Development of the National Economy

The article highlights the main issues of government support for the post-war development of priority sectors of the national economy that are of strategic importance for sustainable economic development and national defense capabilities; and substantiates the corresponding instruments of fiscal support using the example of titanium industry. In the study, the strategic tasks of government support for the post-war development of national economy are considered from the standpoint of a comprehensive solution to the problems of forming an innovative foundation for economic renewal, ensuring the technological change, creation of a complete cycle of deep titanium processing and titanium production in Ukraine which will meet the needs of domestic demand and the entry of domestic producers into world markets. Ensuring changes in educational sphere in accordance with the real economy’s demand for technical specialists and professionals is seen as a part of a comprehensive industrial policy approach, and fiscal instruments for this purpose are proposed.
 The need to expand the list of instruments of government support for the development of strategic industries is substantiated. The list should include both measures of tax support for investment projects with significant investments provided for by current legislation, as well as grants, innovative transfers from the government budget, measures to support the export of innovative titanium products, and innovative corporate income tax benefit to stimulate innovations, training tax allowance to support business investment in human capital. Proposals to extend the instruments for financing priority sectors of Ukraine’s economic revival do not contradict the norms of EU legislation in the field of government aid.
 Possible measures for ordering the regulatory framework of the proposed in the article direct budgetary and indirect government support instruments for the innovative development of strategic sectors of the economy are outlined. In particular, changes to the Tax Code of Ukraine on the introduction of innovation and training allowances for corporate income tax, changes in the minimum useful life of innovative equipment, and tax credit recognition of VAT amounts in the acquisition prices of technology property rights and in the import of technology under a technology transfer agreement, as well as to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of January 24, 2020 No. 28 “On the provision of financial government support” in terms of increasing the volume of loans and reducing the cost of their servicing for business entities in the titanium industry.

Senior High School Students Perception on Sustainability Literacy in Biology Learning

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global partnership's urgent call to action from all developed and developing countries to build a sustainable future. Students play an essential role in achieving this goal because they are the primary objects of formal education who can be involved through concrete actions and appropriate and effective decision-making. In order to achieve this goal, sustainable development capability and capacity, as measured by sustainability literacy, are required. The purpose of this study is to gather information about students' initial perceptions of environmental change subject in relation to students' sustainability literacy. The method used is a descriptive method with a quantitative approach. This study was conducted in February 2023 on 34 students from grade XI in SMAN 1 Bandung who had already completed the subject. Students' sustainability literacy was assessed using a questionnaire. Descriptive analysis was used to examine the data. Finding indicated that the indicator of knowledge was worth 43% within very bad category, knowledge of skills had a value of 44% with a very bad category as well and mindset was worth 55% with a bad category. As a result, it is possible to conclude that students' sustainability literacy is of very bad quality.

Wpływ konfiguracji technologii zrównoważonej produkcji przedsiębiorstw herbacianych w Chinach: w oparciu o metodę FsQCA

Using the survey data of 45 tea enterprises in Fujian Province, China, this paper adopted fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to study the adoption of the sustainable production technologies by tea enterprises. The results show that there are two configurations for the path to achieve the adoption of high sustainable production technologies. The core condition combination of the first configuration is the existence of sustainable development capabilities, the degree of government support, and the resource and environmental endowment, while that of the second configuration is the existence of enterprise expected value, industrial organization mode and the resource and environmental endowment. Moreover, the path achieving non-highly sustainable production technologies adoption mainly summarized as a configuration. Specifically, the core condition is the absence of sustainable development capabilities, enterprise development strategies, and the resource and environmental endowments. Furthermore, some practical policy recommendations were put forward based on the above conclusions in this paper.

Measuring the Development Capability of the Innovation Ecosystem from a Quadruple Helix Perspective—An Empirical Analysis Based on Panel Data for Chinese High-Tech Industries

With the rapid development of high-tech industries, the research perspective of industrial innovation has gradually evolved from the innovation system to innovation ecosystem. Whether the innovation ecosystem of China’s high-tech industry can achieve the benign evolution and development of the system under the new global pattern has become a real issue. Based on the perspective of the four-helix innovation model, in this study we construct an index system of the industrial innovation ecosystem development and designs a framework system of the industrial innovation ecosystem development capability, including the coordinated development capability, evolutionary development capability, and sustainable development capability at three levels. We construct measurement models of different capability dimensions and multi-dimensionally analyses of the regional development differences and change trends of each capability dimension of the system. The results show that the coordinated development capability of China’s high-tech industrial innovation ecosystem is poor, which inhibits the comprehensive capability of the system’s development to a certain extent. Although the evolutionary and sustainable development capabilities fluctuate greatly and have significant regional differences, they are measured at a better level and thereby contribute to the development of the system.

Sustainable supplier selection by using dual probabilistic linguistic EDAS and ITARA method

With the development of globalization, companies from all over the world are now more closely connected, and they all play different roles in the industry in which they are located. There are more and more companies in a complete supply chain, which can greatly influence the stability of the supply chain, presents certain challenges. Therefore, choosing suppliers with sustainable development capabilities, especially in the event of interruption, can ensure the stability of the entire supply chain, thereby enhancing the company’s image and competitive advantage in a large-scale competition. The sustainable supplier selection is a classical multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) issues. In this study, the dual probabilistic linguistic EDAS (DPL-EDAS) method is built based on the traditional EDAS method and dual probabilistic linguistic term sets (DPLTSs). Firstly, the DPLTSs is introduced. Then, combine the traditional EDAS method with DPLTSs information, the DPL-EDAS method is established and the computing steps for MAGDM are built. Finally, there are a numerical case involving sustainable supplier selection and some comparisons in this paper. The comparisons are used to illustrate advantages of DPL-EDAS method.

The influence of climate change, green innovation, and aspects of green dynamic capabilities as an approach to achieving sustainable development.

Green dynamic capability is acquiring significant traction among academics, practitioners, and policymakers; however, its relationship to green innovation, climate change, and sustainable development remains unclear. This study aims to identify green innovation within the context of developing nations to cover this void. Utilizing dynamic capability and stakeholder theory, this research illuminated the significance of green dynamic capability for sustainable development. Using a two-wave research methodology, the sample for this study was comprised of organizations from the Pakistani public sector. This investigation compiled data from 342 top and middle-level employees from the ministry of climate change, the ministry of agriculture, and the capital development authority (CDA). Using SEM SMART-PLS-path modeling to test hypotheses and investigate the model's causal links. Green innovation mediates the positive relationship between green dynamic capabilities and sustainable development, as indicated by the findings. However, neither green dynamic capabilities nor the relationship between green innovation and sustainable development is moderated by climate change. The findings of the study suggest strategies for government organizations to use green innovation in environmental literature. In addition, organizations will collaborate to develop strategies to combat climate change.

Exploring the spatially heterogeneous impacts of industrial agglomeration on regional sustainable development capability: evidence from new energy industries

Exploring the spatially heterogeneous impacts of industrial agglomeration on regional sustainable development capability: evidence from new energy industries

Does ESG Performance Affect Financial Performance? Evidence from Indonesia

Economic, social, and environmental issues are currently becoming major worldwide issues. Geopolitical, social, and economic power streams have focused on ESG goals, encouraging companies, investors, and governments to apply them to every aspect of business. The current constraint is that Indonesian business stakeholders are still typically focused on short-term profits, which are intended to transform towards long-term sustainability. This study examines the effect of ESG performance on corporate financial performance. The primary analysis tool in this study uses panel data regression analysis with the Random Effect Regression Model. The sample was selected from 23 companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange, with an observation period of 2018–2020. The results of this study indicate that the performance of ESG and its sub-dimensions has a positive effect on the financial performance of accounting-based companies as measured using ROA. However, on a market-based proxy with Tobin's Q, ESG performance and its sub-dimensions have not been able to influence the corporate financial performance. Some important reasons companies are involved in environmental, social, and governance activities are to create competitive advantage, reduce company risk, improve market performance, and enhance the company's sustainable development capabilities.

Valuable, Rare, Inimitable, Non-Substitutable of Resources in Building Innovation Capability for Sustainable Development: Evidence from Creative Social Enterprises

Valuable, Rare, Inimitable, Non-Substitutable of Resources in Building Innovation Capability for Sustainable Development: Evidence from Creative Social Enterprises

Integrated governance of the Yangtze River Delta port cluster using niche theory: A case study of Shanghai Port and Ningbo-Zhoushan Port

The integrated governance of port clusters is an important way for economic powers to improve port efficiency and marine economic benefits. As the Yangtze River Delta port cluster is the most densely distributed port cluster with the largest throughput in China's coastal region, further strengthening its integrated governance and enhancing its global influence is a key element of China's strategy to promote the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region. We investigate the niches of Shanghai Port and Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, both of which are critical ports in the Yangtze River Delta port cluster. The results show that Shanghai Port is superior to Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in terms of economic contribution, competitiveness, resource utilization, and sustainable development capability. Meanwhile, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port has advantages in natural hardware and resources and has huge development potential. To enhance the economic radiation and international competitiveness of the Yangtze River Delta port cluster, it is necessary to strengthen integrated governance, form a reasonable division of labor among ports, and achieve win‒win cooperation among ports. In addition, the government should strengthen the overall planning of coastal management, improve the functional positioning of each port, strengthen the integrated management of waterways, and promote the innovation of cooperation models between ports. Finally, the integrated management of the ecological environment of the Yangtze River Delta port cluster should be strengthened, especially the integrated cooperation in marine ecological protection.