Sustainable Development Initiatives Research Articles

THE BARRIERS TO ACHIEVING EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NAGALAND, INDIA

THE BARRIERS TO ACHIEVING EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NAGALAND, INDIA

THE BARRIERS TO ACHIEVING EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NAGALAND, INDIA

Nagalands geographical location, combined with the lack of human and physical infrastructure, has been a hurdle to the growth and development of education. The ecological make-up of the state as a resource-filled frontier, belonging to people who place great importance on their culture and tradition, has framed the backdrop against which they have experienced changes brought about not only by climate change but also by modernization. This poses an important question that this paper aims to answer, which is, what is the role of education in a society with varyingnotionsof sustainabilityshapedby differing experiences?

Sustainable Local Development: Consolidated Framework for Cross-Sectoral Cooperation via a Systematic Approach

Cross-sectoral cooperation (CSC) has gained recognition as the key to achieving sustainable development goals within a locality. However, existing studies focused on sustainable local development (SLD) initiatives resulting from CSC remain sparse. This article aims to review the CSC–SLD literature, using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method. Research questions were constructed using the PICOC (population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, and context) structure. The identification of scientific works occurred through the search of relevant keywords, which resulted in a final set of 38 peer-reviewed manuscripts, from 1994 to 2021. First, the main driving forces for adopting CSC, to achieve SLD, which are dispersed at multiple levels, were captured and contextualised into the micro-, meso-, macro- and mega-framework. Second, salient aspects addressed in the literature for effective CSC implementation were identified and classified into approaches, governance, structure, key actors, psychological and social aspects, and experiences themes. This resulted in a consolidated guiding principles framework for implementing CSC, to pursue SLD. Additionally, the use of theories in different aspects of CSC–SLD initiatives was discussed. This study informs the practitioners, policy-makers, and researchers the fundamentals that need to be considered when planning, designing, and implementing effective CSC interventions for SLD.

Managing Sustainability Projects for Social Impact from a Corporate Social Responsibility Perspective

Initiatives in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can contribute to many programs for sustainable development. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is considered to have been slower to change in CSR than have other Western developed countries. The purpose of this research is to explore examples in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of how project initiatives in CSR and sustainable development can facilitate heightened awareness, engagement, and execution of action for sustainability. This research utilizes qualitative case study methods analysing a United Nations (UN) supported annual youth engagement program focused on implementation of sustainable development projects in the UAE. The varying degrees of project complexity and “programmification” of sustainability activities in the UAE reveals a more systematic and mature stage of CSR and sustainable development projects and programs than is reported in the literature. The application of project management to organize, implement, align, and monitor sustainability-centred programs provides knowledge relevant to the UAE and other countries interested in the strategic management of change. The study demonstrates the application and value of project management for implementing sustainable development initiatives and highlights the collaborative contribution of corporate and governmental stakeholders to project management in organizations. An important area for future research on sustainable development in the MENA region is to study corporate and public sector partnerships in CSR projects and sustainability programs.

Pan-European urban green space dynamics: A view from space between 1990 and 2015

Creating and managing urban green infrastructure is an essential part of the sustainable urban development initiative promoted by the EU governments. To achieve a synergistic development of urban green spaces in various countries, acquiring spatially explicit information on urban green areas on a continental scale in Europe thus becomes necessary. Yet, the currently available European urban land use/cover products may fail to provide this comprehensive view as, due to their coarse spatial resolutions, they only pick up the large patches of green but fail to account for sparsely distributed urban green types. To address this issue, we applied a support vector regression model trained on samples collected from 50 European cities to urban green space mapping on a subpixel scale based on Landsat imagery. The model was validated in 10 other European cities, yielding a robust model performance (RMSE for the modeled green area fractions ranging from 0.09 to 0.16). Thus, we successfully mapped the spatial distribution of European urban green areas in 1990, 2000, and 2015. Given these results, we obtained three major conclusions: (i) previous studies might have underestimated the green space growth in Eastern European countries; (ii) most European countries have been building new settlements with more green spaces as the primary way to increase their urban greenness; (iii) the gap in urban green space per capita is widening among European countries, and Southern European countries are experiencing a decrease in access to urban green spaces.

Stakeholder Engagement Behavior(s) in Sustainable Brownfield Regeneration: A Network Embeddedness Perspective.

Brownfield regeneration (BR) is an important initiative for sustainable land development and the promotion of carbon neutrality. Insufficient stakeholder engagement is one of the main obstacles to the progress of BR. The relationship network formed through continuous interaction among stakeholders ensures the exchange and transfer of information resources. Different structural features of the relationship network may lead to differences in the engagement level of stakeholders. Therefore, based on network embeddedness theory, this study conducts an empirical analysis to explore the impact of the relationship network structure on engagement behavior, for the purpose of increasing the stakeholder engagement level. A theoretical model is developed, in which network centrality, behavioral willingness and involvement climate are selected as the dependent variables of engagement behavior. Using an effective sample of 245 stakeholders involved in BR from ten cities in China, we find that stakeholder network centrality positively affects engagement behavior. There is also a positive relationship between network centrality and behavioral willingness. The behavioral willingness plays an intermediary role between network centrality and engagement behavior, and the involvement climate has a moderating role between behavioral willingness and engagement behavior. Additionally, various strategies can be adopted to promote the engagement level of stakeholders. The findings are useful in establishing a benchmarking framework for BR stakeholder engagement.

Legal aspects guaranteeing implementation of constitutional environmental rights of citizens

The article researches modern legal aspects that regulate the set of environmental rights of citizens, as well as the basic principles that ensure their implementation in the practice. The essence and content of environmental law were studied, its functionality and main forms of manifestation were structured. The current domestic system of guarantees for the realization of environmental human rights is analyzed. Its methodological and practical aspects were supplemented from the standpoint of separating the institutional component from the existing forms of manifestation. The functional concept of environmental law is defined and studied from the standpoint of one of the most promising, priority and key elements of the sustainable development of society and national economies in the modern practice of the developed countries of the world. The author's approach to the formation of a system of tools for the organizational and economic mechanism for ensuring the implementation of the constitutional environmental rights of citizens is presented. The world's leading experience in the implementation of social environmental rights has been studied. It was determined that environmental priorities, rights and goals become the basic strategic dominants of the further development of society, both at the level of leading national economies and on a global scale. According to the results of research and systematization of foreign and domestic experience, priority directions for further improvement of guaranteeing the implementation of environmental rights of citizens have been determined. Among the main and most promising directions for domestic practice are recommended: taking into account the progressive world experience of developing and adopting the environmental code, using digital tools to promote the implementation of environmental programs and development projects, ensuring the guarantee of society's access to relevant information, spreading the practice of environmental auditing and drawing up environmental reporting. It was determined that raising the level of public awareness, popularizing global and national sustainable development initiatives, and raising the level of national environmental culture should be the basis of the mechanism for realizing the environmental rights of the country's population. Keywords: environmental rights, guarantees, environmental safety, constitutional guarantees, sustainable development, mechanism for ensuring the implementation of environmental rights.

Hambatan Keberlanjutan Usaha Kecil dan Menengah: Tinjauan Literatur

The purpose of this article is to analyze the barriers faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) when implementing initiatives for sustainable development. For this purpose, a search equation was designed, and the 54 articles were the highest cited from the search results via the Publish or Perish tool between 2015 and December 2021. The criteria selected for article analysis were article title, article year, abstract, and keywords. The research methodology uses a three-stage systematic literature review. The results of this study are the barriers to sustainability for SMEs. The most common barriers are lack of resources, high initial capital costs to implement sustainability measures, lack of expertise, risk aversion, short-term planning, technological complexity, waste of time. This research can identify various types of barriers to sustainable SMEs.

Viable system model: a tool for managing sustainable development holistically

PurposeUnited Arab Emirates’ (UAEs) commitment to sustainable development is well reflected in its Vision-2021, 2030 and the Green Economy Strategy for Sustainable Development, followed by several initiatives at federal and local level. However, out of seven Emirates, the governments of Abu Dhabi and Dubai are adopting and rigorously implementing green initiatives for conserving energy, minimizing resources wastage and becoming zero-carbon ecology, leaving behind the other five emirates. To promote the implementation of government’s sustainability agenda holistically (including all the emirates), it is important to adopt a systems thinking to diagnose the complex social arrangements and their interactive relations with the larger systems and the environment at each and all recursive levels.Design/methodology/approachThis viewpoint proposes that Viable System Model (VSM) framework can support sustainable planning and configuration evaluation holistically, by diagnosing the region (system-in-focus) together with the present and future environment, at multiple recursive levels of city, emirates and country-wide. To demonstrate the relative strength of the VSM structural framework and its principles to replicate/implement the green initiatives country-wide, the study provides supporting evidence and multiple examples of its application in other parts of the world for managing sustainability-related issues from smallest (town/city) to largest (national) levels in the United Arab Emirates.FindingsThe VSM framework has been adopted by several scholars for fruitful utilization of its structural, connectivity, recursivity and complexity principles in the context of sustainability at the organizational, territory and national levels. The discussion has been made on the suitability of VSM framework for implementing sustainable development initiatives county-wide by viewing it in totality and at multiple levels of administration and governance.Research limitations/implicationsIt has implications for leaders, policy-setters and regulators of United Arab Emirates as well as Gulf region inclusive of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.Originality/valueNo prior work exists in Arab region where VSM has been proposed for the holistic management of sustainable initiatives. It has implications for leaders, policy-setters and regulators of United Arab Emirates as well as Gulf region inclusive of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.

Mapping the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in science, technology and innovation: application of machine learning in SDG-oriented artefact detection

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) are a blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all by defining priorities and aspirations for 2030. This paper attempts to expand on the United Nations SDGs definition by leveraging the interrelationship between science and technology. We utilize SDG classification of scientific publications to compile a machine learning (ML) model to classify the SDG relevancy in patent documents, used as a proxy of technology development. The ML model was used to classify a sample of patent families registered in the European Patent Office (EPO). The analysis revealed the extent to which SDGs were addressed in patents. We also performed a case study to identify the offered extension of ML model detection regarding the SDG orientation of patents. In response to global goals and sustainable development initiatives, the findings can advance the identification challenges of science and technology artefacts. Furthermore, we offer input towards the alignment of R&D efforts and patenting strategies as well as measurement and management of their contribution to the realization of SDGs.

Implementing Sustainable Development Concept: A Typology of Family Firms in Poland

For companies, sustainable development generally represents a long-term business orientation towards social, economic and environmental well-being. The concept has gained momentum among researchers partly due to the necessity of finding a modern approach to business development that does not deprive the next generation of the opportunity to meet its own needs. Based on a sample of 333 Polish family firms, three groups of businesses were isolated (via k-means clustering) on the basis of low, medium and high deployment of pro-sustainability initiatives. This paper aims to investigate whether family firms demonstrating divergent levels of sustainable development express between-group differences. Measuring diversity using ANOVA with post hoc testing produced results associating business growth and higher levels of family involvement (e.g., via increased participation of family members from different generations in firm management) with the increased absorption of sustainable solutions and actions. These findings support notions from social identity theory suggesting that groups significantly shape the individual identities of their members. This means that family members inclined to implement sustainable development initiatives are likely to stimulate each other to introduce particular solutions and actions in praxis.

How financial performance influences investment in sustainable development initiatives in the airline industry: The moderation role of state‐ownership

AbstractThis study aims to broaden the research on the influence of financial performance (FP) on sustainable development activities proxied by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure in the airline industry. In addition, we examine the moderating effect of state‐ownership on the FP‐ESG relationship. Based on data collected from 36 airlines worldwide for the period 2008–2019, we found that ESG is negatively and significantly influenced by FP. This result implies that the willingness of airlines to contribute to ESG initiatives is diminished when economic conditions are favorable. State‐ownership moderates the relationship between FP and ESG such that the negative relationship is weaker in presence of state shares. Our findings help to disentangle the roles of FP in its contribution to sustainability and are valuable in better understanding the topic in airline context. Also, our results have some important implications for how industry practitioners may act more effectively in the managerial social decision process and provide insights to assist investors who are considering eco‐investing in the airline industry.

A Review on Global Emissions by E-Products Based Waste: Technical Management for Reduced Effects and Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

In the 21st century, a great amount of electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) has accumulated, and the unregulated nature of its disposal and recycling represents a particular hazard in a global context. For the purposes of e-waste management, there must be more emphasis on the scientific processes for recycling, reusing and remanufacturing precious materials. Resource management is related to energy management; therefore, the harvesting of costly materials from e-waste is important for both energy management and sustainable development. At present, a lack of scientific recycling of a significant amount of e-waste is a source of environmental pollution and health hazards that are having a detrimental effect on sustainable development goals. It is necessary to find a process for recovering valuable materials from e-waste with the minimum possible environmental impact. At present, it is essential to modify the process of electrical and electronic products (e-products) becoming e-waste, and the subsequent process of e-waste recycling, in order to lessen the impact in terms of pollution. E-waste scientific recycling initiatives can reduce the environmental impact of the process, which in turn can support a shift from the current linear flow of costly materials to a more sustainable circular flow. Furthermore, internal consumption loss, emissions, and heating loss from e-products are the main factors contributing to the loss of energy efficiency in the process, which in turn contributes to environmental pollution. Promoting green innovation in the manufacturing process of e-products, as well as their reuse, can reduce the environmental impact of e-waste in near future. Both of these pathways are imperative for a less polluted, low-toxic environment and sustainable development. However, the sustainable development initiative of the United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP) policy framework is the ultimate goal. This is expected to support the management of environmental pollution, maintaining it at an acceptable level, while also preventing hazardous risks to human health. Hence, this review examines the prospects for achievable environmental sustainability through technological developments.

Environmentally sustainable development initiatives in upstream strategic outsourcing relationships: Examining the role of innovative capabilities

AbstractResearch on the potential impact of environmental sustainable development initiatives such as environmental collaboration with the supplier (ECS) on environmental and manufacturing performance is inconclusive. Specifically, it has overlooked the intermediary role that dynamic capabilities play in the relationship between ECS and performance. This explains why previous research, while correct in theory, found conflicting statistical results between environmental collaboration upstream and various performance outcomes. This study examines the following questions: What is the impact of environmental collaboration on manufacturing and environmental performance in outsourcing relationships? Do capabilities mediate the relationship between environmental collaboration and performance? Further, we propose that one particular mediating factor—innovative capabilities (ICs)—can influence the strength of this relationship and thus explain why previous research found conflicting statistical results. This paper uses structural equation modeling to analyze survey data from 247 North American manufacturers that outsourced their manufacturing. IC fully mediates the relationship between ECS and manufacturing performance and partially mediates the relationship between environmental collaboration and environmental performance. These findings enrich existing knowledge as it views ECS through the lens of resource‐based theory. Further, we shed light on the crucial role of IC in firms that choose to outsource critical capabilities. From a managerial perspective, the empirical results will inform outsourcing managers making strategic and tactical decisions to achieve desired environmental and manufacturing outcomes.

The Sustainable Development Governance Initiatives of Quezon City, Philippines: An Analysis of Its Enablers and Barriers

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the Quezon City Government's sustainable development initiatives in terms of both enablers and barriers and establishes their significant relationships and effects to policy outcomes as well. Quezon City is a highly urbanized city located in the Philippine metropolitan capital known for its sustainable development initiatives and ordinances in the Philippines. Adhering to the logic model evaluation of sustainability conceptual framework, and employing a combination of purposive informant surveys and semi-structured interviews, the paper reveals some cross-cutting predictors and significant determinants of sustainable development programs, especially for programs that need to be sustained before they yield impact. Finally, the paper highlights its main contributions to sustainable development studies, namely, the utilization of the logic evaluation model sustainability framework for local governance as an ontological argument, employment of a mixed method as an epistemological tool, and the conduct of empirical assessment supported and reinforced by various stakeholder's views and discourses.

Waste to wealth: enhancing circularities in the Malaysian economy

PurposeThe paper focuses on Malaysia's huge waste challenges and how circular economy practices can turn that into increased and sustained economic growth.Design/methodology/approachPublished official reports on the country's sustainable development initiatives, policy statements from local authorities and government agencies as well as UN bodies and other secondary materials were sourced for this article.FindingsThe paper finds that Malaysia's waste can be used in generating wealth for the country if and when a conscious effort is made towards establishing a sound circular economy in the country. It also sees enormous opportunities that exist for cooperative models of social enterprises and business innovations.Originality/valueThe paper details the numerous policies and initiatives that the Malaysian government has embarked upon in recent times and scrutinises them to decipher the direction of country's bid for sustainable development. It also carries details of what can be done to achieve circularity as well as the benefits that can accrue from that.

Energy-saving potential and cost-effectiveness of active energy-efficiency measures for residential building in warm-humid climate

The commitment for energy-efficiency improvement becomes increasingly important in the context of global initiatives for sustainable development, and buildings have a great potential in this regard. As part of achieving energy-efficiency in residential buildings, the present study has analyzed the energy-saving potential and economic viability of adopting active energy efficiency measures (EEMs) on a detached family house in warm-humid climate of South India. The EEMs considered were selective air-conditioning (AC), lighting control, thermostat setting, mixed-mode ventilation, and energy-efficient AC, lighting and appliances. The modeling and simulations were performed by a reliable software (DesignBuilder, V.6) to estimate the annual energy consumption of the building with and without EEMs. The individual and combined contributions of EEMs in reducing the building's energy performance index (EPI) were quantified, and their economic viability was assessed in terms of discounted payback period (DPP). The results showed that about 63.5% reduction in EPI was possible by implementing the proposed EEMs, and the DPP for the additional investment was estimated to be 4.94 years.

Voluntary programs and emissions revisited: What is the effect of EU trade agreements with environmental provisions?

Multinational enterprises operating global value chains are being increasingly pressured to source from suppliers that adopt green private standards. Likewise, public policymakers are also pressured to reduce national pollution levels to contribute to sustainable development initiatives. In this context, while there is extensive debate on how domestic, country-specific environmental regulations interact with private standards (adopted by firms) in reducing national pollution levels, less is known about the role of international trade policies, which have recently embraced an array of sustainability issues. Our paper seeks to extend our understanding of the extent to which ISO environmental certifications affect a country’s level of emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants, and whether the European Union’s environmental protection (EP) standards – as mediated through trade agreements – condition this response. Prior research provides mixed evidence on the impact of the adoption of ISO-14001 on pollution reduction. Based on prior literature and using institutional theory and environmental stewardship perspectives, we expect that membership of trade agreements with EP provisions would complement the effect of ISO-14001 uptakes in reducing national pollution levels. Our arguments and results emphasize the complexity between private and public regulations on pollution reduction.

Wdrażanie założeń zrównoważonego rozwoju w praktyce działań polskich teatrów

Implementation of the Principles of Sustainable Development in the Practice of Polish Theaters The aim of the paper is to present how Polish theatres implement the principles of sustainable development in practice in their day-to-day operations. The background for the considerations involves the evolution of the approach to sustainable development observed from the perspective of international documents discussing this concept. The author’s own empirical research consisted of the preliminary survey of the information available on the websites and social media of selected Polish theatres and the questionnaire sent to the theatres in the first half of 2021. The research has made it possible to distinguish four main types of activities undertaken in this respect by the theatres: 1) the content of performances and other artistic endeavours; 2) the day-to-day functioning of the institution; 3) the theatre building and its surroundings, and 4) co-creation and participation in broader initiatives for sustainable development. The questionnaire results indicate that the dynamics of activities in this domain has nothing to do with the size of the urban area in which a given theatre operates, but it is more associated with the fact that the theatres align themselves with the environmental policy of their local governments, and with the possibility of obtaining funds for such initiatives. Furthermore, and perhaps above all, it depends on the theatre’s strategy determining how it operates in the local milieu. Building upgrades involve savings and help theatres build an image of an environmentally-friendly organisation.

A co, jeśli Forest Green Rovers pozielenieją? Wdrażanie strategii zrównoważonego rozwoju przez klub piłkarski

And What if Forest Green Rovers Go Green? An Implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy by a Football Club Sport and sports organisations are often some of the most important aspects of local culture and identity. As in the case of cultural institutions, recent years have seen numerous interesting initiatives for sustainable development undertaken by athletes and sports clubs. The paper explores the implementation and social reception of the sustainable development strategy adopted in 2010 by the professional football club called Forest Green Rovers FC in Great Britain. Using the method of content analysis, the author attempts to analyse the critical reflection on the strategy presented in the national opinion-forming press and to show how the club’s environmentally-friendly actions are perceived by the community of its fans.