Triple Bottom Line Sustainability Research Articles

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.

Implementation of Sustainability Indicators in Engineering Education Using a Combined Balanced Scorecard and Quality Function Deployment Approaches

One year and a half after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became suitable to rethink the design of the engineering education systems to remain sustainable and resilient. The paper aims to identify the most important aspects of the system, as well as the most vulnerable ones and the extent to which the system meets the sustainability requirements of the society. The Balanced Scorecard approach is used to ensure that the system remains sustainable and resilient. The indicators to measure the aspects of this design are developed. A Quality Function Deployment approach is used to identify the extent to which a designed system satisfies the sustainability requirements of the society. The problem is formulated as an engineering design problem in which the customer requirements are presented using a sustainability Triple Bottom Line framework. The results indicate that a well-designed engineering education system is capable of addressing the majority of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) identified by the United Nations. The most important aspect of this system is its commitment to quality assurance and continuous improvement. Such a system is a key player to achieve the SDGs, particularly those of economic growth, quality education, good health and wellbeing, and industry innovation.

Quantifying materials waste in the Egyptian construction industry: A critical analysis of rates and factors

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is a critical challenge facing the construction industry. It leads to deterioration of the triple bottom line of sustainability. Unfortunately, the CDW management research in Egypt lacks studies investigating (1) the variations in CDW generation (CDWG) among different types of construction projects, and (2) the factors affecting CDW reduction (CDWR). Based on a benchmarking approach, this research (1) quantifies CDW in terms of generation rates and costs among different construction project types in Egypt, and (2) investigates the relationship between CDWG and different adopted CDWR factors. Using structured interviews, a comparative case study was conducted to investigate industrial, residential, commercial, and infrastructure projects. Analysis of results demonstrated that CDWG rates and costs differ from one project type to another due to the project's nature, size, and complexity on the one hand, and the applied CDWR factors such as waste-efficient practices, awareness, culture & behaviour, and legislation on the other hand. On average among the four project types, it was found that “timber”, “sand”, and “bricks/blocks” are the most wasteful materials. It was also found that “practices” and “legislation” are the least applied CDWR factors on average among the four project types, which need to be better applied for better CDWR results.

Barriers to sustainability in humanitarian medical supply chains

Medical and pharmaceutical products (MPP) are critical elements in humanitarian relief efforts. Relief operations are often burdened with inappropriate and unusable MPP, which leads to the wastage of resources and causes harm to the environment. This study investigates MPP management and facilitates the adoption of sustainability practices in the humanitarian medical supply chain. The study identifies 20 potential barriers for sustainability and categorises them into six different issues (material, operational, logistics, human, funding, and exogenous). Fuzzy best-worst method and analytic network process methodologies were adopted to prioritise barriers according to their degree of influence. Findings from the study suggest that stakeholders should focus attention on the material, operations, and logistical issues. Poor compliance with the World Health Organisation guidelines is reported as the most significant barrier to sustainability. Long-term collaboration and promotion of cash-based donation are suggested as suitable alternatives to product donation. The key recommendations of the study are to sensitise donors and media regarding donation practices and disaster relief victim requirements, build local capacity, design coordination mechanisms, and develop a performance measurement system incorporating the triple bottom line of sustainability. The study outcome reveals connections between barriers to sustainability and sheds light on the socioenvironmental aspect of donations. The study lays a foundation for future research, exploring how to better enable sustainability in the relief supply chain.

Mobility Restrictions and E-Commerce: Holistic Balance in Madrid Centre during COVID-19 Lockdown

COVID-19 has brought about a substantial change in urban mobility, as well as an unprecedented increase in e-commerce throughout the world due to the emergence of new ways of shopping and consumption habits. In this context, urban logistics plays a crucial role in the triple bottom line of sustainability. The present document establishes a holistic vision of the problem aiming to (i) measure and compare the traffic generated in the Madrid Central area (low-emission zone) during the periods before and after the pandemic, and (ii) quantify e-commerce orders made by residents, as well as the Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) required to deliver these parcels, measuring their environmental impact. The results show that road traffic in the Madrid Central area decreased by approximately 2/3 compared to normal levels and 1/2 in the case of LCVs. With regards to e-commerce, the number of parcels delivered doubled. This fact entailed an increase in the number of LVCs dedicated to package delivery in the central district and more pollution, but to a lesser extent than the growth of e-commerce. The challenge faced by urban logistics in the post-Covid era is managing to blend new mobility within large cities with the high volumes of e-commerce deliveries demanded by residents.

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Lithium-Ion Capacitors Production from Primary Ore and Recycled Minerals

The life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology which allows quantification of environmental performance of products and processes based on complete product life cycle was utilised to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with manufacturing a 48 V lithium-ion capacitor (LIC) module. The prospective LCA compared the environmental impact of manufacturing a LIC module using primary ore materials and recycled materials from end-of-life LICs. For both the primary ore and recycled materials processes, the anode preparation stage was associated with the majority of the climate change and terrestrial acidification burdens. LIC module production utilising recovered materials from end-of-life LICs reduced the environmental impact compared to utilisation of primary ore resources. Application of the LCA methodology in early phase research and development (R&D) activities was demonstrated with a case study on reagent choice decision-making process that accounted for environmental impact, technical performance and costs in alignment with the sustainability triple bottom line concept.

Match Circular Economy and Urban Sustainability: Re-investigating Circular Economy Under Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The concept of circular economy (CE) offers an innovative and systematical approach to address a number of urban sustainability issues, via exploring symbiotic ways to design circular urban systems and optimizing the materials and energy metabolism of cities, so as to mitigate environmental footprints. Urban sustainability is highlighted as a critical issue in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by United Nations; hence, in nature, circular economy could offer a number of solutions towards SDGs in urban scope. As trade-offs, circular economy also potentially causes negative impacts to business-as-usual scenario, which is easily to be ignored. To highlight this scientific issue, this paper identified and matched the role of circular economy in realizing 17 SDGs in urban scope. How circular economy strategy could potentially affect the SDGs, whether positive or negative, were comprehensively evaluated. We expect such findings could support an equilibrium decision-making on circular economy promotion in cities, rather than an optimum solution to a single target under the triple bottom line of sustainability.

Sustainable vehicle routing problem for coordinated solid waste management

The quick growth of urbanization and population, as well as the transformation of industrial and materials, have pushed the management of municipal solid waste into a crisis especially for developing markets based on the grand challenge of sustainable development. The compounding complexity of the multiple objectives and dynamic problem constraints required to represent coordinated solid waste management (CSWM) problem in practice is a hugely significant issue for vehicle routing problem studies. The purpose is to introduce a new coordinated framework for a practical and efficient vehicle routing problem considering the triple bottom line of sustainability. The CSWM multiple objective functions applied in this study incorporate financial, environmental and social considerations to develop a sustainable vehicle routing problem considering heterogeneous vehicle fleets operating across a multi-echelon logistics network with the optimization goals. An entirely novel development and application of the adaptive memory social engineering optimizer (AMSEO) is introduced and is shown to perform significantly better than the simulated annealing (SA) as well as the social engineering optimizer (SEO) itself. Finally, the potential overall waste disposal cost savings achievable through increased recycling (revealed by framing the logistics problem across several echelons) is of particular significance. The main findings are the practical solutions with the use of sustainability goals for the CSWM and further application and development of the AMSEO in the routing optimization.

Comparing Ground Tire Rubber, Styrene-Butadyene-Styrene, and GTR-SBS Hybrids as Asphalt Binder Modifiers

This technical note evaluated hybrid asphalt binders modified with a combination of styrene-butadyene-styrene (SBS) and postconsumer ground tire rubber (GTR). These hybrid blends were evaluated in laboratory mixture experiments against more traditionally modified binder using either SBS or GTR. Mechanical properties measured during laboratory experiments were supplemented with a literature review, followed by a discussion of trade-offs between these modification options within the context of a sustainability triple bottom line of environment, economics, and social well-being. This technical note also discussed test sections containing hybrid binders and how some state departments of transportation have incorporated hybrid binders into their specifications. Overall, this work suggests that performance leans toward SBS, sustainability leans toward GTR, economics sometimes leans toward GTR, and social well-being benefits from consideration of all these factors simultaneously. A hybrid binder containing 1%–2% SBS and 3%–8% GTR should allow for high-temperature grading increases and the use of GTR in a wider range of mix types than have historical approaches.

Addressing a sustainable supplier selection and order allocation problem by an integrated approach: a case of automobile manufacturing

ABSTRACT This study introduces a novel integration of language entropy weight method (LEWM) and multi-objective programming (MOP) method to address a sustainable supplier selection and order allocation problem. To show the applicability of the proposed method, a real case study of automobile manufacturing is considered. First of all, the indicators of the proposed problem are defined. Then, the LEWM is considered to select the suppliers. To meet the standards of the sustainable development goals and the global supply chains for a case of automobile manufacturing system, an optimization model is established. The proposed model has three objectives including the total cost and the carbon emissions to be minimized while the procurement value to be maximized. These objectives are based on the economic, environmental, and social impacts simultaneously to address the triple bottom lines of sustainability. In addition, the proposed method improves the relationship between the supply chain practitioners and the potential suppliers to achieve the product development capabilities and qualities to achieve the sustainable development goals and the global supply chain trend.

A solution to the limited global phosphorus supply: Regionalization of phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge ash

Abstract Natural phosphate rock reserves are limited to few geographical regions around the world requiring supply chains that are prone for geopolitical and natural disaster risks. Considering phosphorus (P) as a critical mineral, a strategic commodity P reserve from recycled P was explored at an urban scale representative of a large metropolitan area. Water resource recovery facilities (wastewater treatment facilities) are the ideal P sink where P can be recovered from wastewater. Using data collected in a metropolitan area, a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) sustainability analysis considering economic, social, and environmental impacts and benefits was conducted in comparing P recovery approaches including recovered as biosolids for land application; as fertilizers for immediate use; and recovered from sewage sludge ash (SSA) as P reserves. Evaluation criteria selected for the TBL analysis are: Economic category includes capital expenditures (CapEx) and operating expenses (OpEx); Social category includes public health and sustainable P supply; and Environmental category includes future regulations, air quality impacts, water quality impacts, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Recovering P from SSA of the study area would require a capital investment of approximately 760 M USGS (2019) which is the most expensive due to construction of a new centralized facility. However, recovery of P from SSA showed the best TBL benefits among the three scenarios. The principal reasons are: a sustainable P supply in the future from recovered P as well as a safer final sludge disposal option compared with land application option. The annual OpEx for Scenario 3 was estimated at 62 M USGS (2019) which is also more attractive than the other scenarios due to reduction in sludge truck hauling distance and improved efficiency by centralizing the operation. From a sustainable P supply and public health perspective, the benefits of storing recovered P as reserves far outweighs the benefits of land application or when recovered as fertilizers for immediate use. This research presents a novel approach to secure future P supply by centralization of P recovery from SSA. Researchers can follow the approach and conduct analyses using evaluation criteria that are most applicable to their own regions.

Sustainability assessment of existing onshore wind plants in the context of triple bottom line: a best-worst method (BWM) based MCDM framework.

Not only the steadily growing demand for electricity generation but also the environmental concerns in recent years have led to the belief in the importance of renewable energy. Wind is one of the most important renewable energy sources utilized in electricity generation for a sustainable environment. This paper deals with performance assessment for existing onshore wind plants in terms of triple bottom line of sustainability and aims to propose a structural methodology. Furthermore, the proposed framework is essentially formed through two stages: the first stage is the determination of relative weights for sustainability factors through the best-worst method (BWM) and the second stage is a sustainability performance assessment of the available 42 wind plants in Izmir, Turkey. According to the findings, the environmental dimension is the most significant, followed by the economic and social dimensions. The results also reveal that distance to protected areas is the most important factor among others in terms of sustainability performance and that the wind plants throughout the north side of Izmir have a higher sustainability performance. To validate the robustness and reliability of the introduced framework, a sensitivity analysis is also conducted. The proposed framework could be employed successfully in other scientific applications.

Industry 4.0 and Triple Bottom Line Sustainability - a Crunch Point for Malaysian SMEs

Current industrialization has generated many challenges, including ecological hazards, climate change, and overuse of non-renewable natural resources creating an increasing demand for achieving the goal of Triple Bottom Line (TBL). In this regard, Industry 4.0 can contribute to the the production process that can help in achieving sustainable development. Using Dynamic Capability view (DCV), this paper explores the role of Industry 4.0 as firm-level Dynamic Capabilities (DC) to achieving the goals of the triple botton line. Employing simple random sampling, the study adopted a quantitative approach based on 199 useable respondent’s feedback collected through a survey of 900 employees from the Malaysian SMEs. The results exhibit 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 study findings also show that the relationship between the firm-level DC and TBL sustainability can be mediated by the “effective implementation” of Industry 4.0. The study highlights the practical consequences of the role and use of firm capabilities in Industry 4.0 implementation and findings to notify managers and policy-makers to optimize value creation to achieve the sustainable development goals.

The Role of Integrated Reporting in Enhancing Corporate Transparency and Communication

The primary purpose of the research is to analyze and evaluate the prospects for the success of Integrated Reporting in terms of its potential to increase corporate transparency and enhance corporate communication. The relevance of the decision of this scientific problem is that the European Union published a proposal for the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive in April 2021 that highlights the importance of intangible assets and value creation. The Directive serves to ensure companies provide consistent and comparable sustainability information. In this context, it places sustainable reporting on par with financial reporting. Systematization of the literary sources and approaches indicates that company reports developed from a financial perspective over the triple bottom line sustainability approach to an integrated approach. Moreover, stakeholders are increasingly demanding more information. Reducing information asymmetries has always been an essential task of company reports. Consequently, the primary purpose of this research is to identify whether Integrated Reporting, according to The International Integrated Reporting Framework, is a successful tool to enhance corporate transparency and communication. Integrated Reporting presents financial and non-financial information against the background of their contribution to value creation. Methodological tools of the research are a research synthesis and meta-analysis literature review. These instruments are developed and enriched using document analysis and systematic content analysis. The research findings suggest that integrated reports enhance transparency and communication, leading to more trust and resilience. Moreover, the results indicate that the principle-oriented framework and the Guiding Principle Materiality enable companies to respond to their specific characteristics to meet the stakeholders’ requirements. The research empirically confirms and theoretically proves that Integrated Reporting can be seen as a suitable instrument for creating greater transparency, thus, a further development step in corporate reporting and communication. Integrated Reporting should therefore not be understood exclusively as a separate reporting tool but rather as a holistic management approach to implement integrated corporate management. The research results are beneficial for academic researchers and practitioners since the research provides an insightful and comprehensive overview of Integrated Reporting. Furthermore, it is also possible to derive practical recommendations for the application of Integrated Reporting.

Potentials of industry 4.0 for supply chain management within the triple bottom line of sustainability – A systematic literature review

Industry 4.0 has been studied in the existing literature from the perspective of supply chain management or the triple bottom line of sustainability, but both perspectives have not yet been sufficiently combined. In response, this paper summarizes the current state of the literature on Industry 4.0-related potentials in the context of the triple bottom line with respect to supply chain management. To do so, the study conducts a systematic literature review, based on 55 academic articles, which are thematically analyzed and categorized according to supply chain management processes in industrial value creation. First, this study elaborates a holistic perspective on the potentials of Industry 4.0 for supply chain management with respect to the triple bottom line. Second, the interrelations between the dimensions of the triple bottom line are analyzed concerning potential conflicts and enabling technologies. Research gaps and implications for managerial practice are highlighted, such as the role of small and medium-sized enterprises within Industry 4.0, developing economies, multi-tier supply chain management, information sharing across the supply chain, and the interplay of ecological and social dimensions with economic benefits, reflected in new forms of business models, which must still be better understood. • Systematic literature review based on 55 articles. • Presents potentials of Industry 4.0 for supply chain management within the TBL. • Highlights technological enablers for potentials across the supply chain. • Discusses interdependencies and contradictory aspects within the TBL. • Future research avenues at the intersection of Industry 4.0, TBL, and SCM.

Defining sustainable e-Learning

In previous work, sustainable e-Learning has largely been defined in economic terms, based on the cost associated with the initial development and later deployment and ongoing operation of online learning programs. Although the definition of sustainable development has been broadened in other disciplines to include non-economic dimensions, this has largely not been considered in the context of sustainable e-Learning. This paper addresses this limitation by providing new definitions of sustainable e-Learning that are based on the triple bottom line cost accounting framework. The triple bottom line recognizes that sustainability is based on the inter-relationship of factors that include societal and environmental dimensions in addition to economic considerations. This paper provides new definitions of sustainable e-Learning, derived following a scoping analysis that categorized existing literature based on the triple bottom line framework. To derive the new definitions, this analysis identified societal, environmental and economic factors of e-Learning as found in the existing literature, but recast these in the context of triple bottom line sustainability concepts and nomenclature. For example, e-Learning that develops life long learning skills can be considered a national renewable resource when aggregated across learners and institutions. This has the potential for broad societal and economic impact when considered on a national level. The potential for managing and auditing sustainable e-Learning based on the new definitions is considered in the context of a developing country such as Malaysia.

Sustainability orientation, the adoption of 3D printing technologies, and new product performance: A cross-institutional study of American and Indian firms

Developing new products that can address the triple bottom line of sustainability poses one of the grand challenges in our time. This study is among the first to examine how the adoption of 3D printing (3DP) technologies mediates the impact of firms’ sustainability orientation (SO) on new product performance. We use a mixed-methods design. First, we conduct qualitative interviews in the U.S. and India and find that firms adopt 3DP technologies in two stages: acquisition and application. We then conduct a quantitative study based on large-scale surveys in these two countries and the results show that SO has a stronger positive effect on the acquisition of 3DP technologies in U.S. firms than in Indian ones, but it has a stronger positive effect on the application of 3DP technologies in India than in the U.S. Moreover, the application of 3DP technologies partially mediates the effects of SO on new product performance in Indian firms but not in U.S. firms. This study enriches our understanding of how SO influences new product performance by distinguishing between stages in the adoption of 3DP technologies and shows that the impacts of SO on distinct stages in the adoption process differ between developing and developed countries.

Driving forces of sustainability in the mining industry: Evidence from a developing country

There is an increased understanding that mining companies should focus on sustainability practices to remain competitive, but there is limited research that captures the drivers of and barriers to implementing and maintaining sustainability practices. Drawing upon institutional theory, a study was conducted to explore the drivers of sustainability decisions by surveying 164 respondents from the mining sector in Ghana. Coercive and normative pressures emerge as potent drivers of the triple bottom line of sustainability. However, mimetic institutional pressures can influence environmental and social sustainability but not economic sustainability. It is expected that the study findings would guide managers and policymakers on the importance of the various institutional pressures in driving sustainability policies in mining organizations. Implications of this research are also discussed.

THE ROLE OF INDUSTRY 4.0 TECHNOLOGIES IN DETERMINING THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE SUSTAINABILITY-A FRAMEWORK FOR MALAYSIAN SMES

This study contributes to the current literature by analyzing the role of Industry 4.0 technologies on its effective implementation towards achieving Triple Bottom Line (TBL) sustainability. Several hypotheses are presented to evaluate the relationship, considering the role of Industry 4.0 technologies that may be played to determine TBL sustainability and effective implementation of Industry 4.0 as a mediating variable. Because there has been little focus on financial, ecological and societal sustainability and the role of Industry 4.0 technology on these dimensions in the current literature, this study aims to analyze the connection among the variables in relation to Malaysian SMEs. The statistical analysis will be performed through the employment of the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).

A Sustainable Business Case for Green Buildings

Increasingly, the emphasis has shifted towards the adoption of green buildings as stakeholders globally raise concerns on taking action on climate change. While there is a growing interest in the green building market, concerns regarding the social and economic impacts often arise. Research indicates there is insufficient data on a holistic approach to green buildings, which moves away from the primary focus of solely the environmental benefits and high economic costs associated with green buildings. This paper will, therefore, discuss the tangible and intangible aspects and benefits of a green building through the expanded scope of the triple bottom line of sustainability. This article aims to provide an overview focusing on the business case for opting for a green building as compared to a standard building. Results showcase green buildings to consume lower energy, reduce operational cost and offer a more productive indoor environment along with bringing higher economic returns when compared to a conventional building. The outcomes of this paper would aid in providing a better understanding of green building through the approach of a triple bottom line of sustainability and encourage the adoption of green buildings. This paper also concludes the future of green buildings to lie within the proper education of individuals, communities, organizations, and governments to analyze green buildings through the three dimensions of sustainability.