Understanding Of Sustainability Issues Research Articles

Corporate sustainability communication to promote pro-environmental behaviour: lessons learned from Balinese women in Indonesia

PurposeThis study aims to (1) examine corporate sustainability communication that promotes pro-environmental behaviour and (2) explore women’s experiences and expectations in relation to sustainability communication. Based on the findings, the study proposes a sustainability communication model that can facilitate the needs of both companies and women.Design/methodology/approachA case study was conducted to examine sustainability communication within the support waste management project of one company in Bali, Indonesia. Following the appreciative inquiry method, focus group discussions involving Balinese women and in-depth interviews were conducted to discover the best experiences and most appropriate ways to participate in waste management initiatives.FindingsThe findings show a gap between women’s understanding of sustainability issues and the information provided by the company. The company and women construct their own understandings of sustainability issues, and each has different capacities, needs, interests and values. This study contends sustainability communication as a process for co-creating meaning. It should begin by using the livelihoods and tangible impacts on women groups as the entry point.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed framework suggests communication intervention that acknowledges the importance of community participation and empowerment as well as three levels of impact: for themselves, their environment, and their communities. This study also recommends further studies in different contexts, as this study was conducted in collectivist rural communities.Originality/valueThe proposed framework accentuates the value of communication processes and management as well as sustainability outcomes, and considers women as actors, rather than as objects.

Assessing the Impact of Voluntary Certification Schemes on Future Sustainable Coffee Production

Coffee production faces major sustainability issues and consumers increasingly look to choose certified coffee as awareness grows. While consumers’ understanding of sustainability issues is limited, independent voluntary certification schemes such as Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, and certified organic—three high-profile schemes—can play a role in future-proofing coffee production through standard-setting. These schemes can also inform consumers about sustainability issues from economic, environmental, and social perspectives, thus driving up demand for sustainably grown coffee, and supporting an enabling environment for farmers and coffee-producing countries to improve the status quo. Sustainably grown coffee ensures that farmers sustain production while protecting the environment and the income that farmers rely on to maintain their livelihood. Based on a thematic analysis and synthesis of previous studies, this paper examines the social, economic, and environmental effects of voluntary certification schemes for coffee production. It evaluates the current state of coffee production and explores how certification schemes can be effective in encouraging more sustainable practices among producers. Three major voluntary certification schemes are evaluated to identify the impacts on producers, including key barriers and enablers to comply with sustainability standards and to determine how fit-for-purpose certification schemes are in assuring future sustainable coffee production.

Approaches to Foster Young Children’s Engagement with Climate Action: A Scoping Review

Climate change poses a significant risk to young children (birth to eight years). Early childhood education and care is believed to play a pivotal role in guaranteeing young children’s understanding of sustainability issues and climate change. Yet how education translates into climate action in early childhood is still unknown, and there is a need for research to explore the approaches that may be deployed to foster young children’s engagement with climate action. This scoping review aims to identify and describe the existing literature highlighting the approaches used in early childhood education to foster climate action amongst young children; map the gaps in this emerging field of inquiry; and make recommendations for areas of future research to address this problem. These findings offer potential priorities for educators, researchers and policymakers to develop climate change education programmes that are meaningful to young children in the early years. Based on the findings, areas for interventions related to climate literacy and climate change education, which may be helpful in raising awareness of climate change among young children, will be outlined.

Shaping Sustainability in Architectural Education: The Integrated Design as a Tool

Climate change is bringing new challenges for architectural education and calls for a new paradigm in the way we teach architecture and urban design. Therefore, a shift has become crucial to enhance the implementation of sustainability within university programs. This paper is, an experimental study taking place, in the first year of master's degree in civil engineering and architecture at the University of Liège, and within the context of an integrated design. The interconnection between design studio and theoretical course on sustainability allows students to develop in-depth knowledge and understanding of sustainability issues by integrating the environmental quality of the building into their designs. During this studio, and to respond to their architectural choices, several tools are applied within the design process to help students develop their building designs, such as interdisciplinary contributions. Our study is constituted of data collected via questionnaires and interviews as well as examining learning activities, teaching methods, students’ outcomes, and their interactions with their instructors. The analysis reveals that sustainability and environmental quality criteria were developed in a holistic way of design thinking in coherence with all the functional, aesthetic, and technological aspects in the design process while respecting the specific contextual requirements… The findings provide evidence that integrated design plays an important role in shaping sustainability in architectural education. This can be achieved through an interdisciplinary collaborative approach that calls for more involvement from students, and that puts into practice their theoretical bases within the design studio.

Communications on Sustainability in the Apparel Industry: Readability of Information on Sustainability on Apparel Brands’ Web Sites in the United Kingdom

As part of addressing sustainability, consumers’ attitudes and behaviors also depend on their understanding of sustainability issues. This is relevant in the apparel sector, including fast fashion, which faces substantial sustainability challenges and serves a broad consumer base. Apparel brands communicate with consumers about sustainability through various means including their web sites. Whether consumers can understand the information provided is key; consequently, an important issue addressed by this study is whether the information provided has an ease of reading corresponding to the mass consumer base. This study assesses the readability of the information provided on sustainability by brands’ web sites for 13 major apparel brands serving the U.K. market. Based on a range of readability tests, the brands’ web sites average readability is significantly harder than typical thresholds considered (p < 0.001). The substantial variation across brands in ease of reading and information provided includes some brands mostly within or close to the readability thresholds. The overall results indicate a significant barrier for consumers to gain information from brands about sustainability, with the variation across brands indicating the feasibility of achieving easier readability. Addressing this barrier to understanding is important and practicable, given the potential role of consumers in moving towards more sustainable apparel.

REVISITING A STUDY OF AWARENESS AND PERCEPTION TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability has long been discussed in many perspectives considering its importance to our lives. The practices embedded in Sustainability must consistently be done to achieve the goals that have been set in the Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) especially to fight a climate change and to create the sustainable cities and communities. To practise sustainability successfully, people should be aware and have a better understanding of sustainability issues and practices. Thus, this paper intends to look at the trends and issues in the awareness and perception towards sustainability. A conceptual paper in nature, this study reviewed past research works which included the perception and awareness of sustainability. This paper gathered study patterns and accessed the findings from multiple previous studies. Based on the findings, the awareness of sustainability was found to sustainability principles among the society. Education is recognised to have played a significant role of increasing the awareness of sustainability. Hopefully, this study will shed a light on the perspective of awareness and the perception towards sustainability from many different angles, which perhaps could lead to a new direction of study on this topic.

Competencies of Sustainability Professionals: An Empirical Study on Key Competencies for Sustainability

This paper presents an empirical study on key competencies for sustainable development. Over a period of two years, we collected empirical data on competencies of senior sustainability professionals by using an action research approach. Data collection took place in Belgium Flanders via an elaborate iterative action-reflection process including an interactive workshop, interviews, and an online survey. Our analysis provides strong empirical evidence for the existence of two complementary competency clusters, namely sustainability research competencies and sustainability intervention competencies. Together they enable the profound analysis and understanding of sustainability issues and ensure the ability to devise solutions and foster change towards sustainability. Furthermore, we shed a first light on the interaction of these competency clusters and their link with the practitioners’ topical knowledge and lived experience. This study bridges the divergence in literature between theoretically and empirically driven research and offers novel insights on sustainability competencies for the fields of sustainability science, human resource management, and higher education.

STEM Learning in Sustainability Issues to Improve Sustainability Consciousness of Junior High School Students

<p>Sustainability Consciousness is the expected result with the existence of ESD that is a complicated construction that can be influenced by various factors. ESD aims to develop students' understanding of sustainability issues and change students' attitudes and behavior regarding environmental, social, and economic sustainability. The purpose of this paper is to determine the improvement of students’ sustainability consciousness after attending STEM learning in sustainability issues. This study used quasi experimental method with one group pretes-posttest design. It was conducted in 28 seventh grades students of junior high school in Surabaya. The instrument was declared as valid based on expert’s judgment and showed Alpha Cronbach score 0,85. Data was collected by pretest and posttest of sustainability consciousness questionnaire. Based on the data analysis, it showed that sustainability issues were effectively integrated into STEM learning to enhance the sustainability consciousness of junior high school students. N-gain average of sustainability consciousness were 0,18 as low category. The findings suggest that required learning strategies that can provide more opportunities for students to learn about sustainability issues and develop pro-sustainability attitudes and behaviors.</p>

Deepening Our Knowledge about Sustainability Education in the Early Years: Lessons from a Water Project

The transformative agenda of sustainability education constitutes the focus of early-years education. In quality sustainability educational projects, children are supported to draw links between nature and society and relate to the studied phenomena. Is this methodological approach realized in educational programs for the early years? The present work presents some of the significant findings of a case study on implementing a water project in early-year settings around Europe. It explores the characteristics and the methodological approaches the project implementation developed. Three types of implementation are derived from the qualitative analysis of data and reveal that there are still cases in which sustainability projects are focused on a descriptive approach rather than critical inquiry and analysis. In this sense, the need for educational designs that help children deepen their understanding of sustainability issues and become empowered citizens who will work for a sustainable future is highlighted.

Certification Labels in Shaping Perception of Food Quality—Insights from Polish and Belgian Urban Consumers

Food quality is considered to be one of the most important determinants of food choice. Given the variety of food products and the overflow of information in the market, certification labels are intended to encourage consumers to select healthier and more sustainable product options. This study focuses on how urban consumers from Poland and Belgium perceive food quality and whether certification labels shape their views on it. Research material was collected using quantitative (Paper and Pencil Interviews (PAPI)) and qualitative (focus groups (FGs)) methods. The survey was conducted among people visiting sustainable food fairs, on a sample of 701 adults in the cities of Warsaw, Brussels and Ghent. This study confirms that consumers are interested in food quality when choosing food, but their perception varies depending on the place of residence and other socio-demographic characteristics (age, income, education, household structure). Certificates were important for consumers if their message clearly signals exceptional quality and is consistent with awareness of sustainability challenges. Consumers from Belgium (a country with a long-established market economy) reveal deeper knowledge and a more favourable approach to certification labels than Poles. The role of labelling in shaping consumers’ perceptions of food quality depends on their awareness, experience and understanding of sustainability issues. This, in turn, is determined by the cultural environment of consumers, which in the case of our study was the country of residence.

Organisational sustainability readiness: A model and assessment tool for manufacturing companies

Manufacturing plays a major role in the economic and social development of society, yet this often comes at a high environmental cost. Despite great advances in our understanding of sustainability issues and solutions developed to tackle this challenge, current production and consumption models are still largely unsustainable. Strong industrial actions are required to move towards safer and cleaner practices respectful of the planetary boundaries. This paper puts forward a novel approach for top and middle management in manufacturing companies to build capabilities for sustainable manufacturing by assessing their organisational sustainability readiness. The proposed model and tool for organisational sustainability readiness were developed based on themes emerging from empirical data collected via interviews and focus groups in six companies. The resulting themes were consolidated and validated with relevant literature to create four levels of readiness, displaying a crescendo of operations management practices on the shop floor that positively affect sustainability performance. Finally, an industrial application was used to further validate the tool and demonstrate how it can help companies develop a roadmap for a more sustainable manufacturing industry.

An application of Q-methodology to Mediterranean olive production – stakeholders' understanding of sustainability issues

Olive growing is one of the most significant sources of income for agricultural areas in the Mediterranean basin, and a characteristic element from environmental and landscape perspectives. Italy is the second largest producer of olive oil; this cultivation represents the nation's most important supply chain, especially in the southern Italian Calabrian region, contributing to both local and rural economies. However, in a Calabrian context, olive production underperforms due to structural and managerial weaknesses, and farming techniques' potential impacts are not properly addressed due to farmers' poor knowledge of agricultural sustainability techniques. Therefore, Calabrian olive growing requires innovation, especially to respond to new sustainability requirements, currently claimed by public policies (eco-conditionality), and consumers and citizens increasingly concerned with environmental quality, human health and social liveability. This paper analyses the aspects that require innovation towards sustainability aims by exploring the perceptions of various actors, including local and supply chain stakeholders, and highlighting and suggesting new pathways to be introduced in Calabrian olive growing. The application of a mixed qualitative/quantitative statistical method, or the ‘Q-methodology’, small and medium-sized farms, academic experts, technicians and consumers have been interviewed to investigate their perceptions and interpretations of sustainability issues. Further, their opinions on possible weaknesses and areas of improvement are examined, highlighting either a consensus or diversity regarding their points of view. The results indicated that all actors perceived a need to orient Calabrian olive growing towards more sustainable management practices by better exploiting its potential and focusing on product quality. Sustainable innovation, in this sense, would increase production efficiency and economic performance, thus satisfying the need for employment and fairer remunerations.

Inquiry into sustainability issues by preservice teachers: A pedagogy to enhance sustainability consciousness

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is transformative education aiming at developing participants’ understanding of sustainability issues and transforming their attitudes and behaviours regarding environment, society and economy. Sustainability consciousness, an expected outcome of ESD, is a complex of cognitive and affective learning. Development of sustainability consciousness requires transformative learning experiences. The study presented in this paper employed action research to enhance sustainability consciousness of the preservice teachers through inquiry based learning. The study was done in the Institute of Education, Lahore College for Women University, Pakistan. The study integrated sustainability education in an existing course entitled ‘Research Methods in Education’. The course is included in the final year of B.Ed. (Honours) programme. Outcome of the ESD-integration was measured in terms of change in the sustainability consciousness of the preservice teachers. The Action Research project engaged 27 preservice teachers in inquiry-based learning (empirical investigations and research based discussions) for a period of 11 weeks. The participants investigated sustainability issues collaboratively. To investigate the change in participants’ sustainability consciousness through inquiry based learning, researchers collected through pre- and post-tests, interviews and observation. Quantitative data were analyzed through paired t-test while qualitative data through thematic coding. The data indicate that empirical investigations into sustainability issues by the presevice teachers and research-based discussions enhanced preservice teachers’ sustainability consciousness. This highlights the transformative potential of inquiry based learning. Moreover, it indicates that sustainability education can be successfully integrated in the course of ‘research methods in education’. The findings suggest that teacher education programmes and other university programmes may employ inquiry based learning as a vehicle to enhance sustainability consciousness of the undergraduate students.

To what extent do European tourist guide-training curricula include sustainability principles?

ABSTRACTThe present study examines the extent to which the topics of sustainability – considered innovative subjects in guiding – are included in guide training programmes in eight European countries. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind in Europe. It is assumed that tourist guides have the unique opportunity to improve visitors’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of a destination and thus contribute to sustainability. Data were collected from training institutions in Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain, all participants of INNOGUIDE, a European Union-sponsored project. Analyses were conducted based on the programmes’ documentation and curricula. The programmes vary widely in their content. The issues of sustainability are not sufficiently integrated in tourist guide training programmes. There might be room for improvements of how tourist guides may contribute to visitors’ understanding of sustainability issues, both in the place visited and in general. Future research should replicate the present study employing more detailed investigation and larger samples, as well as study how tourist guide training is structured. Managerial consequences include improvements in guides’ training programmes; additional contributions of the study include criteria and indicators that may be applied in developing or improving such programmes.

Accounting for sustainability: an active learning assignment

PurposeSustainability is one of the newer topics in the accounting courses taught in university teaching programs. The active learning assignment as described in this paper was developed for use in an accounting course in an undergraduate program. The aim was to enhance teaching about sustainability within such a course. The purpose of this paper is to offer experience-based guidance to faculty members around the world who would like to include sustainability in their courses.Design/methodology/approachThis paper describes the introduction of sustainability in an accounting course via an active learning approach. The assignment that was developed formed part of a management accounting course for 450 business students. In the assignment, the students were asked to propose a sustainable solution for the university organization. Several tools were provided to the students to support them in obtaining an insight into the financial and societal consequences of the proposed solution.FindingsThe encouraging experiences with the assignment at the university where it was designed show that it effectively improved students’ understanding of sustainability issues. Furthermore, the assignment provided insight into how management accounting can play a role in enhancing sustainability in an organization. Additionally, the experiences with the assignment show that it can be used to make courses more lively and attractive to students.Originality/valueAs yet, textbooks have not offered much support in how to incorporate sustainability into the field of accounting. The assignment represents a novel use of management accounting concepts in the study of sustainability and is relevant to educators as an example of an active learning approach on the topic of sustainability.

Employee Perception of Nigerian Content, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Issues in the Oil and Gas Equipment and Service Industry in the Niger Delta: 2010 and Beyond

By determining the understanding of sustainability issues, the practice of corporate social responsibility and Nigerian Content implementation in the Niger Delta oil and gas equipment and service industry, this dissertation investigates the perception of employees. To elicit the perception, structured questionnaires and interviews with employees in the equipment and service sector were administered. The analysis, largely statistical, revealed a high level of agreement in perception and understanding of the notions of corporate social responsibility, Nigerian content, sustainable development, corporate responsibility and the emerging trend, corporate sustainability.Information on actual practices in the oil and gas equipment and service industry in the Niger Delta of Nigeria provides an opportunity that must be harnessed if the much needed development both in human capital and infrastructural sphere is to be achieved. To this end, oil and gas equipment and service companies should demonstrate active encouragement and support for employee involvement in CSR/NC/CS activities, provide generic CSR/NC/CS training targeted at the employees, implement employee suggestion scheme and include local knowledge in developing CSR/NC/CS strategy as it offers the best value to establish ownership and accountability for effective implementation which would result in sustainable benefits to the organization, the employee and the society.

Adoption of “eco‐advantage” by SMEs: emerging opportunities and constraints

PurposeA recent study has asserted that businesses need to adopt “eco‐advantage”. This paper aims to explore the viability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) achieving “eco‐advantage” by exploring their understanding of sustainability issues, how they adopt and innovate in terms of sustainability and the benefits and obstacles they face.Design/methodology/approachThe research approach is exploratory, comprised of 15 SME embedded cases based in the UK. The cases are participants in short interventions in sustainable product and process design as a part of a university knowledge transfer project, representing the overall case. Cases are based on interviews with company participants and collaborating academics, supplemented by documentary and observational evidence.FindingsThe results build on the work on “eco‐advantage” found in a recent study, highlighting marketing, rather than compliance issues as a catalyst for change. The newly aware SME enters a development process which involves cumulative capabilities, gaining a nascent inner confidence, which includes espousing wider sustainable values.Research limitations/implicationsThe results reveal the scope and challenges for SMEs to adopt more sustainable practices, encompassing innovations and a broad set of capabilities. Further research points to the need to monitor benefits as well as inputs in evaluating sustainability improvements and to consider longitudinal business sustainability issues.Originality/valueThe paper informs the emerging debate on sustainability in SMEs, providing a rich source of data to enhance the provision of business support and knowledge transfer activities, where a more holistic and customised approach is required to realise the real environmental and economic benefits accrued from implementing sustainable improvements.

PLANNING EDUCATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: STUDENTS' PERCEPTION AND KNOWLEDGE - A CASE FROM TURKEY

Sustainable development is one of the great challenges of 21st century for various disciplines including city and regional planning. Studies showed that city plans fail to promote sustainable development, design professionals have limited understanding of sustainability issues, and curriculums in design education schools do not put the necessary emphasis on sustainability concepts. However, no study has tested whether planning students’ have a different perception and understanding of sustainable development than other students. Thus, this study aims to understand attitudes of planning students towards sustainable development and compare planning students’ and other students’ knowledge about sustainable development. Data were collected by means of questionnaires, which asked questions about perception and attitudes towards sustainable development, source of information to improve sustainability knowledge, and level of knowledge for general, legal and architectural aspects of sustainability. One hundred ten volunteers (79 planning students, 31 general students) participated in the study. Results showed that students thought that very little sustainable practice appears to be undertaken. Although, planning students thought that the sensitivity to sustainability determines an important percentage of their final grades in a studio project, they reported not using many of the sustainability principles in studios. In addition, planning students reported that they improve their understanding of sustainable development via classes, scientific articles and books. On the other hand, other students reported that they rely on visual and written media to improve their understanding of sustainable development. Despite those differences in sources of information, results showed that, planning students’ level of knowledge (for general, legal and architectural aspects of sustainability) was not different than that of other students. In conclusion, although this study has some methodological drawbacks it is important in highlighting the necessity for a better look to planning education.

Using a Wiki to Support Sustainability Literacy

It is becoming increasingly important that students develop an awareness and understanding of sustainability issues: that they develop their ‘sustainability literacy’. For the past few years we hav...

The role and effectiveness of continuing education training courses offered by higher education institutions in furthering the implementation of sustainable development

PurposeTo investigate the effectiveness of one‐off short continuing adult education courses for expanding the penetration of sustainable development education beyond current tertiary students.Design/methodology/approachPre‐ and post‐course questionnaires are used to evaluate the effectiveness of a series of short training courses on environment and sustainability issues conducted by the Centre for Environmental Strategy for a UK government department.FindingsThese short continuing education courses were effective at meeting their specific aims of increasing awareness and understanding of sustainability issues, with longer courses being more beneficial and providing qualitatively different experiences. Learning on sustainable development was maximised by overtly drawing on the collective past learning experiences and knowledge of participants though carefully facilitated discussion that encourages the sharing of and building upon this knowledge base.Practical implicationsIf the training effectiveness of short continuing education courses in sustainable development is to be effective then such courses need to exploit existing knowledge bases so that limited time resources are used for maximum benefit through teaching methodologies that promote a constructivist learning environment.Originality/valueThis paper examines a significant means for maximising the effectiveness short continuing education courses in sustainability. Ensuring the effectiveness of such courses is critical to increasing the penetration of sustainable development education in higher education.