United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Research Articles

Science Education Reform 2.0 in Egypt: How the Concepts of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Were Integrated into Primary Science Curricula

Science Education Reform 2.0 in Egypt: How the Concepts of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Were Integrated into Primary Science Curricula

Social impact of emotional education in the development of socioemotional competences of university teachers

The implementation of emotional education in the university setting holds significant importance within the contemporary educational landscape, as its knowledge and application have shown significant social impacts. Training in socio-emotional skills goes beyond the personal sphere of the teacher and has a positive effect on academic and social contexts. This is evidenced by the strengthening of team cohesion, the promotion of innovation, and the improvement of educational outcomes. There is a highlighted need to implement strategies to eliminate barriers in socio-emotional development, which underscores the urgency of institutional changes and collaboration to address emotional gaps. This study aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, highlighting the importance of enhancing the socio-emotional competencies of the teaching staff. The goal is to promote inclusive and equitable learning environments, in pursuit of contributing to well-being, equality, and social sustainability.

A tale of two generations: Justice in cities for a low-carbon world

According to the greenhouse gas (GHG) protocol for cities, GHGs are responsible for an estimated 75 per cent of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. This represents a key opportunity to tackle climate change. With the year 2023 and, in particular, the month of July delivering record-breaking temperatures, this demonstrates a clear need to accelerate decarbonisation and, in this context, to reduce the carbon footprint of cities. Further, acting on urban development addresses a number of key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). Many cities, however, are struggling to break away from a reliance on carbon and some are economically dependent on it. This paper seeks to investigate, through an energy justice lens, some first considerations of how to secure just and sustainable urban regeneration. It posits that energy justice, and its five core principles, is a useful analytical tool for considering the justice and development concerns related to the transition to a low-carbon world. The cities examined in brief in this comparative study are Bordeaux in France, Venice in Italy, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and Bangkok in Thailand. The research posits that despite different trajectories, cities can play a leading role in ensuring justice and sustainability in our low-carbon world.

Constructing a standard system of city sustainable development assessment technology based on the SDGs

Given the rapid development of China’s new urbanization, cities with different locations and varying functional positioning, resource endowments, and development stages have insufficient scientific and applicable technical tools for implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). City managers and policymakers must urgently establish SDG benchmarks to diagnose city development. Moreover, successful experiences from similar cities regarding sustainable development and self-improvement must be learned from to promote diversified, sustainable development across the country. Furthermore, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, big data and 5G are widely used in smart cities. Therefore, there is a growing need for “knowledge-based, personalized and intelligent” technologies to support monitoring, evaluation, and decision-making processes facilitating sustainable development in cities. This paper uses standardization as the theoretical support and technical basis. This approach can help clarify the sustainable development processes in China and clarify the evaluation results of and provide data on horizontal city comparisons, which can be used to develop evaluation technology for sustainable development in cities and construct a standardized system. The results provide a standard framework for intelligent assessment and decision-making regarding cities’ sustainable development capabilities in China. Evaluating major international standardization institutions reveals that the practices of Chinese national standards should be fully absorbed and integrated to guide the evaluation of smart, resilient, and low-carbon cities. To this end, an indicator library of city sustainable development is proposed to provide standard evaluation technology methods. Finally, analyzing the response relationship of the indicator library to SDGs reveals the need for a standardized knowledge map of sustainable development assessment techniques and methods from the perspective of integrated management for sustainable development in cities.

Smart waterborne disease control for a scalable population using biodynamic model in IoT network

We propose a biodynamic model for managing waterborne diseases over an Internet of Things (IoT) network, leveraging the scalability of LoRa IoT technology to accommodate a growing human population. The model, based on fractional order derivatives (FOD), enables smart prediction and control of pathogens that cause waterborne diseases using IoT infrastructure. The human-pathogen-based biodynamic FOD model utilises epidemic parameters (SVIRT: susceptibility, vaccination, infection, recovery, and treatment) transmitted over the IoT network to predict pathogenic contamination in water reservoirs and dumpsites in Iji-Nike, Enugu, the study community in Nigeria. These pathogens contribute to person-to-person, water-to-person, and dumpsite-to-person transmission of disease vectors. Five control measures are proposed: potable water supply, treatment, vaccination, adequate sanitation, and health education campaigns. A stable disease-free equilibrium point is found when the effective reproduction number of the pathogens, R0eff<1 and unstable if R0eff>1. While other studies showed a 98.2% reduction in infections when using IoT alone, this paper demonstrates that combining the SVIRT epidemic control parameters (such as potable water supply and health education campaign) with IoT achieves a 99.89% reduction in infected human populations and a 99.56% reduction in pathogen populations in water reservoirs. Furthermore, integrating treatment with sanitation results in a 99.97% reduction in infected populations. Finally, combining these five control strategies nearly eliminates infection and pathogen populations, demonstrating the effectiveness of multifaceted approaches in public health and environmental management. This study provides a blueprint for governments to plan sustainable smart cities for a growing population, ensuring potable water free from pathogenic contamination,in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals #6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and #11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Data-driven prediction model for pollution prevention deficiencies on ships

Preventing ship-related environmental pollution is one of the most important concerns of the maritime industry. This research developed a machine learning-based model to detect pollution prevention deficiencies in detained ships to address critical environmental regulations and enhance maritime safety. To develop predictive model, the Random Forest algorithm was performed on the port state control report of 4056 detained ships in the Tokyo MoU region between 2019 and 2023. Quantitative analysis revealed that the port state conducting the inspection was the most impactful variable on the model, affecting its accuracy significantly due to diverse enforcement standards. Deficiency number was the second important variable. The analysis also revealed that ship type and size had above-average effect on the model. The Random Forest model achieved the highest accuracy of 72.43 % compared to other algorithms. Following the predictive modeling, Association Rule Mining was utilized to uncover and delineate implicit relationships among the identified deficiency areas, thus deepening our analysis of pollution prevention strategies. The Random Forest algorithm has high accuracy and robustness in models developed for big data and is resistant to overfitting, and the Apriori algorithm can extract hidden and complex relationships in the data faster and more easily interpretable were the main reasons for the selection of these algorithms. The Apriori algorithm analysis identified critical deficiency areas linked to pollution prevention—namely fire safety, certificate/documentation, ISM, emergency systems, and life-saving appliances—with these areas appearing in most of the rules with high metric values, thus highlighting common compliance gaps. The findings can help port authorities and port state control officers prioritize inspections of ships most likely to be non-compliant, thereby effectively reducing pollution prevention risk and inspection times and costs. Therefore, the measures to be taken may prevent ship-related pollution and achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially related to marine resources.

Investigation of [formula omitted] formation in non-premixed, swirl-stabilised, wet hydrogen/air gas turbine combustor

In line with the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the use of fossil fuels is to be phased out in the coming decades. Fossil-free hydrogen is a promising candidate for decarbonising the energy sector. However, hydrogen combustion is known to produce undesirable emissions such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and calls for mitigation measures such as steam-diluted hydrogen combustion, which is known to reduce the NOx emissions. This study focuses on improving the understanding of NOx formation in a swirl-stabilised, steam-diluted, non-premixed hydrogen/air combustion using high-fidelity large eddy simulation (LES) and zero-dimensional (0D) perfectly stirred reactors (PSR). The LES results are used to identify four salient points in the domain where the NOx chemistry is analysed in detail. These points are chosen in the main flame, flame tail, post-flame and central recirculation regions. Note, the high heat release rate (HRR) region is referred to as the main flame while the flame tail denotes the low-HRR and V-shaped flame region adjacent to the main flame. Based on the LES data at these chosen points, the contribution of the major NO production pathways such as the Zeldovich mechanism, extended Zeldovich mechanism, N2O route and the NNH route are studied and reveal different rates of production of NO (i.e. ROPNO). Also, the role of individual reactions in NO production and consumption is investigated. Furthermore, reaction pathway diagrams illustrating the chemical pathways leading to NO are visualised. The sensitivity of NO to each reaction is also reported. These analyses provide insights into the NO chemical pathways observed at the salient points across the domain. The dominance of the Zeldovich mechanism remains but is much less compared to that in dry hydrogen combustion as its contribution to ROPNO is less than 20% at all the points considered. However, the extended Zeldovich mechanism is significant at all the points. The NNH route is observed to be important in the flame regions. The major NNH reaction contributing to ROPNO in the flame regions is NNH+O⇌NH+NO. Furthermore, the complex NO chemistry at all the identified points is presented in great detail using the above-mentioned analyses and illustrations. This work highlights the possibility of combining a high-fidelity simulation and a simple 0D ideal reactor to decipher the nuances of NO chemical pathways in a practical swirl-stabilised gas turbine combustor and provide new understanding for assisting engineers in designing clean burners.

I believe in water: A religious perspective on rain and rainmakers

Water has always played a significant role in religions. This contribution seeks to investigate comparatively the figure of the rainmaker as presented in Traditional African religions and biblical texts. The phenomenon of the rainmaker is at the centre of this investigation. In Traditional African religions, the rainmaker is not only a figure controlling rain but also has a substantial social standing. In biblical texts, the rainmaker (of which Samuel and Elijah can be considered as examples), functions more like a prophet without an elite social and political status. Despite the differences in the status of the rainmaker among Traditional African religions and biblical texts, both traditions make it abundantly clear that rain originates with God. God sends or withholds the rain. The figure of the rainmaker as a social leader can today contribute to instilling a sense of using water responsibly and guiding communities in considering climate action to ensure sustainable living on land and water. A sense of concern over the responsible use of water will bind communities together. In this way, water can be a binding factor and stimulating topic-enhancing interreligious dialogue.Contribution: This contribution is a comparative study of the phenomenon of the rainmaker as presented in Traditional African religions and biblical texts. It aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, number 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation); number 13 (Climate Action) and number 15 (Life on Land).

Achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals – innovation diffusion and business model innovations

Purpose The study aims to analyse the race towards green development and United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the cases of Huawei and Shell. Both companies are the leaders in their respective industries. Huawei is an example case study representing the information and communications technology (ICT) industry whereas Shell is an example case study representing the oil and gas industry. The research analyses of the races in achieving UN SDGs were undertaken based on the innovation diffusion framework with the use of machine learning algorithms trained to extract data on sustainability activities and initiatives. Design/methodology/approach The research analyses the two case studies of Huawei and Shell. The research was undertaken through the steps of training machine learning algorithms, industry benchmarking and evaluating the performance of the race. The analyses regarding the activities and initiatives of Huawei and Shell in contributing towards SDGs are based on the data in the past 10 years (Years 2010–2019) using machine learning to extract data on sustainability activities and initiatives. In the case of Huawei, 313 sustainability reports were fed to the unsupervised machine learning algorithms revealing 15,101 sustainability actions and initiatives related to UN SDGs in the ICT industry. In the case of Shell, 2,015 sustainability reports were fed to the unsupervised machine learning algorithms revealing 47,365 sustainability actions and initiatives related to UN SDGs in the oil and gas industry. Findings The analyses of findings revealed that Huawei and Shell performed very well in progressing towards the UN SDGs. Huawei had strong performance in the ICT industry with regard to SDGs No. 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12 and 16 while Shell had strong performance in the oil and gas industry with regard to SDGs No. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 12 and 16. Both companies had placed a focus on achieving SDG 12 responsible consumption and production, SDG 7 affordable and clean energy and SDG 4 quality education. The synthesised business model innovations of Huawei and Shell had shown their environmental, social and governance strategies – Huawei’s 2030 vision for green development and Shell’s 2050 vision for net zero emissions. Practical implications The five pillars of people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership according to the UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development have shown the way a company operates to promote sustainable eco-systems. The extent to which both Huawei and Shell link corporate strategies to the UN SDGs has reflected their implementation progress. Furthermore, the business model innovations of Huawei and Shell provides a useful framework which can be applied to encourage other companies/organisations in various industries to undertake ESG activities in practice. Originality/value The main contribution of this research is the application of machine learning algorithms and the innovation diffusion model in analysing the SDGs performance. The study applies the innovation diffusion framework to explore strategic actions and initiatives of Huawei and Shell in transitioning towards sustainability. The use of machine learning algorithms has identified their sustainability approach in achieving the UN SDGs.

Pan-European Water Use Efficiency and Sustainability Evaluation Based on Stochastic Meta-frontier Analysis

In 2007, the European Union (EU) intended to become a water-efficient community. Yet, despite the EU’s commitment to the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDGs), relevant insights based on scientific research are still sparse. This study presents a pan-European water use performance evaluation, considering differences in production technologies and potential efficiency determinants. The empirical results are obtained by analysing country-level panel data from 2011 to 2020. Our paper provides more instructive and encompassing findings to inform holistic policy formulation and management practices than prior studies that have typically relied on partial-factor indicators with limited explanatory power. We find that European countries are subject to technological and efficiency heterogeneity, and our production function and inefficiency equation estimations attest to the existence of divergent cause-effect relationships, calling for decentralised, customised solutions. Arguably, our comparative benchmarking analysis constitutes the first comprehensive cross-country investigation for Europe of its kind, underscoring the importance of impactful science in fostering the preservation of high civilisation in line with the theme of this special issue.

Promoting employees’ retention and functional presenteeism through well-being oriented human resource management practices: the mediating role of work meaningfulness

Purpose Drawing upon the theoretical frameworks of conservation of resources and social exchange theories, this study investigates how perceived well-being-oriented human resource management (WBHRM) practices can boost job embeddedness, encourage functional presenteeism, and diminish intention to leave by cultivating a sense of purpose in the workplace.Design/methodology/approach Adopting a time-lagged design, data were collected from healthcare organizations in Canada at two distinct time points. Structural equation modeling and Bootstrap analysis were used to validate the research hypotheses.Findings The results revealed that perceived WBHRM practices directly enhanced work meaningfulness. Perceived WBHRM practices indirectly fostered sustainable presenteeism and job embeddedness and decreased intention to leave through work meaningfulness.Practical implications This study provides valuable insights for healthcare organizations aiming to boost nurse retention and attraction through sustainable HRM practices. By prioritizing employee well-being, growth and a positive workplace culture, organizations can create a fulfilling work environment that enhances job satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, fostering functional presenteeism and a strong sense of work meaningfulness can improve both individual and organizational performance. This approach not only positions the organization as a top employer but also ensures long-term success.Social implications These findings support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of decent work (8 SDG) and good health and well-being (3 SDG).Originality/value This study makes a significant contribution to HRM literature by introducing the concept of work meaningfulness and highlighting its critical role in improving both individual and organizational outcomes. It uniquely examines the positive aspects of presenteeism, a relatively underexplored area. Furthermore, the study showcases how WBHRM practices can create a supportive environment for nurses, enabling them to balance health and performance while enhancing their sense of purpose, thus offering a novel perspective on sustainable HRM practices in healthcare.

Innovations in Aquaponics Technology and Building Sustainable Infrastructure for Agriculture

Aquaponics, a symbiotic integration of aquaculture and hydroponics, presents a promising approach to sustainable agriculture by maximizing resource utilization and minimizing environmental impact. This study explores recent innovations in aquaponics technology and the development of sustainable infrastructure to support its widespread adoption. A systematic literature review is conducted, showing the fundamentals of aquaponics and its key components such as fish tanks, grow beds, and biological filters. Innovations in technology are examined, including advanced monitoring and control systems, integration of renewable energy sources, automation, and novel growing techniques. Sustainable infrastructure for aquaponics is analyzed, focusing on water management strategies, energy efficiency measures, material selection, and integration with urban agriculture. Furthermore, the alignment of aquaponics technology and sustainable infrastructure development with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is studied, particularly in achieving goals related to zero hunger, clean water and sanitation, responsible consumption and production, and climate action.

Revolutionizing Islamic Curriculum in Enabling Sustainable Futures through SDGs

This study aims to explore and enhance the integration of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into Islamic education curricula, which is rooted in values such as justice, stewardship, and social welfare. Despite the global recognition of education as a key driver for sustainable development, the incorporation of SDGs into Islamic education remains underdeveloped. Through qualitative analysis and phenomena studies in Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. Data were collected based on literature descriptions from national and international research results. This study identifies examples of successful SDGs integration and challenges that still exist, including resistance to change, resource constraints, and lack of understanding of the SDGs. The findings contribute to the development of a framework for embedding SDG content within Islamic curricula, advocating for active learning methods and collaboration with international organizations to exchange best practices. This research not only bridges the gap between Islamic principles and SDGs but also provides a foundation for more effective and sustainable implementation in Islamic educational institutions globally.

Global Neurosurgery: A Path Forward Through Health System Strengthening.

The future of global neurosurgery should focus on addressing the unmet neurosurgical need from a health system approach should we hope to achieve sustainable and ethical change. In this article, we review the global building blocks, as defined by the World Health Organization, and use this framework to propose strategies to strengthen neurosurgical care on the global frontier. The targets for Universal Healthcare Coverage by 2030, as outlined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, are reviewed, and the role of neurosurgeons in addressing the global targets is discussed. Surgical indicators according to the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery are also reviewed, and neurosurgical indicators are proposed according to the 6 surgical indicators of the commission. The execution of these global targets and indicators within the context of health system strengthening will be a persistent challenge, given the complexity of health system and its components. The neurosurgical community must continue to support, promote, and diversify collaborations, especially among deserts of neurosurgical care across the world. Innovative technology and education are essential to this global dilemma.

Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment in Informal Settlements of the Global South: A Critical Review

This study investigated the climatic risks and vulnerabilities of informal settlements in the Global South, as well as the extent to which these risks impact the vulnerabilities. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2009 methodology and deductive content analysis, this study critically examined 69 documents, including 28 scholarly journal articles obtained from Scopus and ScienceDirect and 41 web-based releases identified through the Google search engine and snowballing technique. Document inclusion criteria focused on the relevance to climate risks and vulnerabilities, excluding non-peer-reviewed, non-English, and unreliable sources, as well as irrelevant studies. Seven major climate risks impacting informal settlements were identified: floods (44), temperature changes (41), storms (31), sea level rise (30), drought (28), rainfall (23), and landslides (14). The primary vulnerabilities highlighted were poor housing conditions (64), health risks (50), lack of basic services (49), inadequate sanitation (41), inadequate hygiene (39), and limited access to water (38). The combination of vulnerabilities and climate risks creates considerable direct, indirect, and low-level threats to informal settlements. Despite Asia, Africa, and Latin America’s vulnerability, most studies focused on formal and developed areas. The findings highlight the critical need for climate adaptation strategies in informal settlements of the Global South to ensure the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are met.

Discovering a model Pacific oyster for sustainable aquaculture production and sales optimisation in southern Australia

The Pacific oyster is prominent in global food security and the blue economy. As an unfed aquaculture species, the oyster offers substantial potential to contribute to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals related to hunger, health, and employment. By capitalising on its biophysical attributes, the industry can enhance production efficiency and economic sustainability. This study advances critical insights into commercially important biophysical traits of the Pacific oyster across its supply chains in southern Australia (South Australia and Tasmania). Applying quantitative analysis to qualitative data using proportional odds logit modelling, reflexive thematic analysis (with theme salience), Fleiss’ Kappa analyses, and a novel Industry-Acclaimed Trait Importance (IATI) Index, we identify non-specific survival, uniform growth, and shell integrity (hard, dense, and less chalky) as primary determinants of production success. The meat quality, shell appearance, and size consistency are also of prime importance for marketability. Notably, we discover the shell, which is not eaten and often overlooked in the oyster production economy, as a critical factor impacting 78% of identified biophysical traits, revealing a potential avenue for production and sales optimisation. By delineating the characteristics of a model oyster, we provide a blueprint for selective breeding and farm management practices to enhance product quality and foster sustainable Pacific oyster aquaculture.

Life Cycle Carbon Assessment of Mortars with Carbonated and Non-Carbonated Recycled Aggregates

Global warming is one of the most important issues that the world is currently facing. The cement industry accounts for around 7% of total global CO2 emissions. According to the 13th United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, cement plants must become carbon neutral by 2050. This neutrality may be achieved by a reduction in CO2 emissions complemented with carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies. In accordance with these sustainable goals, several approaches have been studied. This paper investigates life cycle carbon of mortars produced with carbonated recycled aggregates. In previous works, the carbon dioxide capture capacity of construction and demolition waste (CDW) was analysed, and mortars with CDW recycled aggregates submitted to high levels of CO2 were evaluated in terms of their mechanical performance. This paper focus on the life cycle carbon impact assessment (LCCA) of industrial mortar formulations in a cradle-to-gate boundary. This assessment is carried out through a global warming potential environment impact assessment, since it represents the amount of CO2 equivalent that is sent to the atmosphere and contributes to the “greenhouse effect”. This LCCA includes the impacts associated with the treatment and additional transportation routes of the recycled aggregates. With this work, it was found that mortars with carbonated recycled aggregates have a considerably lower global warming potential impact than mortars without recycled aggregates. The mortars with recycled aggregates presented lower CO2 emissions of up to 6.31% for 100% incorporation of non-carbonated recycled aggregates. These values were incremented with the carbonation of the recycled aggregates, achieving a reduction of CO2 emissions of up to 36.75% for 100% of incorporation.

How Is SDG 11 Linked with Other SDGs? Evidence from the United Nations Good Practices

The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities” (SDG 11) is linked with the 16 other SDGs to varying extents. Studying these relationships can provide insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the current SDG framework and set the stage for improvements to the next version. We analyze data from the UN database of 221 “good practices” for SDG 11 submitted between 2018 and 2021 to determine the most and least frequent linkages between SDG 11 and other SDGs as well as differences in such linkages between developed and developing countries. We find SDG 11 most closely associated with SDG 17 “Partnership for the Goals” and SDG 13 “Climate Action”. This shows actors’ perceptions of the centrality of international partnerships and climate action in addressing urban sustainability challenges. Connections with SDG 7 “Affordable and Clean Energy”, SDG 2 “Zero Hunger”, and SDG 16 “Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions” were surprisingly weak, given the role of clean energy in addressing the climate crisis, the prevalence of poverty and hunger within cities, and the importance of institutions. Developing countries more frequently linked SDG 11 with SDG 5 “Gender Equality” and SDG 6 “Clear Water and Sanitation”, showing a focus on basic infrastructure and gender equity dimensions of sustainability. Developed countries associated SDG 11 more strongly with natural resources, environmental sustainability, and economic production. These findings suggest that more specific targets, indicators, and international support related to energy, poverty, hunger, and institutions may be needed within post-2030 iterations of SDG 11.

Comparable Real-World Patient-Reported Outcomes Data Across Health Conditions, Settings, and Countries: The PROMIS International Collaboration

The patient voice is critical to achieving value-based care, improving health outcomes, and advancing medical research. However, a key challenge is how to translate this “voice” into scientifically valid data that can inform evidence-based clinical decisions. One of the biggest barriers is the sheer variety of available patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and the associated challenges of translation, validation, implementation, and interpretation, making it difficult to obtain valid and comparable health outcomes. The authors present a harmonized global approach to international standardization of PROs and PROMs. This approach has the potential to accelerate patient-centered care by facilitating the collection of accurate and comparable real-world evidence on health outcomes that matter most to patients. This proposed approach consists of two elements: a data collection process based on a common set of PROs and a state-of-the-art measurement approach based on item response theory. First, there is growing evidence that outcomes such as pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, physical function, and the ability to participate in social roles and activities are relevant for most people, irrespective of their health condition. Measuring these outcomes routinely in all patients could increase outcome comparability and utility for a range of stakeholders. Second, a measurement strategy based on a state-of-the-art psychometric approach — using item response theory (IRT)-based item banks — offers short, flexible, sustainable, and universally applicable PROMs with robust measurement properties and a common measurement scale. The unique integration of these two elements offers the potential to collect comparable PROM data across patients and providers to support shared decision-making, which may lead to better outcomes. The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) is a globally used example of such an approach. The PROMIS Profile measures serve as a resource for measuring a harmonized core set of PROs across medical conditions, languages, and countries. To meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all, at all ages, a collaborative effort is needed to achieve consensus on international standardization of PROs and PROMs to accelerate patient-centered care across health conditions, settings, and countries. The authors propose to routinely measure a core set of broadly relevant PROs in all patients, regardless of their health condition, with universally applicable IRT-based PROMs.

Challenges and opportunities to advance manufacturing research for sustainable battery life cycles

Advanced manufacturing research for sustainable battery life cycles is of utmost importance to reach net zero carbon emissions (European Commission, 2023a) as well as several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), for example: 30% reduction of CO2 emission, 10 million job opportunities and access to electricity for 600 million people (World Economic Forum, 2019). This editorial paper highlights international motivations for pursuing more sustainable manufacturing practices and discusses key research topics in battery manufacturing. Batteries will be central to our sustainable future as generation and storage become key components to on-demand energy supply. Four underlying themes are identified to address industrial needs in this field: 1. Digitalizing and automating production capabilities: data-driven solutions for production quality, smart maintenance, automation, and human factors, 2. Human-centric production: extended reality for operator support and skills development, 3. Circular battery life cycles: circular battery systems supported by service-based and other novel business models, 4. Future topics for battery value chains: increased industrial resilience and transparency with digital product passports, and next-generation battery chemistries. Challenges and opportunities along these themes are highlighted for transforming battery value chains through circularity and more sustainable production, with a particular emphasis on lithium-ion batteries (LIB). The paper concludes with directions for further research to advance a circular and sustainable battery value chain through utilizing the full potential of digitalization realising a cleaner, more energy-efficient society.