Because research focusing on sustainability in a project context is still nascent and fragmented, we carried out a systematic literature review covering all research published in five leading ...journals in the fields of project management and sustainable production prior to 2016. Our analysis revealed two distinct perspectives in the project sustainability research; one assumes the perspective of the project organisation delivering the asset while the second assumes the perspective of the host organisation. We identify and describe eight distinct strategies used by either the project organisation, its host, or both in collaboration to support sustainability goals. We complement the findings of our literature review with an illustrative empirical case focusing on the delivery of an innovative seawater-based heating solution in Norway.
•Research focusing on sustainability in a project context can still be characterized as nascent and fragmented•Two distinct streams of research were found in 68 articles; the perspective of the project organization and of the host organization•We identified and described eight distinct strategies used by either the project organization or its host to support high-level sustainability goals•We complement the findings of our literature review with an illustrative empirical case•The identified repertoire of sustainability strategies can serve as a tools palette of paths to improved sustainability, both for project developers/managers and host institutions regulating projects.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a far-reaching impact on hospitality businesses and the world has continued along a path with multiple uncertainties, which reinforces the necessity to reevaluate crisis ...management strategies. Due to shifting hospitality operations and noticeable changes within the business model, there is a need to become more resilient to remain sustainable. This study aimed to determine how COVID-19 affected hospitality providers and to identify strategies operators have used, evaluating their effect going forward, which could be used to improve crisis management. A qualitative study was conducted, with a purposive sampling of hospitality managers or owners within an area of Johannesburg. A total of 15 participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview design. The collected data was examined using thematic analysis. The research revealed that hospitality managers in a cost-cutting exercise, reduced their costs by retrenching workers, closing businesses, adapting business models, and applying lockdown measures of social isolation and sanitisation. Owners pleaded with the government for financial support to maintain their operations. The management implications of this research encourage a greater awareness of preparation for future pending crises and will be useful to hospitality business owners as they create contingency plans and resilience strategies.
Water has become a scarce resource in the semi-arid regions of the Mediterranean. Its access, quality and quantity are essential to maintain the socio-economic and environmental prosperity of these ...regions, which is currently linked to the sustainability of agriculture. However, pressures such as climate change, overexploitation or pollution make it necessary to establish strategies to improve their management and governance. In this context, digitalization has the potential to offer useful tools for managing, governing, and conserving water resources in a more efficient, effective, and participatory manner. ICT tools allow us to explore the integration of various sources of information related to water use and management in agriculture - ranging from sensors, weather stations, and piezometers to socio-ecological and economic indicators, as well as societal participation. These sources can be converted into services for different users, such as farmers, irrigation communities, or administrations, thereby contributing to the enhancement of water governance strategies. The WATERMED platform stems from the abovementioned needs and challenges, offering a decision support system, to optimize agricultural water use via smart agriculture tools. Additionally, it incorporates a specific water governance evaluation tool using the analytical framework set out by the OECD. The services offered by the WATERMED platform were developed and tested in collaboration with local stakeholders in 3 semi-arid areas of the Mediterranean as pilot areas with different socioeconomic context, agricultural practices and crops: Júcar-Vinalopó (Spain), Upper Cheliff (Algeria) and Konya (Türkiye). In addition, a series of workshops were organised at each pilot study area with stakeholders in order to discuss and collect inputs that could improve water governance and functions of the platform. The attendees completed a questionnaire that enabled an in-depth analysis of stakeholder perceptions on the usability of the WATERMED platform as well as the impacts of promoting good water governance in the pilot regions from a socio-economic and environmental perspective. This provided relevant information to foster water governance strategies adapted to each pilot area considering the pros and cons of digitisation. The perception analysis highlighted that digitisation and WATERMED platform could help improve governance and water management strategies. Nonetheless, it is not a cure-all solution, as end users require technical and financial support. Simultaneously, collaborative efforts must be pursued to address environmental and water pollution issues, alongside raising awareness on topics such as climate change, water management, digitalisation, and sustainable agricultural practices.
•Water governance in agriculture was analysed in three Mediterranean regions and the limiting factor is the lack of funding.•The digitisation of processes in water management in agriculture improves efficiency and water savings.•Digital and social innovations studied with good governance indicators can improve water management strategies in agriculture.•Effective digitisation of water governance and management processes requires technical support and can be costly for farmers.
São Tomé and Príncipe (STP) is one of the world's smallest organic cocoa exporting countries, whose product has a positive socio-cultural and economic impact. Small producers who insure it, are ...associated into two cooperatives that experience several difficulties and dilemmas including climate changes and poverty. Diversification livelihood strategies could lead to wellbeing, poverty and climate mitigation. The aim of this study was to analyse producers’ perception of sustainability related to the organic cocoa production in STP and to explain the influence of different factors on their livelihood strategies (LS). An ordered probit model for disaggregation of factor categories of was used for the 2021 period. The results showed that gender, age, family size, members on-farm and off-farm work and professional training courses, do not influence livelihood strategies. The important variables to elected them are education level, perception of social class, insurances and loans and access to services.
Rethinking of plastic rigid shampoo bottles based on “Design for the Environment” concepts is proposed. Bottles of most consumed shampoo brands with different capacities were selected. Bottle ...weight/capacity ratio was assessed and compression mechanical properties were evaluated. Oversizing of bottles and high amounts of material used in caps only for aesthetic purposes was proved. The analysis confirmed the need to change marketing strategies based on aesthetic attractiveness by an ecodesign based on functionality and sustainability aspects. The use of single material for the overall bottle is recommended, and it seems that HDPE is more suitable as it is appropriate to make all bottle parts, is recyclable, and has a low price/performance relationship. From a marketing point of view, a proper ecodesign would lead to a paradigm shift from an aesthetic approach to a sustainable one, in line with the environmental awareness of today's consumer.
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•Plastic rigid shampoo bottles were analyzed using design for environment concepts.•All bottles in the market are oversized using more plastic than necessary.•Use of different plastics in cap, body, and label makes recycling more complex.•Marketing strategies of shampoo bottles should be based on a sustainable approach.•Single material such HDPE for the whole bottle (body, cap, and label) is recommended.
Space heating and cooling pose fundamental challenges to the achievement of EU decarbonization targets. A comprehensive review of the recent literature acknowledged that district energy systems ...contribute substantially to the sustainability of energy in the building sector by improving the efficiency and integration of low energy sources. However, a holistic evaluation of the environmental performance of such systems is advisable during the planning and design stage.
In this study, we use life cycle assessment to assess the potential contribution and environmental sustainability of renewable heating and cooling alternatives. The unit of analysis is a residential neighbourhood of 1000 inhabitants (equivalent to 250 apartments), located in Tuscany, Italy, served by a district network that provides heating, cooling and sanitary hot water. A geothermal heat pump and a biomass system are compared to two systems based on natural gas as a fossil fuel: a centrally produced heating and cooling system and a more conventional system with single apartment boilers and air–air heat pumps for cooling.
The cradle-to-grave analysis shows significant global GHG emission savings of about 35% for the biomass system and about 20% for the GHP system compared with the centralised benchmark system, increasing to 46% and 34%, respectively, with respect to the conventional standalone appliances system. However, other environmental impact categories show different levels of performance depending on the scenario, and in some cases their impact is even greater than that of the benchmarking scenarios.
The contributions from each life cycle stage – assembly, operation and end of life – suggest that an eco-design approach could improve the global performances of each scenario. Recommendations for local planning authorities are drawn accordingly.
Maritime ports play a pivotal role in facilitating trade, serving as key nodes in global transport chains. Competitive pressure exists for port managers and operators to search for ways to deliver ...consistent improvements in productivity and profitability. Additionally, external effects associated with port activities have been given more attention in recent years, thus favouring a holistic integration of sustainability into port planning and operations. In this process, factors driving ports to become more sustainable need to be examined. This study, which is based on a systematic review of literature published since 1987, synthesizes various research perspectives for corporate sustainability drivers in maritime ports using the lens of stakeholder theory. Thirty drivers of corporate sustainability were identified, classified into 10 main drivers and further grouped into five clusters, serving as the basis for development of a multi-stakeholder perspective. This study also discusses examples of actions taken by ports in response to perspectives of various stakeholders using selected case examples from existing literature. This study provides an understanding of how decisions for adopting corporate sustainability are motivated in ports according to a multi-stakeholder perspective, and highlights how ports have responded to shifts through developing and implementing sustainability strategies using global case examples.
Companies that belong to the energy sector can use Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for their strategies and diversify electrical energy production with reverence to the natural environment. This ...article aims to analyze sustainability strategy types among the Visegrád Group (V4) countries’ energy producers, who decided to generate electrical energy from the renewable resources. This research uses an inductive inference approach supported by a literature study and deductive reasoning supported by a statistical reference method. The main finding is that the energy producers from the V4 group have a common direction of evolution in their strategies. This change is based on a growing share of renewable energy sources to achieve environmental excellence strategies. The lack of renewable energy sector organizations’ strategies translates into disappointment with the goals pursued by these organizations. The significance of this study lies in an explanation of how sustainability strategies compare at a firm and country-level in a proposed classification. The analysis can open future research areas to examine development of strategies in the renewable energy sector.
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