1,721,048 research outputs found
Industrial symbiosis and urban areas: A systematic literature review and future research directions
Full text linkThis paper proposes a systematic literature review concerning the implementation of industrial symbiosis (IS) within urban areas, a concept that has been defined by the literature as "urban symbiosis" and "urban-industrial symbiosis", indifferently. 26 papers published between 2009 and 2018 are analyzed. This review is aimed at highlighting: (1) the specific research goals addressed; (2) the IS synergies currently implemented within urban areas; and (3) barriers and enablers to the implementation of IS within urban areas. Suggestions for future research are also proposed
The impact of technical and economic disruptions in industrial symbiosis relationships: An enterprise input-output approach
Full text linkIndustrial symbiosis (IS) is recognized as an effective practice to support circular economy and sustainable development because it is able to enhance the technical efficiency of production processes, provided IS relationships among companies remain active over the long period. However, although it has been established that IS relationships can be vulnerable to disruptive events that reduce the willingness of companies to cooperate in IS synergies, to date few contributions to the literature focus attention on the events which lead firms to interrupt IS synergies. This paper contributes to the existing literature firstly by highlighting the disruptive events affecting the willingness of companies to cooperate in IS synergies and their causes, and secondly by developing an analytical model to assess the impact of each disruption on physical and monetary flows created among companies by the IS relationship. Specifically, an enterprise input-output (EIO) model is proposed, aimed at mapping the physical and monetary flows resulting from IS synergies among companies. Through this model, disruptive events can be modeled and their impact on the above-mentioned flows can be assessed. A numerical case example illustrates how the model works and how company managers and IS facilitators could use it to evaluate to what degree their current IS relationships may be vulnerable to perturbations. The model could therefore facilitate the design of adequate countermeasures and contribute to the development of perturbation resilient IS relationships. Furthermore, policymakers could adopt the model when designing policy actions to support IS practice
Quantifying the direct network effect for online platforms supporting industrial symbiosis: an agent-based simulation study
Full text linkThis paper explores the direct network effect for online platforms supporting industrial symbiosis (IS), which is a recommended strategy to support the transition towards the circular economy. Through IS, companies can use wastes produced by other companies as inputs to production processes. Online platforms supporting companies in operating IS relationships can play a critical role in developing the IS practice. In this paper, an agent-based model is designed to simulate the emergence of IS relationships among companies located in a given geographical area. Companies can establish relationships traditionally (relying on face-to-face contacts) or by using a platform. Several scenarios, defined by different platform usage rates, are simulated. Results show that there is a minimum platform usage rate allowing companies to benefit from using the platform. If the platform usage rate is lower than this threshold, the platform does not contribute to generate further benefits for companies. When the platform usage rate is higher than the threshold, the individual benefits for users are higher the greater the number of other companies using the platform. Based on these results, implications on how to ensure a win-win approach for companies and platform owners can be provided, as well as implications for policymakers
How can consumers behave sustainably in the fashion industry? A systematic literature review of determinants, drivers, and barriers across the consumption phases
Full text linkClimate change and environmental degradation are strongly affecting our lives and the way companies do business. The fashion industry is responsible for huge environmental impacts, from production to disposal. This study aims to systematically review the literature related to sustainable consumer behavior in the fashion industry. Adopting a consumer perspective, the determinants of consumer behavior towards the sustainable fashion solutions existing for each consumption phase (i.e., (pre-)purchase, use, and post-use) are analyzed. 217 articles are included in the review. Most of these studies focus on generic sustainable garments and mainly investigate women's and/or young people's behavior. Results show many determinants of sustainable consumer behavior, which have been divided into factors hindering (barriers) or driving (drivers) it. The main barriers to sustainable consumption are high prices, skepticism, stereotypes, lack of knowledge and availability, and efforts to access product/service. Further, consumers' environmental concerns and awareness seem to play a secondary role in the decision process. Conversely, high-quality, comfortable, and style garments, together with new emerging technologies and services, can positively contribute to sustainable consumption. In addition, social media can help shift toward sustainable consumption practices, favoring the spread of sustainable knowledge and awareness among consumers. A future research agenda and several implications for managers are provided.</p
Investigating Consumer Behaviour Towards Electric Vehicles:A Systematic Literature Review
No full textThrough the 2030 Agenda, countries are committed to reducing pollutant emissions. In this context, the transport sector plays a relevant role and road transport accounts for a very large proportion of Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Although several papers investigate this issue, none of the previous ones provide a holistic classification of the factors influencing purchase intention towards Electric Vehicles (EVs), as this paper does. Based on a systematic literature review, our research contributes to bridge the gap by setting out a new theoretical framework through which 104 factors were conceptualized with a double level of detail, first grouped into 15 conceptual groups and then clustered into three areas Economic, Personal consumers and Technological and evaluated according to their impact–direct or indirect–on customers' intention to purchase electric vehicles… The factor conceptualization offers theoretical implications by presenting a holistic view of the factors that influence EVs adoption intention. In addition, the study presents managerial implications to support incentive policies for policy makers and marketing strategies for companies.</p
How the energy procurement switching strategies (driven by the Russia-Ukraine conflict) impact the global sustainability? The global sustainability dashboard
Full text linkThe conflict between Russia and Ukraine has underscored the criticality related to the dependence on energy supply from Russia and the lack of energy autonomy by European countries. To obtain a progressive detachment from the Russian energy supply dependency, European countries have been adopting some measures, aimed at switching the natural gas supply from Russia to other countries, reducing the consumption of natural gas, and replacing energy source typology, e.g., switching from methane to coal or renewable sources. This paper develops a tool based on the Input-Output methodology, named Global Sustainability Dashboard (GSD), designed for assessing the potential consequences of a national strategy aimed at replacing energy source suppliers. GSD adopts 14 indicators to consider the three main sustainability dimensions (i.e., economic, environmental, and social) at both the national and global scale. As an illustrative case, the Italian energy diversification strategy is analyzed, to demonstrate the practical implementation of GSD. Findings are discussed from the numerical perspective.</p
Mapping sustainable options in the fashion industry:A systematic literature review and a future research agenda
Full text linkThe fashion industry accounts for large impacts on the environment and social welfare, both on the consumers' and companies' sides. This study systematically reviews the literature on sustainable consumption in the fashion industry, clarifying sustainable fashion's meaning. Existing sustainable fashion solutions are investigated from consumers' behavior perspective and classified into three consumption phases, that is, (pre-)purchase, use, and post-use. 187 articles are included, and twenty-six sustainable solutions are identified across the consumption phases. These include techniques, features, services, and behaviors able to increase garment sustainability by mitigating negative impacts and ensuring product circularity by recycling and/or reusing at the product's end of life, representing promising strategies for fostering a transition toward sustainable fashion consumption practices. An innovative and comprehensive framework of sustainable fashion solutions is developed. Future research agenda and a sustainable offering inventory for marketers are provided.</p
What drives the success of online platforms for industrial symbiosis? An agent-based model
Full text linkThis paper aims to investigate which factors affect companies’ choice of subscription to an online platform designed to support the creation of industrial symbiosis (IS) relationships, and the effectiveness of such platform from the economic and environmental perspectives. The analyzed platform finds optimal symbiotic partners by pursuing an economic objective and proposes the fair sharing of the additional costs of IS, enabling subscribers to avoid search and negotiation costs at the expense of a subscription fee. An agent-based model is developed where the companies’ choice of subscription is dependent on potential savings in transaction costs, future expectations, and past experience. The main results highlight that (1) it is possible to attract subscribers with moderate fees by enhancing trust in the platform's usage widespread; (2) trust ensures hedging from waste demand and supply fluctuations; (3) the number of subscribers has a greater impact on the economic rather than on the environmental performance of the system.</p
Consumer behavioral intention toward sustainable biscuits:An extension of the theory of planned behavior with product familiarity and perceived value
Full text linkSustainable food consumption may help mitigate the impact that the food industry exerts on the natural environment. To foster sustainable food consumption, it is essential to understand consumers' perceptions related to sustainable food as well as the determinants of the intention to purchase sustainable food. Through an extension of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) with product familiarity (direct and indirect experience) and perceived value (perceived quality and green perceived utility), this study examines the drivers of purchase intention of sustainable biscuits. A survey of 2396 Italian consumers was conducted and structural equation modeling was used to test the developed model. Results show that perceived quality and environmental concern have positive and significant effects on purchase intention, regardless of the specific characteristics of sustainable biscuits, whereas mixed results are obtained about the effect of direct experience and perceived consumer effectiveness. Indirect experience, green perceived utility, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms do not display any significant effect.</p
Determinants of the intention to purchase sustainable beer:Do gender and type of sustainable solution matter?
Full text linkThis paper aims to shed light on the determinants of sustainable products' purchase intention, with a focus on sustainable beer. Specifically, three determinants related to the theory of planned behavior (i.e., perceived consumer effectiveness, social influence, and environmental concern) and two determinants related to the perceived value (i.e., green perceived utility and perceived quality) have been investigated. Five categories of environmentally sustainable beer have been considered: three referred to the types of ingredients (organic, local, and Italian) and two to the type of packaging (recycled and biodegradable). Furthermore, the effect of gender has been investigated for all the five above-mentioned sustainable solutions. A survey has been conducted on 790 Italian consumers and structural equation modeling (SEM) has been employed for hypothesis testing. Results show that perceived quality, green perceived utility, and environmental concern influence the purchase intention of sustainable beer, regardless of the specific type of sustainable solution. Further, results highlight that gender does moderate the relationship between perceived quality and purchase intention only for two types of sustainable solutions (local ingredients and recycled packaging). Several implications for scholars, companies, and policymakers are drawn from this study.</p
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