The role of ecological modernization principles in advancing circular economy practices: lessons from the brewery sector

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Sehnem ◽  
Ana Beatriz Lopes de Sousa Jabbour ◽  
Diogo Amarildo da Conceição ◽  
Darciana Weber ◽  
Dulcimar José Julkovski
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Alcoholic Beverage ◽  
Pollution Prevention ◽  
Ecological Modernization ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Sustainable Operations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Good ◽  
Data Saturation

PurposeThere is no literature that sought the revision and integration of ecological modernization of theory (EMT) and circular economy (CE). This article aims to answer the questions: How have companies developed circular economy practices within their operations? Why have companies invested in circular economy practices? Based on the answers to these questions, it would be possible to understand how the assumptions of EMT explain the adoption of CE practices.Design/methodology/approachThe research method is based on multiple case studies with Brazilian craft brewery companies.FindingsCompanies studied have pursed the adoption of circular economy practices, but the full potential of the use of biological cycles within their processes of production has been hampered by the lack of external policies and clear governance toward circular economy. Thus, pollution prevention policies may be an important driver for organizations be able to advance in circular economy practices.Research limitations/implicationsResearch limitations are coverage only of organizations located in an emerging country. A second limitation is that the data saturation was partially achieved in some of the analyzed cases, especially by the limitation of the time period surveyed (transversal research). The longitudinal evaluation is timely for circular economy surveys.Practical implicationsThe formulation of a regulatory framework through a participative, interactive and decentralized process, capable of delegating responsibilities and incentives to all entities, to contemplate a tax restructuring for the alcoholic beverage sector, could corroborate to create a new standard of action for the sector.Social implicationsThis document highlights how the principles of ecological modernization can contribute to the advancement of the circular economy. The understanding can help in the design of processes that provide circular and sustainable operations as a social good in a effective value.Originality/valueThe principles from EMT, such as the development of an institutional environment towards corporate environmental proactive, could enhance the adoption of circular economy practices within the brewery sector. Despite of the class association of the brewery sector has supported the companies studied to move forward in other matters, a clear governance is necessary to guide organizations towards circular economy practices.

Industry 4.0 − challenges to implement circular economy

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shubhangini Rajput ◽  
Surya Prakash Singh
Keyword(s):  
Operations Management ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Sensor Technology ◽  
Interpretive Structural Modeling ◽  
Sustainable Operations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Sustainable Operations Management ◽  
The Internet Of Things

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the Industry 4.0 barriers to achieve circular economy (CE). The study focuses on exploring the link between Industry 4.0 and CE. This leads to the implementation of integrated Industry 4.0-CE and attainment of sustainable production and consumption through analyzing the technological benefits of Industry 4.0. Design/methodology/approach Industry 4.0 barriers are identified from literature review and discussions with industry experts. Here, the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) technique is applied to develop the contextual relationship among the barriers and to identify the prominent barriers hindering the CE implementation. Findings The ISM hierarchical model and Matriced’ impacts croised-multiplication applique’ and classment analysis illustrate that the digitalization process and the semantic interoperability possess high driving power and low dependence. These barriers require keen attention to play a significant role in improving resource efficiency and sustainability, and absence of these barriers may not drive other barriers for CE. Apart from these barriers, cyber-physical systems standards and specifications, sensor technology and design challenges are also the most influential Industry 4.0 barriers for achieving CE. Practical implications The findings provide an opportunity for industry practitioners to explore the most driving Industry 4.0 barriers. The study confirms that integrated Industry 4.0-CE will maintain sustainable operations management by optimizing the production and consumption patterns. It will also provide an opportunity of customization where customers and products interact and can monitor the performance of the operations through the Internet of Things sensors. Originality/value The study provides integration of Industry 4.0 challenges to implement CE. However, the integration of the two burgeoning fields is still very scarce and lacks in adopting the technological benefits of the integrated Industry 4.0-CE.

Doing social good on a sustainable basis: competitive advantage of social businesses

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 1355-1374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaushik Roy ◽  
Amit Karna
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Theoretical Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Good ◽  
Environmental Support ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Social Value Creation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the capabilities of social entrepreneurship (SE) firms and how they achieve competitive advantage while engaging in social value creation. The authors employ a business model perspective to understand the (self-) sustaining mechanism for social good. Design/methodology/approach – The authors carry out an in-depth investigation of three SE ventures. The authors analyse the history of these ventures to determine how they achieved competitive advantage. The cases are analysed based on the internal development in the context of environmental support. Findings – The authors find that SE ventures, like all other organisations, achieve competitive advantage based on available resources such as reputation and network of the founder, managerial experience and other corporate resources within the firm. The authors also find that the competitive advantage often comes from innovate usage – a practice that is reinforced by the support from institutional environment. Research limitations/implications – Due to the case study approach, the research is aimed at theoretical development within the social business literature. The approach makes it difficult for the findings to be universally generalisable. The authors therefore envisage future researchers to test the theoretical propositions. Practical implications – Based on the analysis, the authors conclude that distinct capabilities of social businesses help them achieve competitive advantage, and that policy makers should institutionally support these ventures. The findings stress the importance of resources in sustainability and effectiveness of emerging market SE. Originality/value – The application of a business model perspective in SE is unique, and advances the understanding of social businesses from a strategic management perspective.

scholarly journals Understanding barriers to circular economy: cases from the manufacturing industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 729-745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bjoern Jaeger ◽  
Arvind Upadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Sustainable Operations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Design And Production

PurposeMost companies include a commitment for sustainable growth involving a switch towards the circular economy (CE) model. The purpose of this paper is to present barriers to CE adoption identified by a literature review. The paper also addresses the particular challenges faced by manufacturers by answering the research question: What are the dominant barriers faced by the manufacturing industry in moving towards a CE?Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a literature review of research identifying barriers for adopting to CE in the manufacturing sector. The literature review is followed by a case study identifying barriers to CE as seen by ten companies within manufacturing, including the GS1 global information standardisation agency used by all manufacturers.FindingsThe manufacturers investigated focus mostly on recycling and waste reduction. These policies have low or very low CE effect. High CE effect policies like maintenance and reuse targeting the CE ideal of no waste, are nearly non-existent. The results identified seven main barriers to the CE: (1) high start-up costs, (2) complex supply chains, (3) challenging business-to-business (B2B) cooperation, (4) lack of information on product design and production, (5) lack of technical skills, (6) quality compromise and (7) disassembly of products is time-consuming and expensive.Research limitations/implicationsThe data come from participants in a single country, Norway, although the manufacturers are multinational companies adhering to enterprise policies.Practical implicationsThis research shows that all the companies interviewed are well aware of the growing need for their company to move towards more sustainable operations involving CE concepts. The barriers identified are explored, and the findings could guide such companies in their efforts to move to maintenance, reuse, remanufacture and recycle (M+3R) operational model.Social implicationsThe study has found that the major barriers for implementation of CE are quality issues in recycled materials, supply chain complexities, coordination problems between companies, design and production of the product, disassembly of products and high start-up/ investment costs.Originality/valueThe research shows how the transition towards a CE takes place in manufacturing industries by studying the manufacturing sector.

Regulating Ontario’s circular economy through food waste legislation

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy DeLorenzo ◽  
Kate Parizeau ◽  
Mike von Massow
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Ecological Modernization ◽  
Waste Streams ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Waste Policy ◽  
Environmental Goals ◽  
Food Value

Purpose Ontario’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change seeks to legislate diverse waste streams (including food waste) by implementing Bill 151, known colloquially as the Waste Free Ontario Act. The purpose of this study is to investigate how stakeholders in Ontario’s food and waste systems perceive the prospective legislation. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on interviews with stakeholders across the food value chain in Ontario, as well as an analysis of legislation and related documents. Findings The paper argues that Bill 151 represents the Province’s commitment to an ecological modernization paradigm. This research uncovers the lines of tension that may exist in the implementation of food waste policy. These lines of tension represent stakeholders’ ideological perspectives on food waste, including whether it signals an efficient or inefficient economy, whether legislation should prioritize economic or environmental goals and whether it is more appropriate for legislation to incentivize desired food waste treatments or penalize/prohibit undesired activities. Originality/value The analysis reveals potential allies in the regulatory process, likely points of contention and areas where greater consensus may be forged, depending on government efforts to reframe the issues at stake.

Paving the way for the circular economy and more sustainable supply chains

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 1095-1113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mara Cristina Cardoso de Oliveira ◽  
Marcio Cardoso Machado ◽  
Charbel Jose Chiappetta Jabbour ◽  
Ana Beatriz Lopes de Sousa Jabbour
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Supply Network ◽  
Sustainable Operations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Green Practices ◽  
Sustainable Operations Management ◽  
Governance Instruments

Purpose Circular economy is an emerging concept which requires insights from a variety of disciplines, especially from sustainable operations management. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to verify how formal and informal instruments of governance influence the induction of green practices in a green network located in Brazil, with implications for the circular economy. Design/methodology/approach Based on a review of the supply chain (SC), green supply chain management, and governance literature, proposals are made regarding the influence of governance instruments in inducing green practices. To investigate these propositions, a qualitative research was conducted using a single exemplary case study of a cosmetics supply network. Findings The authors present original research findings which have both expected and unexpected implications for the circular economy, due to the fact that the data analysis showed that the formal (contracts and environmental norms) and informal (trust and cooperation) instruments of governance positively influence the induction of green practices within the supply network. Originality/value This study contributes to supply network and governance theory by providing insights for better understanding of how governance instruments can induce green practices in a supply network, and it provides practical implications for SC managers, by showing the importance of considering different governance instruments. Implications for the circular economy are made.

Investigating interdependencies of sustainable supplier selection criteria: an appraisal using ISM

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avanish Singh Chauhan ◽  
Gaurav Kumar Badhotiya ◽  
Gunjan Soni ◽  
Prem Kumari
Keyword(s):  
Supplier Selection ◽  
Selection Criteria ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Pollution Prevention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Micmac Analysis ◽  
Sustainable Supplier Selection ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Because of the increased global competition and the need for environment consciousness, organisations have started focusing on incorporating sustainability dimensions into suppler selection criteria. In the past decade, sustainable supplier selection has received much attention from researchers as well as industry practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to identify various sustainable supplier selection criteria (SSSC) and underlying interdependencies among prominent selection criteria to develop a framework for sustainability dimensions. Design/methodology/approach The sustainable criteria for supplier selection were established through comprehensive literature review. An interpretive structural modelling (ISM) approach is used to investigate the interrelationships among these criteria. Findings A total of 21 SSSC under 3 dimensions (social, environmental and economic) are established. Ten criteria related to quality, capability, flexibility, waste management, pollution prevention, local community, employment practice, labour, etc. are exhibiting strong driving as well as dependence power, as demonstrated through ISM and matriced’ impacts croises-multiplication applique’ and classement (MICMAC) analysis. The findings show that delivery/service, eco design and rights of stakeholders are the “key” criteria having a high-driving and low-dependence power. These criteria require high attention from managers, while other criteria having low-driving and high-dependence power require secondary actions. Research limitations/implications The inter-relations for the development of ISM model and MICMAC analysis were obtained through the opinion of industry experts and academicians, which may tend to be subjectively biased. Further exploration is proposed to statistically validate the developed interdependency model. Practical implications This paper might act as a reference for the supplier development managers of organisations by providing an appraisal of various SSSC based on their interdependencies. Originality/value This study contributes to the knowledge base by proposing a framework of the interrelationships of the SSSC and also provides an additional perspective for managing these criteria based on ISM.

scholarly journals Greater fit and a greater gap

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 561-594
Author(s):  
Steven A. Brieger ◽  
Dirk De Clercq ◽  
Jolanda Hessels ◽  
Christian Pfeifer
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Worker Rights ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Person Environment Fit ◽  
High Power Distance ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Low Uncertainty

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand how national institutional environments contribute to differences in life satisfaction between entrepreneurs and employees. Design/methodology/approach Leveraging person–environment fit and institutional theories and using a sample of more than 70,000 entrepreneurs and employees from 43 countries, the study investigates how the impact of entrepreneurial activity on life satisfaction differs in various environmental contexts. An entrepreneur’s life satisfaction arguably should increase when a high degree of compatibility or fit exists between his or her choice to be an entrepreneur and the informal and formal institutional environment. Findings The study finds that differences in life satisfaction between entrepreneurs and employees are larger in countries with high power distance, low uncertainty avoidance, extant entrepreneurship policies, low commercial profit taxes and low worker rights. Originality/value This study sheds new light on how entrepreneurial activity affects life satisfaction, contingent on the informal and formal institutions in a country that support entrepreneurship by its residents.

scholarly journals Expansion of Policy Domain of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP): Challenges and Opportunities for Policy Design

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6763
Author(s):  
Yasuhiko Hotta ◽  
Tomohiro Tasaki ◽  
Ryu Koide
Keyword(s):  
Policy Design ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Pollution Prevention ◽  
Ecological Modernization ◽  
Policy Debate ◽  
Policy Domain ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Sustainable Consumption And Production ◽  
Transition Policy

Since 2015, the international policy community has started to agree on international agreements with ambitious middle-term and long-term goals, highly relevant to sustainable consumption and production (SCP) such as those seen in the Paris Agreement, SDGs, and the plastic-related agreements at the G7 and G20 processes. Along with this trend, there has been growing attention given to socio-technical system change or “transition”. Policy debate is putting more focus on the need to change consumption and production patterns and deal with various ecological consequences within planetary boundaries such as decarbonization, absolute reduction in material throughput, or creation of a plastic-free society. This paper examines the expansion of the policy domain of SCP in three phases; SCP focusing on pollution control and cleaner production (SCP 1.0), SCP from the perspective of product lifecycle (SCP 2.0), and SCP focusing on systematic changes in socio-technical systems driving consumption and production (SCP 3.0). The potential impact of a wider SCP policy domain can be comparable to the historical shift in discourse related to ecological modernization theory from pollution prevention to efficiency. This emerging trend corresponds to the need for a fresh approach to policy design which can facilitate transition to sustainability.

Identification and prioritization of corporate sustainability practices using analytical hierarchy process

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Praveen Goyal ◽  
Zillur Rahman ◽  
Absar Ahmad Kazmi
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Pollution Prevention ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Corporate Sustainability Performance ◽  
Sustainability Practices ◽  
Hierarchy Process

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and prioritize the corporate sustainability practices to improve the corporate sustainability performance in the manufacturing sector. Further, these practices are being prioritized to find out the essential practices to ensure logical allocation of limited resources. Design/methodology/approach – It examines the corporate sustainability practices which have been shortlisted from both the literature review and experts judgment. Then, analytic hierarchy process has been used to assess the identified 12 practices of corporate sustainability and to find their priorities for improvement of the corporate sustainability performance. Findings – Based on the hierarchical model developed in this study, the analysis reveals market value, environment management and strategy, research and development, pollution prevention, corporate governance and investor responsibility, which have been found to be the most important practices in improving the corporate sustainability performance. Practical implications – The findings of the study would be useful to the practitioners in the proper allocation of scarce resources to optimize the corporate sustainability performance of firms, especially the manufacturing entities. Originality/value – It is a fact that multi-faceted nature of corporate sustainability includes both subjective and objective dimensions. Therefore, prioritization of corporate sustainability at the factor level is one of the important contributions to the literature that has been addressed in the present study. The results of this paper may be generalized to the other sectors.

Gender gap in innovation: an institutionalist explanation

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 410-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inmaculada Carrasco
Keyword(s):  
Gender Gap ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Gender Segregation ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Gender Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
Innovative Behaviour ◽  
And Gender

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to contribute to knowledge on innovation from a gender perspective, and to investigate how environment affects the process of innovation by women. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical study uses a Structural Equations Model of a Partial Least Squared (PLS) technique. Data of 40 countries from around the world were collected from 2008. Findings – Institutional environment matters for innovative activity by women. An innovative thinking is required for integrating the gender perspective in innovative milieus in order to enrich, diversify and promote stronger innovation activities, mobilising unexploited opportunities for managers in the business sector, and for policy makers in the public one. Research limitations/implications – A new sex-disaggregated dataset will allow us to enlarge and improve upon this study. A longitudinal study would be extremely useful, but for the moment, there are no available data of this kind. Practical implications – Policies designed to reduce the gap for women in innovation activities have to fight against gender segregation in the job market and gender differences in education and training. They must increase flexibility in the workplace, provide more help to conciliate family and working lives, and reduce the gap in family responsibilities taken on by women. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the cross-over of knowledge between innovation and gender, and reduces the lack of information on how external factors may impact innovative behaviour by gender.

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