scholarly journals Exploring logistics-related environmental sustainability in large retailers

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Björklund ◽  
Helena Forslund ◽  
Maria Persdotter Isaksson
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Classification Models ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Sustainable Logistics ◽  
Indicator Framework ◽  
Environmental Considerations ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore and illustrate ways in which the world’s largest retailers describe their logistics-related environmental considerations, their environmental indicators applied to measure the effects of these considerations and their environmental consciousness in their CSR reports. Design/methodology/approach – Classification models are developed via a literature review on logistics-related environmental considerations, indicators and consciousness. A content analysis approach is then applied to examine CSR reports from 12 of the world’s largest retailers. Findings – Few retailers show environmental considerations in all logistics activities, but purchasing is especially well described. Even if many retailers claim to use the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework, no one uses is completely. Judging consciousness from CSR reports raised a number of questions. Research limitations/implications – A contribution to theory is the development of two classification models. The first provides a description structure for environmental considerations related to logistics activities. The second expands the GRI indicator framework by incorporating a structure for logistics activities. Practical implications – The classification models developed can be an important mean for managers and also consumers to judge the environmental sustainability of retailers by their CSR reports. Social implications – The study makes a social contribution with its input on sustainability and especially environmental issues. Originality/value – Few studies have focused upon environmentally sustainable logistics in retail chains, and even fewer address how to measure environmental sustainability in this context.

Developing an indicator framework for measuring sustainable logistics innovation in retail

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Andersson ◽  
Helena Forslund
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Measurement Scales ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Logistics ◽  
Indicator Framework ◽  
Sustainability Reports ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop an indicator framework for measuring sustainable logistics innovation (SLI) in retail. Design/methodology/approachA literature review in different theory areas was conducted to generate a literature-based SLI indictor framework. The literature-based framework was then compared to five-year sustainability reports of three Swedish retailers to identify SLI indicators and how to measure them. This comparison led to a developed framework. FindingsThe developed framework combines sustainability dimensions with logistics activities. It identifies SLI indicators and how to measure them. Significant gaps between the framework and sustainability reports prompted the creation of an agenda for future research. Items that further research should consider include broadening or deepening the framework, developing specifically social SLI indicators for all logistics activities and developing measurement scales for the SLI indicators. Research limitations/implicationsThe study presents an SLI indicator framework as an initial contribution towards knowledge creation, and following the agenda for further research could generate even more implications for research. Practical implicationsManagers need inspiration concerning which indicators to use to measure SLI and how. Social implicationsThe study addresses both environmental and social sustainability, as well as suggests SLI indicators. Originality/valueNo identified study has merged sustainable logistics innovation and performance measurement in retail.

How can open innovation contribute to circular economy adoption? Insights from a literature review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gessica Mina Kim Jesus ◽  
Daniel Jugend
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Open Innovation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Joint Effort ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Scientific Databases ◽  
Sustainable Products ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeDespite the potential of open innovation (OI) to reduce barriers to the adoption of the circular economy (CE), little is known about the integration of the two themes and how OI could contribute to a more sustainable economy. The objective of this study is to investigate how OI can contribute to the adoption of the CE.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a systematic review of the literature sampled from the Scopus and Web of Science scientific databases.FindingsThe main findings of the study are (1) the utilization of OI within CE is still a recent phenomenon, one which emphasizes the collaboration between stakeholders and the co-creation approach; (2) the collaboration of stakeholders can be applied to align the objectives of interested parties, in a joint effort to resolve the environmental problems of the three levels of CE and (3) an action-creation approach can be adopted as a strategy to encourage the participation of consumers in the development of environmentally sustainable products, which may favor the transition to the CE.Originality/valueThe article presents the state of the art on the CE guided by OI, highlighting the opportunities and challenges of the correlation between the two themes. The article also shows the theoretical and practical implications for an OI-driven circular economy.

Environmentally sustainable stochastic procurement model

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 472-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harpreet Kaur ◽  
Surya Prakash Singh
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Lot Sizing ◽  
Planning Horizon ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Procurement Planning

Purpose Procurement planning has always been a huge and challenging activity for business firms, especially in manufacturing. With government legislations about global concern over carbon emissions, the manufacturing firms are enforced to regulate and reduce the emissions caused throughout the supply chain. It is observed that procurement and logistics activities in manufacturing firms contribute heavily toward carbon emissions. Moreover, highly dynamic and uncertain business environment with uncertainty in parameters such as demand, supplier and carrier capacity adds to the complexity in procurement planning. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a novel attempt to model environmentally sustainable stochastic procurement (ESSP) problem as a mixed-integer non-linear program. The ESSP optimizes the procurement plan of the firm including lot-sizing, supplier and carrier selection by addressing uncertainty and environmental sustainability. The model applies chance-constrained-based approach to address the uncertain parameters. Findings The proposed ESSP model is solved optimally for 30 data sets to validate the proposed ESSP and is further demonstrated using three illustrations solved optimally in LINGO 10. Originality/value The ESSP model simultaneously minimizes total procurement cost and carbon emissions over the entire planning horizon considering uncertain demand, supplier and carrier capacity.

Campus sustainability tours: exploring an uncharted tool

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 908-922
Author(s):  
Ellen R. Trahan ◽  
Leslie A. North ◽  
Margaret M. Gripshover ◽  
Jeanine M. Huss
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Claim Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Campus Sustainability ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Western Kentucky ◽  
Western Kentucky University ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to explore the development narrative and usage of environmental sustainability tours available at universities and takes an in-depth look into the Western Kentucky University (WKU) Green Tour. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaires and interviews were conducted with sustainability leaders involved in tours at their university to discover how they were developed and used. An assessment of the WKU Green Tour used surveys and pre- and post-tests to determine the reach of the tour to the campus population, student learning and faculty use. Findings There is a lack of data on sustainability tours, making it difficult to design new tours and validate their status as an essential tool. In the case of WKU, the need for data was confirmed, as current practices that were assumed to be effective proved ineffective. Multiple suggestions for improved tours are provided. Research limitations/implications The case study used in this paper is not representative of all university sustainability tours as they can vary widely. Given the lack of research on the subject, especially quantitative research, it is a valuable study. Practical implications Though sustainability tours are touted as a valuable tool for all campuses, more data are needed to validate this claim. Data suggest the tours are effective tools for increasing knowledge, but there is need for further assessment of tours and how they can be used to create a sustainably literate campus. Originality/value This study is the first to assess sustainability tours using mixed-methods.

Innovations and eco-sustainability: exploring the role of organizational environment

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richa Chaudhary ◽  
Chandan Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Of Innovation ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Organizational Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Innovation Characteristics ◽  
Environmental Sustainability Index ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the contribution of the diffusion of innovation framework to eco-sustainability. It examines the interplay of organizational environment, innovation and innovation adopters’ characteristics on the diffusion of environmental sustainability. Design/methodology/approach The data for empirical validation were obtained through an offline survey from the hospitals. The proposed conceptual framework was tested using the hierarchical regression analysis technique. Findings The results show that diffusion of innovation characteristics and organizational environment significantly influence the environmental sustainability index. The adopters’ characteristics do not have any direct effect on the environmental sustainability but this effect becomes significant in the presence of a favorable organizational environment. Practical implications Focusing on innovations that offer an advantage over the existing processes, are compatible with the existing system, are uncomplicated and simple to implement and can be experimented before full implementation may greatly accelerate the adoption of eco-innovations in hospitals. Fostering an organizational environment where employees are encouraged and rewarded for contributing to sustainable innovations can play a substantial role in the implementation of environmental sustainability innovations. Originality/value This study is an original contribution as it advances the limited understanding of the predictors and moderators of environmental sustainability in hospitals.

The “comply-or-explain” principle in directive 95/2014/EU. A rhetorical analysis of Italian PIEs

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Pizzi ◽  
Andrea Venturelli ◽  
Fabio Caputo
Keyword(s):  
Rhetorical Analysis ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Political Debate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Italian Context ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Comply Or Explain

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of the comply-or-explain principle in the Italian context. In particular, the analysis will evaluate, which factor impact on firms' voluntary adoption of this tool to adequate their non-financial reports to the legal requirements of Directive 95/2014/EU. Design/methodology/approach The methodology consists of two different levels of analysis. The first part is statistical descriptive, and it consists of a rhetorical analysis on the justifications provided by the firms about their omissions to comply with Directive 95/2014/EU. The second part is inferential and its aim is to evaluate, which factors impact on comply-or-explains adoption. Findings The findings reveal how the comply-or-explain application in Italy has been characterized by several criticisms. The result highlight how the justifications adopted by the firms is influenced by their sector of activity and omission's type. Moreover, the analysis suggests how the sector of activity and the level of adherence to global reporting initiative influenced the average number of omissions. Research limitations/implications The limitations of the research are represented by the focuses on a single country and by the short period of analysis. In this sense, future research could be addressed to the analysis of countries different from Italy. Moreover, accounting scholars could provide further contributions to the political debate through the evolution of the “comply-or-explain” principle’s strategies over the years. Practical implications The practical implications connected to the present research are twofold. The first one is represented by the possibility for policymakers to increase the degree of attention about the use of comply-or-explain as legitimization's tool. The second one is represented by the possibility for practitioners to identify a new reporting framework. Social implications The social implications are represented by the possibility for stakeholders to evaluate the reliability's degree of the disclosure produced by Italian public interest entities after the implementation of Directive 95/2014/EU. Originality/value Despite the growing attention paid by academics regard Directive 95/2014/EU, this is the first attempt to analyze the comply-or-explain from a rhetorical perspective.

What influences intention to purchase sustainable products? impact of advertising and materialism

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 1647-1669
Author(s):  
Anshul Mandliya ◽  
Vartika Varyani ◽  
Yusuf Hassan ◽  
Anuja Akhouri ◽  
Jatin Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Moderated Mediation ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Moderated Mediation Model ◽  
Sustainable Products ◽  
Intention To Purchase ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between Social and Environmental Accountability (SEA), Attitude towards Environmental Advertising (AEA), Materialism, and Intention to purchase Environmentally Sustainable Products (IPESP).Design/methodology/approachThe study sample consists of 205 business students from two B schools in India. Data was collected through the survey method, and the moderated-mediation model was statistically tested using SPSS Process Macro software.FindingsThe findings of the study suggest that the attitude towards social and environmental accountability (SEA) is positively associated with the intention to purchase environmentally sustainable products (IPESP). Moreover, this relationship is mediated and moderated by AEA and materialism, respectively.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study reveal that a consumer with low materialism and a positive attitude for both environmental sustainability and environmental advertising has higher chances of purchasing environmentally sustainable products.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing literature on sustainability by providing a basis for understanding the moderated-mediation mechanism, which affects the relationship between SEA and IPESP; two key variables that have not been examined in combination.

Collaboration beyond the supply network for green innovation: insight from 11 cases

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 509-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Melander ◽  
Ala Pazirandeh
Keyword(s):  
Resource Utilization ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Business Models ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Supply Network ◽  
Green Innovation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
Network Collaboration ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the how, why, who and what of collaborations in green innovation.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on 11 case studies conducted at high-technological firms where 30 top management representatives were interviewed.FindingsThe study shows that firms share knowledge on green innovation across industries through horizontal collaborations and their extended network, such as their suppliers’ and customer’s networks in other industries. The results also show that digitalization, connectivity and big data are considered important vessels to improve environmental sustainability, as firms believe that these technologies will result in large gains related to resource utilization. Finally, the firms in this study engaged to a wide extent in green innovation activities, which resulted in a variety of improved resource utilization related to energy efficiency, new materials, new technologies, limiting emissions and recycle management.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper contributes to the literature by showing that firms share knowledge on green innovation not only within their network but also across industries through horizontal collaborations and their extended network.Practical implicationsThe study points to the complexity of collaborating on green innovation. The authors show the importance of digitalization to improving environmental sustainability, with managers needing to develop business models and finding collaboration partners that can facilitate the transformation towards more connected products and services.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the field of supply network collaboration by studying how firms collaborate to improve environmental sustainability.

The role of environmental sustainability in the freight transport mode choice

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 560-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anu Bask ◽  
Mervi Rajahonka
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Freight Transport ◽  
Intermodal Transport ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transport Mode ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
The Eu

Purpose Transport is the European Union (EU) sector that produces the second highest amount of greenhouse gas emissions. In its attempts to promote the environmentally sustainable development of transport, the EU has focussed on intermodal transport in particular – but with limited success. It is important to understand how freight transport is selected, which criteria are used and what role environmental sustainability and intermodal transport play in the selection. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to focus on the role of environmental sustainability and intermodal transport in transport mode decisions. The authors look at this issue from the perspective of logistics service providers (LSPs) and buyers, as they are important stakeholders in guiding this process. Design/methodology/approach To gain a holistic view of the current state of research, the authors have conducted a systematic literature review of the role of environmental sustainability and intermodal transport in transport mode decisions. The authors have further examined the findings concerning requests for quotations (RfQs), tenders and transport contracts, as these are also linked to decisions on transport choice. Findings The findings from the literature review include the results of descriptive and structured content analysis of the selected articles. They show that the discussion on environmental sustainability and intermodal transport as a sustainable mode, together with the transport mode selection criteria, RfQs/tenders and transport contracts, is still a rather new and emerging topic in the literature. The main focus related to the selection of transport mode has been on utility and cost efficiency, and only recently have issues such as environmental sustainability and intermodal transport started to gain greater attention. The findings also indicate that the theoretical lenses most typically used have been preference models and total cost theories, although the theoretical base has recently become more diversified. Research limitations/implications There is still a need to extend the theoretical and methodological base, which could then lead to innovative theory building and testing. Such diverse application of methodologies will help in understanding how environmental sustainability can be better linked to mode choice decisions. Practical implications The findings will be of interest to policy makers and companies opting for environmentally sustainable transport solutions. Social implications If the EU, shippers and LSPs take a more active stance in promoting environmentally sustainable transformation models, this will have long-lasting societal impacts. Originality/value It seems that this systematic literature review of the topic is one of the first such attempts in the current body of literature.

Sustainable cultures

Facilities ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 438-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Greene ◽  
Lottie Crumbleholme ◽  
Jeremy Myerson
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Behavioral Change ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
User Centred Design ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Support Facility

Purpose – This paper aims to describe a design research project which looked at how to support facility managers engage employees in behaviour change to create more environmentally sustainable workplaces and work styles. Design/methodology/approach – The multi-disciplinary research team used ethnographic and user-centred design methodologies to get employees’ perspectives on environmental sustainability in the workplace. This involved in-depth interviews and workplace observations to understand employees’ views on sustainability in their organisation; workshops to explore attitudes towards sustainability; and design provocations to explore how employees might be motivated to act more sustainably. Findings – The research demonstrated the different understandings people have of what sustainability in the workplace should mean and whose responsibility they think it should be. The results were developed into a model of four different sustainability cultures, pragmatist, libertarian, housekeeper and campaigner, based upon people’s perception of the cost of sustainability to both company and employees. This model can be used to provide insight into the predominant sustainability culture of an organisation as well as the attitudes of individual employees. Originality/value – The research has been compiled into a toolkit, “The Sustainable Cultures Engagement Toolkit”, aimed at FM and workplace managers, which uses this model as the basis to provide information about how best to communicate with employees about environmental sustainability in the workplace and how to motivate behavioral change. This research demonstrates a user-centred design approach to address these challenges.

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