What Drives Eco-Design Innovations in European SMEs?

2022 ◽  
pp. 191-206
Author(s):  
Gamze Ozturk Danisman
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resource ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Technological Capabilities ◽  
Access To Finance ◽  
Firm Capabilities ◽  
Resource Based View ◽  
Design Practices ◽  
Debt Finance ◽  
Equity Finance

Building on the natural-resource-based view, and using a sample of 7,165 European SMEs, this chapter investigates the drivers of eco-design innovations among SMEs under three categories: (1) sustainability-oriented firm capabilities, (2) technological capabilities, and (3) access to finance. The findings reveal that sustainability-oriented capabilities achieved through investments into circular economy are the strongest driver of SMEs' eco-design innovations. Firms' technological capabilities are also found to boost their ability to adopt eco-design innovations. While equity finance increases the possibilities for SMEs to devote resources to eco-design, grant finance is interestingly observed to decrease such possibilities. The more traditionally used form of debt finance remains detached from eco-design implementations. The study contributes to a better understanding of how eco-design practices can be broadened within SMEs and highlights policy recommendations in this regard.

scholarly journals Ecofeminism and Natural Resource Management: Justice Delayed, Justice Denied

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7319
Author(s):  
Yang Liu ◽  
Muhammad Khalid Anser ◽  
Khalid Zaman
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Resource ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Access To Finance ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Women’S Autonomy ◽  
Ecological Footprints ◽  
Women's Autonomy ◽  
Resource Rents

Women have a right to excel in all spheres of activity. However, their roles are mainly confined in the resource extraction industry due to masculinity bias. African women are considered exemplary cases where women have low access to finance and economic opportunities to progress in the natural resource industry. This study examines the role of women’s autonomy in mineral resource extraction by controlling ecological footprints, financial development, environmental degradation, economic growth, and changes in the general price level in the Democratic Republic of the Congo data from 1975–2019. The autoregressive distributed lag estimates show that in the short-run, women’s autonomy decreases mineral resource rents; however, this result disappears in the long-run and the positive role of women’s autonomy in increasing resource capital is confirmed. Ecological footprints are in jeopardy from saving mineral resources both in the short- and long-term. Financial development negatively impacts mineral resource rents, while women’s access to finance supports the mineral resource agenda. The positive role of women in environmental protection has led to increased mineral resource rents in the short- and long-term. Women’s social and economic autonomy increases mineral resource rents in the short-term, while it has evaporated in the long-term. The Granger causality has confirmed the unidirectional linkages running from women’s green ecological footprints, access to finance, and women participating in environmental protection to mineral resource rents in a country. The variance decomposition analysis has shown that women’s economic autonomy and access to finance will exert more significant variance shocks to mineral resource rents over the next ten years’ period. The results conclude the positive role of women’s freedom in the mineral resource sustainability agenda. Thus, there is a high need to authorize women through access to finance and economic decisions to restore natural resource capital nationwide.

Adoption of circular economy for food waste management in the context of a developing country

2021 ◽  
pp. 0734242X2110381
Author(s):  
Yousaf Ali ◽  
Danyal Hakeem Jokhio ◽  
Amna Ali Dojki ◽  
Obaid ur Rehman ◽  
Feroz Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Country ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Misleading Information ◽  
Intrinsic Nature ◽  
Global Concern ◽  
Public And Private Sector ◽  
Start Ups ◽  
Food Wastage

Food wastage is a global concern with high economic, social and environmental impacts. Pakistan, a developing country, is also significantly affected by the adverse impacts of food wastage. For overcoming this problem, the transition from a Linear to a Circular Economy (CE) for the management of food wastage can serve as a viable strategy. However, there are barriers of political, technical and cultural nature, which are impediments in the path of this transition. This study aims to identify and prioritize these barriers in order of their significance. This research study evaluated and ranked these barriers using a Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) technique, the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). A total of 15 barriers were analyzed, and the ‘complicated intrinsic nature of CE’, ‘misleading information about shelf-life leading to waste rather than distribution’, ‘the poor economic viability of start-ups with CE model’, ‘corporate and organizational hesitance to change/innovate’ and ‘technological backwardness of farmers/growers on the agricultural production side’ were ranked as the most significant hurdles. The novelty of this study lies in its application. This study is unique as it has focused on developing countries and proposed policy recommendations for the transition towards a CE. In light of the above-mentioned results, this study provides policy recommendations for public and private sector policymakers that would facilitate the food industry in shifting towards the CE model.

Burning Somalia’s Future

2018 ◽  
pp. 121-148
Author(s):  
Ilya Gridneff
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Gulf Cooperation Council ◽  
The Political ◽  
Horn Of Africa ◽  
Commercial Activity ◽  
Access To Finance ◽  
Domestic Use ◽  
Emerging Powers

This chapter argues that the charcoal trade exposes Somalia’s political economy as a driver of persistent conflict fueled by competing local, regional, and international interests. Of particular note is the tendency of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to buy Somalia’s charcoal, whether licit or illicit, for domestic use: such commercial activity contributes to the country’s regressive imbalances. At the same time, GCC states jockeying for geopolitical influence across the Horn of Africa increases the uneven spread of resources and access to finance for Somalia’s leaders. This process has fed the political elite’s insatiable appetite for personal patronage and has produced a nexus of competing rivalries that further destabilizes Somalia and the broader Red Sea region. This chapter studies the use of one natural resource, charcoal, and its trans-boundary trade as a vehicle to illustrate how Somalia’s ties to the GCC states—and the broader Islamic or Arab world—are being strengthened. The chapter concludes that this growing proximity is both offering beneficial forms of assistance and support, as well as proving to be a factor for destabilization at a time when Somalia is becoming of increasing strategic concern for Western and emerging powers.

The Study of the Relationship between Natural Resource Abundance and Economic Growth

2013 ◽  
Vol 734-737 ◽  
pp. 3337-3341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhin Bin Li ◽  
Hong Juan Deng ◽  
An Shun Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Resource Abundance ◽  
The Relationship

The interrelationship between natural resource and economic development, hasn't reached an agreement. Some economists believe that rich natural resources promote economic growth. On the contrary, some economists think that rich natural resources hinder economic growth. Based on previous studies, this paper studies the relationship between natural resource and economic growth in our country. We try to explain the "Curse of Resources" through an example of Shanxi. Finally, we give some policy recommendations to avoid the "Curse of Resources".

First-mover firms in the transition towards the sharing economy in metallic natural resource-intensive industries: Implications for the circular economy and emerging industry 4.0 technologies

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
pp. 101596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charbel Jose Chiappetta Jabbour ◽  
Paula De Camargo Fiorini ◽  
Christina W.Y. Wong ◽  
Daniel Jugend ◽  
Ana Beatriz Lopes De Sousa Jabbour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resource ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
First Mover

scholarly journals Towards Circular Economy in the Household Appliance Industry: An Overview of Cases

Resources ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 128
Author(s):  
Gianmarco Bressanelli ◽  
Nicola Saccani ◽  
Marco Perona ◽  
Irene Baccanelli
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Product Design ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Household Appliance ◽  
Design Practices ◽  
Management Actions

Circular Economy is a means to ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns. However, it is still at an embryonic stage of implementation in manufacturing companies. Given its potential, the household appliance industry is a promising arena for the adoption of Circular Economy. Thus, this study aims to investigate and systematize how Circular Economy has been adopted in the household appliance industry, through a multiple case study research. Twenty cases are analyzed following a Research Framework, to map: (i) the Circular Economy 4R strategies of reduce, reuse, remanufacture and recycle; (ii) the Circular Economy levers, i.e., whether circular product design practices, servitized business models or supply chain management actions are undertaken; (iii) the role of digital 4.0 technologies as enablers; (iv) the benefits achieved. The analysis showed that servitized business models and supply chain management actions are widely used levers, while little attention is devoted to circular product design practices. Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data and Cloud emerged as powerful enablers of servitized business models. Two main patterns of Circular Economy adoption in the household appliance industry emerged from cases: incremental and radical adoption patterns. Incremental adoption patterns are based on design strategies focused on reduce and recycle, mainly led by manufacturers. Radical adoption patterns are instead focused on disruptive practices based on reuse, remanufacture, servitization and sharing, where digital 4.0 technologies serve as enablers. Overall, this exploratory research lays the foundation for a stronger and more systemic understanding of the adoption of Circular Economy in the household appliance industry.

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