An Inclusive Recovery: The Social, Environmental and Economic Benefits of Partnering with Informal Recyclers

The research is devoted to the peculiarities of the formation of non-financial reporting as one of the tools for measuring the social activity of enterprises. The financial stability and successful business of enterprises is conditional on non-financial indicators and business orientation, ranks, reputation, openness and social responsibility. Non-financial reporting or a CSR report is an effective tool for measuring the performance of enterprises, a basis for the development and implementation of various strategic projects and programs. Information from non-financial reporting allows for assessing the effectiveness of management at an enterprise by economic, environmental and social component, their interdependence and contribution in achieving the main goal, and for subsequent goal setting and more effectively management of change. It means that the report in question serves as the main platform for communicating the results and impacts (positive or negative) of sustainable development. It shows the real effort of an enterprise in creating social, environmental and economic benefits. However, domestic enterprises do not have sufficient experience in the field of socially responsible business and need to create their own internal concept of corporate social responsibility considering international trends, which determines the relevance of this study Various international non-financial reporting standards are analyzed; it is demonstrated that the most popular mechanism for regulating non-financial reporting is the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which defines a set of indicators measuring the social, ecological and economic component of the economic activity of enterprises The mechanism for making up a non-financial report by phase of the enterprise development is built. The use of the proposed mechanism in making up non-financial reporting will enable to set up an effective link between the enterprise and the stakeholders, and to determine the strategic directions of the enterprise's activities in the context of its development.

Download Full-text

Sustainability as business strategy in community supported agriculture

British Food Journal ◽

10.1108/bfj-03-2018-0207 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 121 (2) ◽

pp. 616-632 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Daniele Eckert Matzembacher ◽

Fábio Bittencourt Meira

Keyword(s):

Business Strategy ◽

Social Transformation ◽

Work Conditions ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Education For Sustainability ◽

Community Supported Agriculture ◽

Content Type ◽

The Social ◽

Social Environmental

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how sustainability integrates the business strategy of Brazilian community supported agriculture (CSA) initiatives, and to understand the social, environmental and economic benefits to producers and consumers. Design/methodology/approach A case study was carried out through participant observation, using the techniques of ethnography, in addition to in-depth interviews and access to secondary data. Follow-up was carried out over two years and six months with two CSA initiatives. Findings The results indicated that the analyzed CSA activities address, in an integrated way, the social, environmental and economic dimensions of sustainability by promoting healthy diet, sustainable agriculture and social transformation to producers and consumers. Producers have their sales guaranteed due to previous consumers’ association; they also receive higher incomes, avoiding the rural exodus. In addition, their work conditions do not harm their health and the diversified production meets the consumption of their family group, increasing farmers’ autonomy. Regarding consumers, there is a strong emphasis on education for sustainability. It occurs primarily through face-to-face contact among participants, at times of basket withdrawal, follow-up visits to production and interaction events at farmers’ place. Exchanges of information, recipes, cooking classes, newsletters and internet interactions are also important. As these outputs, verified in a real situation, integrate the mission and the business proposal of these CSAs initiatives, it is possible to conclude that, in these analyzed situations, sustainability is incorporated into a business strategy. Sustainability is a structural component of the strategy, with practices in different levels of the business activity. Research limitations/implications As an exploratory study, the findings cannot be extrapolated to broader populations. To improve generalization, it would be beneficial to broaden the sample and pursue comparative research between countries and regions. Also, studies should examine which incentive structures and programs would relate more to better outcomes in education for sustainability and behavior chances. Practical implications From a managerial point of view, this study contributes by presenting emerging businesses in Brazil, which incorporated sustainability in their strategy, contributing with the need pointed out by Robinson (2004) to provide innovative and creative solutions toward sustainability. It also presents some alternatives to achieve objectives of the 2030 Agenda, especially objective 2 (related to food security) and 12 (improve sustainable production and consumption systems). This study also contributes by elucidating alternatives to promote education for sustainable consumption, presenting cases where consumers reported a more sustainable behavior. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by filling the gap pointed out by Arzu and Erkan (2010), Nakamba, Chan and Sharmina (2017), Rossi et al. (2017) and Searcy (2016) about addressing all three dimensions of sustainability in an integrated way, by analyzing CSA initiatives (a need indicated by Brown and Miller, 2008), especially evaluating empirical cases of sustainability insertion in the business strategy, as proposed by Claro, Claro and Amâncio (2008) and Franceschelli, Santoro and Candelo (2018). This study also responded to the need pointed out by Benites Lázaro and Gremaud (2016) to further understand the insertion of sustainability in the context of Latin America.

Download Full-text

Barriers and Benefits Arising from the Adoption of Sustainable Certification for Smallholder Oil Palm Producers in Malaysia: A Systematic Review of Literature

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131810009 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (18) ◽

pp. 10009

Author(s):

Nurul Fathiah Aziz ◽

Norshamliza Chamhuri ◽

Peter J. Batt

Keyword(s):

Palm Oil ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Oil Industry ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Labor Rights ◽

The European Union ◽

The Social ◽

The Government ◽

Social Environmental ◽

Sustainability Standards

Malaysia is the world’s second largest producer of palm oil, which, not unexpectedly, is one of the largest contributors to the country’s GDP. However, the Malaysian palm oil industry faces numerous issues, including a boycott for imports into the European Union (EU) on the basis that Malaysia does not allegedly practice good agriculture, fails to meet sustainability standards and exploits labor rights. To overcome the situation, the Government of Malaysia is strongly committed to implementing good agricultural practices that meet international sustainability standards through sustainable certification. To facilitate the adoption of sustainable certification by smallholder palm oil producers, through a comprehensive review of the literature, this study seeks to identify the social, environmental and economic benefits derived from sustainable certification.

Download Full-text

Environmental Impacts And Social Concerns - A Case Study Associated With Petroleum Exploration Activities From Onshore Baram Delta, NW Sarawak

Bulletin of the Geological Society of Malaysia ◽

10.7186/bgsm72202107 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 72 ◽

pp. 89-100

Author(s):

John Jong ◽

◽

Quoc Tan Tran ◽

Franz L. Kessler ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impacts ◽

Drilling Fluid ◽

Final Analysis ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Control Measures ◽

Petroleum Exploration ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

The Social ◽

Drilling Operations ◽

Social Environmental

The onshore Baram Delta, located in NW Sarawak is the birthplace of petroleum production in Malaysia. The Miri oilfield was first discovered in 1910 and subsequently abandoned in 1972 with intermittent exploration activities in the late 1980’s to early 1990’s. To rejuvenate exploration interest and to identify remaining hydrocarbon potential of the study area, in 2009-2010 JX Nippon acquired gravity, then regional 2D seismic data, followed-by exploration well drilling from 2011-2014. This paper discusses the social-environmental impacts and concerns associated with these petroleum exploration activities, from acquisition of seismic where explosives and vibroseis were used as a source of propagating signals, to exploration drilling with petroleum chemicals such as water-based muds used to facilitate the drilling operations. Overall, the inquiry addresses operational challenges, security of explosive storage and concern for handling explosives in the field, the social-environmental impacts of seismic acquisition operations, as well as removal of drilling fluid chemicals and disposal of contaminated cuttings. Containment procedures and mitigation measures undertaken to alleviate these social-environmental impacts are discussed according to the guidelines and regulatory requirements provided by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), in conjunction with PETRONAS Procedures and Guidelines for Upstream Activities (PPGUA) and the company’s Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Management System. In the final analysis, significant environmental and social challenges were certainly encountered while planning and conducting petroleum exploration activities in the study area. These challenges include problems related to topographic variabilities, permitting issues, compensations for affected lands and cash crops; layout constraints, drilling operations, well control measures for blowout prevention, traffic controls, potential damage to infra-structures, explosive and equipment transportation. However, with proper planning, effective communication with the local authorities, and awareness sessions conducted for the affected parties and stakeholders; together with the support of the local communities the operations have not only managed to mitigate these social and environmental concerns, the exploration activities also provided economic benefits such as hotel accommodation, logistics and transportation demands for local businesses, and short-term employment opportunities for the local people. Ultimately, the operations successfully acquired nearly 900-line km of seismic across many villages, longhouses, and in the city areas, with four exploration wells were drilled in the exploration block. We are glad to report that both seismic and drilling operations were conducted successfully and safely with minimal interruptions to people and environment, without untoward incidents or spills. With the mitigation measures in place, there were no damages other than land access, which were remediated, where incurred.

Download Full-text

Pop-Up Planning

10.1093/oso/9780190691332.003.0006 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Gordon C.C. Douglas

Keyword(s):

Public Space ◽

Aesthetic Experience ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Cultural Value ◽

Space Design ◽

Creative Placemaking ◽

Tactical Urbanism ◽

Social Environmental ◽

Public Space Design

Chapter 6 looks at the world of official urban planning and placemaking, providing different perspectives on its relationship to DIY urbanism. Through the voices of professional planners, the chapter explores their conflicted opinions on DIY approaches: criticizing their informality and emphasizing the importance of regulations and accountability for everything from basic functionality to social equity, yet sympathetic to do-it-yourselfers’ frustrations and often excited to adopt their tactics, harness their energy, and exploit their cultural value. The chapter then describes how some DIY projects have found pathways to formal adoption and inspired popular “tactical urbanism” and “creative placemaking” approaches to public space design. Many such interventions can result in innovative public spaces with social, environmental, and economic benefits. But the reproduction of an aesthetic experience selectively inspired by a hip grassroots trend and combined with “creative class” values can mark the resulting spaces themselves as elite and exclusionary.

Download Full-text

Disrupting Cultures of Harassment in Archaeology: Social-Environmental and Trauma-Informed Approaches to Disciplinary Transformation

American Antiquity ◽

10.1017/aaq.2021.19 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-18

Author(s):

Barbara L. Voss

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Disciplinary Culture ◽

Environmental Model ◽

Exclusionary Practices ◽

Archaeological Practice ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

Quantitative Studies ◽

The Social ◽

Trauma Informed ◽

Social Environmental

This article is the second in a two-part series that analyzes current research on harassment in archaeology. Both qualitative and quantitative studies, along with activist narratives and survivor testimonials, have established that harassment is occurring in archaeology at epidemic rates. These studies have also identified key patterns in harassment in archaeology that point to potential interventions that may prevent harassment, support survivors, and hold perpetrators accountable. This article reviews five key obstacles to change in the disciplinary culture of archaeology: normalization, exclusionary practices, fraternization, gatekeeping, and obstacles to reporting. Two public health paradigms—the social-environmental model and trauma-informed approaches—are used to identify interventions that can be taken at all levels of archaeological practice: individual, relational, organizational, community, and societal.

Download Full-text

Bioclimatic and Regenerative Design Guidelines for a Circular University Campus in India

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13158238 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 8238

Author(s):

Noemi Bakos ◽

Rosa Schiano-Phan

Keyword(s):

Construction Industry ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Design Guidelines ◽

University Campus ◽

Design Strategies ◽

Regenerative Design ◽

Governmental Institutions ◽

Social Environmental

To transform the negative impacts of buildings on the environment into a positive footprint, a radical shift from the current, linear ‘make-use-dispose’ practice to a closed-loop ‘make-use-return’ system, associated with a circular economy, is necessary. This research aims to demonstrate the possible shift to a circular construction industry by developing the first practical framework with tangible benchmarks for a ‘Circular University Campus’ based on an exemplary case study project, which is a real project development in India. As a first step, a thorough literature review was undertaken to demonstrate the social, environmental and economic benefits of a circular construction industry. As next step, the guideline for a ‘Circular University Campus’ was developed, and its applicability tested on the case study. As final step, the evolved principles were used to establish ‘Project Specific Circular Building Indicators’ for a student residential block and enhance the proposed design through bioclimatic and regenerative design strategies. The building’s performance was evaluated through computational simulations, whole-life carbon analysis and a circular building assessment tool. The results demonstrated the benefits and feasibility of bioclimatic, regenerative building and neighbourhood design and provided practical prototypical case study and guidelines which can be adapted by architects, planners and governmental institutions to other projects, thereby enabling the shift to a restorative, circular construction industry.

Download Full-text

Body Mass Index Trends Among Adult U.S. Special Olympians, 2005–2010

Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly ◽

10.1123/apaq.30.4.373 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 373-386 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

John T. Foley ◽

Meghann Lloyd ◽

Viviene A. Temple

Keyword(s):

Body Mass Index ◽

Body Mass ◽

Temporal Trends ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Special Olympics ◽

Health And Nutrition ◽

The Social ◽

Prevalence Of Obesity ◽

Biological Determinants ◽

Social Environmental

This study examined temporal trends in body mass index (BMI) among United States adults with intellectual disability (ID) participating in Special Olympics from 2005 to 2010. In addition, the prevalence of obesity was compared with published National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) statistics. After data cleaning, 6,004 height and weight records (male = 57%) were available from the Special Olympics International Healthy Athletes Health Promotion database for the calculation of BMI. Rates of overweight and obesity were very high but generally stable over time. Compared with NHANES statistics, the prevalence of obesity was significantly higher for Special Olympics female participants in each data collection cycle. Integrated efforts to understand the social, environmental, behavioral, and biological determinants of obesity and among Special Olympics participants are needed.

Download Full-text

Hedgerows and Enclosures in Rural Areas: Traditional vs. Modern Land Use in Mediterranean Mountains

Land ◽

10.3390/land10010057 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 57

Author(s):

Fernando Allende Álvarez ◽

Gillian Gómez-Mediavilla ◽

Nieves López-Estébanez ◽

Pedro Molina Holgado ◽

Judith Ares Barajas

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Main Role ◽

Land Uses ◽

Social Ecological ◽

The Social ◽

Mediterranean Mountains ◽

Agroforestry Practices

The present paper highlights the importance of hedgerows and enclosures in the mountains of Central Spain. Now, these landscapes have suffered profound variations in terms of agroforestry practices, especially in the Mediterranean mountains where the characteristic multifunctional has largely been lost. The article analyzes land uses changes, dynamics, and their morphological features between the first half of the 20th Century (1956) and the second decade of the present time (2019). The paper was divided into three sections. First, the identification of land uses using orthophotograph and aerial photograph; after that the info was checked with fieldwork. Eleven categories were identified according to the dominant use and land use changes and size of land parcels were taken into consideration. Second, the configuration and the information collected through the type and intensity of change in land uses made it possible to recognise and quantify their distribution and trend between these two dates. Also, the kernel density algorithm available in the Arcgis 10.5 software was used to obtain density and changes in land parcels. Finally, an overview is given of the main role that this agroforestry plays due to the social, ecological, and economic benefits that they provide for allowing sustainable development.

Download Full-text