Urban regeneration and impact assessment for social sustainability

This paper provides a working definition of social sustainability and highlights the growing array of social sustainability assessment tools (e.g. SIA, HIA, equality impact assessment, SA). Within EIA the social dimension has been very much the ‘poor relation’. However, changes in the UK planning system, the drive for sustainable communities, and for greater public involvement in decision making are raising the profile of the social dimension. This is particularly relevant for urban regeneration projects, which are often mixed use (including housing), and with the potential for development to be shaped by community involvement. The paper includes a review of recent environmental statements (ESs) for regeneration projects in the UK, which provides findings on, for example, the inclusion of social factors in the process; scope of such factors; methodological approaches and impact assessment tools; and role of community involvement. The research raises questions about the extent to which social issues shape outcomes; it also highlights some important challenges, including the key issue of ‘integration versus disintegration’ in the scope and process of impact assessment.     

Assessing the sustainability of energy technological systems in Southern Africa: A review and way forward

The field of technology assessment is not new, but it continues to be relevant today more than ever, especially in the energy sector. Issues related to climate change, energy security and sustainability in general are at the core of all energy policies and strategies. The development of new and more sustainable energy technologies are needed to address these challenges. As part of this, energy technology assessment tools can help decision-makers with the identification of sustainable energy solutions, in order to integrate them in long-term energy policies and strategies. The concept and practice of sustainable development has subsequently manifested in the technology assessment field. This implies the re-classification of technology assessment into ecological, economic and social (and other) goals. In the Southern African context, specifically, there is no formal and coherent approach to energy technology assessment from a sustainability perspective. Governments in the region are finding it challenging to establish national policies concerning energy technology assessment. Indeed, the review reveals the limited use of the term “technology assessment” in energy evaluation studies in Southern Africa. Energy sustainability assessments may be reported, but certainly not from the perspectives of the technology management community, and, although a number of studies have discussed the issues of sustainability in technology assessment, none account for technology sustainability assessment from a holistic perspective. The paper argues that it is in this area that further research is needed.     

SMS for decision making of SMEs

To pursue the high environmental performance, economic and social effectiveness of the companies, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs), is the key goal of the sustainable development concept. Sustainable development is based on preventive management principles, and their application in SMEs has become an important issue for enhancing competitiveness. Unfortunately, most of the sustainable development-related research is focused on large companies rather than SMEs, especially in the industrial sector. The importance of SMEs often remains unnoticed. Besides, SMEs themselves often have inadequate knowledge about their environmental and social impacts and management, and apply voluntary preventive measures less frequently than large companies. To make sustainable decisions and to improve the environmental performance, economic and social effectiveness of SMEs, an integrated sustainable management system (SMS) based on financial analysis is necessary, oriented to strategic sustainability goals, not requiring significant financial and human resources. Integration of sustainability management accounting and composite sustainable development index methodologies forms the basis of SMS for SMEs decision making. SMS was applied in three pilot SMEs (small-scale wood parquet, medium-scale wood pallets, medium-scale beverage producing companies). In this article, an extensive analysis of a small-scale wood parquet manufacturing company’s case is presented. The application of SMS enabled to identify key sustainability problems and to find solutions to improve the companies’ sustainability performance. SMS application resulted in reduced input materials consumption and the reduction of sustainability costs.     

Technical and economical/financial feasibility analyses of flared gas recovery in Egypt from oil and gas industry from international/national oil companies’ perspectives

Egypt is an importer of energy, yet 5.7 MMSCM (200 MMSCF) of natural gas is flared every day and causes a negative environmental impact. Recovery of such significant amount is crucial and accordingly there are three alternative solutions to recover these gases, namely LPG/condensate extraction, recycling, or power generation. These alternatives were studied technically, financially, and economically, and results indicate that investors’ orientation and vision play a vital role in decision making especially when production sharing agreement is applied. The conflict of interest among investors was tackled and applied on a case study from different perspectives. Results indicate that the added value itself differs from one investor to another. In the case studied, international oil companies “IOCs” prefer recycling to achieve reasonable net present value “NPV” up to $40 million. National oil companies “NOCs” prefer generating power to achieve maximum net value added “NVA” up to $58 million, to maximize the environmental and social added value. The least feasible option is extracting LPG/condensate from the flared gas although Egypt is LPG importer. The conflict of interest and current oil prices are the reasons behind postponing such projects. So, Egyptian government should impose policies to reduce flared gas emissions and maximize benefits through these projects and this can be done by compromising with “IOCs” to ensure maximum financial/social benefits.     

Advances and challenges in the implementation of strategic environmental assessment in Chile

After almost 20 years of environmental impact assessment (EIA) in Chile, in 2010 the country adopted a more strategic view in order to include sustainability objectives in the development of policies and plans: the strategic environmental assessment (SEA). For supporting this new process, the Ministry of Environment developed a series of guidelines delineating the focus and methodology for an adequate implementation of SEA. These guidelines have been widely embraced by different actors as a reference to elaborate the environmental reports. In this opinion letter, we express our view upon the advances and challenges in the development of the SEA process in Chile and the role of evolving guidelines that have shaped the current implementation. The most relevant advances are related to an increasing awareness regarding the integration of sustainability issues in decision-making and the complementarity of SEA with the elaboration of policies and plans. Challenges are still present, and they are mainly related to the practical implementation rather than the availability of guidelines, where SEA is slowly being understood as different from the traditional EIA.     

建设“美丽中国”的根本途径是走可持续发展之路

十八大提出建设“美丽中国”的目标,并提出了一系列大政方针和政策措施。在新型城镇化背景下,建设“美丽中国”必须以人为核心,坚持走具有中国特色的可持续发展之路,而标准化是推动城市可持续发展的重要举措。目前,ISO/TC 268围绕城市可持续发展标准化研制国际标准,其中“城市指标”国际标准将于2014年发布实施。城市可持续发展标准涉及范围广,ISO/TC268所研制的标准与经济发展、社会进步、环境保护等方面的具体行业、领域的技术标准形成稳定的宏观与微观、指导与被指导的关系,共同推进城市可持续发展。因此,标准化是建设“美丽中国”,实现“中国梦”的有力支撑。     

Impact Assessment: assessing the social dimensions of fisheries research projects in the Asia-Pacific Region

Interest in understanding the social impact of publicly funded science research is growing globally. However, practical examples demonstrating how the social impacts of research for development are measured are negligible. This paper illustrates the utility of Impact Assessment (IA), Social Impact Assessment (SIA) in particular to measure and articulate the social dimensions of research for development. We employed substantive aspects of SIA to assess the social impacts of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) funded fisheries research projects across Southeast Asia and the Pacific Island Countries. Data were collected through a survey, in-depth interviews, and case studies. Results illustrate that SIA can offer a nuanced understanding of the contribution of research for development to changes in culture, community health and wellbeing, livelihood and economy, and governance and politics, among others. We suggest that researchers, policymakers and research for development organisations consider incorporating SIA in their projects not only as a tool to assess impact but also as a process to manage and understand the social dimensions of science research.     

Emphasising enhancement in all forms of impact assessment: introduction to a special issue

In the context of impact assessment (IA), ‘enhancement’ refers to deliberate attempts taken in the design and subsequent phases of projects, programmes, plans and policies to ensure the success of a wider range of direct and indirect positive outcomes to communities and/or the biophysical environment. This can be in the form of opportunities for social and community development, improved health and wellbeing, improved biodiversity, restored ecosystems and landscape character, and protected and respected cultural heritage. This first ever special issue on enhancement advocates that all forms of IA should consider opportunities for enhancement. Specific reference is made to strategic environmental assessment (SEA), environmental impact assessment (EIA), social impact assessment (SIA) and health impact assessment (HIA). The paper presents views from IA practitioners regarding perceptions of the barriers to greater use of enhancement in IA and suggestions for possible solutions to those barriers. Investment in enhancement initiatives contributes to sustainable development and resilience, and is consistent with corporate social responsibility obligations of proponents.     

The practice of social impact assessment background

The goal of social impact assessment is to help individuals and communities, as well as government and private-sector organizations, understand and better anticipate the possible social consequences for human populations and communities of planned and unplanned social change resulting from proposed policies, plans, programmes and projects. Like all assessments, the SIA model is comparative. We look to similar settings for direction as to what will happen in the future. Based on decades of research, we have organized SIA indicators under the general headings of population characteristics, community and institutional structures, political and social resources, individual and family changes, and community resources. The SIA process identifies alternatives to a proposed action as well as guidelines for enhancement and mitigation.     

Intelligent automation implementation and corporate sustainability performance: The enabling role of corporate social responsibility strategy

Although Intelligent Automation (IA) represents the future of business automation, the organizational implementation and sustainability performance of this emerging technological innovation is vastly understudied. Understanding the implications of IA for sustainability is critical since leveraging these technologies shapes operations and policies that can promote sustainable digitalization and automation practices. We study how firms' technological, organizational, environmental, and human resource contexts impact IA implementation. The study further explains how IA may associate with the firm's triple bottom line while accounting for the moderating role of corporate social responsibility strategy. The study surveyed 207 multinational firms in 2022 and used partial least square-structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized relationships. Results showed that IA implementation is mainly determined by the characteristics of the firm's internal environment, such as absorptive capacity, employee socio-behavioral concerns, and social capital competency. IA may offer valuable opportunities for boosting the firm's economic and environmental sustainability performance. Nonetheless, IA is a double-edged sword for social sustainability, harming social values in implementing firms with informal corporate social sustainability strategies. Conversely, firms with formal corporate social sustainability strategy have a significantly higher opportunity to transform the value of IA into social sustainability performance. Findings are expected to assist managers and decision-makers with streamlining an impartial and sustainable transition of organizations toward automation.     

Understanding social impacts by using new variables and a causal model diagram in New England fisheries

This paper reviews the applicability of the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) process within the framework of US national environmental policy used in New England fishery management. Its aim is to develop a new approach to SIA that goes beyond identifying impacts through guidelines, to include an understanding and portrayal of causality and emergent relationships. The emphasis is on creating a new list of variables identifying social impacts and social change processes. These variables are used in a causal chain model to diagrammatically portray impact dynamics over time and scale. This approach intends to fulfill a need for an accurate and timely methodology used in fishery management to identify potential social impacts of management actions, in order to achieve ecological and socioeconomic sustainability.     

Can social impact assessment contribute to social development outcomes in an emerging economy?

Social impact assessment (SIA) addresses the ‘people aspect’ of development-induced change by empowering communities with a voice in the environmental impact assessment process. Globally, poverty and inequality is growing. Countries with emerging economies are especially affected, and SIA conducted within this context necessitates mitigation of both the direct impacts of particular developments as well as the social legacies that entrench poverty and inequality. Social development is an approach that can be used to reduce poverty and inequality. This paper analyses the practice of SIA and its potential to contribute to social development outcomes in emerging economies. SIA, as practised in South Africa, was analysed from the theoretical framework of social development using an exploratory sequential mixed methods design. The findings indicate that weak implementation of mitigation, monitoring and management measures dilute the potential for SIA to achieve social development outcomes. Through minor evolution of SIA practice, the process can lay a firm foundation to facilitate social development outcomes, especially considering its potential contribution to poverty reduction through the social protection floor, skills development and job creation.     

Association Analysis on Pro-Environmental Behaviors and Environmental Consciousness in Main Cities of East Asia

An association analysis of people’s environmental consciousness and their proenvironmental behaviors was performed using a statistical survey data set collected in Beijing, Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo, the four largest cities in East Asia, based on random sampling in 2005 and 2006. Although there were remarkable differences in people’s attitudes toward environmental issues under the different environmental qualities, economic situations and social institutions in each city, statistical analysis demonstrated that six pro-environmental actions, including “buying eco-good”, “recycling”, “water saving”, “energy saving”, “riding a public transportation” and “buying organic vegetable”, were closely related to people’s recognition of environmental changes, their intrinsic values and demographic attributes. The author also found that cultivation of environmental consciousness is an important factor in evoking people’s pro-environmental behaviors. Especially, it is necessary to construct an international framework of harmony with regard to environmental issues in which the diversity of environmental consciousness in different social backgrounds in East Asia is taken into account.

     

Sustainable new product development: a longitudinal review

Traditional new product development aims to integrate people, tools, and technology to shorten time-to-market and boost economic gains. Under the triple bottom line of sustainability, the integration with the environment brings an additional layer of complexity. Sustainable new product development (SNPD) is a new and ever-growing research area. This paper offers a novel combination of systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis of themes in SNPD in the past 25 years. The search for the relevant literature in Scopus citation database returned 1541 peer-reviewed papers. The analysis of co-occurrence of keywords identified the main themes of product life cycle, product design, sustainable products, production and environmental standards, innovation, human component of sustainability, supply chains, polymer, and renewable resource. Concerns with economic and environmental sustainability were present since the early research on SNPD. However, there is a growing concern with a holistic approach to SNDP integrating people, the economy, and the planet. The evolution of themes showed a need to integrate further the social aspects of sustainability into SNDP. A research agenda closes the paper proposing themes that deserve further scrutiny, related to sustainable products, product life cycle, and product design.     

Sustainability assessment of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers

Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) are a central instrument in international development cooperation and of key importance in guiding donors' policies towards southern recipients. However, many aspects of the PRSP have been criticised by a variety of development stakeholders. A checklist of 85 questions has been developed to analyse the inclusion of aspects of sustainable development in PRSPs and to point to sustainability challenges and opportunities. It thus facilitates targeted advice and quality improvements. The checklist was applied to a selection of 12 PRSPs of developing countries. The results reveal an insufficient integration of the ecosystem services concept, of biodiversity and of climate issues. Property rights, gender issues, water and energy are as a rule well elaborated. PRSPs show significant variation in the integration of environmental sustainability issues. Sustainability assessments can contribute to significant improvements between first and second generation PRSPs provided the assessments are supported by a strong institutional framework and a dedicated political commitment towards sustainability.     

The outlook of building information modeling for sustainable development

As human needs evolve, information technologies and natural environments require a wider perspective of sustainable development, especially when examining the built environment that impacts the central of social-ecological systems. The objectives of the paper are (a) to review the status and development of building information modeling (BIM) in regards to the sustainable development in the built environment, and (b) to develop a future outlook framework that promotes BIM in sustainable development. Seven areas of sustainability were classified to analyze forty-four BIM guidelines and standards. This review examines the use of BIM in sustainable development, focusing primarily on certain areas of sustainability, such as project development, design, and construction. The developed framework describes the need for collaboration with the multiple disciplines for the future adoption and use of BIM for the sustainable development. It also considers the integration between “BIM and green assessment criteria”; and “BIM and renewable energy” to address the shortcomings of the standards and guidelines.     

The effects of technological innovation on sustainable development and environmental degradation: Evidence from China

Despite the rapid progress of the global economy and technology's key role, severe environmental and ecological challenges must be given proper attention to advance sustainable development. This paper uses the autoregressive distributed lag method on 40 years of data to investigate the impact of technological innovation on China's sustainable development and determine the channels through which technological innovation contributes to sustainable development. Our empirical results demonstrate that technological innovation is an important driver in promoting sustainable development, revealing that innovation adds to economic growth without harmful effects on the environment. The results also indicate that financial development significantly adds to China's sustainable development through carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions reduction, and economic growth further triggers the sustainability process by reducing CO₂ emissions. The findings of this paper enhance existing theories and contribute to the progress of sustainable development in China, the novel results outlining industry development drivers could potentially be used for developing global innovation policies integration.     

Social aspect of sustainable packaging

Sustainability is one of the ‘buzz’ words that is highly discussed in the area of packaging nowadays. For many product manufacturing business, incorporation of sustainability principles into their business practice can only be visualized by others in the end product through packaging. Besides the criteria, underlying concepts and principles, most discussions towards achieving goals for sustainable packaging are focused on details of models and practices adopted by the industry, and the effectiveness and practicality of these practices in balancing the economic profits and environmental benefits. While the economic and environmental bases of packaging sustainability have been examined and discussed in great detail, the same is not true of social consideration. Although the success of sustainable packaging development actually relies on both technological development and social considerations, many of the social aspects of sustainable packaging are often overlooked. Although many companies have been putting the efforts and initiatives to elevate sustainability from an abstract goal into an immediate priority, relatively little is known about the consumers' insights of packaging sustainability. Recognizing the consumers as the final arbiter of the success of sustainable packaging, this paper will explore consumers' perceptions on the sustainable packaging concept, their perceptions of the impact to the environment and discuss factors that drive consumers' preferences and purchase decision. Discussion and information gathered in this paper is aimed to stimulate understanding on the importance of the social dimension of packaging sustainability and its role in supporting the efforts to improve sustainability practice. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An analytical technique to model and assess sustainable development index in manufacturing enterprises

Sustainable development (SD) will be the driving force to Twenty-first Century as automation was to the Twentieth Century and stream was to Nineteenth Century. There are two levels of sustainability: Macro-Level (country, cities) and Micro-Level (manufacturing enterprises and its town and regional areas). In this paper, Micro-Level of sustainability will be discussed. The major challenge of manufacturing enterprises is modelling and assessing the sustainable development performance. Introducing indexes for sustainable development assessment in manufacturing enterprises is important not only to enable them to quantitatively estimate SD, but also to determine the requirements of components for these enterprises to survive. The main objectives addressed in this paper is how to model the required components and how to introduce a new assessment framework for assessing sustainability from lowest levels, dimensions up to sustainable development level according to Micro-Level. The three pillars of sustainability (economic, social and environmental) are modelled, estimated and incorporated into a concept, the so-called ‘general sustainable development index’. Based on these concepts, the sustainable models will be analysed and presented through covering all aspects/issues of sustainability. The ultimate goal of this paper is considering the needs of manufacturing enterprise to be sustainable as well as to be globalised through introducing the concept of economic-social-environmental sustainable development and basic attitudes related to creating sustainable development value in engineering practices (economic), social (political) and environmental community. An industry-based case study is used to represent sustainability through aspects, performance metrics, indicators and pillars.     

Developing and evaluating environmental impact assessment systems for small developing countries

This paper describes experience of a strategic-level social impact assessment (SIA) carried out in New Zealand to assist policy decision makers in a regional government environmental agency. The phased, iterative approach to the SIA is discussed, as well as the significance of effective scoping early in the SIA process. The SIA linked air pollution, cold homes and poor health problems as inseparable components of a single public policy issue, and thereby helped lay the foundations for political consensus, more cooperative implementation and greater public acceptance. Details of a proactive approach to mitigation are also provided.