Search Results (122)

The rapid development of the digital economy and the pursuit of green transformation are reshaping the innovation landscape of Chinese firms. However, limited attention has been paid to how digital industry agglomeration (DIA) influences corporate green innovation (CGI) at the firm level. Drawing on panel data from China’s A-share listed firms between 2017 and 2021, this study examines the differential effects of specialized agglomeration and diversified agglomeration of digital industry on CGI. The results indicate that DIA can promote CGI, with a 1% increase in DIA associated with a 1.503% increase in green innovation output. Further analysis reveals that specialized agglomeration exerts a significant positive effect, while diversified agglomeration has no evident impact. Our mechanism analysis indicates that knowledge spillovers serve as the key channel through which DIA fosters CGI. Moreover, heterogeneous effects analysis indicates that DIA exerts a stronger influence on non-high-tech enterprises and in regions where environmental regulation is less stringent. Drawing on these insights, fostering specialized digital clusters and strengthening knowledge-sharing mechanisms can help alleviate existing constraints on innovation diffusion, accelerating green innovation and supporting long-term sustainability. Full article

Industrial agglomeration (IA) is an important factor in promoting forestry development, which has a notable impact on green total factor productivity (GTFP). IA can generate a “scale effect”, but excessive agglomeration may also bring a “crowding effect”, ultimately leading to an inverted U-shaped impact of IA on GTFP. How do these two effects work? From the perspective of agglomeration externalities, this study explores the intermediate role of labor pooling, input sharing, and knowledge spillover to clarify the mechanism between IA and GTFP. This study calculates forestry GTFP of Chinese provinces from 2004 to 2021 and empirically tests the inverted U-shaped relationship between IA and GTFP. It further examines the mediating and moderating effects of agglomeration externalities. The findings reveal that most provinces are still in the “scale effect” stage, but as IA intensifies, the “crowding effect” gradually becomes increasingly evident. Additionally, “crowding effect” is most significant in the eastern region and forestry industrialization areas. Therefore, this study proposes policy measures based on regional differences to promote the green development of the forestry sector. Full article

As climate change consequences intensify, higher education institutions (HEIs) have an opportunity and responsibility to model sustainable operations. This study examines how embracing shared knowledge and inclusion in sustainability decision making facilitates green human resource management (GHRM) efforts to invigorate organizational environmental performance. The study examines the effects of shared and inclusive governance on campus sustainability via a regression model and the mediating role of employee participation via a structural equation modeling approach. The results show that shared governance and inclusive governance positively predict the commitment of HEIs to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and campus engagement mediates these relationships, underscoring the importance of participation. These findings align with stakeholder theory in demonstrating that diverse voices in decision making can enhance commitment to organizational goals like sustainability. The findings also highlight the importance of shared and inclusive governance arrangements at college campuses not only for ethical reasons but also for achieving desired outcomes like carbon neutrality. For campus leaders striving to “green” their institutions, evaluating cross-departmental representation in governance structures and promoting inclusive cultures that make all students and staff feel welcome appear as important complements to GHRM practices. Full article

In this study, we isolated and identified bacteria from the feces of a diarrheal cynomolgus monkey. The results showed that the isolated strain was P. aeruginosa, named PA/CM-101101. Morphological observations indicated that when cultured on Luria–Bertani (LB) nutrient agar at 37 °C for 24 h, the strain formed smooth, slightly elevated colonies with neat and wavy edges. On acetamide agar at the same temperature and duration, the colonies appeared flat with irregular edges and a faint pink periphery, while the medium changed to rose-red; in LB broth at 37 °C for 24 h, the medium became turbid and yellowish-green. Gram staining revealed that it was negative and rod-shaped, without sporulation characteristics. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that the sequence identity of the strain shared more than 98.4% similarity with 11 strains of P. aeruginosa from various sources in GenBank. The animal toxicity test showed that it had a strong pathogenic effect on mice. The results of drug sensitivity tests showed that strain PA/CM-101101 was sensitive to amikacin, azithromycin, cefoperazone, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, imipenem, levofloxacin, meropenem, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, and polymyxin B; however, it displayed resistance to ampicillin, cefadroxil, cefazolin, erythromycin, and vancomycin. The research findings provide valuable insights for diagnosis and treatment strategies for cynomolgus monkeys. It also provides a reference for molecular epidemiological studies. To our knowledge, this is the first time P. aeruginosa isolated from the diarrhea feces of cynomolgus monkey has been reported. Full article

Background: The current food system is unsustainable, making it essential to address the issue globally through adequate policies and sustainable development goals. The European Union aims to dedicate 25% of farmland to organic farming by 2030 to promote sustainable practices. Warsaw is the first Polish city working on an urban sustainable food policy; however, there is limited data on the sustainable food system (SFS) and organic sector available. Objectives: This research examines whether consumers in Warsaw who prefer organic food also display other sustainable characteristics and awareness, reflected in their food choices, dietary habits, and other food-related behaviors. Methods: A household survey (HHS) was conducted as part of the SysOrg project, focusing on evaluating the sustainability of food systems in Warsaw in the areas of diet and organic food. The clusters of respondents, grouped by the self-declared proportion of organic foods in their diets, were analyzed and compared, and in addition, correlation analyses of the share of organic food in diets and other sustainability parameters were performed. Results: The study of 449 respondents indicates that Warsaw is at an early stage of the organic transformation, with the largest group of respondents declaring a 1–10% share of organic products in their diet. There were significant differences in dietary choices, sustainability awareness, and food selection habits and motivations among various consumer groups depending on their organic food share. Conclusions: Overall, this study’s findings highlight a link between organic food consumption and certain sustainable behaviors, suggesting potential for organic consumers’ contribution to a sustainable transformation. The study offers valuable insights into the existing knowledge gap regarding the behaviors of organic and sustainable consumers in Warsaw. Furthermore, despite the non-random nature of the sample limiting the generalizability of findings, it serves as a preliminary resource for other European cities that are formulating food policies and incorporating Green Public Procurement (GPP) into their procurement processes, especially for municipalities within the Visegrad Group. Full article

The present study examines the impact of customer firms’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance on suppliers’ green innovation efficiency, grounded in stakeholder theory and innovation diffusion theory. The DEA-SBM model is employed to measure green innovation efficiency and analyze transmission mechanisms through knowledge spillovers, financing constraints, and the moderating roles of executives’ green cognition and digitization. This analysis is based on panel data from 3134 customer–supplier pairs of China’s A-share listed firms from 2014 to 2023. The findings indicate that high ESG performance by customer firms has a substantial impact on suppliers’ green innovation efficiency, with a 1% increase in customer ESG score resulting in a 1.38% improvement in supplier efficiency. The phenomenon under scrutiny is hypothesized to be precipitated by knowledge spillovers and mitigated by reduced financing constraints. The hypothesis further posits that supplier firm executives’ green cognition and customer digitization will amplify the effect. A heterogeneity analysis reveals stronger effects in technology-intensive firms and regions with higher governmental environmental oversight. These findings underscore the pivotal function of ESG-driven supply chain collaboration in propelling sustainable industrialization. It is imperative that policymakers prioritize cross-regional ESG benchmarking and digital infrastructure to amplify green spillovers. Conversely, firms must integrate ESG metrics into supplier evaluation systems and foster executive training on sustainability. This research provides empirical evidence for the optimization of green innovation policies and the achievement of China’s dual carbon goals through the coordination of supply chain governance. Full article

This study provides a comparative analysis of the environmental and economic performance of Oman, Egypt, and Morocco, focusing on the critical interplay between their economic structures, governance frameworks, and energy policies. Morocco stands out as a regional leader in renewable energy, driven by significant investments in solar, wind, and hydroelectric projects, positioning itself as a model for clean energy transition. Egypt, despite its rapid industrialization and urbanization, faces mounting environmental pressures that challenge its economic diversification efforts. Oman, heavily dependent on hydrocarbons, confronts significant sustainability risks due to its reliance on fossil fuels, despite the political stability that could support renewable integration. The research underscores that while these nations share common challenges, including regulatory weaknesses and energy policy inconsistencies, their distinct economic contexts demand tailored approaches. Morocco’s path to energy leadership must focus on integrating renewables across all sectors, enhancing grid infrastructure, and expanding green technology innovations to maintain momentum. Egypt should prioritize scaling up renewable infrastructure, reducing dependency on fossil fuels, and investing in clean technology to address its carbon footprint. For Oman, the strategic diversification of its economy, combined with aggressive renewable energy integration, is critical to reducing CO₂ emissions and mitigating climate impacts. This study contributes novel insights by highlighting the role of political stability, institutional quality, and policy coherence as critical enablers of long-term sustainability. It also identifies the importance of regional cooperation and knowledge sharing to overcome shared challenges like data limitations, geopolitical complexities, and methodological gaps in sustainability assessments. The findings advocate for a multi-method approach, integrating economic modeling, life-cycle analysis, and policy evaluation, to guide future sustainability efforts and foster resilient, low-carbon economies in the MENA region. Full article

The green behaviors of engineering project designers can improve the green performance of engineering projects. Moral factors are likely to influence designers’ behavior related to green design. Therefore, this study takes mindfulness leadership as a new antecedent of green behavior and explores how mindfulness leadership influences the green behaviors of designers. Based on social cognitive theory, this study proposes that mindfulness leadership stimulates the designers to exhibit green behaviors. Then, this study used a survey design and adopted partial least squares structural equation modeling to examine the hypotheses. The results indicate that mindfulness leadership is positively associated with green voice behavior (β = 0.313), green knowledge-sharing behavior (β = 0.281), and green helping behavior (β = 0.353). Moreover, moral identity mediates the main effect (β_a = 0.131, β_b = 0.147, β_c = 0.169). These quantitative findings substantiate that mindfulness leadership can effectively motivate designers to provide eco-conscious solutions, share sustainability knowledge, and collaborate on green improvements. The study equips project managers with evidence-based strategies to cultivate moral identity and leadership practices that systematically enhance environmental performance in engineering design contexts. Full article

This study explores the impact of green transformational leadership (GTL) on employee retention in the hospitality sector, with a specific focus on the mediating roles of employee satisfaction and perceived green organizational support (PGOS). Grounded in self-determination theory and organizational support theory, the research examines both the direct and indirect effects of GTL on employee retention. GTL fosters a sustainability-driven work environment, motivating employees through shared environmental values, which enhances their job satisfaction and perceived organizational support. These factors, in turn, strengthen employees’ commitment and willingness to stay within the organization. Using SmartPLS 3 for structural equation modeling (SEM), data collected from hospitality employees were analyzed to assess the hypothesized relationships. The findings confirm that GTL positively influences employee retention, both directly and indirectly, through the mediating effects of employee satisfaction and PGOS. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on sustainable leadership by highlighting the crucial role of green leadership practices in improving employee retention in environmentally conscious organizations. Implications for managers and policymakers in the hospitality sector are discussed, emphasizing the need for sustainability-driven leadership approaches to enhance workforce stability. Full article

While green infrastructure (GI) offers numerous benefits, its implementation in low-resource settings remains constrained by limited policy support and upfront costs, highlighting the need for context-sensitive strategies. This paper highlights the value of integrating GI within sustainable agricultural systems and the effectiveness of various GI techniques in improving soil microbial communities and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The transition to sustainable agricultural systems requires innovative strategies that balance productivity, environmental conservation, and resilience to climate change. Sustainable agriculture increasingly leverages technological innovations in GI to enhance productivity, biodiversity, and microclimate resilience. Green infrastructure has found direct application in agroforestry, conservation buffers, precision agriculture, soil health monitoring systems, and nature-based solutions such as regenerative soil management. These applications are crucial in enhancing soil health, water retention, and biodiversity, while mitigating microclimatic impacts. Precision agriculture tools, like IoT sensors, drones, and AI-driven analytics, allow farmers to optimize water, nutrient, and pesticide use, boosting yields and efficiency while minimizing environmental impact. Simultaneously, advanced soil health monitoring technologies track soil moisture, nutrients, and biological activity in real time, informing practices that maintain long-term soil fertility and carbon sequestration. This integrated approach yields practical on-farm benefits, such as higher crop stability during droughts and enhanced habitats for beneficial species. In conclusion, there is a need for supportive frameworks, like subsidies for GI adoption, application of precision tools, incentives for improving soil microclimate, development of innovative GI programs, and knowledge-sharing initiatives, to encourage farmer adoption. Full article

Amid the global trend of green transformation, existing studies have explored the impact of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) on economic performance and technological innovation. However, micro-level empirical analyses on how OFDI facilitates green technological innovation through capital and knowledge channels remain insufficient. Drawing on data from China’s A-share listed companies during 2007–2022, this study systematically investigates, for the first time, the pathways through which OFDI influences green innovation, and identifies the mediating mechanisms of financing constraints and R&D investment. Employing fixed effects and mediation effect models, the empirical results reveal that OFDI significantly promotes firms’ green technological innovation, with stronger effects observed among state-owned enterprises, among non-polluting firms, and in the context of invention patent applications. This study enriches the theoretical framework of green innovation and provides empirical evidence and actionable insights for corporate “going global” strategies and green transition policy making. Full article

As hydrogen emerges as a pivotal energy carrier in the global transition towards net-zero emissions, addressing its technological and regulatory challenges is essential for large-scale deployment. The widespread adoption of hydrogen technologies requires extensive research, technical advancements, validation, testing, and certification to ensure their efficiency, reliability, and safety across various applications, including industrial processes, power generation, and transportation. This study provides an overview of key enabling technologies for green hydrogen production and distribution, highlighting the critical challenges that must be overcome to facilitate their widespread adoption. It examines key hydrogen use cases across multiple sectors, analysing their associated technical and infrastructural challenges. The technological advancements required to improve hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and end-use applications are discussed. The development of state-of-the-art testing and validation facilities is also assessed, as these are vital for ensuring safety, performance, and regulatory compliance. This work also reviews some of the ongoing academic and industrial initiatives in the UK aimed at promoting technological innovation, advancing hydrogen expertise, and developing world-class testing infrastructures. This study emphasises the need for stronger, more integrated collaboration between universities, industries, and certifying bodies for building a strong network that promotes knowledge sharing, standardisation, and innovation for expanding hydrogen solutions and creating a sustainable hydrogen economy. Full article

Green production technology is a critical component of contemporary agricultural development, playing a pivotal role in the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices. Information literacy is the basic ability for farmers to engage in agricultural production, including information awareness, information knowledge, and information ability. In order to investigate the impact of information literacy on farmers’ green production technology adoption behavior, this paper constructs information literacy indicators using factor analysis, based on survey data from 1316 farming households in Shanxi and Hebei provinces, and empirically analyzed the impact of information literacy on farmers’ green production technology adoption behavior and the moderating effect of risk attitude using the Heckman model and moderating effect model, respectively. The empirical evidence indicates the following: (1) Information literacy can significantly contribute to farmers’ adoption decisions and adoption degree of green production technologies. (2) Information literacy has a significant effect on the adoption decisions of all five green production technologies. (3) The results of the heterogeneity analysis indicate that the coefficient of information literacy on the degree of adoption of green production technologies by farmers with different endowment characteristics varies significantly. The promotion effect is more pronounced for small-scale farmers and farmers with a high share of agricultural income. (4) The interaction term between risk attitude and information literacy has a significant effect on farmers’ green production technology adoption degree. Based on these findings, the paper recommends that relevant institutions focus on enhancing farmers’ information literacy, strengthening the agricultural production guarantee system, and developing differentiated strategies for promoting green production technologies. Full article

This study investigates the impact of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) practices on employees’ pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) across multiple sectors in China, including production and manufacturing, real estate, financial services, and IT industries. Data were collected from 492 participants through online and offline surveys conducted between June and August 2024, ensuring a comprehensive and representative sample. The findings reveal that GHRM significantly enhances employees’ PEBs, with green mindfulness and knowledge sharing as critical mediating mechanisms. These mediators amplify the effectiveness of GHRM by fostering deeper environmental awareness and encouraging the exchange of eco-friendly practices among employees. By integrating GHRM with knowledge management processes, the study highlights how organizations can strategically leverage HR practices to strengthen their environmental performance and foster a culture of sustainability. By emphasizing the pivotal roles of green knowledge sharing and environmental awareness, this research underscores their significance in bridging the gap between organizational practices and sustainability outcomes. The insights derived contribute to advancing theoretical understanding and practical applications of green knowledge management and sustainability, offering a robust framework for businesses seeking to align their operations with global environmental goals. Full article

Green buildings (GBs) offer significant potential to address environmental challenges and support nations to meet their sustainable development goals. Numerous developed countries have prioritized green building technologies (GBTs) adoption in their construction industry, whilst other nations are still hampered by several issues that slow down the level of their adoption. To effectively promote the adoption of GBTs, it is crucial to identify the key barriers and to prioritize relevant promotion strategies suitable to be emphasized towards specific geographic locations. This study aims to examine the key barriers hindering the adoption of GBTs and recommend suitable strategies to promote GBT adoption in the context of Tanzania. A questionnaire survey was carried out with 61 experts (architects, engineers, urban planners, economists, and green technologists) from Tanzania working in the field related to green buildings. A ranking analysis technique was used to rank the barriers and relevant promotion strategies to be prioritized. Measures of descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, were carried out to sort the barriers and promotion strategies in the order of their potentiality. A Spearman’s rank correlation test was conducted to verify the consistency of the mean scores and derived ranks, and cluster analysis was also performed to group factors that share similar characteristics into the same clusters. Unfamiliarity with GBTs; a lack of expertise or few professionals in the GB field; the presence of few successful demonstrative projects to convince clients; and a low promotion of GBTs together with limited user knowledge were noted as the most critical barriers hindering the adoption of GBTs in Tanzania. Cluster analysis shows that knowledge-related barriers are majorly hindering the adoption of GBTs in Tanzania. Thus, a multi-faceted approach of institutional interventions and broadening public awareness should majorly be taken into account simultaneously to enhance adoption rates. The analysis also revealed that the establishment of an institutional framework; educational programs for policymakers, developers, and contractors related to GB guidelines; providing awareness to clients through advertisements; and imposing mandatory regulations in shifting towards GBTs are the most relevant promotion strategies to widen the adoption of GBs. The findings of this study provide valuable insights to various stakeholders for policy development in the construction industry and the future implementation of GBs in Tanzania. Full article