Search Results (513)

Agriculture plays a fundamental role in ensuring global food security in the context of a growing population; however, it is also responsible for the substantial consumption of natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions. In this context, the adoption of sustainable practices represents a key strategy to improve agri-food supply chains, including the citrus sector. This study applies the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol to conduct a systematic review aimed at assessing the economic value generated by environmental, social, and economic sustainability practices along the citrus supply chain. The analysis focuses in particular on the role of sustainability certifications, examining both their potential benefits and the constraints associated with their adoption for producers and markets. Positioned at the beginning of the supply chain, producers play a pivotal role in the adoption of sustainable practices, whereas consumers, at the end, are instrumental in assigning market value to sustainability attributes through their purchasing decisions. The results highlight that, although consumer interest in ethical and environmentally friendly citrus products is increasing, this demand is often constrained by the lack of clear, standardized, and easily interpretable sustainability indicators. The review also reveals a significant imbalance in the existing literature, with economic assessments predominantly focused on environmental and production-related outcomes, while the economic value generated by social sustainability practices remains largely unexplored. Moreover, the review emphasizes the strategic role of policymakers in fostering sustainable transitions by providing economic incentives and facilitating access to finance, particularly for smallholders. Overall, the findings suggest that sustainability can generate economic value in the citrus supply chain; however, its effectiveness strongly depends on market recognition, certification credibility, supply chain organization, and institutional support. Full article

This study examines how corporate resilience is developed through inclusive and sustainable cocoa partnerships within integrated value chain governance in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Using an interpretive qualitative multiple-case study design, the research compares PT Mars Symbioscience Indonesia in Luwu Timur and PT Papandayan Cocoa Industries (Barry Callebaut) in Polewali Mandar. Data were collected from January to May 2025 through semi-structured interviews with 21 actors representing corporate, intermediary, farmer, financial, and local government stakeholders, and were triangulated with company documents, policy texts, and the relevant literature. The data were analyzed thematically using NVivo, supported by process tracing and cross-case comparison. The findings show that both firms combine certification, traceability, procurement arrangements, monitoring, and knowledge transfer, but organize these instruments through different partnership architectures. Mars follows a vertically integrated capability-building model involving 4250 farmers and 17 trained collectors, whereas Barry Callebaut relies on an intermediary- and standards-centered model through PT Bumi Surya Selaras, involving 3125 farmers in 126 farmer groups. These findings suggest that inclusive and sustainable cocoa partnerships function not only as supply-chain coordination mechanisms but also as institutional arrangements for governing smallholder-based production resources and long-term supply sustainability. Across cases, these partnerships were reported and interpreted as supporting supply stability, cocoa bean quality improvement, and risk mitigation. This suggests that corporate resilience in smallholder-based cocoa value chains is co-produced through the integration of governance mechanisms, farmer capacity building, intermediary coordination, and sustainable resource management. Full article

The aging of social infrastructure, intensively constructed during periods of rapid economic growth, is a pressing challenge facing modern society. Conventional infrastructure asset management has disproportionately emphasized a “managerial financial perspective,” aiming to maintain physical functions within limited budgets. However, the malfunction of road appurtenances such as tunnel lighting facilities induces severe traffic accidents and chronic congestion, resulting in public health risks for users (physical trauma, psychological stress, and the deterioration of Disability-Adjusted Life Years: DALYs) as well as massive socio-economic losses. The primary novelty of this study lies in bridging the gap between stochastic engineering deterioration models—specifically, discrete-time Markov chain models predicting physical degradation—and socio-economic stakeholder value chains. This study constructs a “Social Life Cycle Cost (LCC) Optimization Model” that directly incorporates these social losses and stakeholder risk disparities into the evaluation function, addressing the limitations of conventional financial-centric LCC models. By conducting robust uncertainty and global sensitivity analyses via large-scale Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations (number of trials $N={10}^5$), we reveal that a corrective maintenance strategy inheres a critical “fat-tail risk” of stochastically incurring catastrophic social losses. Conversely, preventive intervention at State C minimizes the expected total cost with statistical significance ($p<0.001$) and drastically decouples engineering costs from social risks. This research provides quantitative evidence that early infrastructure intervention functions as an indispensable “social investment” for mitigating public health risks under the specific parameters of the proposed model. Full article

The circular economy is recognised as a key topic that requires the development of user-friendly methodologies for circularity assessment, with digitalisation supporting more accurate evaluation processes. This study proposes an automated digital tool to calculate products’ Circularity Level (LC), defined in UNI/TS 11820:2024 and aligned with ISO/TC 323 circular economy standards (ISO 59004, ISO 59010, and ISO 59020) and the Level(s) EU sustainability framework. Specifically, an Excel-based calculator is developed to encode regulatory requirements, automatically compute LC values, generate radar charts highlighting improvement areas, and export results to MS Word for automated stakeholder reporting. Additionally, for construction materials, an information flow between MS Excel and Autodesk Revit is established using Dynamo, enabling the automated creation of product-related BIM objects and the integration of circularity data into the BIM model. The workflow is demonstrated through its application to a single case, namely the ITER Project, which implements earthen plasters enhanced by by-products from the agricultural and stone supply chains. An LC of 43.77% is obtained, driven by material efficiency and recovery, but limited by renewable energy use and end-of-life management. Future research will investigate AI techniques to optimise indicator scores and enhance digital circularity assessment in the construction sector. Full article

Despite the significant reduction in the overall cultivated area registered in recent decades, poplar still plays an important economic role in the Po Valley–Italy, where many farms involved in the plantation of this species are present, and the leading wood-processing industries are located. This paper describes the current organization of the poplar plywood wood-chain and explores the challenges in introducing new cultivars into the sector. In particular, it analyzes the main physico-mechanical properties of solid wood from five selected poplar clones (‘Dvina’, ‘Lux’, ‘Mella’, ‘Soligo’, ‘Taro’) that are characterized by fast growth, more sustainable agronomic practices, and increased disease resistance. These clones were cultivated in a seven-year-old linear plantation located in Northern Italy. This model, widely used in the past, is being re-proposed as a complement to the traditional system with square planting distances. The peeling yields and some performances of plywood manufactured from their veneers were also investigated. Results indicate that all clones have a much higher (from +30% to +56%) wood basic density than the ‘I-214’, which remains the lighter and preferred reference. These clones appeared also suitable for rotary cutting, but only ‘Lux’ and ‘Soligo’, and to a lesser extent ‘Mella’, provided veneers of the best quality class. Interesting mechanical features were registered for the sample plywood produced, especially in relation to the age of the harvested timber, which reached a diameter adequate for processing in a shorter time compared to the turnover adopted in conventional plantations. Except for ‘Dvina’, for all the clones, bending MOE and MOR were found to be comparable with those of spruce plywood made of similar thickness and the same lay-up. The findings suggest that the availability of new poplar cultivars and that of different cultivation models designed to enhance fast growth, when supported by targeted research and cooperation among multiple stakeholders (including farmers and industrial manufacturers), can lead to new applications where their plywood performances are valued. This, in turn, allows the resulting panels to meet specific needs in previously unexplored sectors, offering additional market opportunities. Full article

Urban historic districts often present archaeological sites and historic buildings in a fragmented way, posing significant challenges for public understanding and enhancing heritage value. Solely physical conservation fails to fully communicate their cultural significance, while excessive commercialization often results in the erosion of cultural authenticity and the displacement of local communities. Drawing from cultural capital theory in sociology and cultural economics, this study redefines historical districts as sustainable urban cultural capital, comprising habituated, objectified, and institutionalized components. A Value Chain Model of Cultural Capital (VCMCC) is developed, consisting of three stages: cultural resource excavation, cultural asset cultivation, and cultural capital management. This model aims to empower heritage adaptive reuse and foster synergy between cultural heritage and economic development. Utilizing an embedded single-case design with longitudinal ethnography, the research focuses on the Western Han Archaeological Sites Historical District (WHAS HD) in Hanzhong, China. It involves multiple rounds of mixed-data collection from 2023 to 2025, on which design-based research is performed. This study operationalizes VCMCC through a series of spatially and socially grounded strategies. In the cultural resource excavation stage, superior resources are identified through a systematic review of historical archives, archaeological reports, and local gazetteers, along with surveys of architectural remains and spatial mapping. In the cultural asset cultivation stage, these resources are transformed into experiential and communicable cultural assets via a “one courtyard, one strategy” approach for activating courtyard functions, developing dual-theme heritage routes, and deploying digital interpretation tools. In the cultural capital management stage, a multi-stakeholder community committee is established, and binding institutional safeguards are integrated to ensure sustainable heritage adaptive reuse. Concurrently, a baseline indicator system covering three dimensions, cultural, social, and economic benefits, is developed to provide benchmarks for future post-intervention benefit evaluation and verification. The proposed and implemented VCMCC model translates cultural capital theory from an abstract explanatory framework into an actionable pathway for heritage adaptive reuse, offering theoretical and methodological guidance for the adaptive reuse of similar small and medium-sized historic districts. Full article

Sustainable management of sugar agro-industrial value chains requires a multidimensional approach that integrates economic, environmental, and social criteria. Current literature addresses risk management, circularity, and artificial intelligence in isolation, without an integrated framework that generates synergistic value. The objective of this research is to validate an integrated framework for the sustainable management of sugar agro-industrial value chains. A mixed-methods, qualitative-quantitative, descriptive-retrospective study was conducted on the Cuban sugar agro-industry during 2023–2025. The procedure was structured into five phases and 10 stages; Petri net simulation was used to validate its logical consistency. Material, economic-financial, and knowledge flows were mapped; 16 stakeholder groups and their influence–dependence relationships were analyzed; 41 risks were identified, of which six were classified as critical. Simulation-based scenario modeling, which integrates risk, circularity, and AI interventions, projects an average potential reduction of 33.4% in total chain lead time, pending empirical validation. Petri nets confirmed the absence of connectivity errors, free-choice violations, and flow noise, formally validating the logical consistency of the procedure. The research supports the hypothesis that an integrated framework combining risk management, circularity, and AI, validated using Petri nets for logical consistency, projects improvements in the efficiency and sustainability of the value chain. Full article

Numerous construction enterprises have insufficient efficiency in resource utilization for construction and demolition waste (CDW), restricting global circular economic development. How to improve resource utilization has become an urgent problem. While existing studies have extensively explored operational decisions in CDW resource supply chains, insufficient attention has been given to construction enterprises’ information misreporting and its interaction with on-site conversion efficiency. This paper aims to elucidate the mechanism of action of misreporting and systematically analyzes its effects on the pricing decisions of the CDW supply chain. Drawing on information misreporting theory, this study constructs a Stackelberg game model involving construction firms and recycled building materials manufacturers, and compares supply chain decision-making behaviors under two scenarios: information misreporting and honest disclosure. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) misreporting alters recycled building material pricing and profit distribution by affecting manufacturers’ supply capacity expectations; (2) higher on-site conversion efficiency enhances CDW treatment ability and affects stakeholders’ profits; and (3) misreporting is related to on-site conversion efficiency and onsite conversion costs—enterprises prefer misreporting for short-term gains under low on-site conversion efficiency or high costs, while higher on-site conversion efficiency makes truthful disclosure conducive to long-term stable returns. This paper reveals the CDW supply chain decision-making mechanism from enterprises’ perspective, providing a new theoretical basis and practical value for CDW utilization and supply chain optimization. Full article

Against the backdrop of global ecological governance and the advancing dual carbon goals, the sustainable development of green consumption hinges on consumers’ continuous repurchase. Although corporate environmental goal progress information serves as a critical external signal, its underlying mechanisms affecting green repurchase remain inadequately explored. Accordingly, this study integrates the S-O-R framework, signaling theory, and psychological reactance theory, and deconstructs such information into five dimensions: quantification, visualization, level, velocity, and stakeholder contribution. It constructs a chained mediation model, testing hypothesized relationships via structural equation modeling (SEM) with data from 594 valid questionnaires. Results show that all five dimensions exert a significant negative effect on psychological reactance, with the visualization dimension showing the strongest effect. In addition, the visualization dimension has no significant effect on green perceived value, whereas the other four dimensions have significantly positive effects, with the quantification dimension exerting the most prominent effect. Moreover, psychological reactance, green perceived value, and green brand trust constitute a full chained mediation, fully transmitting the effect of environmental information on repurchase intention. This study explains how environmental information drives sustainable green consumption and provides theoretical and managerial implications for enterprises to optimize environmental information disclosure and promote green repurchase. Full article

Although Industry 4.0 has successfully advanced lean manufacturing through digitalization and automation, its primary focus on operational efficiency leaves emerging strategic priorities—human-centricity, sustainability, and resilience—outside its original scope. The Industry 5.0 agenda explicitly elevates these three pillars, creating new potential to drive lean transformation. However, how Industry 5.0 can systematically drive lean manufacturing transformation remains unclear. To address this knowledge gap, this study develops a strategic roadmap. First, a content-centric literature review identifies 12 key enablers for Industry 5.0-driven lean manufacturing. Second, Fuzzy Interpretive Structural Modeling (FISM) and expert opinions determine hierarchical relationships among the enablers and construct a multi-level structural model. Third, Matrices d’Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée à un Classement (MICMAC) analysis evaluates the driving power and dependence of each enabler. Finally, a strategic roadmap is developed based on expert synthesis. The findings reveal that “government regulation and incentives” and “employee skill training” are the most critical enablers, while “value chain design and improvement” and “resource input and return” are the most complex and difficult to develop. The roadmap highlights the mediating role of “stakeholder participation and collaboration.” Importantly, the roadmap addresses potential tensions in lean implementation—such as the carbon footprint trade-off of frequent small-batch transport—by embedding sustainability assessment into value chain design and technology governance. This study offers a practical guide for manufacturers to prioritize investments and sequence actions toward lean transformation in the Industry 5.0 era. The main contribution of this study is a strategic roadmap that explains how Industry 5.0 can enable lean manufacturing transformation through prioritized actions and hierarchical enablers, while reconciling efficiency with sustainability and resilience goals. This roadmap offers a practical guide for manufacturers and policymakers to sequence investments and actions toward lean transformation in the Industry 5.0 era. Full article

The transition toward circular economy (CE) models has become a global priority for overcoming the limitations of linear production systems. However, CE adoption remains constrained by limited conceptual understanding, weak strategic alignment, and insufficient communication processes within organizations. This study develops a strategic communication model to support the adoption and implementation of CE practices in industrial clusters. The model is based on previous empirical findings, which were analyzed by a group of experts. These findings revealed significant gaps in CE knowledge, low levels of strategic integration, and limited communication structures within firms. In response, the study proposes a multi-level communication framework structured around internal and external dimensions, designed to influence decision-making, foster organizational alignment, and enhance stakeholder coordination. The findings suggest that strategic communication can serve as an important enabler of CE transition by facilitating knowledge transfer, supporting organizational learning, and promoting collaboration across value chains. The proposed framework provides a structured and adaptable tool that may support the advancement of circular practices and enhance competitiveness in industrial clusters. Full article

Previous studies on rural development and agribusiness value chains have largely examined these issues separately, with limited attention to how organizational capacity shapes value chain performance and sustainable rural development outcomes in transmigration areas. This gap is particularly important in emerging rural regions where institutional constraints, market dependency, and limited coordination continue to hinder local economic transformation. This study examines the role of organizational capacity in shaping value chain performance and its implications for sustainable rural development in transmigration areas. Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews, field observations, focus group discussions, and secondary data analysis. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis supported by NVivo software, with triangulation applied to ensure validity and reliability. The findings reveal that although local institutions—such as village-owned enterprises (BUMDes), cooperatives, and farmer groups—are present, their organizational capacity remains limited, particularly in managerial skills, coordination, and aggregation functions. This limitation leads to inefficient value chain performance, characterized by low bargaining power, high dependency on intermediaries, high logistics costs, and limited value-added creation. Consequently, rural income remains suboptimal, social dependency is high, and environmental sustainability risks are insufficiently managed. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that organizational capacity acts as a structural determinant of value chain performance, which in turn influences sustainable rural development outcomes. It also proposes a capacity strengthening model integrating human resources, institutional capacity, stakeholder networks, and technology. Policy implications emphasize strengthening local institutions, promoting value chain digitalization, and implementing data-driven interventions. The study highlights that strengthening organizational capacity is a strategic pathway toward achieving sustainable rural development, particularly in emerging rural contexts such as transmigration areas. Full article

Short food supply chains (SFSCs) have gained attention as mechanisms for strengthening local food systems and enhancing producer value. However, many SFSCs involving traditional artisan dairy products struggle to remain viable in competitive markets characterised by industrial production and weak market positioning. This study examines the viability of the SFSC for queso tenate, a traditional artisan cheese from central Mexico, through a cybernetic perspective using the Viable System Model (VSM) and the Viplan method. Accordingly, an integrative framework is proposed that combines cybernetic organisational design with a value chain perspective and a core infrastructure of food technology practices. The SFSC is analysed through the focal enterprise as the primary coordination and integration point for production, coordination, control, intelligence, and governance functions. The analysis incorporates technical and managerial activities, including food technology practices, production operations, and market-related processes. Using the Viplan method, the study represents systemic functions within the SFSC. The results identify structural weaknesses affecting viability, including fragmented coordination, limited technological validation, and insufficient market differentiation. The findings suggest that the configuration of systemic functions, as defined by the VSM, may be associated with organisational conditions shaping system functioning in traditional artisan food systems. The proposed framework provides a structured basis for diagnosing areas where viability may be strengthened. Limitations are acknowledged regarding the conceptual approach, the single-case study design, and the generalisability of the results. Future research may extend this work by examining diverse traditional cheese supply chains, exploring viability across multiple recursion levels, strengthening core infrastructure and market development activities, and incorporating stakeholders’ perspectives within SFSCs. Full article

Although many organizations have started to adopt sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), many organizations still face challenges in achieving their long-term sustainability goals due to pressures such as ever-changing environments and stakeholder conflicts, which are wicked sustainability problems. This present study develops a value-driven sustainable supply chain management (VSSCM) framework that advances existing integrative SSCM conceptual models by adopting an open-system perspective. This developed framework differs from previous frameworks that focus primarily on sustainability practices or performance dimensions. Based on the General System Theory and Mindsponge Framework approaches, the VSSCM framework presented describes the mechanism by which sustainability values are deeply embedded in organizational culture, translated into sustainable supply chain management practices, and transformed into adaptive and buffering capabilities that drive the performance of sustainable supply chains. The output eventually creates long-term values of stakeholder satisfaction, stakeholder well-being, and brand equity. Along with the feedback loop process, the system allows the organization’s values and beliefs to be continuously reviewed and developed to respond to and address the dynamic environmental changes. Finally, this VSSCM theory provides theoretical propositions, practical implications, and directions for future research development. Full article

Circular economy (CE) and green building (GB) are playing increasingly prominent roles in operationalising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the built environment, including in rapidly urbanising Global South contexts such as India. Although often assumed to be complementary, their integration remains insufficiently examined, particularly in terms of their structural alignment and divergence. This study investigates the synergies and structural divergences between CE and GB through an empirical and analytical approach grounded in the Indian built environment sector. Qualitative data were collected from a multi-stakeholder participatory workshop with built environment practitioners in India and through follow-up interviews and analysed using qualitative content analysis to identify patterns in how these approaches are interpreted and applied in a participatory setting. The findings indicate that GB predominantly engages SDGs through performance-oriented, asset-level interventions, while CE operates through system-level strategies focused on material circulation and value-chain transformation. Although areas of convergence are evident, particularly in relation to SDGs 11 and 12, important structural divergences emerge across three key dimensions: scale, temporality, and underlying mental models. These divergences influence how sustainability interventions are framed and implemented with SDG targets. The alignment of CE and GB requires systemic reforms that incorporate circularity criteria within building rating systems, align CE and GB within unified regulatory and procurement frameworks, and embed systems thinking and life cycle approaches within professional education to translate CE from a conceptual framework into an operational paradigm in the built environment. Full article