Dissertations / Theses: 'Aspects of sustainability'

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Valenzuela, Musura Rafael, and Francesco Albarosa. "Social Sustainability Aspects of Agile Project Management : An Exploratory Study of Social Sustainability Aspects in Agile Project Management." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Företagsekonomi, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-130909.

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Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore a new perspective within the sustainability of project management theoretical area. The research focuses on verifying the existence of interconnections between Agile Project Management and Social Sustainability, and on understanding how Agile Project Management impacts organisational social dynamics from a Social Sustainability point of view. Research Methodology/ Approach/ Design: Through an in-depth single-holistic case study, the research investigates the social dynamics taking place amongst the members of an international IT company, applying an agile project management framework since more than two years. A total of six extensive semi-structured interviews have been carried out with people covering different positions within the company. By working on qualitative data from the interviews, the researchers obtained an in-vivo set of interconnected concepts. The analysis work consisted in qualitatively analysing these concepts and relations in order to build a network diagram reproducing graphically the interconnections existing between Agile Project Management elements and the Social Sustainability factors proposed by Missimer et al. (2016a, 2016b). Research Findings: The findings - obtained through the analysis of the network diagram - have been analysed with the lenses of the five factors, that have not to be degraded in order to ensure the social sustainability of a social system. It has been found that implementation of Agile Project Management, within the company’s environment, has impacted the organisation’s social dynamics in several ways. These impacts influenced in a direct or indirect way individual’s “Health”, their “Capacity to Influence”, their “Capacity to Acquire New Competences”, and their “Capacity of Meaning-Making”. By analysing the type of influence APM has on these four aforementioned factors, it has been found that it influences positively all of them. This allowed us to conclude that, according to Missimer et al. definition of Social Sustainability, Agile Project Management shows several interconnections to Social Sustainability and that it seems to benefit organisational internal social dynamics making them more socially sustainable. Research limitations: Because of the exploratory nature of the research, the empirical study has been based on a single in-depth case study. However, generalisability of the findings are limited by the inherent limitations of this inquiry strategy. Further researches will allow to verify and eventually expand or complete the proposed model. Originality/value: This research contributes to a detailed understanding of the existing relations between Agile Project Management and Social Sustainability theory. This represents a completely new point of view in the studies of Sustainability of Project Management, suggesting the validity of a new stream of research focusing on Agile Project Management as a new project management process through which promote corporate sustainability.

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Fauré, Eléonore. "Sustainability goals combining social and environmental aspects." Licentiate thesis, KTH, Miljöstrategisk analys (fms), 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-191524.

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This thesis examines how to take into account both environmental and social sustainability goals to be used in scenarios or in policymaking. In paper I, we select four sustainability goals that have to be fulfilled by 2050 in normative future scenarios for Sweden in a degrowth context. Two goals address ecological challenges, climate change and land use issues specifically. The other two goals address social issues and deal with participation and influence in society as well as resource security and distribution. The environmental goals will require significant reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and land use compared to today's levels. The social goals are within reach today, although the degree of fulfillment differs across different groups in society. In paper II, we review existing and suggested climate or energy targets at a global, national and local scale and search for justice perspectives or for proposals for such perspectives. We find that the justice aspect is not explicitly formulated in existing climate and energy targets and that, the community of justice i.e. the receivers of benefits or burdens, in our reviewed examples, is limited to human beings, thereby excluding all other living beings. In paper III, we assess how four different backcasting scenarios for land use in a Swedish context, all of which fulfil a climate target of zero CO2 emissions in 2060, impact on other sustainability goals. We conduct a goal conflict analysis between the chosen climate goal and the other Swedish environmental goals, the gender equity goals and the public health goal. We find that there are more potential goal conflicts in scenarios with no global climate agreement. From the results of all three papers, I then discuss several aspects that have to be taken into account when setting goals, such as the major uncertainties associated with long-term goals, the elusiveness, the normativity of goals and the need to separate goals from the means to achieve the goals.
Utsläpp av växthusgaser (GHG) och andra miljöproblem, såsom förlust av biologisk mångfald, markanvändning och övergödning av sötvatten och marina kustekosystem, är stora utmaningar för mänskligheten. De planetära gränser för dessa områden har redan överskridits. Av de 16 svenska miljömålen för 2020, vars syfte är att lösa dessa ödesfrågor, bedöms bara ett – "Ett skyddande ozonskikt" – uppnås i tid. Vad gäller sociala mål på global nivå fram till 2015 – FN:s Milleniemål – har visserligen betydande framsteg gjorts på en del områden, t.ex. jämställdhet i utbildningen, men utfallet skiljer sig mellan länder och inom länder med avseende på socioekonomisk grupp och kön. Denna avhandling undersöker hur man kan ta hänsyn till både miljömässiga och sociala hållbarhetsmål som ska användas i framtidsscenarier eller som underlag till beslutsfattande. I artikel I väljs fyra hållbarhetsmål i en tvärvetenskaplig process. Målen ska uppfyllas 2050 i s.k. normativa framtidsscenarier (backcasting) för Sverige i en kontext av nedväxt eller låg tillväxt. De två första målen handlar om klimatförändringar och markanvändningsfrågor. De två andra är sociala mål och omfattar delaktighet och inflytande i samhället samt tillgång till resurser och fördelning av dessa. För att uppnå de valda miljömålen, kommer drastiska minskningar av växthusgasutsläpp (GHG) och markanvändning att behövas, jämfört med dagens situation. Båda de sociala målen är inom räckhåll i dag, även om graden av uppfyllelse skiljer sig mellan olika grupper i samhället. I artikel II genomförs en kvalitativ dokumentanalys för att samla information om befintliga och föreslagna klimat- och energimål på global, nationell och lokal nivå. Vi letar också efter rättviseperspektiv i befintliga klimat- och energimål samt förslag till sådana perspektiv i föreslagna mål i den vetenskapliga litteraturen liksom i rapporter från miljöorganisationer. En slutsats är att rättvisa inte är uttryckligen formulerat i befintliga klimat- och energimål. Vi använder en teoretisk ram för social rättvisa som skiljer mellan vem som ger och får det som fördelas, vad som fördelas (rättvisevaluta) och hur det fördelas (distributionsprinciper). Utifrån vår analys fann vi att en egalitär princip används för de flesta föreslagna målen, exempelvis för globala mål om utsläpp av växthusgaser per capita. Samtliga av de granskade målen omfattar endast rättvisa mellan människor och exkluderar därmed andra levande varelser. I artikel III analyserar vi hur fyra olika backcastingscenarier för markanvändning i ett svenskt sammanhang år 2060 påverkar andra hållbarhetsmål när ett klimatmål om noll CO2-utsläpp är uppfyllt. Med hjälp av en matris gör vi en målkonfliktanalys med de övriga svenska miljömålen, jämställdhetsmål och mål för folkhälsan med dess 11 tillhörande målområden. Analysen visar att de potentiella målkonflikterna är fler i scenarier utan globalt klimatavtal. Detta beror främst på att vissa miljöfrågor måste behandlas på global nivå, samt att minskningen i miljöpåverkan kommer att bero på åtgärder som inte bara vidtagits i Sverige utan också globalt. Utifrån dessa tre artiklar diskuterar jag sedan olika aspekter som måste beaktas vid fastställandet av mål. Eftersom hållbarhetsmål är långsiktiga och kännetecknas av en hel del osäkerhet diskuterar jag behovet av att sätta upp "försiktigt utopiska mål" (cautiously utopian goals), det vill säga mål som kan vara omöjliga att uppnå, men möjliga att närma sig. Sådana mål kan få till stånd de djupgående förändringar som krävs för en hållbar och rättvis framtid samtidigt som de är acceptabla för de intressenter som berörs. Mål är ofta otydliga vad gäller vad som ingår eller inte. Vad gäller klimatmålen, exempelvis, är det ofta otydligt huruvida utsläpp från handel är inkluderade eller ej och vilket referensår en viss utsläppsminskning baseras på. Sådana avgränsningar bör synliggöras och helst diskuteras med avseende på hur de kan påverka till exempel andra länders utsläppsminskningar. Det finns också ett behov att skilja mål från medel för att uppnå målen, eftersom det gör det möjligt att formulera mål som kan uppnås på olika sätt. Ekonomisk tillväxt ses ofta som ett mål i sig, såsom i FN:s nya hållbarhetsmål (SDGs). Tillväxt borde dock betraktas som ett rent verktyg för att uppnå egentliga mål rörande, exempelvis, välbefinnande. Mål är också normativa och återspeglar både olika kulturella och etiska perspektiv på vad en god hälso- och sjukvård eller bostadsstandard bör vara. De underliggande värdena bör därför också synliggöras och ifrågasättas. Både inter- och intragenerationella rättviseperspektiv bör göras mer konkreta och tydliga så att sådana frågor kan följas upp. En bra start kan vara att förutom ett territoriellt perspektiv börja använda ett konsumtionsperspektiv vid upprättandet av klimat-eller markanvändningsmål, då effekten av vår konsumtion på andra länders miljö och hälsa har ökat under de senaste årtiondena.

QC 20160901

Beyond GDP Growth

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Gholamhosseinian, Ashkan, and Ahmad Khalifeh. "Cloud Computing and Sustainability: Energy Efficiency Aspects." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Sektionen för Informationsvetenskap, Data– och Elektroteknik (IDE), 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-17368.

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Cloud computing promises a new era of service delivery and deployment in such a way that every person can access any kind of services like storage, application, operating system and so on from anywhere any time using any device having internet connection. Cloud computing opens new possibilities approaching sustainable solutions to deploy and advance their services upon that platform. Sustainability of Cloud computing is to be addressed in terms of environmental and economic effects.In this thesis we explore the energy efficient approaches inside data centres from the site and IT infrastructure perspective incorporating Cloud networking from the access network technologies and network equipment point of view to give a comprehensive prospect toward achieving energy efficiency of Cloud computing. Traditional and Cloud data centres would by compared to figure out which one is more recommended to be deployed. Virtualization as heart of energy efficient Cloud computing that can integrates some technologies like consolidation and resource utilization has been introduced to prepare a background for implementation part. Finally approaches for Cloud computing data centres at operating system and especially data centre level are presented and Green Cloud architecture as the most suitable green approach is described in details. In the experiment segment we modelled and simulated Facebook and studied the behaviour in terms of cost and performance and energy consumption to reach a most appropriate solution.

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Villamil, Velasquez Denny Carolina. "Integration of Sustainability Aspects in Product Portfolio." Licentiate thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för strategisk hållbar utveckling, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-19037.

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Several environmental issues are incrementing systematically, and many of them are linked to manufacturing activities. To mitigate these issues, it is necessary to develop sustainability solutions in the early stages of the innovation process, where there is room for creativity and innovation. The integration of sustainability at the strategic level of the company, where the essential decisions, the strategic plan, and the portfolio are developed, might ensure the implementation of sustainability aspects in products and services. Many companies develop product portfolios to organize and offer services, products, technologies and operations following the company strategy and targets. The portfolio components are assessed and selected using evaluation criteria. The most common criteria include: cost, quality, risk, revenue, time and market position. Usually sustainability is not included in the portfolio evaluation criteria. The aim of this research is to obtain a better understanding of how sustainability can be integrated in the product portfolio development of manufacturing companies. The main research targets are to: 1) define sustainability product portfolio based on a comprehension of the academic and industry perspectives, 2) identify how companies currently implement sustainability in their portfolio, 3) determine which evaluation criteria and tools are used for portfolio development and 4) how the product portfolio is developed, implemented and managed. A systematic literature review was performed to understand the state of the art about sustainability product portfolio. The literature review results supported the development of semi-structure interviews with companies and field experts. The interviews outcome provided a better understanding of the industry perspective. Afterwards, a workshop helped to understand what aspects are more significant for the portfolio evaluation criteria. Finally, a strategic sustainability assessment tool SLCA 2.0 was used to assess a technology product portfolio of a specific industry case. The results from the studies created a foundation to: a) determine the state of art of the sustainability product portfolio field and its relevance for integration and implementation of sustainability in the early stages of the product innovation process, b) define the concept of sustainability product portfolio, c) have a better understanding of the setting and the application of the portfolio evaluation criteria and how to include sustainability in the evaluation, d) identify key factors to integrate and implement sustainability in the product portfolio, e) apply and test a tool for assessing a technology portfolio from a sustainability perspective and f) create a prototype of a model to develop the product portfolio with a strategic sustainability perspective. This research provides a knowledge foundation of how sustainability can be integrated in product portfolio. In future research a model will be developed to support companies of how to include a strategic sustainability perspective into their product portfolio to enhance development of more sustainable solutions.

Contact the author to receive a pdf of the full thesis (papers included): dcv@bth.se or telephone +46455385569

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Ahmad, Mirwary, and Birgeet Kaur. "Sustainability Aspects in ICT Engineering Thesis Works." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för informations- och kommunikationsteknik (ICT), 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-191131.

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An evaluation of thesis reports performed by students from the degree programme Computer Engineering, TIDAB, that was made by UKÄ, The Swedish Higher Education Authority, showed that there was a lack of consideration of environmental and sustainability aspects in the thesis reports, leading to many students not meeting the criteria in the degree objectives regarding this aspect. The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to improve students’ ability in considering the important aspects of sustainability in their thesis works, by providing them with guidelines which they can follow and implement during their thesis work that will enable them to reach the level ‘Very High Quality’. A literature study was performed thoroughly in conjunction with reviewing previous thesis reports and conducting expert interviews as an approach to find a solution to the problem. The outcome of the analysis was three methods that was developed, which the students can use as guidelines in their thesis work. A set of guidelines, a table with skill sets and the SEMAT Essence Kernel card for sustainable development was the resulting methods that will help the students to at minimum accomplish the criteria for ‘High Quality’ on the objective "Demonstrate an understanding of technology capabilities and limitations, its role in society and people’s responsibility for its use, including social and economic aspects, environmental and safety aspects" when the methods are followed.
En utvärdering av examensarbeten utförda av studenter från utbildningsprogrammet Datateknik, TIDAB, gjort av UKÄ, Universitetskanslersämbetet, visade att det fanns en brist på hänsynstagande till miljö- och hållbarhetsaspekter i rapporterna, vilket ledde till att flera studenter inte uppfyllde kriterierna i examensmålen gällande denna aspekt. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att förbättra elevernas förmåga att ta hänsyn till de viktiga aspekterna av hållbarhet i sina examensarbeten genom att ge dem riktlinjer som de kan följa och genomföra under sina examensarbeten, som gör det möjligt för dem att uppnå nivån ’Mycket Hög Kvalité’. En litteraturstudie genomfördes noggrant i samband med genomgång av tidigare examensarbeten, och intervjuer med ledande experter gjordes, som en metod för att hitta en lösning på problemet. Utfallet av den utförda analysen var tre metoder som har utvecklats, vilket studenterna kan använda som riktlinjer i sina examensarbeten. En uppsättning av riktlinjer, en tabell med kompetenser och SEMAT Essence Kernel kort för hållbar utveckling var de resulterande metoder, som ska hjälpa studenterna att åtminstone uppnå kriterierna för ’Hög Kvalité’ på målet "Visa förståelse för tekniska möjligheter och begränsningar, dess roll i samhället och människors ansvar för dess användning, inklusive sociala och ekonomiska aspekter, miljö- och hållbarhetsaspekter" när metoderna följs.

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Cheng, Hau-chung, and 鄭孝仲. "Sustainability management in apparel & footwear supply chain." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/207615.

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Self-regulatory Code of Conduct has widely been adopted by international brands to manage CSR issues in apparel and footwear supply chain for the last 2 decades. Increasingly, more apparel and footwear brands started to expand CSR scope to include environmental management in their supply chain. However, only very few international brands have disclosed their efforts on environmental management in their supply chain. This study aims to find out how apparel and footwear brands implement environmental management in their supply chain. Furthermore, what motivates them to carry out environmental management, and lastly, what challenges the industry encounters in carrying out effective environmental management. Primary and secondary data research were carried out in this study. Primary research, in a form of self-administered survey, was conducted for 11 brands and 15 of their respective suppliers. Secondary research was conducted through desktop research to gather additional information from brands, NGOs, academic studies and news. The study revealed environmental management in apparel and footwear supply chain is becoming more important. However, most of the brands’ approaches on environmental management are loose (i.e. lack industry-wide sustainably environmental management strategy), and small in scope (i.e. first tier supplier only). It is suggested apparel and footwear brands should improve effectiveness of environmental management program in their supply chain, by applying different implementation strategies internally, with both brands’ and suppliers’ governments, suppliers as well as their stakeholders.
published_or_final_version
Environmental Management
Master
Master of Science in Environmental Management

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Engström, Adam. "Integrating sustainability aspects into the business development processes of Hemfrid." Thesis, KTH, Hållbar utveckling, miljövetenskap och teknik, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-232025.

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Sustainability is becoming more of a strategic tool in many companies today and will become even more important in the future. Hemfrid is today looking at many new business areas and has realized the importance of including sustainability in its new businesses. However, the link between sustainability and business development has not been researched in a larger extent and therefore there are no good methods to use. Therefore, the aim of this report is to provide a method and tool for Hemfrid to integrate sustainability aspects into their business development processes. To fulfil this aim, an analysis of current scientific literature and models within the areas of sustainability and business development was done. Based on those models, with a foundation in the Sustainable Development Goals, a model was created. To be able to weigh different impact area against each other, an MCA was conducted. Finally, the model was assessed through external feedback and through a SWOT analysis. The model is based on 14 of the 17 SDGs with specific impact categories for all of them. A tool was created in Excel to easily assess the impact of the new business development projects. Lastly a seminar was held with Hemfrid’s management team facilitating the model.
Hållbarhet håller idag på att utvecklas från ett område som de senaste åren varit en operationellt fokuserad verksamhet till något som mer och mer närmar sig strategiarbete. Som en del av den här utvecklingen börjar många företag konstatera att integrationen av hållbarhet i deras affärsutvecklingsarbete blir en fråga som blir allt viktigare. Hemfrid har de senaste 20 åren växt fram till ett marknadsledande företag inom hushållsnära tjänster där hemstädning för privatpersoner är den dominerande tjänsten. Hemfrid har valt att fokusera på att ge sina anställda kollektivavtal och trygg anställning och fokusera på sina anställda och kunder och i dagsläget tittar man på många nya affärsutvecklingsmöjligheter för att fortsätta erbjuda sina kunder hjälp i sina hem. I och med Hemfrids fokus på hållbarhet med schyssta arbetsvillkor och miljövänliga produkter har de även insett vikten av att även på ett tidigt stadium få in hållbarhetstänk i sitt affärsutvecklingsarbete. Denna rapport syftar därför till att skapa en modell och verktyg för Hemfrid för att integrera hållbarhetsaspekter i deras affärsutvecklingsarbete. Hemfrid-modellen är framtagen med de globala hållbarhetsmålen som utgångspunkt där olika kriterier identifierades inom varje mål som Hemfrid sedan kan utvärdera sina affärsutvecklingsprojekt utifrån. En litteraturstudie är även gjord där det identifierats nio ytterligare modeller inom hållbarhet respektive affärsutveckling som på olika sätt varit användbara för att skapa kriterier och övergripande användning av Hemfrid-modellen. Varje mål är viktat utifrån Hemfrids nuvarande verksamhet och strategi för att spegla företagets hållbarhetsprioriteringar. Verktyget är framtaget i Excel, baseras på en Multikriterieanalys och ger Hemfrid ett enkelt sätt att på en 5-gradig skala, för varje mål, utvärdera om kriterierna förändras från en skala mycket sämre till mycket bättre jämfört med dagens produkter eller tjänster. Verktyget visualiserar sedan om projektet som helhet är bra eller dåligt hållbarhetsmässigt samt vilka mål man har väldigt positiv påverkan på och bör kommunicera mot sina kunder samt vilka man bör se över och förbättra. Vidare har verktyget testats på två olika affärsutvecklingsprojekt där representanter från hållbarhetsavdelningen och affärsutvecklingsenheten fått ge feedback på användning och modellen har även presenterats och diskuterats tillsammans med Hemfrids ledning för att förankra modellens användande inom bolaget. Slutligen gjordes även en SWOT-analys där modellen visade vara över lag positiv. De negativa delarna med modellen ligger i att den är en förenkling av verkligheten och inte kommer kunna ta upp alla hållbarhetsaspekter som finns samt att det i användandet av modellen finns risk att man gör subjektiva bedömningar och ger sig själv bättre poäng än vad man egentligen borde. Modellen kommer dock kraftigt förenkla integrationen av hållbarhet i affärsutvecklingsprocesserna på Hemfrid och kommer användas för att försäkra att Hemfrid fortsätter vara starka inom hållbarhet och att erbjuda sina kunder smarta lösningar.

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Yuan, Luyao. "Sustainability Aspects of ICT in Agriculture and Food Systems." Thesis, KTH, Hållbar utveckling, miljövetenskap och teknik, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-248385.

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This master thesis project aims to explore ICT solutions in agriculture and food systems, and to analyze their sustainability aspects. As a result, a comprehensive picture of existing and coming ICT solutions along the food chain is presented based on extensive literature review. Their enabled impacts are qualitatively analyzed for selected aspects of food security and environmental sustainability. Moreover, a few of ICT enabled solutions’ GHG emissions reduction potentials in agricultural and land use sector in the year 2030 are estimated quantitatively, ranging from 9 Mt to 31 Mt, depending on assumptions (6 to 50 Mt after sensitivity analysis). These results, which cannot be seen as a representation of the overall ICT potential to enable emission reductions in agriculture and the food chain, are discussed in light of earlier suggested overall ICT potentials in this area. Moreover, limitations and uncertainties of the study are further clarified. Overall, the qualitative analysis identifies a high number of solutions for ICT in the agriculture and food systems with an assumed potential to promote sustainable development. However, due to the lack of published quality data for these solutions, the predicted sustainability potential cannot be accurately estimated.
Detta masterprojekt syftar till att utforska IKT-lösningar inom jordbruks- och livsmedelssystem och att analysera sina hållbarhetsaspekter. Som ett resultat presenteras en omfattande bild av befintliga och kommande IKT-lösningar längs livsmedelskedjan utifrån en omfattande litteraturöversikt. Deras kvalificerade effekter analyseras kvalitativt för utvalda aspekter av livsmedelssäkerhet och miljöhållbarhet. Dessutom beräknas potentialen för minskning av växthusgasutsläppet inom jordbruket och markanvändningen år 2030 kvantitativt för ett fåtal IKT-lösningar, till att vara mellan 21 Mt till 76 Mt (6.11 till 49.6Mt efter känslighetsanalys), beroende på antaganden. Dessa resultat, som inte kan anses representera IKT´s fulla potential att bidra till utsläppsminskningar inom jordbruks- och livsmedelssystemen, diskuteras med bakgrund av tidigare estimat av IKT´s övergripande resultat inom detta område. Därutöver klargörs begränsningar och osäkerheter i studien. Sammantaget identifierar den kvalitativa analysen ett stort antal lösningar för IKT i jordbruks- och livsmedelssystemen med en antagen potential att främja hållbar utveckling. På grund av bristen på publicerade kvalitetsdata för dessa lösningar kan dock den förutspådda hållbarhetspotentialen inte beräknas exakt.

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Aschner, Andrew Mechanical &amp Manufacturing Engineering Faculty of Engineering UNSW. "Planning for sustainability through cleaner production." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, 2004. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/20669.

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The concept of sustainable development is receiving a great deal of attention in industry. However, the operational processes for industrial environmental management are still at an early stage of development and despite the best efforts of operations management and environmental specialists a great many products and services continue to be unsustainable. This presents threats to society and risks for survival to manufacturers. The purpose of the Thesis is to accelerate environmental improvements through the uptake of Cleaner Production concepts by developing a methodology for guiding manufacturing enterprises. The tenets of the proposed methodology include: o oo Reliance on a strategic approach ooo Development of an implementation path similar to those used in introducing other major culture and technology changes ooo Culture and policy change are strategically generated from within manufacturing organisations Specifically, the main objectives of the Project are: 1. to invent a relatively easily implementable methodology for planning for sustainability for manufacturing enterprises of all sizes 2. to address the major industrial environmental management issues at all levels within the enterprise as one seamless process 3. to configure the methodology so that it may be incorporated into an existing body of knowledge, e.g., manufacturing management/manufacturing engineering 4. to minimise complexities by standardising key concepts and terminology The Thesis integrates Sustainability and Cleaner Production concepts, systems and technologies and performance indicators with a planning model to arrive at what has been termed as " the Strategy Development and Implementation with Cleaner Production" process. This solution addresses the key point of integrating Cleaner Production concepts ii with the manufacturing planning processes, but just as importantly, it also establishes the links between the steps from strategy initiation through to implementation, from the boardroom down to the factory floor. The main modules of the work are: o oo establishing relationships between strategic, business and manufacturing plans using the concepts of Sustainability, Eco-efficiency and Cleaner Production ooo development of links between planning and operations using the concepts of Industrial Ecology and Life Cycle Management ooo development of a classification system, referred to as a Cleaner Production toolkit, to promote optimum selection of hard and soft systems and technologies ooo development of appropriate Cleaner Production Indicators to complete the loop.

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Case, Michael Scot. "Visions of sustainability : an overview of radical conceptions of sustainability /." Thesis, This resource online, 1993. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-09122009-040443/.

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Mulva, Stephen Patrick. "ARIES - A Theoretical Framework for Evaluating Aspects of Enterprise Sustainability." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/5046.

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Conventional thought dictates that what cannot be measured, cannot be improved. In a quest for improved operational and financial performance, many project-based enterprises have developed numerous methods to measure success. Unfortunately, many of these methods appear to be neither applicable beyond the project boundary nor able to promote effective and proactive decision-making. As a potential remedy, a theoretical framework was developed using principles of Enterprise Engineering to create a performance measurement system for project-based organizations. Known as ARIES (Agile Resource Information and Execution System), the framework builds upon existing project and program management knowledge in order to provide a quantitative methodology for evaluating aspects of enterprise sustainability. By incorporating specific measures, the framework is also able to create a graphical depiction of the enterprises operational performance. To validate the framework, retrospective data were obtained from a successful Architecture and Engineering (A/E) firm that designs and oversees commercial building projects. Analysis of the data provided a picture of the frameworks immediate and long-term benefits for project-based enterprises. From this picture managers can make improved decisions regarding existing and future work, thereby positively impacting the operational performance of the enterprise and enabling it to remain viable over a considerable period of time.

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Paulson, Fredrik. "Inclusion of sustainability aspects in product development at manufacturing companies." Licentiate thesis, Linköpings universitet, Industriell Produktion, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-153234.

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Due to current consumption and production patterns of products, pressure on already constrained natural resources, an increasing global population, increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and reduced access to clean water globally, studying manufacturing companies’ inclusion of sustainability aspects in their product development becomes important. The aim of this thesis is to expand current knowledge on the inclusion of sustainability aspects in product development at manufacturing companies. More specifically, the expansion of current knowledge covers how manufacturing companies include sustainability aspects in product development, the challenges manufacturing companies may face when including sustainability aspects in product development, and the reasons for these challenges. To fulfil this aim, a literature study and a multiple case study were conducted at two international, listed, manufacturing companies in Sweden. Empirical data was collected using semi-structured interviews with two employees at each company and by analyzing the companies’ latest sustainability report. Empirical results include two context-dependent descriptions of how manufacturing companies include sustainability aspects in product development, 21 challenges the companies face, and 14 reasons for those challenges. Conclusions include: (1) the role of conventional methods when including sustainability aspects in product development has been largely ignored in prior research; (2) a company’s product owner influences the inclusion of sustainability aspects in product development, and in product requirements in particular; (3) the following three challenges are proposed incorporated in a comprehensive framework of challenges that has been developed in prior research: Making suppliers fulfil the sustainability requirements that are placed on them. Transforming sustainability aspects, or general goals, into measurable requirements that contribute to reduced environmental impact from products while at the same time contributing to competitive profit. Identifying how to reach economic goals more efficiently with a more sustainable initiative or solution than other initiatives.

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May, Jode Joy. "Environmental sustainability leadership in South Africa: an empirical perspective." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020766.

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Striking the balance between managing a successful organisation and paying attention to environmental sustainability requires excellent leadership. There are several benefits associated with being an environmentally sustainable organisation such as improved image (reputation and brand), increased customer loyalty, improved bottom line, attracting skilled experienced staff and improving the relationships with local communities. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the change leadership qualities needed to drive environmental sustainability in the South African landscape to reduce global warming reduction. The qualitative paradigm was utilised to investigate the change leadership qualities needed to affect create environmental sustainability, with focus on global warming reduction actions in the workplace. A literature review was conducted on environmental sustainability, change leadership, and leadership qualities necessary to effect change. A survey was conducted among 13 participants using an interview schedule in the Gauteng, Western and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa in both private and public organisations in various business sectors. Data was collected in 2013 over a four–month period by conducting face-to-face, telephonic and email interviews. The returned questionnaires were subjected to constant comparative, content and grounded theory analysis. Biographical profiles of the respondents and participating organisations were presented as case studies. Trustworthiness of the data was ascertained using data triangulation. Data was analysed in terms of the issues of environmental sustainability and change leadership. In-depth analyses were also conducted by means of provincial, business and employment sector comparisons. It was found that environmental sustainability was being addressed by the selected organisations, specifically relating to GHG emissions, energy and water saving actions. Change leaders should implement specific environmental sustainability strategies to assist in the reduction of global warming, create awareness, focus on employee involvement, report on their sustainability results and put and incentives in place to encourage environmental sustainability. In order to effect such changes, change leaders need to set targets to measure their sustainability progress. Green campaigns should be conducted internally to educate employees on the effects of global warming, and externally to inform the public about their commitment to environmental sustainability and to advise the public on courses of actions to assist in the quest to reduce global warming. It would be advisable for organisations to appoint a specific environmental sustainability team to drive these efforts. It was found that in order to bring about such changes, certain qualities were needed by change leaders to enable them to act as a change agents. Associated change leadership styles were also addressed. Change leaders should be knowledgeable in order to effectively communicate the importance of environmental sustainability. They should adopt a blend of leadership styles to drive environmental sustainability depending on the extent of change actions planned. Organisations should identify, appoint and mentor female leaders as they have the nurturing qualities that could successfully drive environmental sustainability actions. Change leaders should also preferably be personally involved in environmental sustainability as their personal values together with their job role at top leadership level could contribute towards successful implementation of environmental sustainability actions in the workplace. The study has provided general guidelines on the environmental sustainability issues necessary to address global warming reduction as well as guidelines on the change leaders qualities necessary to drive environmental sustainability actions in the workplace.

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Chang, Chi-wai, and 鄭志偉. "Sustainability of products: frameworks reviewand case study." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2012. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B48542830.

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Sustainability is a hot topic for years and sustainability assessment has been generally used as an approach to assess the level of sustainability. For the effect of general products to the development of sustainability, there are existing assessment frameworks in use. However, they are either environmental-focused, or relied mainly on life cycle assessment approach, which has many deficiencies especially in the social aspect. In this paper, history of development of sustainability and relevant principles related to sustainability are extensively reviewed. Those relevant in the context of product assessment, like the nested model of sustainability, strong sustainability, precautionary principle, design of environmental sustainability and sustainability assessment and measurement principles (BellagioSTAMP), are chosen as the foundation theories of development of the new product sustainability assessment framework. Even though the focus is put into assessment of social aspect of sustainability, the framework is designed for the assessment of overall sustainability. The framework comprises of a list of guiding principles, vision and goals and an assessment process. It is suitable for the evaluation of any product, no matter it is in conceptual stage, design stage or already in the market. It can be used for company in any level of maturity in sustainability assessment through allowing them to define their own position and targets. A standard list of measurement is defined and can be used for any product, while product-specific measurement can be defined within the process. A case study is done using iPad2and every step in the process is gone through. The pilot study proves that the framework is logical, easy to use and practical enough to help identifying what needs to be done to contribute into sustainability. Issues are identified in the process of pilot study, including the lifecycle for some products is too short for a meaningful review and remediation follow up; social impacts could be associated with the whole series of product or the general technology instead of specific product under assessment; the comment given by participants in survey or focus group meeting may come from perceived impact instead of actual impact; knock-on effect to other existing products and services may be neglected; and the potential for companies to pretend they are contributing to sustainability but actually not. Nevertheless, these issues are not difficult to be resolved. Future research agenda includes handling of cumulative effect from sales of the product, formalizing the professional qualification of sustainability assessor and improving the practicality of economic and environmental sustainability assessment through the proposed framework. Through this paper, with the creation of a new and practical product sustainability assessment framework, it is believed that the effect of products on sustainability can be evaluated and actions can be identified for them to contribute into sustainability development.
published_or_final_version
Environmental Management
Master
Master of Science in Environmental Management

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May, John R. (John Robert) 1978. "Sustainability of electricity generation using Australian fossil fuels." Monash University, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, 2003. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/9537.

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Degirmenci, Kenan [Verfasser]. "Mobile information systems' security, privacy, and environmental sustainability aspects / Kenan Degirmenci." Hannover : Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB), 2016. http://d-nb.info/1122041187/34.

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Kohon, Jacklyn Nicole. "Building Social Sustainability from the Ground Up: The Contested Social Dimension of Sustainability in Neighborhood-Scale Urban Regeneration in Portland, Copenhagen, and Nagoya." PDXScholar, 2015. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/2330.

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In response to growing social inequality, environmental crises, and economic instability, sustainability discourse has become the dominant "master signifier" for many fields, particularly the field of urban planning. However, in practice many sustainability methods overemphasize technological and economic growth-oriented solutions while underemphasizing the social dimension. The social dimension of sustainability remains a "concept in chaos" drawing little agreement on definitions, domains, and indicators for addressing the social challenges of urban life. In contrast, while the field of public health, with its emphasis on social justice principles, has made significant strides in framing and developing interventions to target the social determinants of health (SDH), this work has yet to be integrated into sustainability practice as a tool for framing the social dimension. Meanwhile, as municipalities move forward with these lopsided efforts at approaching sustainability practice, cities continue to experience gentrification, increasing homelessness, health disparities, and many other concerns related to social inequity, environmental injustice, and marginalization. This research involves multi-site, comparative case studies of neighborhood-scale sustainability planning projects in Portland, U.S.; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Nagoya, Japan to bring to light an understanding of how the social dimension is conceptualized and translated to practice in different contexts, as well as the challenges planners, citizen participants, and other stakeholders encounter in attempting to do so. These case studies find that these neighborhood-scale planning efforts are essentially framing the social dimension in terms of principles of SDH. Significant challenges encountered at the neighborhood-scale relate to political economic context and trade-offs between ideals of social sustainability, such as social inclusion and nurturing a sense of belonging when confronted with diverse neighborhood actors, such as sexually oriented businesses and recent immigrants. This research contributes to urban social sustainability literature and sustainability planning practice by interrogating these contested notions and beginning to create a pathway for integration of SDH principles into conceptualizations of social sustainability.

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Alomari, Thabit. "Motivation and socio-cultural sustainability of voluntourism." Thesis, Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Anthropology, c2012, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10133/3295.

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Volunteer tourism (voluntourism) has been described as an alternative form of tourism to mass tourism. It has been suggested that understanding the motivations of voluntourists might lead to a better understanding of the socio-cultural dimension of voluntourism sustainability. The aim of this thesis is to identify the key motives of voluntourists and how these motives affect the socio-cultural sustainability of a society. Virtual ethnography, observation, and semi-structured interviews were employed in order to collect the research data from Eden Valley – a Canadian First Nation reserve, Global Citizen Network (GCN) – a voluntourism organiser, and voluntourists who took part in previous volunteering trips. The study found that authenticity, cultural concerns, the search for unique experience, helping the ‘other’, and self-healing are the key motives that drive travellers to participate in voluntourism projects. The data collected show that voluntourism has a greater positive socio-cultural impact on targeted communities than mass-tourism.
viii, 122 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm

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Shackleton, Charlie, and Nanamhla Gwedla. "Street trees contribute to urban sustainability in South African towns." Rhodes University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54269.

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Urban green spaces and trees are increasingly recognised as crucial elements in the quest for urban sustainability internationally, and for the promotion of urban liveability and quality of life in cities. So much so that many countries now have guidelines or regulations regarding either the amount of urban greenery that must be provided per capita, or the maximum distance that any dwelling can be from green spaces of stipulated sizes. For example, the European Union recently more than doubled its recommendation of 9 m2 of public green per person to 20 m2 per person.

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Gerber, Nicolas Economics Australian School of Business UNSW. "Biodiversity measurement, species interactions and sustainability." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Economics, 2006. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/26796.

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Throughout the last two decades, biodiversity has been increasingly acknowledged as a valuable asset. However there are numerous challenges to managing the asset. Firstly, there is no universally accepted measure of biodiversity per se. As a consequence, rather than measuring the intrinsic value of biodiversity the focus has typically shifted to valuing biodiversity services. Secondly, biodiversity issues should not be considered in a vacuum, but rather alongside general natural resource management problems. Conservation agencies and regulators alike would greatly benefit from more transparent biodiversity targets for conservation policies and natural resource management. This thesis makes a number of contributions to meet these challenges including measuring biodiversity, modelling diverse ecosystems and considering biodiversity outcomes in the management of an environmental resource. To value biodiversity, it is essential to measure it. Focusing on pairwise genetic dissimilarities at the species level, this thesis develops two models for measuring biodiversity. An axiomatic diagnosis of the existing and new measures is presented. This comparison suggests that the adequate biodiversity measure depends on the context. The diversity measures describe the biodiversity catalogue available at a given point in time. Modelling biodiversity is important for forecasting the impact of conservation decisions and understanding the future value of biodiversity. The importance of each species, however, depends on its role in the ecosystem as well as its genetic diversity. The interactions between species are therefore investigated and described, using a new model built around CES production functions. Three existing models based on predator-prey equations are extended to the multi-species case. These interaction models provide the necessary link for biodiversity maintenance over time. The four models are compared using simulations and an axiomatic approach. This approach shows that the new model performs well, offers the flexibility required to describe different types of ecosystems and is less data intensive. Finally, a case study of natural resource exploitation is presented, illustrating the idea that biodiversity loss can have direct economic implications in natural resource management. The model shows the impact of market structures on the extraction path of the resource and the distribution of the resource rent.

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Isberg, Ulrika &amp Karin Nilsson. "Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainability Aspects of Solvatten, a Water Cleaning Device." Thesis, KTH, Industriell ekologi, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-127693.

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Solvatten is a water cleaning device for households in developing countries. As a Master Thesis forthe Master of Science in Engineering Programme at Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan a Life CycleAssessment of Solvatten has been conducted. The primary aim was to investigate the environmentalimpacts of Solvatten and compare it with two other common methods of accessing safe water;boiling and bottled water. Information has been gathered by contacting manufacturers and suppliersand analysed in the computer software SimaPro. The stand-‐alone LCA of Solvatten showed that theproduct gives almost no impact on ecosystem quality and human health. As the product mostly ismade of different plastic materials (i.e. fossil fuels), Solvatten has its highest impact in the damagecategory of resources. Hence, most of Solvatten’s environmental impact comes from the materialsand production processes of the black container and the transparent lid. The disposal phase ofSolvatten has been left out of the data analysis as there is a large uncertainty in waste scenarios ofdeveloping countries. Instead, a comparison was made between three different waste scenarios;landfill, incineration, and recycling with European standards. It is clear that recycling is the bestalternative, and Solvatten should show their corporate social responsibility by organizing this. Thecomparative studies conducted for Solvatten, boiling water with firewood and buying bottled waterindicated that due to Solvatten’s long lifetime, the environmental impact for Solvatten is lower. Alsodiscussed in the report are the economic and social aspects of Solvatten, which are a great advantagefor Solvatten since both time and money can be saved. Solvatten is concluded to be a goodalternative for accessing safe water.
Solvatten är en produkt för att rena vatten i hushåll i utvecklingsländer. En livscykelanalys avSolvatten har gjorts som examensarbete för civilingenjörsprogrammet på Kungliga TekniskaHögskolan. Det främsta målet med analysen var att utreda Solvattens miljöpåverkan samt att jämföraden med två andra sätt att få tag på rent vatten; kokning och flaskvatten. Information har samlats ingenom att kontakta producenter och leverantörer och sedan analyserat med datorprogrammetSimaPro. Den fristående LCA:n av Solvatten visade att produkten nästan inte ger någon inverkan påekosystem kvalité och hälsa. Eftersom produkten mestadels är gjord utav olika plastmaterial (d.v.s.fossila bränslen), visar analysen högst påverkan i kategorin för råvaror (eng: resources). Den störstadelen av Solvatten’s miljöpåverkan kommer ifrån materialen och produktions processerna för densvarta delen av dunken samt de genomskinliga locken. Avfallshanteringen för Solvatten fickutelämnas ur dataanalysen, då osäkerheten kring olika metoder för avfallshantering är för stor iutvecklingsländer. Istället gjordes en jämförelse mellan tre olika avfallsscenarion; deponering,förbränning och återvinning med europeiska standarder. Det är tydligt att återvinning är det bästaalternativet, och att Solvatten AB borde visa sitt samhällsansvar genom att organisera detta. Denjämförande studien mellan Solvatten, kokning och flaskvatten indikerar att Solvatten har den lägstamiljöpåverkan, på grund av produktens långa livslängd. Rapporten diskuterar även Solvattenshållbarhet ur ekonomiska och sociala perspektiv. De visar att Solvatten har stora fördelar i att bådetid och pengar kan sparas. Slutsatsen är att Solvatten är ett bra alternativ för att få tillgång till rentvatten.

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Isberg, Ulrika, and Karin Nilsson. "Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainability Aspects of Solvatten, a Water Cleaning Device." Thesis, KTH, Industriell ekologi, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-127694.

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Solvatten is a water cleaning device for households in developing countries. As a Master Thesis forthe Master of Science in Engineering Programme at Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan a Life CycleAssessment of Solvatten has been conducted. The primary aim was to investigate the environmentalimpacts of Solvatten and compare it with two other common methods of accessing safe water;boiling and bottled water. Information has been gathered by contacting manufacturers and suppliersand analysed in the computer software SimaPro. The stand-‐alone LCA of Solvatten showed that theproduct gives almost no impact on ecosystem quality and human health. As the product mostly ismade of different plastic materials (i.e. fossil fuels), Solvatten has its highest impact in the damagecategory of resources. Hence, most of Solvatten’s environmental impact comes from the materialsand production processes of the black container and the transparent lid. The disposal phase ofSolvatten has been left out of the data analysis as there is a large uncertainty in waste scenarios ofdeveloping countries. Instead, a comparison was made between three different waste scenarios;landfill, incineration, and recycling with European standards. It is clear that recycling is the bestalternative, and Solvatten should show their corporate social responsibility by organizing this. Thecomparative studies conducted for Solvatten, boiling water with firewood and buying bottled waterindicated that due to Solvatten’s long lifetime, the environmental impact for Solvatten is lower. Alsodiscussed in the report are the economic and social aspects of Solvatten, which are a great advantagefor Solvatten since both time and money can be saved. Solvatten is concluded to be a goodalternative for accessing safe water.
Solvatten är en produkt för att rena vatten i hushåll i utvecklingsländer. En livscykelanalys avSolvatten har gjorts som examensarbete för civilingenjörsprogrammet på Kungliga TekniskaHögskolan. Det främsta målet med analysen var att utreda Solvattens miljöpåverkan samt att jämföraden med två andra sätt att få tag på rent vatten; kokning och flaskvatten. Information har samlats ingenom att kontakta producenter och leverantörer och sedan analyserat med datorprogrammetSimaPro. Den fristående LCA:n av Solvatten visade att produkten nästan inte ger någon inverkan påekosystem kvalité och hälsa. Eftersom produkten mestadels är gjord utav olika plastmaterial (d.v.s.fossila bränslen), visar analysen högst påverkan i kategorin för råvaror (eng: resources). Den störstadelen av Solvatten’s miljöpåverkan kommer ifrån materialen och produktions processerna för densvarta delen av dunken samt de genomskinliga locken. Avfallshanteringen för Solvatten fickutelämnas ur dataanalysen, då osäkerheten kring olika metoder för avfallshantering är för stor iutvecklingsländer. Istället gjordes en jämförelse mellan tre olika avfallsscenarion; deponering,förbränning och återvinning med europeiska standarder. Det är tydligt att återvinning är det bästaalternativet, och att Solvatten AB borde visa sitt samhällsansvar genom att organisera detta. Denjämförande studien mellan Solvatten, kokning och flaskvatten indikerar att Solvatten har den lägstamiljöpåverkan, på grund av produktens långa livslängd. Rapporten diskuterar även Solvattenshållbarhet ur ekonomiska och sociala perspektiv. De visar att Solvatten har stora fördelar i att bådetid och pengar kan sparas. Slutsatsen är att Solvatten är ett bra alternativ för att få tillgång till rentvatten.

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Tu, Qingshi. "Assessment of Selected Sustainability Aspects of Biodiesel Production: Water and Waste Conservation." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1342730602.

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Dong, Yahong, and 董雅紅. "Life cycle sustainability assessment modeling of building construction." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/206665.

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Building industry is one of the most influential economic sectors, which accounts for 10% of the gross domestic product (GDP) globally and 40% of the world energy consumption. To achieve the goal of sustainable development, it is necessary to understand the sustainability performance of building construction in the environmental, the economic and the social aspects. This study quantitatively evaluates impacts of building construction in the three aspects by using the recently developed life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) methodology, in which environmental life cycle assessment (ELCA), environmental life cycle costing (ELCC), and social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) are integrated. The scope of this research covers ‘cradle-to-site’ life cycle stages, from raw material extraction to on-site construction. Three life-cycle models are developed, namely the Environmental Model of Construction (EMoC), the Cost Model of Construction (CMoC), and the Social-impact Model of Construction (SMoC). EMoC is a comprehensive ELCA model that evaluates environmental impacts of building construction by considering eighteen impact categories. CMoC is an ELCC model that provides analyses on construction costs and externalities. SMoC is an innovative S-LCA model being able to quantify social impacts of building construction in thirteen social impact categories. The three models are then integrated into a newly proposed LCSA framework. In order to select an appropriate LCIA method for EMoC, the differences among existing life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods are investigated. It is found that LCIA methods are consistent in global impact categories, while inconsistent in regional impact categories. ‘ReCiPe’ is selected as the LCIA method to be used in EMoC. Midpoint and endpoint approaches of ‘ReCiPe’ can lead to different interpretations. Endpoint approach emphasizes on certain impact categories and can only be used when midpoint results are provided. A life cycle inventory is established for ready mixed concrete and precast concrete based on site-specific data from concrete batching plant and precast yard. EMoC is employed to compare environmental performance of precast and cast-in-situ construction methods. It is found that adoption of precast concrete can significantly improve environmental performance of building construction. SMoC suggests that adoption of precast concrete can have both negative and positive impacts on local employment. A case study is conducted to test the model performance. It demonstrates that environmental impacts of ‘cradle-to-site’ construction activities are mostly attributed to the material stage. The external cost due to carbon emission is about 2% of the total construction cost. Environmental-friendly on-site construction practices can significantly improve social performance of building construction. The major findings of this study are verified through interviews with the local experts in Hong Kong. These validation interviews confirm that the proposed LCSA framework and the developed models contribute to the building industry in Hong Kong. In particular, this study can be used as a supplementary to the building assessment scheme, HK BEAM Plus. Results from this study can improve the understanding of building sustainability.
published_or_final_version
Civil Engineering
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy

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Fanari, Natali. "SUSTAINABILITY ASPECTS AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATIONS IN ENERGY UTILITY COMPANIES: A CASE STUDY ON TWO MUNICIPAL ENERGY COMPANIES." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-448601.

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Achieving the balance between the three sustainability aspects i.e., environmental, social, and economic has been a problem for many companies, where many of them still prioritize the economic aspect over the environmental and social aspects. Currently, many companies and energy utilities are going through major changes in their energy systems, and to be able to stay in the market and be competitive, they need to have clear and effective policies and a clear purpose. To examine the challenges that energy utilities are going through and are restraining them from balancing between the three pillars, a qualitative method has been used. Additionally, the solutions to these challenges and which organizations can help were also examined by interviewing two Swedish companies. The findings revealed that the challenges energy utilities were going through were related to knowledge (e.g., customer acceptance, cost, waste reduction, and consuming energy without exhausting the earth's resources). On the other hand, the solutions were knowledge, educating customers, citizens, and companies, getting help from the governments and politicians, such as encouraging the implementation of CSR, laws, and financial incentives. Knowledge has been perceived as the biggest challenge and solution for almost all companies, where increasing awareness and education campaigns would play a big role in solving the problems that companies are going through.

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St, Maur Sheil Sean David Miles. "Re-examining Asian discourses on sustainability in a network society." Thesis, Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2005. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B31943780.

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Walsh, Lauren Arlene. "Investigating the effectiveness of environmental sustainability initiatives at General Motors South Africa." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020996.

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There is a consensus globally that climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing operations. Immediate actions are required to reduce the carbon footprint in order for the environment to endure future logistics processes and activities (The National Treasury department of South Africa, 2010). Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are emissions generated from manufacturing processes, distribution networks and treatments processes (Verfaillie and Bidwell, 2000). Companies globally are expected to monitor pollution and focus on reducing the discharge of pollutants. Logistics Managers are therefore pressured to reduce the carbon footprint as it affects the environment and our health. Companies are becoming more concerned with the impact of various activities and processes on the environment. Traditional logistics models, primarily focuses on minimising cost with little focus on the environmental impact and sustaining operations for the future (Sbihi and Eglese, 2009) General Motors (GM) is a multi-national vehicle manufacturer with operations in various countries. GM filed for bankruptcy in 2009 resulting in the formation of the new GM; one of the focus areas was to ensure sustainability which resulted in the introduction of the ‘Sustainability in motion’ program in 2009 (New York Times, 2009). General Motors South Africa (GMSAf) is a vehicle assembler with manufacturing facilities and head offices located in Port Elizabeth. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational General Motors Company. The aim of the research is to determine whether a culture that promotes environmentally conscious behaviour exists within employees and their relationships within a team, with management, stakeholders and suppliers. The study will assist in highlighting areas which need improvement to enable the creation of environmentally sustainable initiatives and implementation thereof. The empirical study revealed that the following management commitment, education and training, performance management and participation and involvement were important factors in the effective implementation of an environmental sustainability program.

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Chan, Ho-ying, and 陳可盈. "Assess the environmental and social sustainability of the Three GorgesDam project." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2004. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B29806264.

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Danarp, Martin, and Anas Ramish. "Sustainability reports - Legitimizing negative aspects : A qualitative study on the Swedish steel industry." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Företagsekonomi, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-160729.

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Problem: Legitimacy is a resource that organizations depend on for their survival. According to legitimacy theory companies need to make sure that they are recognized as operating within the bounds and norms of society and sustainability reports is a way for companies to communicate this. Due to an addition to the Swedish annual accounting law in 2016, large companies are required to produce a sustainability report and to report the consequences that the company operations has on the environment, social conditions, employees, respect for human rights and counteracting corruption. Because companies are required to disclose these negative aspects, they need to do it strategically to not damage their legitimacy. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand how Swedish companies in the steel industry legitimize negative aspects of their operations in sustainability reports and to understand if there is a pattern between the type of negative aspect disclosed and the type of legitimation strategy used. Method: To achieve the purpose of our study, a qualitative method has been used. A multiple case-study with a document analysis has been conducted on the sustainability reports of Sandvik, SSAB, Boliden, LKAB and Outokumpu for year 2018. To conduct this study, legitimacy theory and Hahn & Lülfs (2014) legitimation strategies have been essential to fulfill the purpose. Results: Swedish companies in the steel industry use Hahn & Lülfs (2014) legitimation strategies and our new identified legitimation strategy, balancing, to legitimize negative aspects in their sustainability reports. We found four clear patterns between the type of negative aspect reported and the strategy used to legitimize the aspect. Conclusion: Our findings confirm that Hahn & Lülfs (2014) strategies to explain how companies legitimize negative aspects in sustainability reports are also applicable to the Swedish steel industry. The contribution to previous research on this topic is the new additional strategy that is used by the analyzed companies.

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Li, Wah-hong, and 李華匡. "The characteristics and sustainability of the grasshopper trade in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2006. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B45013408.

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Andersson, Malin, and Tsvetelina Koyumdzhieva. "Green Product Design: Aspects and practices within the furniture industry." Thesis, Internationella Handelshögskolan, Högskolan i Jönköping, IHH, Centre of Logistics and Supply Chain Management, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-18538.

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Purpose - This paper aims to investigate how green product design has been practiced within the Swedish furniture industry. Furthermore, to investigate how green product design can reduce the negative impact on the environment. Theoretical framework - The literature used to serve as a base for this paper includes some aspects concerning Green Supply Chain Management, but fundamentally concerns green or environmentally conscious design, motivators for designing „green‟ products, such as legislation, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), internal policy documents and/or green guidelines/certificates, innovation, competitiveness, economic performance, brand image and reputation, and others. Consequently, factors for product design itself were discussed, such as environmentally conscious design, efficient utilization of materials, minimizing waste, time and cost efficiency, types of materials used, etc. Moreover, sustainability aspects are considered vital, namely economic, social and environmental practices, as particular attention is paid to the economic and environmental aspects. Methodology - For the purpose of this research paper, (multiple) case studies were chosen to be implemented. One face-to-face, two telephone and two Skype/online interviews were conducted based on semi-structured interview questions. The data collected is from four companies, two of them preferred to remain anonymous, i.e. Office Furniture and Office Design, and the other two were Kinnarps and Skandiform. Findings - The empirical findings gathered for this research comply with the majority of theoretical data provided. A number of the most important and applicable green product design factors, and more specifically the aim of reducing negative environmental impacts, drive companies to implement environmentally conscious design, efficient utilization of materials, minimizing waste, costs associated, types of materials used, product safety, among many others. Furthermore, economic, social and environmental (overall regarded as sustainability for the purpose of this paper) factors are taken into consideration. Economic and environmental issues were mostly discussed and pinpointed as essential. Conclusions - Green product design should follow a number of important factors in order to reduce the negative impacts on the environment. It is essential to understand a company‟s motivation for designing green products. Nevertheless, such factors as well as economic aspects regarding green design should be complementing each other.

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Yuen, Siu-hei Lawrence, and 袁兆禧. "Sustainability refines architecture: a demonstration project in Wanchai." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2001. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31986250.

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Welter, Karen. "Sustainability in the restaurant industry : a Cape Town study." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/71819.

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Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main aims of this thesis were to focus on the restaurant system in Cape Town with a view to creating a support mechanism for a move to more sustainable practices. A review of the literature found that despite a growing global population, the pressure on resources and consumption has been driven by the global middle class. Over half the world lives in cities and dualistic urban systems reinforce access to resources by excluding the poor and favouring the wealthy. Resource flows and consumption have degraded ecosystems, created waste and emissions. We use resources faster than they can be replenished and have exceeded the earth’s regenerative capacity. Counter to this, there is evidence of decoupling resource use from economic growth. Similarly, the industrialised food system has been created on external inputs such as fertiliser and insecticides, largely derived from fossil fuels. Food produced in the system uses energy, produces waste, depletes the soil and thwarts biodiversity. The global food system counters local food economies. This thesis argues that a sustainable system would have the economy as a basis for a better and equitable environment for current and future generations within ecological and regenerative capacity. As a city Cape Town reflects the inequalities and unsustainability of the global system, with vast disparities in wealth and opportunity. Restaurants can control flows of energy, food and waste, support people and the environment, as well as communicate and educate consumers. By collaborative efforts they can lay the basis for local food economies. Restaurants connect consumers to their food and make decisions about where the food comes from, how it will be prepared and disposed of and who will engage in that preparation. The restaurant sector can contribute to sustainability in its use of resources as well as its employment, community engagement and communication practices. This in turn supports local economies and impacts on the broader sustainability of the city. Research into the restaurant system in Cape Town showed that there is consumer interest in sustainability. There is evidence of restaurants making efforts towards sustainable endeavours. Within Cape Town there is the opportunity to look for more sustainable energy, work around local and seasonal menus, support local food economies, and control wastage. Local food economies can be supported while staff can also be treated fairly and given growth opportunities. Endeavours can be communicated as a way of shifting current unsustainable consumption patterns. The conclusions drawn from the thesis suggest that like the Sustainable Restaurant Associations (SRA) and Dinegreen there is space for a support mechanism for the restaurant industry where individual restaurants can be helped to move to sustainability and collaborate with other stakeholders. The recommendations of the thesis are to create an organisation that can evolve into a co-operative that will bring restaurants together and map out the changes they make. They need to be supported with expertise and audits of their current practice so that they can set goals for the future with regard to their environmental and social actions.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die hoof doel van hierdie dissertasie was om die restaurantstelsel in Kaapstad te ondersoek met die oog daarop om ‘n ondersteuningsmeganisme vir meer volhoubare praktyke te skep. ‘n Literatuuroorsig het getoon dat ten spyte van ‘n groeiende wereldbevolking, die druk op natuurlike en ander hulpbronne deur die wereldwye middelklas uitgeoefen word. Meer as die helfte van die wereld woon in stede en dualistiese stedelike stelsels versterk toegang tot sulke hulpbronne deur die armes uit te sluit en voorkeur te gee aan die reikes. Die vloei en verbruik van hulpbronne het ekologiese stelsels gedegradeer en afskeidings en afval vergroot. Ons verbruik hierdie hulpbronne vinniger as wat hulle vervang kan word en het die aarde se herstelkapasiteit oorskry. Aan die ander hand is daar bewyse dat die verbruik van hulpbronne ontkoppel is van ekonomiese groei. Insgelyks is die industrieele voedselstelsel gegrond op externe inset soos kunsmis en insekdoders, wat grootendeels van fossiele brandstof bekom word. Voedsel wat in hierdie stelsel geproduseer word verbruik energie, skep afval, put die grond uit en werk biologiese verskeidenheid tee. Die globale voedselstelsel is in teenstand teenoor plaaslike voedselekonomiee. Hierdie dissertasie redeneer uit die oogpunt dat ‘n onderhoudbare stelsel die ekonomie as ‘n basis vir ‘n beter en billike omgewing vir huidige en toekomstige geslagte, binne die ekologiese kapasiteit, sou he. Die stad Kaapstad weerkaats die ongelykhede en onvolhoubaarheid van die wereldwye stelsel, met sy ongelykhede in welstand en geleenthede. Restaurante kan beheer uitoefen oor hulle vloei van energie, voedsel en afval, kan mense en die omgewing ondersteun, sowel as verbruikers inlig en oplei. Deur pogings om saam te werk kan hulle die grondslag le vir plaaslike voedselekonomiee. Restaurante kan verbruikers verbind tot hulle voedsel en kan besluite neem oor waarvandaan die voedsel verkry word, asook hoe dit berei en afgedoen sal word en wie dit sal berei. Die restaurantsektor kan bydra tot volhoubaarheid in sy gebruik van hulpbronne sowel as inwerkneming, gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid en kommunikasiepraktyke. Dit sal op sy beurt dan plaaslike ekonomiee ondersteun en ‘n wyer impak he op die volhoubaarheid van die stad. Navorsing oor die restaurantstelsel in Kaapstad het getoon dat die verbruiker belang stel in volhoubaarheid. Daar is tekens daarvan dat restaurante pogings aanwend in die rigting van beter volhoubaarheid. In Kaapstad bestaan die geleentheid om te soek na meer volhoubare energie, rondom seisoenaangepaste spyskaarte, die ondersteuning van plaaslike voedselekonomiee, en die beheer van afval. Plaaslike voedselekonomiee kan ondersteun word terwyl werknemers regverdig behandel word, en moontlikhede tot vooruitgang het. Hierdie pogings kan oorgedra word as ‘n manier om die huidige onvolhoubare verbruikspatrone te verander. Die afleidings wat gemaak word in hierdie dissertasie stel voor dat daar plek is vir ‘n ondersteuningsmeganisme vir die restaurantindustrie, soos die “Sustainable Restaurant Associations” (SRA) en “Dinegreen”, waar die individuele restaurant gehelp kan word in rigting volhoubaarheid te beweeg en om saam te werk met ander belangstellendes. Hierdie dissertasie stel voor om ‘n organisasie te skep wat kan ontwikkel tot ‘n kooperatiewe wat restaurant saam kan bring en die veranderings wat hulle aanbring kan uiteensit. Hulle sal moet ondersteun word met kennis en ouditering van hulle huidige praktyke, sodat hulle doele kan stel vir die toekoms met betrekking tot hulle omgewings en sosiaal gerigte handeling.

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Astrid, Akoyoko. "Integrating Gender Aspects in Natural Resource Management:Ensuring the Sustainability of Environmental Projects in Senegal." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-237210.

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In Senegal, rural communities depend on natural resources close to their settlement. Therefore,Natural Resource Management efforts require the effective participation of communities, specifically memberswhose socio-economic activities have the biggest impact on the resource. While men's participation is not anissue, social and cultural norms still govern women's participation and may prevent women from beinginvolved. Non-Governmental Organisations working in NRM have to evaluate the importance of this genderimbalance and its impact on the sustainability of their projects. Open-ended questions during semi-structuredexploratory interviews with NGO project staffs as well as the results of analyses using Progressive Focussinghighlight the role of a project staff’s perception of gender as a concept and its utility in achieving the project’sobjectives. The study concludes that project staff members interpret the concept of “gender integration” asmeaning “women integration”. The gender-sensitivity of the project staff is important if gender aspects are to beincluded in the project cycle. Finally, gender integration ensures the sustainability of NRM projects in Senegalwhen socio-cultural factors are taken into consideration.

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Risén, Emma. "Sustainability Aspects of Bioenergy and Nutrient Recovery from Marine Biomass : Baltic Sea case studies." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Industriell ekologi, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-156377.

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Coastal areas around the world are experiencing environmental problems such as climate change and eutrophication. These, in turn, lead to emerging challenges with excessive amounts of biomass that impact coastal communities. Developing utilisation strategies for marine biomass is therefore highly relevant and forms part of the blue growth research field. In response to environmental concerns, as a waste management strategy and as part of blue growth research initiatives, several Baltic Sea coastal projects have been initiated in recent years to study utilisation of maritime biomass. However, the sustainability of these utilisation strategies has not been critically appraised. Therefore, the work presented in this thesis explored some key sustainability aspects of two Baltic Sea case studies utilising common reed (Kalmar, Sweden) and mass-occurring filamentous macroalgae (Trelleborg, Sweden) for biogas and biofertiliser recovery. Energy analyses suggested that both case studies could provide a positive energy balance and have the potential to achieve nutrient recovery. Moreover, a contingent valuation study in Trelleborg demonstrated considerable welfare benefits of biomass utilisation. These findings indicate that marine biomass utilisation strategies highlight potential to contribute to environmental and welfare benefits of these coastal communities.

QC 20141126

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Smal, Desiree Nora. "The role of environmental sustainability in a design-driven fashion industry : a South African case study." Thesis, Cape Peninisula University of Technology, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2269.

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Thesis (DTech (Design))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.
This thesis is an investigation into environmental sustainability in the South African fashion industry, with a particular focus on the role of design therein. The fashion and textile industry is a significant contributor to the South African economy and a major user of human and natural resources. It is through the use of resources – natural, constructed and human – that the industry is also supposedly damaging to the natural environment and the people working within it. Notable authors on environmentally sustainable design and, in particular, environmentally sustainable fashion design, seem to suggest that a holistic approach to environmental sustainability is fundamental to the implementation thereof. Design has the ability to direct change, and thus design and designers have the potential to drive holistic sustainable practices in the fashion system.The question this research therefore poses is what the role of environmental sustainability should be in a design-driven approach in the South African fashion industry; interrogated through an exploratory and descriptive case study. The case study consists of three purposively selected sub-units that operate within an environmentally sustainable focus in their fashion businesses, and that design, produce, and retail fashion products. The aim of the research was to explore, through a snapshot of the South African fashion system, the implementation of environmental sustainability in the fashion industry in South Africa, in order to determine what role fashion design practice can have in developing environmental sustainability in the fashion system.The most notable finding of the research highlights the immense difficulty of operating as a fashion business from an environmentally sustainable focus in South Africa due to the lack (and unsuitability) of resources that can be considered environmentally sustainable. The declining textile industry of South Africa makes it either almost impossible, or very costly, to work within an environmentally sustainable framework, and is a major impediment in the implementation of environmental sustainability in praxis. Therefore, those businesses that decide to operate within an environmentally sustainable framework do so because of inherent personal values and ethics.The second aspect identified in the survey of scholarship and underpinned by the findings, is a need for a transformative approach with regard to design praxis and how design praxis can influence consumer eco-consciousness. The research concludes with a recommended framework that suggests a holistic and integrated approach to design-driven environmental sustainability in the South African fashion industry, and elaborates on the role of the fashion designer in the implementation of environmental sustainability in the fashion system. The holistic and integrated approach should extend into fashion design education, requiring a fundamental shift in current fashion design education in South Africa.
University of Johannesburg

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DuBose, Jennifer Robin. "Sustainability as an inherently contextual concept : some lessons from agricultural development." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/29567.

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Woo, Ka Yan. "A geographical perspective to social sustainability : with special reference to Tai O, Hong Kong." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2012. https://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/1389.

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Hattingh, Elize. "Career opportunities in sustainability-related fields." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/86577.

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Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The impact of the econom ic turndown in 2008, brought sustainability issues to the forefront of public debate as the realities of climate change, and society’s response to it, gain higher visibility. As a result, t he green economy is gaining global traction as it is evident i n South African policy frameworks and investment. In this new environment, human or social capital is fast becoming the foundation of sustainable businesses. The pursuit of green jobs is seen as a key economic driver in the 21st century, creating a green pathway out of poverty. Shifting the economy from business as usual to a low carbon, resource efficient, resilient and inclusive sustainable economy will involve large scale investment in new technologies, equipment, buildings, and infrastructure, research and development and skills training and could thus be a major stimulus for much-needed employment (UNEP, 2008:3). The focus of this to study is to investigate, career opportunities for graduates of the programme in Sustainable Development, offered by the School of Public Leadership (SPL) at Stellenbosch University. The question is asked if future careers in sustainability-related fields are secured for these graduates. The problem statement was formulated to determine possible challenges that graduates might face from advancing in their careers. I have aimed to address this problem by exploring the prospects for employment in various sustainability-related fields. The re search objectives are to: a) attain clarity regarding graduates` understanding and awareness of available careers in sustainability-related fields; b) to investigate attempts, tools and processes through which graduates could develop careers in the sustainability-related fields; and c) To confirm the graduates` employment status, pre-and post-graduation. My study will aim to demonstrate that more research needs to be conducted related to career guidance to prepare a new workforce, with skills and career knowledge to enter career opportunities in green economy.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die impak van die wêreld ressessie in 2008 het volhoubare ontwikkelingskwessies skerper na vore gebring. Dit het die noodsaaklikheid van `n groen ekonomie verder beklemtoon. In hierdie omgewing word menslike kapitaal belangriker vir be sighede wat wil oorskakel na die groen ekonomie. Die soektog na groen werk word gesien as `n hoof ekonomiese aandrywer in the twintigste eeu, wat `n uitweg uit armoede kan bied. Die skuif van `n huidige besigheidsmodel na `n lae koolstof, effektiewe hulpbron gebruik, weerstandige en inklusiewe, volhoubare ekonomie vereis `n besondere gro ot investering in nuwe tegnologie, toerusing, geboue, infrastruktuur, navorsing en onwikkeling, en vaardigheidsopleiding. Hierdie beweging kan moontlik `n stimuli wees vir broodnodige werkskepping (UNEP, 2008:3). Hierdie studie ondersoek die onderlinge verband tussen die ontstaan en ontwikkeling van die groen ekonomie in Suid Afrika en werksgeleenthede wat moontlik daaruit mag voortvloei vir gegradueerdes van die program in volhoubare ontwikkeling by die Skool vir Publieke Leierskap by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch. Die vraag wat ek gestel het is of toekomstige beroepe in volhoubare ontwikkelingsgebiede bestendig is vir hierdie gegradueerdes. Die probleemstelling was geformuleer om die volgende navorsings doelstellings te ondersoek: a) gegradueerdes se huidige en toekomstige beroeps verwagtinge, begrip en bewustheid van beskikbare beroepe in volhoubare onwikkelings verbandte velde b) pogings, gereedskap, en metodes waarmee gegradueerdes hulle beroepe in volhoubare ontwikkelings velde sou kon ontwikkel; en c) om gegradueerdes se werksnemings status vas te stel voor en nadat gegraduering plaasgevind het. My studie poog om te demonstreer dat meer navorsing gedoen moet word rakende beroeps opleiding om so`n nuwe werksmag voor te berei met vaardighede en kennis wat hulle in staat stel om werksgeleenthede in die groen ekonomie te kan betree.

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Lee, Kar-man Daria, and 李家汶. "A study of environmental sustainability and liveability in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2002. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B3196915X.

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Yuen, Kwok-yan, and 袁國欣. "Residential planning and urban sustainability: the case of Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1999. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31260160.

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Wong, On-shun Anson, and 王安信. "Enhancing sustainability by managing environmental and social risks in the hotel and resort industry of Guangdong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/194602.

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The introduction of environmental and social issues into the boardroom is one of the greatest challenges of our time. The threat of climate change adds urgency to the challenge, with the costs of inaction on climate change estimated at between 5 to 20% of global GDP, leading to a global recession. In terms of managing environmental and social concerns, the tourism industry, and the hotel and resort industry, has lagged behind other industries such as utilities, chemicals and banking and investment. Globally an estimated 5% of all CO2 emissions can be attributed to tourism. Energy use in hotels is disproportionately high, thanks to energy intensive facilities such as spas, laundries and swimming pools. The global hotel and resort industry can thus make significant contribution to reduce human impact on the global climate. This research develops a tool which helps the hotel and resort industry identify and manage non-financial risks such as environmental and social issues, and improve sustainable development of individual businesses and the sector as a whole. The research focuses on Guangdong Province, China, the richest province in China in terms of hotel stock, hotel revenues and hotel employees. China herself will be the world’s biggest tourism market by 2020 and given its future growth forecasts is an important venue to study sustainable development. Recognising the difficulty in precisely measuring aspects of social science such as non-financial risk and attitudes towards non-financial risk, the conceptual framework for the study uses the idea of a working non-financial risk management approach towards the production of a set of working propositions useful for business. The study first identifies stakeholders; develops a non-financial risk management methodology to identify, measure, examine and prioritise risks, and then presents the conclusions as working propositions for corporations to use. Recommendations for industry are developed and presented. To achieve the development of the non-financial risk management tool, the research draws a fresh link between risk management, corporate environmental management, sustainability and non-financial risk management. Second, through three research studies, a detailed investigation into the use and practice of sustainability and non-financial risk management is undertaken across 15 hotels in Guangdong Province. The first study is a comprehensive set of detailed in-depth interviews with 79 industry-specific stakeholders. The interviews are coded and the results used to develop the second study, a questionnaire survey of 351 hotel guests and 70 industry-specific stakeholders. A third study executes in-depth case-studies and non-financial risk benchmarking across 15 hotel and resort facilities. The results of all three studies are triangulated for better accuracy and understanding. The study presents a number of working propositions for corporations to adopt as starting points for their own non-financial risk management strategies. It is found that there is generally low awareness and application of non-financial risk management in the hotel and resort industry in Guangdong. The industry-specific stakeholders and guests have very different priorities in terms of non-financial risk management, while resource conservation does emerge as the leading issue amongst industry-specific stakeholders and hotel guests. Cost savings are found to be the main driver for implementing non-financial risk management, while cost of implementation is the main barrier. Through a factor analysis, it becomes clear that two distinct factors are at play in the guest domain: guests’ own well-being and self-need; and wider social or environmental concerns. The study recommends a multi-stakeholder partnership as a value-added framework for public policy, and recommends further research into stakeholder theory in China’s hotel and resort industry.
published_or_final_version
Kadoorie Institute
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy

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Tong, Kwok Keung. "The effect of ventilatory muscle loading on heavy intermittent exercise sustainability." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2002. http://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/451.

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May, Murray, University of Western Sydney, of Arts Education and Social Sciences College, and School of Social Ecology and Lifelong Learning. "Unpacking aviation futures : an ecological perspective on consumption, sustainability and air transport." THESIS_CAESS_SELL_May_M.xml, 2004. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/645.

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This inquiry examines aviation futures, within the broad context of sustainable consumption and ecological sustainability. Increasing mobility and rapid growth of road and air transport have been identified as key consumption issues, especially in relation to calls for deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Economics and globalisation concerns have dominated recent academic studies of air transport. There is a growing critique, however, of growth-based aviation futures on a range of ecological, resource, security and health grounds. This inquiry adds to that critique. Its primary research aim is to identify and articulate visions and policies for aviation futures within an ecological framework. Analysis of relevant literatures, including those on sustainable consumption, transport and tourism, is complemented by an analysis of aviation and tourism growth trends worldwide, with specific reference to Asia-Pacific and Australian data. A case study of the privatisation and expansion of Canberra International Airport in the Australian Capital Territory is used to provide a global-local link and to address the airport aspects of aviation. The range of visions and policy measures are finally considered within broad consciousness and frameworks strategies for the transition to sustainability. An important conclusion is the strong need for independent institutions such as policy bodies and think tanks - working in conjunction with community groups- to develop and promote policy discourses and futures visions that challenge the prevailing hegemony of the business-political nexus.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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Lu, Zhiyan, and 卢智妍. "Community capacity building for sustainability : case studies of Guangdong China." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/194568.

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Academic studies tend to focus on environmental and economics aspects in achieving sustainability. This paper emphasizes the social sustainability aspect from the angle of building community capacity. Community capacity can be viewed as readiness for empowerment, a prerequisite condition for greater social equity and social justice leading to inter- and intra-generation equity. A community capacity building framework is derived from the existing literatures to guide the analysis of four communities to assess the current status of the community capacity in Guangdong by conducting interviews and survey. It is found that the community capacity is relatively low and residents are lack of proactivity in contributing to community development if they are living in a comfort neighborhood; more professional social workers are needed to support capacity building.
published_or_final_version
Environmental Management
Master
Master of Science in Environmental Management

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Pahl, Julia [Verfasser], and Stefan [Akademischer Betreuer] Voß. "Production Planning with Load Dependent Lead Times and Sustainability Aspects / Julia Pahl. Betreuer: Stefan Voß." Hamburg : Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg, 2012. http://d-nb.info/1023947579/34.

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Bäversten, Dan, and Maja Nordström. "Key Aspects of Implementing a Corporate Sustainability Strategy in a Decentralized Organization : A Case Study." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Företagsekonomiska institutionen, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-384522.

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Companies are considered as central actors towards a more sustainable society. Implementing a sustainability strategy is seen as an effective way for corporations to take responsibility andmeet the society’s expectations. Different factors have been identified to affect the implementation of a sustainability strategy. The purpose of this thesis is therefore to add to the concept of strategy implementation and how organizational structure, organizational culture and internal communication affect the implementation process. A qualitative case study has been chosen to answer the research question where we conducted semi-structured interviews with employees at various positions in the case company. Our result revealed that a company’ssustainability strategy can be implemented even if the internal communication is weak. However, we suggest that an organizational culture that is promoting the employees to feel committed to the strategy will have a positive impact on the implementation process. Finally,we also advocate that the organizational structure has affected the case company’simplementation of their sustainability strategy positively by enabling strategies to emerge from practice.

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Choi, Jaesung. "Transportation Sustainability on Economic and Environmental Aspects in the United States: Statistical and Quantitative Approaches." Diss., North Dakota State University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10365/24839.

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The dissertation consists of three essays: 1) Productivity growth in the transportation industries in the United States: An application of the DEA Malmquist productivity index; 2) how does a carbon dioxide emissions change affect transportation productivity? A case study of the U.S. transportation sector from 2002 to 2011; and 3) forecast of CO2 emissions from the U.S. transportation sector: Estimation from a double exponential smoothing model. The first essay reviews productivity growth in the five major transportation industries in the United States (airline, truck, rail, pipeline, and water) and the pooled transportation industry from 2004 to 2011. The major findings are that the U.S. transportation industry shows strong and positive productivity growth except in the years of the global financial crisis in 2007, 2008, and 2010, and among the five transportation industries, the rail and water sectors show the highest productivity growth in 2011. The second essay examines the effects of a carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions change on actual productivity in the U.S. transportation sector. This study finds that a CO2 emissions increase from 2002 to 2007 had a negative effect on actual productivity in the U.S. transportation sector, but the CO2 emissions reduction for 2008?2011 increases actual productivity. States mainly showing sustainable growth patterns (decrease in CO2 emissions concurrent with increasing actual productivity) experience higher technological innovation increase than an efficiency decrease. This finding suggests that fuel-efficient and carbon reduction technologies as well as alternative transportation energy sources may be essential factors to both grow transportation and slow global warming. The third essay reviews whether the decreasing trend in U.S. CO2 emissions from the transportation sector since the end of the 2000s is consistent across all states in the nation for 2012?2021. A double exponential smoothing model is used to forecast CO2 emissions for the transportation sector in the 50 states and the U.S., and its findings are supported by pseudo out-of-sample forecasts validity testing. This study concludes that the decreasing trend in transportation CO2 emissions in the U.S. will continue in most states in the future.
Mountain Plains Consortium (MPC)
U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)

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Rask, Lovisa. "The aspects of Environmental Sustainability in Export : A study in the context of Malaysian businesses." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för marknadsföring (MF), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-96396.

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In a world which is highly reliant on international trade and at the same time is facing what has been described as among the greatest challenges planet Earth ever seen, climate change. The connection the two have to each other becomes increasingly essential to understand. This study was put in the context of a developing country, Malaysia, due to the increased amount of businesses located in developing countries which are choosing to internationalise and export products. The 17 Global Goals created by the United Nations, which has been adopted by all member states are aimed to be reached in 2030. The Global Goals are built upon trust and responsibility for the planet which creates a scenario where the behaviour of both businesses and consumers is changed. The purpose of the study was to gain knowledge of how the aspect of environmental sustainability impacts export and what motivates the Malaysian businesses to change for the better. The outcome of this study indicates that the customers have a significant role for both motivation of businesses and the implementation of new strategies. The study has also seen an indication of a connection between the speed of internationalisation and export related to how businesses are motivated by customers in terms of environmental sustainability. Moreover, the study has shown that there is little connection between the business’s selection of export mode and environmental sustainability.

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Friedrich, Melanie. "Social Aspects of Sustainability and Resilience in Small Town Planning : Structural Planning in Pförring, Germany." Thesis, KTH, Urbana och regionala studier, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-283735.

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Abstract:

In a seemingly endlessly urbanizing world, the planning field must not forget our cities’ hinterlands and rural regions. Demographic shifts, dying centers, lack of amenities and insufficient mobility options are just a few of the struggles the periphery is facing. With the help of the case study site Pförring, Germany, this report analyzes regional and local plans in relation to social aspects of sustainability and resilience. The results are the identification of crucial elements for successful transformation: vision, competence, support, action, monitoring and adjustment, depicted as an interlinked system of two interactive loops.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Aspects of sustainability'

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