Статті в журналах з теми "Territorially responsible consumption"

Objective: In recent years, sustainable consumption has been promoted in order to preserve natural resources for present and future generations. In that sense, the objective of this research was to evaluate sustainable consumption practices in university students in the Amazon region of Madre de Dios, Peru. Method: The approach was quantitative, the design was non-experimental and the type, cross-sectional descriptive-comparative. The sample was made up of 357 students who answered the Questionnaire on Socially Responsible Sustainable Consumption Practices, an instrument with adequate levels of validity and reliability. Results: It was found that sustainable consumption practices of 46.8% of the students were not common, 35% were unusual and 18.2% were common. On the other hand, it was determined that sustainable consumption practices and informed purchase dimensions, responsible use, respect for people and animals and quality and territoriality were significantly associated with some sociodemographic variables. Conclusions: It was concluded that sustainable consumption practices in university students were not common, therefore, universities are suggested to implement environmental education in a transverse and integral way to concretize sustainable development objectives.

Alternative food systems have occupied a steady niche in the food systems transformation discourse as one of the transformative pathways capable of addressing many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Being one of the alternative approaches, organic food systems are often in the spotlight of transformation discussion. While their outcomes and, to a lesser extent, potential to address the SDGs have been documented, the attempts to provide empirical evidence for the latter contribution are largely lacking. The study aimed to close this gap by assessing the performance of SDGs in local organic food systems with the territorial approach. For this purpose, a mixed methods research design and actor-oriented approach have been used. The research employed a multiple-case study design to examine three European territorial organic food systems to uncover their contribution to SDGs and thereby their role in food systems transformation towards enhanced sustainability. Analysis at the target level revealed the central role of SDG 12, responsible consumption and production, addressed by the highest number of targets manifested through corresponding outcomes of all three analyzed case studies. The analyzed systems uncovered a leverage potential of sustainable public procurement to unfold other SDG targets through synergetic interactions of the respective outcomes.

Introduction. Control of waste management is a complex process that involves organizational-economic and economic-environmental components that are directly or indirectly related to the production and consumption of products, supply of raw materials, natural resources, related information and financial flows, etc. Transport and logistics occupy a special place among them, because of the specifics of waste as an object of management, as well as related issues of environmental pollution and the impact on the health of the population. Transport-logistics approaches are needed to allow the use of appropriate management levers and instruments aimed at solving a complex issue when production and associated material flows are considered in close connection with the movement of waste generated during production and consumption. Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the conceptual approach to the management of transport-logistics processes in the field of responsible waste management on the basis of analysis of economic-ecological and organizational issues, and prospects of its development in Ukraine. Results. As a result of the research, it has been determined that reversible logistics is a means of achieving positive ecological-economic efficiency, the feasibility of which, first and foremost, of the transport component is confirmed by the fact that in the long run, Ukraine can significantly reduce the level of environmental pollution caused by the formation and placement of waste, but the volume of emissions in the transport sector will increase. Accordingly, it is necessary to increase the role of goal-setting functions and coordination of actions in the field of waste management; the main goal at the same time is to increase the ecological-economic efficiency of processes associated with transportation, as well as sorting, storage and disposal of household and industrial waste. This principle is the basis for integrating transport-logistics operations into a waste management system, the main elements of which are management functions and associated environmental-economic instruments for influencing waste management processes. The subsystem of ecological management within the framework of the waste management system, in particular, its transport-logistic component, which forms the ecological policy at micro and macro levels, deserves special attention; and is an effective instrument for implementing the concept of motivated liability. Conclusions. In the field of waste management, one of the top priorities is the task of increasing the role of transport logistics. Solving the problem of managing transport-logistics processes of responsible waste management is seen in two aspects: integration of the transport-logistics system into the waste management system at the territorial level; creating an economic space for mutually agreed solutions to issues of transportation and other logistics waste operations. This conceptual approach will create competitive conditions for the subjects of environmental-economic activities, which initiate the responsible management of waste in aspects of their transportation, sorting, utilization, etc. in accordance with ISO standards in the areas of waste and transport management and the environmental management system.

This study aims to analyse the role and contribution of small farms and small food businesses on the food system and food security. Drawing on a conceptual framework, methodology, and data from the EU H2020 ‘SALSA-Small farms, small food businesses and sustainable food and nutrition security’ project hereafter referred as SALSA project, this issue has been analysed in relation to four staple products (tomato, chicken, maize, and banana) in Santiago Island (Cabo Verde). The study follows a regional approach based on a detailed analysis of the territorial food systems and of the production/consumption balance of those staple products. The results show that the subsystems of production, processing, distribution, and consumption are different in the different food systems map for the four staple products, with complex and diversified interrelationships between small farms and related small businesses linking with various markets and all kinds of actors. Moreover, the evidence shows that small farms, in conjunction with small food businesses, are crucial to national food security in Santiago Island. The small farm is fundamental for greater food availability produced in the region, and the small food business is a key component playing a very important role by ensuring the stability of supply, being primarily responsible for establishing relationships to population centres.

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is widely used in the human diet and in scientific research due to its biological properties. Various factors, e.g., temperature, pressure, extraction method, type of solvent, size, and territorial origin of garlic, affect the amount and type of bioactive compounds obtained from garlic extracts. In turn, the content of bioactive compounds correlates with the biological activity of the extracts. Therefore, the aim of this review was to summarize the current state of knowledge of the methods and effectiveness of isolation of active substances from garlic and their impact on the garlic extract composition and, consequently, biological properties. According to the literature, extracts obtained using water as a solvent are mainly responsible for antimicrobial properties, which is related to, inter alia, the high content of allicin. The use of alcohols, such as methanol or ethanol, is associated with the outstanding antioxidant power of extracts resulting from the presence of phenolic compounds. In turn, due to the presence of diallyl disulfide and disulfide trisulfide, garlic oil has anticancer potential. Acetone is the most effective organic solvent; however, it is not suitable for immediate consumption.

Logistics activities, e.g., transportations of goods and people, are responsible for at least one-third of energy consumption and Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. About 70% of them are related to people’s mobility, with millions of cars moving every day. The people home-work logistics represents undoubtedly an important part of it since flows are concentrated on fixed time windows (beginning, lunch break, and end of the working day) creating huge traffic congestions and negative impacts on time, economics, and the environment. This study proposes an integrated model, summarized through a methodological framework, where three actors (companies, public administrations and local shops) work together aiming to economically incentivize the use of sustainable mobility systems. Three are the main elements of the proposed sustainable people home-work logistics model: (1) the economic self-sustainability of the incentives, funded in different ways by the actors, (2) the scalability, thanks to the possibility to add new territories to the project and (3) the territorial circular economy generated thanks to the incentive’s destinations and the public-private integration. Starting from survey questionnaires and territorial attributes, sustainable mobility ways are defined. Then, participant workers are monitored by activating a mobile app, called Ecoattivi, during their home-work journeys. In such a way, workers can directly analyze their sustainable mobility and reach the possibility to accumulate and spend money in local shops as a function of the saved CO2. On the other hand, companies and public administrations compete in a special ranking for sustainable mobility. The methodological framework has been applied to a real case study in the Chiampo Valley, in the northeast of Italy, where about 10 small towns and dozens of companies in 2020 started the “Bike to Work Valchiampo” project.

AbstractThe geological landscape is an excellent topic for a better enhancement of the sustainable tourism. Considering Landscape as the result of the endogenous and exogenous activities that form the Earth's surface, and/or as the result of the interaction of many natural and cultural components, it is almost mandatory the use of such a theme as an informative vector in Environment Sciences popularization. Modern technology offers new powerful tools to reach and share a complete knowledge on the territory (intended as the integration between natural and cultural components). The overlay of thematic maps (geological, geomorphological, physiographic maps) as well as the integration of collected data allows us to identify the areas of greater natural and cultural value. The outdoor sports, expecially cycling and ski, give us an opportunity to talk about the territory, referring to its natural and cultural history; GIS and 3D modelling, are flexible and friendly tools in educational plans as well as in territorial promotion, fitting for the purpose of a twinning with TV sport transmission, as confirmed by the GeoloGiro experience (Geology at the Giro d’Italia 2013/14/15/16). The prototypical App here proposed, will show the landscape where the sports are played, through the visualisation of thematic maps and correlated images (3D modelling, animation, cartoons) integrating information on local environment and culture: the “LandscApp”. We argue that special attention should be devoted to the link between landscapes, wine tourism and sports, and that this new field would spur new actions to promote sustainable development in Italy, as well as a more sensible culture of responsible wine consumption.

Purpose This paper aims to expose the evolution in the use of the so-called reception tools and tourist information that are present at the time of consumption of a trip towards an interest in and a willingness to link local residents and tourists in a friendly, inclusive and conciliatory way. This is the case of territorial signage designed for pedestrians, a growing protagonist of the urban landscape of many cities, which has found in its formulation the appropriate response to unify the messages and criteria that are addressed to all audiences and people with all types of sensitivities. Design/methodology/approach Based on an extensive fieldwork study conducted in 2013 and 2017 in the 62 most populated cities of Catalonia, different variables related to the shape of the signage and the content presented in them were analysed. To this end, a specific pattern of ad-hoc observation and structured interviews were applied to determine the social transition of the content and approaches used in the signage. Findings While signage is initially considered to be a basic solution with purely informative content, poor in qualitative aspects and often neglected by those responsible for its management, over time it has emerged as a tool that serves to unify the interests of the citizens who share the same space for mutual interaction. It is characterised by providing open and transversal information for all citizens without focussing on or thematising tourism in an exclusive and segregated way, separating it from the rest of the aspects that make up the nature of the urban landscape. Originality/value This paper confirms that these tangible instruments of support for tourists, beyond seeking a harmonic fit in the urban planning of today's cities, are also complicit in seeking social cohesion in the present-day paradigm of the conflicts created by urban tourism.

The article aims to analyse the worldview theories, which have become the basis for the concept of sustainable energy transformations. A number of ideas explaining the close connection between energy and environmental transformations, economic and technological progress of society and the state of the environment are considered. Energy transformations have become the research object due to the processes such as, on the one hand, the understanding of the future energy resources crisis, and on the other, the awareness of environmental problems that can lead to the real threat to humanity. The purpose of the article is to investigate philosophical concepts that lead to a new paradigm of satisfying human, and community needs in energy in the context of international and national economic strategies. The civilizational importance of the problem mentioned above and the urge to solve it at the global and local levels stimulates the curiosity of scientists and the activity of scientific and practical research in various fields. The object of scientific exploration is the economic and environmental effects of implementing renewable energy sources, the investment attractiveness of such projects; the innovative processes of renewable energy implementation and development are studied; environmental impact of various infrastructure elements is evaluated, in particular - in local systems; possibilities of the efficient architecture of the energy and ecological components of the urban environment, territorial communities, etc. are analysed. The concepts of environmental philosophy regarding the need for a harmonious combination of human and environmental needs are increasingly being taken into account in the development of state economic strategies and programs. The article states that an aspect of environmental consciousness change, building a new, socially responsible thinking of an economically and socially active part of society, and, ideally, most of humanity will remain of high importance for achieving sustainable development goals, in particular, sustainable modes of energy consumption.

Abstract Energy planning tools play a key role in achieving sustainable development goals and in the energy transition toward a zero-carbon future. Energy security and decentralization are, as well, additional benefits from a rational energy planning applied to a territory. In particular, the relevance of territorial energy planning grows at the local scale, the peculiarities of a territory being a key point. This is especially true for Municipalities, which represent the smallest units with political responsibility. Cities are often the most unsustainable environments, being responsible for 75% of global energy use, 70% of global CO2 emissions, and considering that the percentage of the global population living in cities is expanding from 50% in 2022 to 70% in 2050. In this regard, the European Community has already designed a specific energy planning tool, called SECAPs (Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans), an evolution of SEAPs (Sustainable Environmental Action Plans) that allows the quantification of energy flowing throughout the territory to support the local economy. The greenhouse gases emission commitments are, as well, considered and could be fulfilled being the cornerstone of the European deal on climate change. Waiting for a zero Carbon economy, the intention of the cited plans is to propose mitigation and adaptation actions to delay or to react to climate change manifestations. A formidable new planning tool is certainly “Energy Communities”, where cities, public and private companies, citizens, energy producers and consumers (so called prosumers) can share renewable energy in whatever form is locally available, improving energy security and partial independence from the grid. The paper presents, for a small/medium size Italian city located in the Apennine Mountain hinterland some criteria to design energy communities demonstrating how the potential energy generation based on renewable sources can fulfil energy demand when an Energy Community is organized. The starting point is the knowledge of thermal and electricity consumptions available from SEAPs. Hourly load profiles for them were reconstructed and coupled to renewable energy production availability which is a peculiarity of a territory. Thanks to a suitable diversification of energy production, the fulfilment of the energy needs can be achieved with only a residual grid assistance. Consistency is given to the concept of energy resilience.

This article examines the influence of various socio-economic and cultural realities on the practice of environmental design through the prism of the “context” concept. In other words, the work is aimed to study the process of forming the “practical context” of environmental design. The paper studies the place of environmental design as an academic discipline in the bachelor system of leading universities in various countries of the world. The author comes to the conclusion that only in Russia and China this major is referred to the field of art and is considered as an “artistic” discipline, which is due to the close methodological interconnection. Attention is paid on the question of components that make up the “practical context” of environmental design. The paper dwells on the classification of “context” idea. The author considers the possibilities of using linguistic concepts “linguistic context”, “socio-communicative context” and “cognitive context” in environmental design. “Linguistic context” includes aims, methods and content of environmental design and forms its internal factor. The “socio-communicative context” as an external factor can be divided into two types: a “situational context” (functions of main phenomena in concrete time), and “cultural context”, which is reflected in cultural needs of society. The “cognitive context” of environmental design is responsible for the designer's understanding of the processes occurring in the surrounding space. It is indicated that the Internet as part of the “situational context”, is one of the most important phenomena of the modern era, a key channel for transmitting information, and has the following properties: “accessibility”, “interactivity”, “openness”, “universality”. On the issue of “cultural context”, it is noted that environmental design pays special attention to the “spiritual” component of human culture and at the same time can not be considered in isolation from the cultural needs of society, which in the modern world can be characterized by the concepts of “complexity”, “diversity”, “practical nature” and “territoriality”. Within the “cognitive context” of environmental design, it is introduced the category of “aesthetic trends in design”, which symbolizes designer's perception of aesthetic issues. By establishing a balance between internal and external factors, the environment designer sets a “cognitive context” based on the relationship between “characteristics of cultural consumption”, “aesthetic trends in design” and “functionality of phenomena of time periods”. All the described types of context constitute the “practical context” of environmental design. The text and graphic materials of this work can be useful in the research, systematization, and creation of practical projects of environment design, as well as in teaching.

Abstract Objective: The World Commission on the Environment and Development defines as sustainable development that which can satisfy “the needs of the present without compromising the possibility of future generations to satisfy their own”. The attention to the issues of the environment, of the circular economy, of the ageing of the population is becoming a way to attract the curiosity and then the interest of the consumers with more and more awareness. Socially responsible finance is no longer a niche issue, so investing an ethical model must become a standard for both international and territorial realities. Methodology: The “myth” of low yields would seem debunked, because the companies that introduce Social, Environmental and Governance criteria have an excellent reputation and do not aim to opportunistic gains in the short, but sustainable results in the long run. An undeniable advantage for all the stakeholders and for the planet itself needs to be added; human resources valorization, equal opportunities, efficient exploitation of natural resources and reduction of pollution produced are just some of the positive results deriving from this new business philosophy. For this reason a new obligation on the commitment of the companies regarding the environment is needed, while for all the corporate summits bonuses and compensations must be rethought according to the objectives of environmental and social sustainability. In the past such commitments were considered by large companies as a further cost, and nowadays they are increasingly becoming an opportunity that even the small economic realities on a territorial level cannot afford to lose. Starting a dialogue, not only with the traditional stakeholders (such as customers and suppliers) direct users of the product value, but especially with the territory given the social impacts deriving from the economic activity on people is necessary. In this respect, it would be particularly fruitful, from the point of view of innovation and growth, to create relations with the institution traditionally identified as the depositary of research itself, that is the University. Findings: ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) is an acronym that indicates the commitment of companies to the environment, sociability and respect for diversity. These criteria are destined to become, in the near future, one of the most important factors of business success, of investments discrimination, of orientation for big funds policies and of reputation for entrepreneurs and managers. Environmental and Social criteria relate to the real consumption of limited natural resources by an economic activity, and to what it then returns in terms of goods and services to the reference communities. The term Governance means the way in which an enterprise is managed, the relationships that are set up with the employees and the methods of remuneration for the top management. Thus, the ESG index is potentially able to reveal whether an economic activity is sustainable in the medium or long term beyond the financial variables. But how is possible to transpose these values on a territory level? Value Added: We have to look to those who are responsible for the innovation and development of that local reality. Unfortunately, the panorama of business, university and public collaboration is still jagged for a deep lack of relations between these different actors. At the same time, technological evolution imposes increasingly tighter rhythms to innovation, forcing companies to find out the R&D function by drawing on university research or acquiring from innovative start-ups. These new companies, often born as university spin-offs, however, encounter many difficulties of development related to the scarcity of capital and therefore to the impossibility of embedding the value created within a patent. It is therefore appropriate that the two main operators of this market, universities and companies, find a way to communicate and collaborate on a common project, creating value and bringing welfare not only to their respective realities, but also to the whole community of the territory interested in the sign of ESG ethic. Recommendations: For this reason it is important to take part in the projects in ethical ESG companies that, relating to the university and the territory, can guide innovation towards a horizon of welfare distributable among all stakeholders. A meeting point between all interests in the game could be a shared Hub where, through a contract, the modalities of collaboration will be established and the common objectives pursued; in this way the university will have the funds for the research, the enterprise – a targeted innovation for its purposes and the territory for new employment possibilities for the workers of the sector.

In the Italian context, the first law directly affecting the urban planning and building sector dates back to approximately 160 years ago, precisely Law 2248/1865. It established the administrative unification of the Kingdom of Italy, empowering municipal councils to deliberate on ‘hygiene, building and local police regulations’, and was followed a few months later by Law 2359/1865 on expropriations for public purpose. By contrast, the first regulations for the protection of artistic, historical, archaeological and ethnographic heritage (1089/1938), and natural beauty (1497/1939), are just over 80 years old. From that time onwards, the rules governing planning and design actions have been considerably enriched and developed. Hence, it is worth reflecting on the effectiveness and efficiency of a regulatory framework that has been governing territorial, urban and building transformations in an increasingly articulated and specialised manner with a view to improving the quality and sustainability of natural and anthropic habitats. Moreover, its ability to govern the ways, times and cultural and technical contents of the project production process to carry out high quality creations is worthy of consideration. Perhaps the issue of standardisation has never been the centre of attention in all sectors of civil life as today: in public administration and scientific research, among economic operators, planners, and citizens themselves. Regulatory systems are increasingly pervasive in regulating design activity and the characteristics of works in response to a general «increase in the variety and complexity of public interests that appear worthy of protection, such as the quality of the environment, the safeguarding of the natural and historical-artistic heritage, the protection of health, the safety of persons, and security […]» (Bassanini et al., 2005). Changing interests require frequent updates to adapt regulations to rapid socio-economic, cultural, and technological changes. The centres of regulatory production have also multiplied, breaking up into different levels and sectors of regulation, namely with multi-level (international, EU, national, regional, local), sectoral (economy, environment, territory, landscape, infrastructure, cultural heritage, health, etc.) and institutional governance structures, with corresponding different interests (public/private, collective/individual) and complicated relationships of interconnection, conditionality and/or competition (Raveraira, 2009). The scenario is even more complex, if we broaden the scope to include, in addition to prescriptive and binding rules, the vast universe of guiding principles, voluntary standards, guidelines, best practices, etc. Moreover, also due to the nature of the legal system model of reference (civil law derived from Roman law, as opposed to the common law of English-speaking countries, founded on the binding force of practice and judgements), Italian legislation has been stratified by an anomalous number of rules, which are often not mutually coordinated, sometimes contradictory or bearing inconsistent definitions. They are either incapable of producing the desired results, or are not the cause of effects even diametrically opposed to those expected. The attempt to solve every problem through a special regulation results in limiting the free and responsible action of citizens (and planners). Indeed, as Marco Romano points out, «to reduce people’s desires to rights codified in the doctrine of planning, imposed by enlightened and pedagogical governments on rebellious citizens unaware of their own good, is to erase what makes them citizens: the diversity of their individual life projects» (Romano, 2013). On the other hand, the discrepancy between this regulatory approach and the reality that surrounds us is evident. On Alessandro Pizzorno’s death, Fabrizio Schiaffonati recalled how, back in the 1960s, the doyen of Italian political sociology had already warned that in Italy «everything must be regulated so that everything can be conceded», pointing out that «this is still the case nowadays, more than half a century later, with good peace for the quality of the project, which is overwhelmed by constraints and contradictory procedures that are obstructive to a necessary qualitative transformation of the anthropic environment within proper time and costs» (Schiaffonati, 2019). This hypertrophic growth of laws and regulations (a true ‘legislative inflation’ or ‘regulatory pollution’) is accompanied by their rapid variability over time, so much so that a building intervention begun within a given legislative framework risks being completed in the presence of a different regulatory framework, which would not have allowed its execution, and vice versa. Not to mention the «badly written, lengthy regulations that are difficult to read and even more difficult to apply, (which) now represent a constant factor with which even the most prepared and motivated operator must come to terms» (Gorlani, 2022), which lead to confusion and interpretative doubts. This makes bureaucratic formalities unnecessarily complex, overloads administrative action, and increases the regulatory and management costs for citizens, businesses and the public institutions themselves, including those dedicated to monitoring and control actions (which, in a context of shrinking public resources, are often the first to be lacking…). Legal uncertainty leads to opaque, if not arbitrary decisions, facilitates corruption, increases discrimination and social conflict, and limits economic development, sometimes to the point of inhibiting it (Bassanini et al., 2005). A vulnus with dramatic effects, if it is true that certainty does not have to be of the law, but: «certainty is law, just as, vice versa, law is certainty, if it is true that law […], is constituted for the specific purpose of giving certainty, or rather: certainties» (emphasis added; Ruggeri, 2005). The body of urban planning legislation has expanded considerably, imposing on city and regional planning new objectives and constraints aimed at protecting and improving the quality of the environment and landscape. Strategic environmental and impact assessments, regulations to limit land consumption, to increase climate resilience and to regenerate the built environment have been in use for many years now, with their rich set of analyses and tools to manage knowledge, build scenarios, compare alternatives, and quantify their effects through indicators (environmental, socioeconomic, etc.). And yet, all this does not seem to have produced the expected effects, as witnessed by the continuing degradation of urban suburbs, the continuous increase in soil erosion by new urbanisations and infrastructures, the abandonment of ‘inland areas’, and the hydrogeological instability of the most ‘fragile’ territories. Instead, by moving more and more on the level of so-called policies, planning seems to have lost its technical capacity to conform the quality of spaces, even in their cultural value and use, in a sort of throwback of illiteracy forgetting the grammatical and syntactical rules of construction of the European city. The disciplinary crisis of the plan is evident, incapable of governing land uses and built forms, as well as the quality of public space, relying, instead, on the abstraction of ‘tactical squares’ and social streets totally inadequate to determine an organic configuration of the urban structure. There is no large city that does not have a plan for climate resilience or sustainable mobility, nor is there a major project that cannot boast top-level environmental and/or energy performance, duly certified even when it plans to replace a tree-lined park of more than 50,000 square metres with green roofs on a shopping centre (for example, San Siro in Milan). Greenwashing operations often characterise the private actions of real estate operators, in the absence of checks and controls by the public authorities. The public works sector has long been searching for a better balance of time, cost and quality of works. «A long journey, which has allowed for advances […] and regulatory innovations during the Nineties» (Schiaffonati, 2006) and which, after thirty years of conjunctural measures (suspensions, temporary derogations, emergency decrees, special procedures and competences, variations of thresholds, etc.1) has led to the new Procurement Code (legislative decree no. 36/2023). It features a text of more than 150,000 words, to which the regulatory and procedural innovations introduced by the PNRR must be added, with the related set of regulations, guidelines, explanatory circulars, protocols and technical instructions2. It is a seemingly unstoppable process of continuous correction and integration to reform the reform, in the absence of the indispensable monitoring activity that should, instead, verify and assess the effects of the application of the regulation to correctly finalise its amendment. Nevertheless, there has been no lack of significant precedents in this regard, as in the case of the French experimentation of the Spinetta Law on construction insurance systems3. If we apply to the standard the historical notion of “quality as fitness for intended use” (Juran, 1951), or to the more recent notion of «the set of properties and characteristics of a product or service that provide the capacity to satisfy expressed or implicit needs» (UNI EN ISO 8402:1995), it clearly appears that the challenge to be faced concerns not so much or only regulatory and administrative simplification, or the replacement of redundant, obsolete or unjustified regulations, but precisely the “quality of regulation”. A direction undertaken since 2001 by OECD and Apec countries with a Regulatory Reform (reference criteria to ensure quality and transparency in regulatory activity), in line with the obligation to formulate rules that are conceptually and semantically precise, clear and comprehensible in the terms used, in the objectives set, in the required behaviour (Constitutional Court, ruling no. 364 of 1988) and, above all, with contents derived from consensual and shared planning (Raveraira, 2009). Responsibility, consensus and collaboration are, I believe, the key words to possibly rethink the relationship between design and regulation. In fact, I agree with Marco Dugato’s observation in this Dossier when he argues that «the fault of normative hypertrophy cannot be attributed to the omnipotence of the regulator by itself, rather it is attributable to the contribution of the ones regulated». If it is true that architectural design is constrained by regulations, it certainly cannot be mechanically determined by them for mere reasons of conformity. Conversely, as Maria Chiara Torricelli emphasises again in the Dossier, the norm is a tool that provides valid and shared knowledge to the project; and the project itself, as a projective activity, contributes proactively to its definition. There are many examples spanning technical directives regulating the implementation cycles of the INA Casa, the result of design research in support of the political project, and the various procedural and meta design regulations derived from research in the Architectural Technology Field. Such design experiences have unfolded in an experimental manner, in derogation of the regulations and leading to their renewal. Instead, deductive design approaches seem to prevail today, due to the growing availability of algorithmic procedures that do not merely support the design process, but develop it in an almost automated manner through conditioning and prevailing indicators and parameters. These tools legitimise choices where conformity to the standard acts as a screen for the assumption of precise responsibilities. There is a conceptual and operational reversal with respect to creative, responsibly inductive design action, which experiments and innovates, putting the principles of adequate performance and compliance with needs over the criteria of formal conformity. This is evident in the relationship between technical regulations and techno-typological innovation for evolutions that move the parameters of regulatory congruity “forward”, but sometimes even “sideways”. This also counteracts the phenomena of norm obsolescence. In consideration of the pervasiveness of the regulatory systems that rule design action, it is, finally, disturbing to observe the very limited importance assigned to this subject in the education of new designers. The didactics of design, which have long been the focus of Architecture studies, rarely envisage a structured discussion on regulatory and normative aspects, leaving them to the discretion of professors. Hence, at the end of the course, a large proportion of students have never heard about the Code of Procurement, environmental impact assessment or minimum environmental criteria… Whereas it is, instead, essential to solicit, from the first year, critical attention to the normative paradigm, also for the ethical, social and professional responsibilities it entails, and to encourage the assumption of norms and constraints as factors that nourish the entire design process. The norm thus becomes a «tool for guiding and controlling design choices», which as such «must be assumed in the organisation of the starting data» (Del Nord, 1992). Not to mention the need for qualifying training programmes, as Mario Avagnina points out, so that all those involved in the process, particularly public clients, are able to carry out their tasks. The objective is far from being achieved, and «necessarily passes through the training of the figures involved, starting with the RUPs». Figures characterised not only by technical knowledge of the building process and its rules, but also by a culture of standards and conscious responsibility that can only derive from a design practice, which is continually verified in the real context, and by design actions based on an experimental method that aims to face the issues of society. Figures characterised not only by technical know-how of the building process and its rules, but also by a culture of standards and conscious responsibility, which can only derive from a practice continually verified by comparison with reality, and by design actions marked by an experimental method that finds its arguments in taking on the problems of society.

Given the dominant agribusiness and economic model that has had adverse effects within local food systems around the world, various organizational experiences have been formed within the framework of social economy and fair trade. Since the end of the decade of the 90’s, in Mexico the emergence of local markets begins whose objective is to promote forms of organic production and healthy food and which, in turn, promote responsible consumption with the natural and social environment at the territorial level. In this work we reflect the different experiences of agroecological markets in central Mexico such as: Tianguis Organic Chapingo, Tianguis Alternativo of Puebla, Mercado Maculli Teotzin, Tianguis del Mayab, and Tianguis Agroecológico of José María Morelos. We expose under the focus of solidarity economy and responsible consumption, intermediation processes, participatory certification, as well as the challenges of these markets. The objective of this paper is to analyze and make visible some of the characteristics, challenges and virtues offered by these experiences around the supply of healthy foods, the consolidation of marketing channels, the recovery of physical and symbolic spaces for the exchange of products, dialogues, strategies and links, among others. For this, the contributions of the solidarity economy that puts work and the human being at the center of the discussion, are recovered, to have a positive impact on the quality of life of its participants, and thus reconfigure the social and economic relations that are showed among the different actors.

The ubiquity of microplastics ecosystems has gained global attention. In this context, Latin America, which is responsible for 8% of the world’s consumption of plastic material and has a small recycling rate (4.5%), does not have enough data on microplastics contamination in its environmental matrices. This systematic review analyzed 196 studies from 16 territorials in Latin America and provided information about the current state of knowledge regarding the abundance, distribution, and associated impact of microplastics in different matrices. This review also describes the analytical procedures of sampling, extraction, identification, and characterization methodologies adopted by the literature review. The analysis shows that most of the studies that investigate microplastics abundance were carried out in the marine environment (59%), and there is an insufficient investigation on microplastics abundance in freshwater bodies (16%). Among all the studies, the highest microplastics concentration was observed in regions with high population density and/or in locations without proper sanitation and solid waste management. Additionally, the difference among microplastics abundance in the studies might be associated with the different analytical procedures employed to investigate microplastics. Lastly, knowledge gaps are identified, and recommendations are proposed to guide future studies on microplastics contamination.

The exponential nature of technological and product innovation in synergy with digital transformation presents new, breakthrough and often unpredictable opportunities for industrial development. It reshapes the existing economic structure, transforming or disrupting traditional industries, and updating the labor market and workforce requirements. The paper is concerned with the factors that drive changes in modern post-industrial society. It discusses the competition brought about by innovation, consumers' rising expectations regarding value proposition and responsible consumption, and the resulting need for expertise and creativity. The study examines that the shift towards knowledge-intensive and information-based production necessitates workers with new skill sets, displaces routine, low- and often medium-skilled labor, and requires proficiency in digital environments, resulting in challenges in adapting to new working conditions. The company's intellectual potential depends on its human resources, which increases the importance of education, including the implementation of the concept of lifelong learning. The current state strategy aims to activate human development and increase the proportion of human capital in national wealth. Using the methods of observation, analysis, comparison and synthesis the relevance of higher education institutions (HEI) as pivotal actors in the formation of human potential is investigated. The opportunities and means by which HEIs can contribute to human development and training of quality intellectual potential are highlighted.The ways of development of the university as an educational-scientific-innovative complex by creating a flexible and in-demand educational proposal, implementation and transfer of scientific research and innovation, as well as cultural and educational activity, and integrating into the international scientific and educational system are defined. The article emphasizes how the cooperation between universities and stakeholders, including labor market partnerships, the formation of horizontal cluster entities involving the business ecosystem, public authorities, and local government, contribute significantly to innovation transfer and sustainable territorial development.