TY - JOUR A1 - Assen, Louisa T1 - Digitalization as a Provider of Sustainability? BT - The Role and Acceptance of Digital Technologies in Fashion Stores JF - Sustainability N2 - Digitalization, as well as sustainability, are gaining increased relevance and have attracted significant attention in research and practice. However, the research already published about this topic examining digitalization in the retail sector does not consider the acceptance of related innovations, nor their impact on sustainability. Therefore, this article critically analyzes the acceptance of customers towards digital technologies in fashion stores as well as their impact on sustainability in the textile industry. The comprehensive analysis of the literature and the current state of research provide the basis of this paper. Theoretical models, such as the Technology-Acceptance-Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT 2) enable the evaluation of expectations and acceptance, as well as the assessment of possible inhibitory factors for the subsequent descriptive and statistical examination of the acceptance of digital technologies in fashion stores. The research on this subject was examined in a quantitative way. The key findings show that customers do accept digital technologies in fashion stores. The final part of this contribution describes the innovative Digitalization 4 Sustainability Framework which shows that digital technologies at the point of sale (PoS) in fashion stores could have a positive impact on sustainability. Overall, this paper shows that it is particularly important for fashion stores to concentrate on their individual strengths and customer needs as well as to indicate a more sustainable way by using digital technologies, in order to achieve added value for the customers and to set themselves apart from the competition while designing a more sustainable future. Moreover, fashion stores should make it a point of their honor to harness the power of digitalization for sake of sustainability and economic value creation. KW - sustainability KW - digital technologies KW - customer acceptance KW - fashion industry Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054621 SN - 2071-1050 VL - 15 IS - 5 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Khaw, Khai Wah A1 - Camilleri, Mark A1 - Tiberius, Victor A1 - Alnoor, Alhamzah A1 - Zaidan, Ali Shakir T1 - Benchmarking electric power companies' sustainability and circular economy behaviors BT - using a hybrid PLS-SEM and MCDM approach JF - Environment, development and sustainability N2 - This research examines the impact of firms’ decision-making, crisis management, and risk-taking behaviors on their sustainability and circular economy behaviors through the mediating role of their eco-innovation behavior in the energy industry in Iraq. Firms are exploring applicable mechanisms to increase green practices. This requires the industry to possess the essential skills to overcome the challenges that reduce sustainable activities. We applied a dual-stage structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach to explore the linear relationships between variables, determine the weight of the criteria, and rank energy companies based on a circular economy. The online questionnaire was sent to 549 managers and heads of departments of Iraqi electric power companies. Out of these, 384 questionnaires were collected. The results indicate that firms’ crisis management, decision-making, and risk-taking behaviors are significantly and positively linked to their eco-innovation behavior. This study confirms the significant and positive impact of firms’ eco-innovation behavior on their sustainability and circular economy behaviors. Likewise, eco-innovation behavior has a fully mediating role. For the MCDM methods, ranking energy companies according to the circular economy can support policymakers’ decisions to renew contracts with leading companies in the ranking. Practitioners can also impose government regulations on low-ranked companies. Thus, governments can reduce the problems of greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental pollution. KW - eco-innovation KW - circular economy KW - crisis management KW - decision-making KW - risk-taking KW - sustainability Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-02975-x SN - 1387-585X SN - 1573-2975 VL - 35 PB - Springer CY - Dordrecht ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Balderjahn, Ingo A1 - Appenfeller, Dennis T1 - A social marketing approach to voluntary simplicity BT - communicating to consume less JF - Sustainability N2 - Higher eco-efficiency will not be enough to slow global warming caused by climate change. To keep global warming to 2 degrees, people also need to reduce their consumption. At present, however, many who would be able to do so seem unwilling to comply. Given the threats of a runaway climate change, urgent measures are needed to promote less personal consumption. This study, therefore, examines whether social marketing consume-less appeals can be used to encourage consumers to voluntarily abstain from consumption. As part of an online experiment with nearly 2000 randomly sampled users of an online platform for sustainable consumption, we tested the effectiveness of five different “consume-less” appeals based on traditional advertising formats (including emotional, informational, and social claims). The study shows that consume-less appeals are capable of limiting personal desire to buy. However, significant differences in the effectiveness of the appeal formats used in this study were observed. In addition, we found evidence of rebound effects, which leads us to critically evaluate the overall potential of social marketing to promote more resource-conserving lifestyles. While commercial consumer-free appeals have previously been studied (e.g., Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacked”), this study on the effectiveness of non-commercial consume-free appeals is novel and provides new insights. KW - social marketing KW - voluntary simplicity KW - spending patterns KW - donation behavior KW - sustainability KW - randomized trial KW - rebound-effect Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032302 SN - 2071-1050 VL - 15 IS - 3 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tarazona Lizcano, Natalia Andrea A1 - Machatschek, Rainhard Gabriel A1 - Balcucho, Jennifer A1 - Castro-Mayorga, Jinneth Lorena A1 - Saldarriaga, Juan Francisco A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Opportunities and challenges for integrating the development of sustainable polymer materials within an international circular (bio)economy concept JF - MRS energy & sustainability : science & technology & socio-economics & policy N2 - The production and consumption of commodity polymers have been an indispensable part of the development of our modern society. Owing to their adjustable properties and variety of functions, polymer-based materials will continue playing important roles in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)s, defined by the United Nations, in key areas such as healthcare, transport, food preservation, construction, electronics, and water management. Considering the serious environmental crisis, generated by increasing consumption of plastics, leading-edge polymers need to incorporate two types of functions: Those that directly arise from the demands of the application (e.g. selective gas and liquid permeation, actuation or charge transport) and those that enable minimization of environmental harm, e.g., through prolongation of the functional lifetime, minimization of material usage, or through predictable disintegration into non-toxic fragments. Here, we give examples of how the incorporation of a thoughtful combination of properties/functions can enhance the sustainability of plastics ranging from material design to waste management. We focus on tools to measure and reduce the negative impacts of plastics on the environment throughout their life cycle, the use of renewable sources for their synthesis, the design of biodegradable and/or recyclable materials, and the use of biotechnological strategies for enzymatic recycling of plastics that fits into a circular bioeconomy. Finally, we discuss future applications for sustainable plastics with the aim to achieve the SDGs through international cooperation.
Leading-edge polymer-based materials for consumer and advanced applications are necessary to achieve sustainable development at a global scale. It is essential to understand how sustainability can be incorporated in these materials via green chemistry, the integration of bio-based building blocks from biorefineries, circular bioeconomy strategies, and combined smart and functional capabilities. KW - biomaterial KW - degradable KW - functional KW - life cycle assessment KW - renewable KW - sustainability Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1557/s43581-021-00015-7 SN - 2329-2229 SN - 2329-2237 VL - 9 IS - 1 SP - 28 EP - 34 PB - Springer Nature CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Puschmann, Anne-Katrin A1 - Lin, Chiao-I A1 - Wippert, Pia-Maria T1 - Sustainability of a motor control exercise intervention BT - Analysis of long-term effects in a low back pain study JF - Frontiers in sports and active living N2 - Development of chronic pain after a low back pain episode is associated with increased pain sensitivity, altered pain processing mechanisms and the influence of psychosocial factors. Although there is some evidence that multimodal therapy (such as behavioral or motor control therapy) may be an important therapeutic strategy, its long-term effect on pain reduction and psychosocial load is still unclear. Prospective longitudinal designs providing information about the extent of such possible long-term effects are missing. This study aims to investigate the long-term effects of a homebased uni- and multidisciplinary motor control exercise program on low back pain intensity, disability and psychosocial variables. 14 months after completion of a multicenter study comparing uni- and multidisciplinary exercise interventions, a sample of one study center (n = 154) was assessed once more. Participants filled in questionnaires regarding their low back pain symptoms (characteristic pain intensity and related disability), stress and vital exhaustion (short version of the Maastricht Vital Exhaustion Questionnaire), anxiety and depression experiences (the Hospital and Anxiety Depression Scale), and pain-related cognitions (the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire). Repeated measures mixed ANCOVAs were calculated to determine the long-term effects of the interventions on characteristic pain intensity and disability as well as on the psychosocial variables. Fifty four percent of the sub-sample responded to the questionnaires (n = 84). Longitudinal analyses revealed a significant long-term effect of the exercise intervention on pain disability. The multidisciplinary group missed statistical significance yet showed a medium sized long-term effect. The groups did not differ in their changes of the psychosocial variables of interest. There was evidence of long-term effects of the interventions on pain-related disability, but there was no effect on the other variables of interest. This may be partially explained by participant's low comorbidities at baseline. Results are important regarding costless homebased alternatives for back pain patients and prevention tasks. Furthermore, this study closes the gap of missing long-term effect analysis in this field. KW - MiSpEx KW - low back pain KW - long-term effects KW - multidisciplinary intervention KW - sustainability Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2021.659982 SN - 2624-9367 VL - 3 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne, Schweiz ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Soergel, Bjoern A1 - Kriegler, Elmar A1 - Weindl, Isabelle A1 - Rauner, Sebastian A1 - Dirnaichner, Alois A1 - Ruhe, Constantin A1 - Hofmann, Matthias A1 - Bauer, Nico A1 - Bertram, Christoph A1 - Bodirsky, Benjamin Leon A1 - Leimbach, Marian A1 - Leininger, Julia A1 - Levesque, Antoine A1 - Luderer, Gunnar A1 - Pehl, Michaja A1 - Wingens, Christopher A1 - Baumstark, Lavinia A1 - Beier, Felicitas A1 - Dietrich, Jan Philipp A1 - Humpenöder, Florian A1 - von Jeetze, Patrick A1 - Klein, David A1 - Koch, Johannes A1 - Pietzcker, Robert C. A1 - Strefler, Jessica A1 - Lotze-Campen, Hermann A1 - Popp, Alexander T1 - A sustainable development pathway for climate action within the UN 2030 Agenda JF - Nature climate change N2 - Ambitious climate policies, as well as economic development, education, technological progress and less resource-intensive lifestyles, are crucial elements for progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, using an integrated modelling framework covering 56 indicators or proxies across all 17 SDGs, we show that they are insufficient to reach the targets. An additional sustainable development package, including international climate finance, progressive redistribution of carbon pricing revenues, sufficient and healthy nutrition and improved access to modern energy, enables a more comprehensive sustainable development pathway. We quantify climate and SDG outcomes, showing that these interventions substantially boost progress towards many aspects of the UN Agenda 2030 and simultaneously facilitate reaching ambitious climate targets. Nonetheless, several important gaps remain; for example, with respect to the eradication of extreme poverty (180 million people remaining in 2030). These gaps can be closed by 2050 for many SDGs while also respecting the 1.5 °C target and several other planetary boundaries. KW - climate-change mitigation KW - climate-change policy KW - socioeconomic scenarios KW - sustainability Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01098-3 SN - 1758-678X SN - 1758-6798 VL - 11 IS - 8 SP - 656 EP - 664 PB - Nature Publishing Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beier, Grischa A1 - Ullrich, André A1 - Niehoff, Silke A1 - Reißig, Malte A1 - Habich, Matthias T1 - Industry 4.0 BT - how it is defined from a sociotechnical perspective and how much sustainability it includes - a literature review JF - Journal of cleaner production N2 - Industry 4.0 has had a strong influence on the debate on the digitalization of industrial processes, despite being criticized for lacking a proper definition. However, Industry 4.0 might offer a huge chance to align the goals of a sustainable development with the ongoing digital transformation in industrial development. The main contribution of this paper is therefore twofold. We provide a de-facto definition of the concept "Industry 4.0" from a sociotechnical perspective based on its most often cited key features, as well as a thorough review of how far the concept of sustainability is incorporated in it. KW - sustainability KW - digitalization KW - manufacturing KW - Industry 4.0 KW - definition KW - sociotechnical approach Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120856 SN - 0959-6526 SN - 1879-1786 VL - 259 PB - Elsevier Science CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kawasaki, Yui A1 - Akamatsu, Rie A1 - Omori, Mika A1 - Sugawara, Masumi A1 - Yamazaki, Yoko A1 - Matsumoto, Satoko A1 - Fujiwara, Yoko A1 - Iwakabe, Shigeru A1 - Kobayashi, Tetsuyuki T1 - Development and validation of the Expanded Mindful Eating Scale JF - International journal of health care quality assurance N2 - Purpose To develop and validate the Expanded Mindful Eating Scale (EMES), an expanded mindful eating model created for the promotion of health and sustainability. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study using self-administered questionnaire surveys on Ochanomizu Health Study (OHS) was conducted. The survey was provided to 1,388 female university students in Tokyo, Japan. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and a partial correlation analysis were used to confirm construct and criterion validity. Internal consistency of the EMES was confirmed to calculate Cronbach's alpha. Findings The response rate was 38.7 % (n = 537). Mean BMI was 20.21 +/- 2.12, and 18.8% of them were classified as "lean" (BMI < 18.5). The authors listed 25 items and obtained a final factor structure of five factors and 20 items, as a result of EFA. Through CFA, the authors obtained the following fit indices for a final model: GFI = 0.914, AGFI = 0.890, CFI = 0.870 and RMSEA = 0.061. The total EMES score was significantly correlated with BMI, mindfulness, body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness and life satisfaction (r = -0.138, -0.315, -0.339, -0.281 and 0.149,p < 0.01, respectively). Cronbach's alpha for all items in this scale was 0.687. Practical implications The authors suggest the possibility that practitioners and researchers of mindful eating that includes this new concept can use authors' novel scale as an effective measurement tool. Originality/value The EMES, which can multidimensionally measure the concept of the expanded model of mindful eating was first developed in this study. KW - sustainability KW - scale development KW - university students KW - nutrition KW - education KW - health of the planet KW - mindful eating Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-01-2020-0009 SN - 0952-6862 SN - 1758-6542 VL - 33 IS - 4-5 SP - 309 EP - 321 PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited CY - Bingley ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ilic, Ivan K. A1 - Tsouka, Alexandra A1 - Perovic, Milena A1 - Hwang, Jinyeon A1 - Heil, Tobias A1 - Löffler, Felix A1 - Oschatz, Martin A1 - Antonietti, Markus A1 - Liedel, Clemens T1 - Sustainable cathodes for Lithium-ion energy storage devices based on tannic acid-toward ecofriendly energy storage JF - Advanced sustainable systems N2 - The use of organic materials with reversible redox activity holds enormous potential for next-generation Li-ion energy storage devices. Yet, most candidates are not truly sustainable, i.e., not derived from renewable feedstock or made in benign reactions. Here an attempt is reported to resolve this issue by synthesizing an organic cathode material from tannic acid and microporous carbon derived from biomass. All constituents, including the redox-active material and conductive carbon additive, are made from renewable resources. Using a simple, sustainable fabrication method, a hybrid material is formed. The low cost and ecofriendly material shows outstanding performance with a capacity of 108 mAh g(-1) at 0.1 A g(-1) and low capacity fading, retaining approximately 80% of the maximum capacity after 90 cycles. With approximately 3.4 V versus Li+/Li, the cells also feature one of the highest reversible redox potentials reported for biomolecular cathodes. Finally, the quinone-catecholate redox mechanism responsible for the high capacity of tannic acid is confirmed by electrochemical characterization of a model compound similar to tannic acid but without catecholic groups. KW - biomass KW - electrochemistry KW - energy storage KW - redox chemistry KW - sustainability KW - tannic acid Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/adsu.202000206 SN - 2366-7486 VL - 5 IS - 1 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ziesemer, Florence A1 - Hüttel, Alexandra A1 - Balderjahn, Ingo T1 - Anti-Consumption JF - Sustainability N2 - Transcending the conventional debate around efficiency in sustainable consumption, anti-consumption patterns leading to decreased levels of material consumption have been gaining importance. Change agents are crucial for the promotion of such patterns, so there may be lessons for governance interventions that can be learnt from the every-day experiences of those who actively implement and promote sustainability in the field of anti-consumption. Eighteen social innovation pioneers, who engage in and diffuse practices of voluntary simplicity and collaborative consumption as sustainable options of anti-consumption share their knowledge and personal insights in expert interviews for this research. Our qualitative content analysis reveals drivers, barriers, and governance strategies to strengthen anti-consumption patterns, which are negotiated between the market, the state, and civil society. Recommendations derived from the interviews concern entrepreneurship, municipal infrastructures in support of local grassroots projects, regulative policy measures, more positive communication to strengthen the visibility of initiatives and emphasize individual benefits, establishing a sense of community, anti-consumer activism, and education. We argue for complementary action between top-down strategies, bottom-up initiatives, corporate activities, and consumer behavior. The results are valuable to researchers, activists, marketers, and policymakers who seek to enhance their understanding of materially reduced consumption patterns based on the real-life experiences of active pioneers in the field. KW - social innovation KW - sufficiency KW - collaborative consumption KW - expert interview KW - consumer behavior KW - sustainability KW - innovation policy KW - governance for sustainable development KW - consumer education Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236663 SN - 2071-1050 VL - 11 IS - 23 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER -