Sustainable Futures最新文献

{"title":"The impact of nature relatedness on carbon labeling type selection and willingness to pay a carbon premium","authors":"Yu Yao,&nbsp;Xiaoxiao He,&nbsp;Zhenhua Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100790","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100790","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Currently, carbon emissions are the primary driver of the global greenhouse gas effect, closely linked to daily consumption activities. Low-carbon consumption has emerged as a critical component of the low-carbon economy. Carbon labels were introduced to guide consumers toward more sustainable choices. By enhancing access to environmental-friendly information, carbon labeling mitigates the asymmetry of carbon-related information between consumers and manufacturers. Additionally, as a guiding social norm, it contributes to fostering a culture of low-carbon consumption. This study analyzes the impact of carbon labels on consumers’ low-carbon purchasing decisions by categorizing them into numerical and non-numerical types. Utilizing an incremental dual-pronged experimental design, we explore the interplay among consumers’ nature relatedness, the perceived value of carbon labels, trust levels in these labels, preferences for label types, and the willingness to pay a premium for carbon-labeled products. The experimental results indicate that consumers’ environmental attitudes - nature relatedness, significantly influence their willingness to purchase low-carbon products, higher levels of nature relatedness are positively associated with an increased likelihood of selecting carbon-labeled products, especially those featuring numerical carbon labels. Furthermore, the perceived value of carbon labels and the degree of trust in these labels serve as dual mediators between nature relatedness and the willingness to choose and pay a premium for carbon-labeled goods. Interestingly, consumers demonstrate a higher willingness to pay a premium for non-numerical carbon labels compared to numerical ones. These findings offer valuable insights for Chinese enterprises looking to implement marketing strategies based on carbon labeling as they navigate the early stages of the low-carbon economy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34478,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Futures","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100790"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144290473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of technology transfer on food security in developing territories: a bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review","authors":"Edward Jhohan Marín-García ,&nbsp;Carlos Ocampo-López ,&nbsp;José Bestier Padilla Bejarano","doi":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100770","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100770","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Technology Transfer (TT) refers to the movement of technical knowledge between organizations, including tools, expertise, and capacities that are useful in new productive contexts. Based on this premise, this study presents a systematic literature review (SLR) and a bibliometric analysis to explore the relationship between technology transfer and food security in emerging territories during 2014–2024. The Scopus and Web of Science databases were used, selecting only scientific and review articles in English. The methodology included the use of R's \"Analyze Results\" and \"bibliometrix\" tools for bibliometric analysis, following the PRISMA 2020 declaration for the SLR. 393 articles were identified across both databases, with 52 duplicates. Of the remaining 337 texts, 72 fullfilled the PICO criteria, and 55 were finally selected, focusing on the impact of technology transfer on food security. The bibliometric results indicate that 76.9 % of the documents analyzed are scientific articles and 20.4 % are reviews. The countries with the highest production in this topic were the United States, China, India, Germany and Brazil, while the most represented areas were Agriculture, Biological Sciences, Development of Sciences and Social Sciences. Although these issues are fundamental, the analysis highlights limited development in emerging territories, evidencing technological and socioeconomic barriers. This work highlights the importance of strengthening technology transfer strategies to address food insecurity, promoting agricultural sustainability and resilience in the face of climate change. The findings offer a robust foundation for future research and the formulation of effective public policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34478,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Futures","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100770"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144271543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Promoting corporate sustainability: The effect of special economic zone policy on enterprises' digital transformation","authors":"Zeyang Bian,&nbsp;Ning Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100797","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100797","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Digital transformation (DT) is the core driving force for enterprises aiming to achieve sustainable development in the future. This paper investigates the impact of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) policy on DT. Prior research focused on economic returns, leaving DT effects underexplored. Utilizing data from Chinese listed enterprises spanning 1990 to 2020, this study employs a difference-in-differences (DID) approach to compare enterprises located in different treated regions before and after the implementation of SEZ policies. Our findings indicate a significant increase of 1.342 in DT attributable to these policy effects, driven by SEZ initiatives that reduce operating costs, alleviate financial constraints, and promote innovations. This study sheds new light on the effective external solutions in promoting corporate sustainability in terms of digital transformation, and provides new insights into non-monetary return of government industrial policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34478,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Futures","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100797"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144280990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Empowering micro and small enterprises in times of crisis: How human resources management skills and owned funds drive self-efficacy and continuity intention","authors":"Ali Saleh Alshebami","doi":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100791","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100791","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Business continuity for micro and small enterprises has been a critical challenge, especially under adverse conditions, that needs to be addressed. This study aims to understand the key factors strengthening entrepreneurial self-efficacy and business continuity during unfavourable times. In particular, this study investigates the role of human resources management skills and entrepreneur-owned funds in developing entrepreneurial self-efficacy among micro and small entrepreneurs and how this self-efficacy strengthens their intention to continue their businesses during adverse times. Accordingly, a sample of 300 responses from micro- and small-scale entrepreneurs was collected using an online questionnaire and on-site visits. Data analysis was completed using partial least squares-structural equation modelling. Human resources management skills showed a positive and significant influence on the intention to continue business and entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between the intention to continue business and human resources management skills. Furthermore, while entrepreneur-owned funds showed a non-significant relationship to the intention to continue the business, they showed a positive relationship with entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Finally, entrepreneurial self-efficacy could fully mediate the relationship between the intention to continue the business and the entrepreneur-owned funds and had a positive and significant direct relationship with the intention to continue the business. The paper confirms that policymakers need to focus on enhancing the human resources management skills among micro and small entrepreneurs as well as assist them in arranging and managing their owned funds, as this will contribute positively to strengthening their entrepreneurial self-efficacy during adverse times which in turn develop better intention to continue their businesses and better sustainability despite the challenges they face.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34478,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Futures","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100791"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144313624","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification of required stations for autonomous vehicles using AHP and TOPSIS method with GIS approach","authors":"Alireza Hoveidafard ,&nbsp;Sina Fard Moradinia ,&nbsp;Babak Golchin ,&nbsp;Ali Ghaffari","doi":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100755","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100755","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Autonomous vehicles (AVs) equipped with new technologies that replace the human driver and operate essential functions without human input. Current stations have simple structures that need to be re-evaluated for the use of AVs in future sustainable cities. As the aim of this study is to identify appropriate locations of stations for AVs, 53 existing stations were evaluated in Mashhad, Iran. The combination of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) analysis and Geographic Information System (GIS) software confirmed 15 of them based on considered criteria of accident rate, street width, population, traffic congestion, distances from stations and station density. Additionally, the mentioned criteria were ranked using TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method, and their weight were determined with the aid of AHP analysis. Finally, 9 Decision-Making Units (DMUs) were proposed for the construction of new AVs stations, and GIS maps indicated that these 9 stations meet the criteria more than others. In addition, the sensitivity analysis was specifically conducted using the Export Choice software to evaluate the robustness and stability of the model's results and to ensure their accuracy under different conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34478,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Futures","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100755"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144313711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Scientific monitoring, development of rapid diagnostic techniques or increase in public infrastructure? How to effectively deal with ancient viruses under glaciers as the climate warms up","authors":"Yu Gu","doi":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100706","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100706","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent years, scientists have discovered ancient viruses beneath glaciers. As the climate continues to warm, these ancient viruses are gradually released, posing a threat to global public health. The common response strategies to ancient viruses include scientific research monitoring, developing rapid diagnostic techniques, and expanding public infrastructure. To determine the appropriate scope for each of these response strategies, this article constructs three differential game models and compares and analyses the equilibrium results derived from the models. The study finds that when the benefit gained per unit of ancient virus addressed is low, the strategy of developing rapid diagnostic technologies yields the greatest societal benefit for governments. Conversely, when the benefit gained per unit of ancient virus addressed is high, the strategy of expanding public infrastructure enables governments to achieve the greatest societal benefits. If the costs of addressing ancient viruses and the benefits derived are high, then societal forces can obtain the greatest societal benefit under the scientific research monitoring strategy. Otherwise, societal forces can achieve the greatest societal benefit with the strategy of developing rapid diagnostic technologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34478,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Futures","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100706"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144488956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Infrastructure, knowledge and climate resilience technologies enhancing food security: Evidence from Northern Pakistan","authors":"Younas Khan ,&nbsp;Štefan Bojnec ,&nbsp;Umar Daraz","doi":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100769","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100769","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines how infrastructure deficits, socioeconomic disparities, and climate vulnerabilities collectively impact household food security in District Torghar, Northern Pakistan, through cross sectional approach. Data from 379 households were analyzed through descriptive statistics, chi-square test, multiple regression, and structural equation modeling. Three key findings emerge. First, infrastructural gaps – particularly in transportation and irrigation systems – impedes household food security by limiting market access and increasing post-harvest losses. Second, human capital plays a critical role: educated households adopt more climate-smart practices, while ageing farmers experience greater vulnerabilities due to limited adaptive capacity. Third, structural equation modeling analysis reveals that infrastructure improvements directly enhance household food security and indirectly mitigate climate risks by promoting income generation and irrigation access. The study advances a climate-infrastructure-social reproduction framework, demonstrating that synergistic investments in: (1) climate-resilient infrastructure (e.g., flood-proof roads, solar-powered storage), (2) digital extension services bridging indigenous and scientific knowledge, and (3) gender-sensitive social protection for gaining smallholders can break cycles of food insecurity. These findings propose a replicable Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)-nexus model where climate-resilient infrastructure (SDG 9) bridges food security (SDG 2) and climate action (SDG 13) through three levers: hardened physical systems, democratized knowledge networks, and intersectional social protection-offering a pattern for marginalized mountainous regions worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34478,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Futures","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100769"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144280912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"ENSO unleashed: Decoding energy consumption patterns across Nations","authors":"Alireza Olfati,&nbsp;Meysam Rafei ,&nbsp;Siab Mamipour","doi":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100764","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100764","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The intricate relationship between climate and energy consumption significantly impacts global sustainability and resilience. In this study, we address the critical gap in comprehensive research by examining the impact of El Niño and La Niña events on energy consumption across diverse nations. Our dynamic framework integrates 26 country/region-specific models estimated from historical data spanning 1979Q2 to 2023Q3. Employing the Global Vector Autoregressive (GVAR) model, we analyze the dynamic responses of energy consumption to El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) shocks, accounting for regional variations. During ENSO episodes, discernible patterns emerge: El Niño leads to increased energy consumption in countries such as Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Japan, USA, and Saudi Arabia, while Argentina, Brazil, Chile, India, Mexico, and South Africa experience reduced energy consumption due to La Niña. The European region shows negligible effects. Our findings have direct implications for policymakers and energy stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of informed decision-making during ENSO events. Economic, environmental, and energy security challenges underscore the need for proactive measures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34478,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Futures","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100764"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144281048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Digital platforms in Zero Emission Vehicle transition: A stakeholder engagement and policy strategy for the UK's net-zero future","authors":"Chuang Yu Ning","doi":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100682","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The digitalization of net zero strategies is integral to global commitments to achieve mid-century carbon neutrality, as set by the 2015 Paris Agreement. The UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has outlined a digital action plan to advance this goal. This plan aims to optimize energy use, integrate low-carbon technologies (such as solar panels, heat pumps, and electric vehicles), and promote flexible energy consumption through data-driven insights, benefiting consumers and supporting the net zero target. Central to this strategy is the concept of a “Just Transition,” which addresses the fiscal and social impacts of shifting to a low-carbon economy, ensuring disadvantaged communities and carbon-intensive industry workers are not left behind. This research emphasizes understanding the cost distribution of net zero pathways, fostering consensus among policymakers, and achieving equitable progress.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;However, the role of digital platforms in supporting net zero initiatives, particularly in promoting zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), remains underexplored. This study addresses this research gap by analyzing how digital platforms influence public opinion, policy formulation, and stakeholder coordination while identifying the potential of digital tools in mobilizing support and organizing efforts. The research employs methodologies such as Gephi network analysis, sentiment analysis, and content strategy assessment to quantify the impact of digital engagement. Key findings reveal that YouTube serves as the primary medium for narrative-driven ZEV promotion, while Platform X facilitates real-time policy discussions. Facebook (ERR: 6.2) and YouTube (ERR: 29.2) exhibit the highest engagement rates, whereas Instagram (ERR: 1.0) and X (ERR: 29.2) demonstrate varied effectiveness. Moreover, videos with text (&lt;em&gt;n&lt;/em&gt; = 136) emerge as the most engaging content format, followed by images with text (&lt;em&gt;n&lt;/em&gt; = 122), influencing platform-specific engagement strategies.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Stakeholder analysis reveals that government bodies, industry leaders, and tech providers act as central nodes in driving policy discourse on digital platforms. High modularity in engagement patterns indicates the formation of tightly connected stakeholder communities that shape public opinion and policymaking. Despite strong engagement, challenges such as data privacy, technological reliability, and equitable access persist. Addressing these barriers within the Just Transition framework is vital for inclusive participation in net zero policies. Aligned with the Fair and Just Transition, this study presents policy recommendations, including enhancing digital engagement with underrepresented groups, upskilling workers, promoting circular economy practices, integrating climate risks into strategies, and ensuring transparent progress measurement. These measures are critical for improving energy literacy, fostering public understanding, and advancing the UK’s net","PeriodicalId":34478,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Futures","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100682"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144366086","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soft skills and the use of industry 4.0 as determinants of professional development in engineering graduates: A SEM approach","authors":"Ronald Fernando Davila Laguna,&nbsp;Danny Lizarzaburu Aguinaga,&nbsp;Daniel Enrique Caceres Torres,&nbsp;Benito Armando Larroche Cueto","doi":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100742","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100742","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The accelerated adoption of emerging technologies linked to Industry 4.0 has reshaped professional environments, requiring engineering graduates to master advanced digital competencies while demonstrating well-developed soft skills. In Latin America, however, technological adoption is uneven, and the systematic development of soft skills remains insufficient within university curricula. This dual gap –technological proficiency and interpersonal competence– compromises the professional development of graduates, limiting their adaptability and career progression. This study investigates the combined influence of soft skills and the use of Industry 4.0 technologies on the professional development of Peruvian engineering graduates, incorporating psychological well-being as a mediating variable. Employing a quantitative, cross-sectional, explanatory design, data were collected from 301 graduates across engineering disciplines. Validated instruments assessed soft skills (communication, teamwork, adaptability, leadership, conflict resolution), technological use (digital competencies and enabling technologies), psychological well-being (self-acceptance, autonomy, positive relations, environmental mastery, personal growth, life purpose), and professional development (self-development, organizational commitment, human quality, openness to change). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), applied using the Lavaan package in R, confirmed a strong, significant relationship between soft skills, Industry 4.0 technologies, psychological well-being, and professional development. The final model showed excellent fit (CFI = 0.960; RMSEA = 0.068; SRMR = 0.056), providing robust evidence that technological and emotional competencies jointly enhance psychological resilience and career outcomes. The study contributes to competence theory, positive psychology, and Industry 4.0 literature, highlighting the importance of integrated education strategies that foster technical mastery, emotional intelligence, and adaptive well-being to prepare graduates for technologically intensive careers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34478,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Futures","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100742"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144338790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}