Saeid Karimi , Fatemeh Mohammadi , Ahmad Yaghoubi Farani
{"title":"Corporate social responsibility and green dynamic capabilities as drivers of environmental performance in volatile contexts","authors":"Saeid Karimi , Fatemeh Mohammadi , Ahmad Yaghoubi Farani","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2026.100396","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2026.100396","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The relevance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to business operations is widely acknowledged; however, the mechanisms and circumstances under which CSR enhances environmental performance in small enterprises—especially in developing economies—remain insufficiently understood. Grounded in the perspectives of dynamic capabilities and the natural resource-based view, this research investigates how CSR influences environmental performance through the development of green dynamic capabilities. Moreover, it considers contextual volatility as a contextual factor that moderates the relationship between green dynamic capabilities and environmental performance. Empirical evidence was obtained via survey data collected from 103 greenhouse managers in Iran. Findings from structural equation modeling demonstrate a direct positive link between CSR and environmental performance. In addition, CSR promotes the development of green dynamic capabilities, which subsequently foster improved environmental outcomes. Nevertheless, when contextual volatility is high, the beneficial effect of green dynamic capabilities on environmental performance diminishes. These results underscore CSR's strategic value for small firms in resource-limited contexts. For policymakers, the study suggests providing incentives to encourage CSR practices, while managers are advised to strengthen green dynamic capabilities to maintain environmental progress in volatile markets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100396"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147395690","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ao Kang , Ying Huang , Jiajing Li , Xinyu Lin , Xiaoyu Gan
{"title":"How to harmonize the ecological security pattern and economic production space of the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration? A Study on Sustainable Development Modeling","authors":"Ao Kang , Ying Huang , Jiajing Li , Xinyu Lin , Xiaoyu Gan","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2026.100401","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2026.100401","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sustainable urban agglomerations aim to provide ecologically sound and economically thriving environments for human habitation. The construction of ecological security pattern (ESP) can effectively coordinate the relationship between ecological preservation and economic development. However, the traditional research of ESP has not considered enough economic production activities. This study uses the 2021 Chengdu-Chongqing Urban Agglomeration (CCUA) as a case study. It introduces an industrial measurement based on machine learning to characterize the economic production pattern (EPP) in the context of ESP, and establishes a sustainable development pattern (SDP) by resolving conflicts between ESP and EPP on the same map. The results showed that: (1) The ESP of the CCUA was characterized by “external encirclement and internal linkage”. (2) The EPP of the CCUA presented the characteristics of “dual-core drive, axis series connection”. (3) Ecological-economic conflicts are mainly reflected in the vulnerability of low-grade ecological resources to economic activities and the serious ecological issues in economically active areas. (4) Finally, the construction of the SDP of “one Development Main Axis, two Economic Development Cores, two Industrial Development Belts, five Ecological Axis and five Ecological Barrier Areas” can promote coordination of ecological preservation and economic development. The research results of this paper bring a new perspective and new ideas for the study of ecological security pattern, including interdisciplinary integration, and multi-method integration, and the spatial characteristics shown can provide important reference opinions and strategic guidance for urban sustainable development planning and design more effectively.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100401"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147395486","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
R. Farhat , S.A.E. Boyer , A. Burr , M. Batistella , J.M. Lopez-Cuesta
{"title":"Eco-friendly Conductive biopolymer nanocomposites and Life Cycle Assessment: a review","authors":"R. Farhat , S.A.E. Boyer , A. Burr , M. Batistella , J.M. Lopez-Cuesta","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100383","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100383","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conductive bionanocomposites are attracting growing interest as multifunctional materials. They can meet the requirements of electrical applications while supporting sustainable development. This review summarizes recent research on bionanocomposites made from biopolymer matrices and carbon conductive fillers that can be processed by additive manufacturing. These materials offer several advantages, including reduced dependence on fossil resources, possibility of low-impact processing, minimized risks in case of dissemination, and satisfactory electrical properties with low amounts of conductive fillers. However, despite their “green' label, their actual environmental performance has not been fully demonstrated. Only a limited number of comprehensive Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) are available. This review discusses the potential of these materials, while underscoring the necessity for rigorous environmental analysis. Such assessments are essential to validate their sustainability from a circular economy perspective using LCA.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100383"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145750245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How does environmental regulation reshape global value chain resilience?","authors":"Ye Yang , Guiqin Xue","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2026.100395","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2026.100395","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Escalating ecological challenges, such as global warming and environmental pollution, have made carbon emission control and enhanced environmental governance global priorities. Concurrently, growing external uncertainties have intensified instability in global value chains (GVCs), causing disruptions like bottlenecks and breakdowns. This study measures GVC resilience using input-output data from the OECD-ICIO database (2000–2020) and applies a country-industry-year fixed-effects model to investigate how environmental regulations—aimed at reducing pollution and carbon emissions—influence GVC resilience. Results show that environmental regulation exerts dual effects: it reduces GVC volatility but increases security risks. Further analysis reveals that these regulations weaken GVC resilience mainly by raising costs and hindering technological innovation, while they improve stability through trade facilitation (though at the cost of security). Notably, improved energy efficiency strengthens GVC resilience. This research provides theoretical insights and policy implications for enhancing GVC resilience via environmental regulation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100395"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145938434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lucas Riondet , Maud Rio , Véronique Perrot-Bernardet , Peggy Zwolinski
{"title":"Environmental assessment for upscaling: an LCA-based eco-design process for design teams","authors":"Lucas Riondet , Maud Rio , Véronique Perrot-Bernardet , Peggy Zwolinski","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2026.100398","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2026.100398","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The upscaling of technologies is a socio-technical phenomenon covering technological development and deployment in society to meet societal imperatives (<em>e.g.</em> sustainability). It is characterized by five archetypes, each encompassing specific design practices and models referring to a great variety of consequences on industrial systems. However, these upscaling archetypes are not addressed in current eco-design practices, and even less so in a unified way. This research paper, based on a literature review on LCA, upscaling, and eco-design, presents a new LCA-based design process, titled <em>Environmental Assessment for Upscaling</em> (EAU). This methodological contribution constitutes upscaling environmental assessment guidelines for design team stakeholders (<em>e.g.</em> technical expert, lifecycle expert, company manager). Its originality is to propose a structure favouring the emergence of an accurate consideration of the environmental aspects of the upscaling with an aggregated approach of the upscaling archetype modelling. The EAU process clarifies the main points of interest in the LCA practices related to upscaling assessment from various LCA communities. This methodology follows six necessary steps, and relies on original and interlinked categories of upscaling parameters, enabling design teams to consider the upscaling as a whole during the eco-design process. Four additional resources to guide design team stakeholder collaboration are presented in parallel, with a focus on lifecycle engineering. Finally, the operationalization of the EAU process is discussed considering the LCA standard as a vector of integration in companies. Reinforcing the EAU process’ use could help design teams manage sustainability consistently and support the necessary ecological shifts at the company level.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100398"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147395587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicolas Rogy , Agata Sferratore , Nicolas Géhéniau , Arnaud Hélias , Eléonore Loiseau
{"title":"Exploring the environmental performance of agricultural land planning scenarios over time in a context of climate change","authors":"Nicolas Rogy , Agata Sferratore , Nicolas Géhéniau , Arnaud Hélias , Eléonore Loiseau","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2026.100397","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2026.100397","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Agricultural areas are faced with the dual challenge of reducing their environmental impacts while adapting to climate change. Adaptations rely on strategies such as irrigation or cultivated crop diversification, whose environmental performance over time is affected by climate change. Such environmental performance can be studied by combining Territorial Life Cycle Assessment (T-LCA) with crop modeling. However, the identification of optimal planning scenarios within the multiplicity of adaptation possibilities that could be assessed hinder the use of classical scenario analyses that could be costly in computing time and not rigorous enough to cover every scenario. Therefore, a methodology coupling experimental design with T-LCA and crop modeling is conceived to investigate the environmental performance of various agricultural planning scenarios in a climate change context. The usefulness of this methodology is proven through a theoretical case study of an agricultural territory using different crop combinations, with or without irrigation, within the context of the worst-case IPCC scenario of climate change (SSP5-8.5). Environmental performance is quantified with eco-efficiency. Eco-efficiency means values and variabilities are calculated over the next 30 years to identify scenarios maintaining highest performance over time. The proposed innovative coupling enables a full investigation of the environmental performance of agricultural land management scenarios integrating different modalities. This study demonstrates that under low interannual variability of fertilisation practices, irrigation and crop diversity contribute to the stabilisation of environmental performance related to the impacts on climate change. Further developments are required for a more robust modelling of agro-ecosystem functioning for application to real-world cases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100397"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Environmental and economic feasibility of reusable container system for food delivery service in Seoul, South Korea","authors":"Shin Young Kang , SeWon Park","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100385","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100385","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The food delivery market has been continuously expanding due to convenience and advancements in mobile technology. However, as a result, the use of single-use plastic packaging has surged, further exacerbating waste management issues due to low recycling rates. To address this challenge, this study establishes a reusable container system as an alternative to single-use packaging in restaurant delivery services and evaluates its feasibility through real-world application. In particular, in addition to the commonly adopted doorstep collection method in Korea, a drop-off collection system was introduced as a pilot system to assess its effectiveness in Seoul. To examine its practical feasibility, this study analyzes the environmental and economic impacts throughout the entire food delivery process and determines the minimum number of reuses required for reusable containers to become more beneficial than single-use alternatives. The findings suggest that, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the drop-off collection method reaches an environmental break-even point after an average of 4.6 uses, while from an economic perspective, cost savings are observed after an average of 24 uses. Moreover, due to its higher collection efficiency, the drop-off collection method demonstrates superior environmental and economic advantages over the doorstep collection method. This study quantitatively validates the practical benefits of reusable containers over single-use packaging in food delivery services and is anticipated to serve as a foundation for scalable business model development in Seoul and other major cities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100385"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145938438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maria Lívia Real de Almeida , Tooba I. Qureshi , Anubhuti Bhatnagar , Kirsi Niinimäki , Luana Dessbesell
{"title":"Sustainability indicators for accelerating the production of man-made cellulosic fibers","authors":"Maria Lívia Real de Almeida , Tooba I. Qureshi , Anubhuti Bhatnagar , Kirsi Niinimäki , Luana Dessbesell","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100391","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100391","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Man-made cellulosic fibers (MMCF) are a renewable alternative to fossil-based synthetic fibers due to potentially reduced environmental impacts and competitive properties in comparison to other fibers commercially available such as cotton. Although significant research is done on enhancing the technical properties and production of MMCF, the successful commercial implementation relies on sustainable (economic, environmental and social) upscaling of MMCF production. Therefore, this study examines publications focusing on techno-economic, environmental and social assessments of MMCF to identify potential sustainability indicators to support the upscaling of MMCF. There are a limited number of peer-reviewed studies entailing the economic and social domains of MMCF sustainability. Environmental impacts have been evaluated more frequently. The economic barriers were reported to be the price of dissolving pulp, solvent recovery, capital expenditure, and energy consumption. 19 papers were found covering environmental sustainability, most of them applying LCA from cradle to gate for fiber production. Environmental impact assessments show that the most significant potential impacts were greenhouse gas emissions, water use, abiotic resource use, eutrophication, acidification and change in land use. It was possible to identify the indicators that occur in more than one domain of sustainability such as energy and water consumption, resource use and chemicals recyclability. However, none of the studies identified has focused on indicators that include all three domains. Further studies on economic and social sustainability coupled with environmental sustainability could support the identification of robust indicators, tradeoffs and support paving the way to sustainable upscaling of MMCF.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100391"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145938437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wenbo Hu , Marta Fernández-Olmos , Nicolás Depetris-Chauvin
{"title":"Quality over quantity: The role of digital adoption depth in driving firm flexibility and sustainability","authors":"Wenbo Hu , Marta Fernández-Olmos , Nicolás Depetris-Chauvin","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2026.100399","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2026.100399","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates why digital transformation often leads to inconsistent results in traditional industries. While many assume that technology always improves performance, most research relies on simple \"checklists\" of technology adoption (breadth). We challenge this view by distinguishing between digital adoption depth (strategic integration) and breadth (simple accumulation). Using data from 321 Spanish wineries and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling, we test whether production process flexibility, viewed as a dynamic capability, is the link between digital tools and firm performance. Our findings reveal a sharp contrast: digital depth is a strong predictor of flexibility and clean production, while breadth is largely ineffective. We establish that strategic integration, not mere acquisition, is the true driver of value in digitalization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100399"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}