Progress in Industrial Ecology, An International Journal (10 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• The green plate revolution: understanding consumer willingness to embrace environmentally friendly food products  
  by Rolando Drogo, Álvaro Lopes Dias, Leandro F. Pereira 
  Abstract: Growing awareness of the impact of our eating habits on health and the environment makes it crucial for individuals to acquire knowledge, evaluate their daily consumption, and actively participate. This study investigated consumers’ perceptions of green products and their willingness to incorporate them into their dietary practices. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse survey data, revealing that health consciousness and trust in food integrity positively influence purchase intention through green environmental concerns. Additionally, perceived barriers that negatively affect purchase intention but are positively associated with confidence in product integrity were examined. The results demonstrate consumers’ willingness to embrace new messages that help overcome barriers to purchasing sustainable products, as well as the responsibility of companies to understand how to effectively promote environmental issues through tangible actions.
  Keywords: innovation; consumer perception; sustainable purchase; food habits.
  DOI: 10.1504/PIE.2023.10060644
   
  
• The future of gas stations: sustainability perspectives and trends  
  by Maria Gomes Peres, Leandro F. Pereira, Álvaro L. Dias, Jean-Baptiste Igonetti, Rui Vinhas Da Silva 
  Abstract: The use of vehicles powered by fossil fuels has a significant impact on the environment, as the process of extracting, transporting and burning them produces large amounts of CO2. At the same time, there is growing public dissatisfaction with the price of fossil fuels, as oil-importing countries are subject to market volatility and oil shocks. Consumers have made their calculations and believe that electric vehicles will be more economical in the long run. Both factors have contributed to the growing interest in alternative fuel cars. The research highlights the need for petrol stations to redefine their strategy and expand their business and revenue streams, and suggests some solutions to combat the fragility, risks and uncertainties of these markets.
  Keywords: sustainability; fossil fuels; CO2; electric vehicle; sustainable mobility; sustainable development; dynamic capabilities.
  DOI: 10.1504/PIE.2023.10061190
   
  
• Optimising centrifugal drying for moisture reduction in plastic waste: design of experiment and decision tree analysis approaches  
  by Iwan H. Sahputra, Debora Anne Yang Aysia, Ignasius J. Boediono 
  Abstract: This study aims to identify ways to reduce the moisture content of plastic waste by optimising the drying process. The ANOVA’s results show the number of cycles significantly affects the decrease in the moisture content. The mass flow rate and the interaction between the number of cycles and the mass flow rate do not affect the moisture content. The Tukey test shows two groups for the mass flow rate having a difference in moisture content when using the highest and the lowest mass flow rate. The Tukey test also shows that the number of cycles influences the moisture content. The decision tree model indicates that the number of cycles significantly affects the moisture content. The model also shows that the mass flow rate does not affect the moisture content at a lower number of cycles (?2). However, the mass flow rate significantly affects the moisture content in the case of a greater number of cycles (especially >4).
  Keywords: moisture content; plastic waste; centrifugal drying; design of experiment; decision tree.
  
  
• Operational excellence and supply chain leadership in a circular economy  
  by Ntise Hendrick Manchidi 
  Abstract: The appreciation of operational excellence (OE) and its economic value towards supply chain leadership (SCL) of a company in a circular economy (CE) is somewhat inadequate. This study engaged a qualitative research approach with open-ended interview schedule to collect data from a purposive sample of eight industry specialists in supply chain management (SCM), logistics, chemical and industrial engineering as well as production and manufacturing engineering (n = 8). Semi-structured interviewing was used in which the same questions were asked to seek subjective opinions on the importance and contribution of operational excellence to SCM and SCL and the understanding of SCM of companies in a CE. The findings establish that operational elements (human capital, process activation, conducive environment, and continuous improvement) and leadership elements (flexibility, strategic direction, tactical approach, long-term planning, awareness, and benchmarking) are the key drivers for organisations in a CE to attain OE and ultimately SCL.
  Keywords: operational excellence; OE; supply chain management; SCM; supply chain leadership; SCL; circular economy; CE.
  DOI: 10.1504/PIE.2024.10063214
   
  

Special Issue on: ICITED-23 and ICOTTS-23 Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development Biases and Upcoming Challenges and Opportunities

• Technology adoption in tourism: its relationship to the value chain and their stakeholders including host communities  
  by Marcia Ivonne Lara Silva, María Carolina Farfán, Luisa María Acosta, Luz Andrea Rodríguez Rojas, Edgar Jacinto Rincón 
  Abstract: The digital transformation and modernisation that the world is undergoing undoubtedly also applies to tourism. This includes a whole range of technologies that make it more efficient to build products that are more sensitive to travellers’ signals, as well as more empathetic to the possibilities of host communities, their natural environments, and other stakeholders. The volume and volatility of these technologies are high, making it a challenge to choose the best one to evolve, allowing one to recreate and imagine new scenarios towards previously unimagined experiences. For this purpose, the most used technologies in each of the links in the tourism value chain were mapped, concluding that the most used technologies are augmented reality, geolocation, big data, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence; the most representative actor being the tourist, in addition, absences of information were identified in actors such as the government and the host communities. Finally, we suggest thematic lines to continue with this research.
  Keywords: technology; tourism; digital transformation; sustainability; host community; tourism ecology; technology adoption; smart cities.
  DOI: 10.1504/PIE.2024.10061459
   
  
• Tourist mobility, correlational analysis regarding indicators related to sustainable development  
  by Bastián Gutiérrez, Cristian Cornejo, Paola Juica, Claudio Ruff, Marcelo Ruiz, Alexis Matheu, Ekaterina Shamaeva 
  Abstract: This study examines the interaction between environmental indicators and international tourism at the regional level and highlights the importance of environmental indicators regarding sustainable tourism development. This regional-level correlational analysis addresses environmental indicators and their relationship with global sustainable development, considering economic and mobility factors in specific countries. Various statistical techniques are used to examine how tourism arrivals, expenditures, and income relate to environmental indicators. Indicators concerning the environment, clean energy, mobility, and demographic variables from 141 countries between 2019 and 2021 are analysed. Mild negative correlations are found between international tourism expenditures and income and renewable energy consumption or access to fuels. The number of tourism arrivals shows positive correlations with access to clean technologies or electricity but mild negative correlations with renewable energy consumption and population density. The selected multiple linear regression model for tourism arrivals includes two significant variables: renewable energy consumption and population density.
  Keywords: sustainable tourism; clean energy; sustainability; correlational data analysis; world development indicators.
  DOI: 10.1504/PIE.2024.10063250
   
  
• The symbolic value of wine: wine tourism and small vineyards in Maule Valley and central Chile  
  by Roberto Cortés, Macarena Dehnhardt, Alexis Matheu, Claudio Ruff 
  Abstract: The interest aroused by the vineyards of the Maule Valley at the national and international levels is evidence of a relationship between traditional Chilean viticulture and natural wines due to the boom in the tourism and gastronomic market related to organic wine. Although heritage vineyards have been the subject of anthropological studies, no monographic works that analyse the tourist insertion of traditional vineyards have been generated. This work is mixed-methods and exploratory research based on a literature review and statistics on patrimonial and small traditional vineyards in Chile. Subsequently, informal interviews were conducted with small winemakers grouped into different associations of independent winemakers. The analysis of the informal interviews was conducted through the topics of tourism insertion. The research question that guides this study is: What are the tourism potentials of heritage vineyards in Maule Valley and central Chile?
  Keywords: wine tourism; rural tourism; heritage vineyards; Artisanal wine production; Chilean Valleys.
  DOI: 10.1504/PIE.2024.10063251
   
  
• Women's empowerment in tourism: a bibliometric approach  
  by Vanessa Garcia-Pineda, Luis Fernando Garces Giraldo, Jackeline Valencia, Paula Andrea Rodríguez Correa, Ofelia Santos Jimenez 
  Abstract: The empowerment of women in tourism aims to understand and promote their participation, decision-making, and address challenges such as discrimination and leisure. However, due to conceptual limitations, the objective is to examine research trends in women’s empowerment in tourism. A bibliometric analysis is proposed to study scientific publications on the topic, based on the PRISMA statement. As far as the keyword analysis is concerned, the thematic evolution of the scientific literature on the empowerment of women in tourism reflects the change between the first studies, which mainly studied leisure, and the studies of recent years, which consider tourism based on community and work. Finally, the keywords that are on the decline within the scientific body of the subject are development and gender equality, while the emerging terms are education, community-based tourism and tourism development.
  Keywords: women; community; tourism development; education; PRISMA methodology; empowerment; tourism industry.
  DOI: 10.1504/PIE.2024.10063403
   
  

Special Issue on: Entrepreneurship, Ecology and Sustainability

• The influence of social and environmental responsibility on customer based brand equity  
  by Guillermo Gamarra, Álvaro L. Dias, Leandro F. Pereira 
  Abstract: Customer-based brand equity (CBBE) has been the subject of study in recent years as an important outcome of brand building activities. It is recognised its importance to generate value to a specific brand or service and at the same time keep it at a high level of acceptance by consumers. Previous research revealed that tourism lifestyle entrepreneurs often lack the capacity to perform market related activities. As such, this study analyses the influence on CBBE of the key dimensions associated with these entrepreneurs (co-creation, lifestyle perception, environmental responsibility, link to place and social responsibility). Using survey data analysed using SEM-PLS, the results show that co-creation, link to place and social responsibility of the tourism lifestyle entrepreneurship firms positively influences CBBE. Furthermore, we also explored the indirect relationships in the model, and identified that lifestyle perception influences CBBE through the mediating effect of co-creation.
  Keywords: tourism entrepreneurship; branding; environmental responsibility; social responsibility; co-creation.
  DOI: 10.1504/PIE.2023.10059931
   
  
• Sustainability: the new element for creating competitive advantage  
  by Maria Carlota Pires, Leandro F. Pereira, José Crespo De Carvalho, Rui Vinhas Da Silva, Ana Simões 
  Abstract: Businesses have become more concerned about sustainability, which affects both the business world and our society. Sustainability is now seen as a key driver for future development and innovation, but only for those companies that implement it in their business strategy. With these concerns, the problem statement that this research seeks to answer is how to implement sustainability in business strategy. The research objectives are to identify the main issues related to business sustainability, how sustainability is changing the business world, how companies can implement sustainability in their business strategy and to correlate the empirical evidence with the interviews. To achieve these objectives, data was collected through 101 interviews from the book 101 Voices for Sustainability, for a Responsible Development. The main findings were that companies in Portugal and worldwide are very concerned about sustainability and megatrends, and that Portuguese companies have megatrend opportunities that can be addressed.
  Keywords: sustainability; corporate social responsibility; CSR; Sustainable Development Goals; SGDs; megatrends; sustainable strategy.
  DOI: 10.1504/PIE.2023.10061125