World Review of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development (11 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• Assessing the sustainability challenges of affordable housing in Pithampur?s mining and industrial areas using the Delphi method  
  by Vivek Garg, Bimal Chandra Roy, Tiwari Pavan Kumar 
  Abstract: The accelerating degradation of the environment has made sustainable development a global priority. In construction, unchecked growth and weak social accountability have triggered major challenges, including poor waste management, frequent safety lapses, and intense resource consumption. This research investigates the core barriers to sustainable and affordable housing in Pithampur, an industrial and mining hub near Indore. An initial list of 33 obstacles was compiled through literature review and responses from 248 participants. A Delphi method was then employed, involving 624 stakeholders workers, miners, slum residents, developers, and officials reducing the list to 19 critical barriers. Expert feedback from NGOs, academia, and finance further refined the results. A second Delphi round engaged 348 primary and 234 secondary participants. The barriers were classified into four domains: professional and environmental, social and regulatory, economic, and technological. The study offers actionable insights to tackle these impediments and promote green, sustainable construction practices in Indias industrial regions.
  Keywords: Delphi technique; Indore Housing; sustainable construction; mining and industry.
  DOI: 10.1504/WRSTSD.2027.10080170
   
  
• Sustainable marketing mix and green purchase intention in Egypt: the moderating role of customer satisfaction  
  by Mohamed Gamil, Ahmed Hussein Ali 
  Abstract: Global pressure to promote sustainable consumption has intensified the need to understand how sustainability-oriented marketing influences consumer behaviour, particularly in emerging economies where environmental awareness is still evolving. In Egypt, the transition toward sustainable products is supported by national sustainability agendas, yet organisations remain uncertain whether such efforts enhance customer satisfaction and green purchase intention. This study examines how sustainable product, price, distribution, and promotion influence green purchase intention, with customer satisfaction as a moderating variable. Drawing primarily on the stimulus-organism-response framework and supported by the theory of planned behaviour, the study uses survey data from 1,095 Egyptian consumers. The findings show that sustainable product and promotion exert stronger positive effects on green purchase intention when customer satisfaction is high, whereas the moderating effects of sustainable price and distribution are not significant. The study contributes by clarifying how sustainable marketing mix dimensions differ in behavioural influence within an emerging-market context.
  Keywords: sustainable marketing; green purchase intention; customer satisfaction; stimulus-organism-response; SOR; emerging markets; Egypt.
  DOI: 10.1504/WRSTSD.2027.10080558
   
  
• Comparing coastal megacity traffic and inland oil basins: spatiotemporal disparities in CO and NO2 concentrations between New York and Alberta  
  by Ethan Mercer, Oluwaseun Akinfenwa, Davoud Ghahremanlou, Amir Ghahremanlou 
  Abstract: We compare tropospheric column CO and NO2 over oil-industrial basins in Alberta (AB) and megacity corridors in New York (NY) using a transparent, quality-controlled (QA) Sentinel-5P workflow (2019-2024). Daily TROPOMI retrievals are QA-screened in Google Earth Engine, aggregated to monthly/annual jurisdictional means, and mapped in GIS to identify hotspots. CO shows summer-dominated cycles in both regions; NO2 seasonality diverges, summer-biased in AB and winter-biased in NY. ABs NO2 is 2 x NYs (5.45-6.15 x 10-5 vs. 2.67-3.08 x 10-5 mol m-2), clustering over the oil-sands region, while NY carries higher CO with persistent signals along the NYC-Long Island corridor. Consistency checks indicate modest-moderate agreement with ground/inventory data, stronger for NO2 in AB and CO in NY, reflecting domain differences, lifetimes, vertical structure, and sampling mismatch. The concentration-first, jurisdiction-agnostic pipeline complements inventories and ground networks for seasonal, place-based screening and hotspot triage, and is portable for air-quality governance globally.
  Keywords: tropospheric column concentrations; sentinel-5P; cross-jurisdictional comparison; industrial versus urban regimes; wildfire modulated CO pulses; satellite-informed air quality governance.
  DOI: 10.1504/WRSTSD.2027.10080566
   
  
• Comprehending food loss in international supply chains: a sustainable perspective on Indias edible oil imports  
  by Aaqib Chaudhary, Preeti Tak, Ram Singh 
  Abstract: This study examines the stages and causes of food losses in the international edible oil supply chain from an Indian perspective. It identifies losses across export, inter-country, and import logistics phases. The authors construct a framework to explore the underlying causes through an extensive literature review and expert consultations, employing the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to highlight critical factors. With India relying on imports, including palm, soybean, and sunflower oil, to meet over 60% of its edible oil demand, understanding food loss stages becomes economically and socially significant. As an outcome, the study concludes that the import-country logistics phase, where poor cargo handling and reduced shelf-life are key contributors based on high global criteria weights, needs to be addressed. It also recommends operational, policy, and infrastructural interventions to address these challenges, holding considerable value, especially from the sustainability dimension for developing countries.
  Keywords: food loss; FL; sustainable development goals; SDGs; international supply chain; ISC; edible oils; food security.
  DOI: 10.1504/WRSTSD.2027.10080772
   
  
• The ecology of mind in the Ramayana: mental wellbeing and sustainable living  
  by Tulsee Giri Goswami, Omprakash K. Gupta, Prakash Giri 
  Abstract: This paper explores how the Ramayana offers a rich framework for understanding and cultivating mental wellbeing, in ways that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (good health and well-being). It argues that the epic portrays an ecology of mind where psychological health, moral values, environmental harmony, and social relationships are deeply interwoven. Drawing on key events and characters in the Ramayana, the paper demonstrates how inner qualities such as emotional regulation, resilience, compassion, detachment, purpose, and ethical decision-making contribute not only to individual mental health but also to sustainable modes of living. The paper further examines how Ramayana-based counselling techniques (recently developed) and the lived examples of Rama, Sita, Hanuman, and others can inform modern mental health interventions and promote sustainable behaviours. The conclusion suggests a model for integrating these insights into education, mental healthcare, and policy, thereby bridging ancient wisdom and modern needs.
  Keywords: Ramayana; mental wellbeing; SDG 3; ecology of mind; sustainable living; Indian psychology; resilience; emotional regulation.
  DOI: 10.1504/WRSTSD.2027.10080791
   
  
• Optimisation of reversible photochromic coatings based on methylene blue: formulation screening, performance characterisation, and mechanistic insights  
  by Yiming Zou, Jianqi Chen, Yaolin Zhang, XIa Wang 
  Abstract: Reversible photochromic coatings are promising for optical storage, smart packaging and UV-detection yet suffer from high cost, poor colour-switching sensitivity and narrow absorption. This work optimised methylene-blue-based coatings via single-factor screening of seven variables. The optimal formulation contains 0.02g methylene blue, 0.2g SnCl2 and 20g SiO2 in 0.5mol/L HCl. Under 365nm UV irradiation, it achieves blue-colourless-blue reversible switching with 1519s colour-changing time and 1013s recovery time over 8 cycles. It has 330685nm broad absorption (peak at 664nm), costing only 12.66CNY/kg, 85.8% cheaper than commercial coatings. Adding tris(2,2bipyridine) ruthenium chloride hexahydrate catalyst realises orange-to-black transition. Mechanistically, Sn2+ reduces methylene blue while UV triggers reoxidation; SiO2 improves coating uniformity and stability.
  Keywords: reversible photochromism; methylene blue; MB; stannous chloride; coating optimisation; performance characterisation.
  DOI: 10.1504/WRSTSD.2027.10080897
   
  
• An analysis of MobileNet-SSD vision-based system for hikers counting in a mountain/forest environment  
  by Fernando Martins, Karolina Baras, Eduardo Marques 
  Abstract: Active tourism has increased around the world, leading to excessive use of natural spaces. Research is needed to improve tourism management on trails and reduce environmental impacts improving the visitors experiences. A computer vision algorithm with an accuracy ranging from 72,7% to 93% was brought from escalators and airports to a forest/mountain environment to analyse its performance on people counting. Two approaches are proposed: closed-box, where the people-counting system was analysed as it is; and the open-box, which examines and changes the implementation and the configuration of the people-counting system. The accuracy values were higher on the first approach, however, the number of false positives detected after manually analysing was high. The second approach had lower accuracy values but with more reliable people counts. The change made improved the peoples detection by the MobileNet-SSD algorithm, although, the global systems accuracy decreased.
  Keywords: MobileNet-SSD; centroid tracker; forest trail; mountain trail; image classification; trail flow.
  DOI: 10.1504/WRSTSD.2027.10080990
   
  
• Improvement of productivity with incorporation of eccentric shaft in hydraulic scissor lifter  
  by Mahadev Madgule, Raju Bhosale, Govind Waghmare, Ajay Pingale 
  Abstract: Loading and unloading time is one of the biggest problems for small scale industries to suffer losses from the use of manually operated hydraulic scissor lift. The authors suggest a feasible automation method in this study by combining a battery-powered gear motor with an eccentric shaft mechanism with an already existing hydraulic lifting system, which is proven to be cost-effective. The manual and modified systems were tested and compared in terms of performance under various loading conditions to validate engineering calculations made for motor and battery selection to meet the requirement for reliable operation with a maximum load of 500 kg. The results showed that, on average, the operating time were decreased from 90110 s to 6070 s, i.e., about 33%. Additionally, production capacity were increased from 300600 units/day to 460625 units/day or up to 35% depending on the operating condition. The proposed modification would not only decrease the human efforts required, but would also improve the operational efficiency and productivity making it appropriate for small scale manufacturing industries.
  Keywords: hydraulic scissor; eccentric shaft; operation time; cost; productivity.
  DOI: 10.1504/WRSTSD.2026.10081135
   
  
• Product-service system and the business models: a literature review through a bibliometric approach  
  by Rodrigo Reis Favarin, Camila Peripolli Sanfelice, Rafael Crivellaro Minuzzi, Jordana Marques Kneipp 
  Abstract: n the search to reduce consumption and production impacts, organisations have increasingly sought to incorporate sustainability into their processes. One alternative is adopting the product-service system, which encourages the integrated offering of products and services. Through a literature review using a bibliometric approach, the present study sought to provide an overview of academic production on product-service system in the context of business model innovation, present metrics and research gaps, and discuss the results in relation to recent studies. The articles were selected using a systematic literature review protocol across the ProQuest, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, resulting in a final sample of 135 studies. The main results were divided into descriptive statistics, in which we identified patterns in keyword frequency and proposed six categories for research gaps; and topic-based analysis, in which we connected the results to recent debates on sustainability and proposed updated directions for future research.
  Keywords: product-service system; business models; innovation; literature review; bibliometric study.
  DOI: 10.1504/WRSTSD.2027.10081380
   
  
• Towards a sustainable future: social shifts and the transformation of consumption and production models  
  by Zhanna A. Aksenova, Sergey N. Yashin, Alexandra A. Chudaeva, Olga A. Pecherskaya, Alexey V. Shleenko, Sergey Ponomarev 
  Abstract: The relevance of this study is driven by the urgent need to identify effective sustainable consumption and production (SCP) frameworks amidst global instability. This paper aims to econometrically model the determinants of SCP implementation across developed economies and BRICS markets. Utilising hierarchical panel data analysis in Jamovi, the study demonstrates the co-evolutionary nature of the SCP architecture. The findings reveal the dominant impact of per capita income (= 1.1581), which financially constrains the environmental intentions of consumers in developing nations, thereby clarifying the paradox observed in ecological surveys. Furthermore, a latent technological progress bias is uncovered: contrary to the EU, investments in R&D (= +0.2767) and formal education within BRICS temporarily exacerbate material intensity due to the ongoing industrial boom. The study conceptualises green transition barriers during crises through the lens of the environmental governance policy uncertainty (EGPU) and the ESG-based sustainability uncertainty (ESGUI) indices. Finally, a tailored policy mix is designed for three distinct country clusters, incorporating sovereign extended producer responsibility funds (EU), green quantitative easing mechanisms (China, India), and the insulation of dedicated recycling funds from inflationary shocks (Russia).
  Keywords: sustainable development; responsible consumption; sustainable production; social change; limited resources; technological innovations; government policy.
  DOI: 10.1504/WRSTSD.2027.10081539
   
  
• Universities as drivers of UN SDGs: a study from India  
  by Stutee Mohanty, Anubha Ray, Mohamad Ali AlHussam 
  Abstract: Universities play a key role in driving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) prescribed by the United Nations (UN). Hence, universities are required to have an accurate policy-making process to achieve these pre-determined objectives. The commitment of the universities to sustainability has resulted in including UN SDGs in their agenda and long-term strategies. There are various external and internal factors that influence the relationship shared by UN SDGs and universities. Thus, the study aims to assess certain prominent internal factors contributing towards the achievement of UN SDGs by Indian universities. The authors evaluated the impact of a few internal factors (the presence of internet, internationalisation rate, revenue per student, and capital transfers for research and infrastructure) on the achievement of relevant UN SDGs by public and private universities in India through ordinary least square (OLS) regression analysis and Gephi method. The authors found the presence of the internet on the university campus, the rate of internationalisation, and capital transfers for research and infrastructure have a significant positive influence on the achievement of UN SDGs by Indian public and private universities.
  Keywords: Sustainable Development Goals; SDGs; sustainability; universities; internet presence; higher education institutions; India.
  DOI: 10.1504/WRSTSD.2027.10081540