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To ensure business continuity in the post-COVID-19 era, decision-makers should reconfigure their traditional supply chain (SC) networks, assisted by the development and implementation of cutting-edge technologies. Recently, Industry 5.0 (I5.0) has gained increasing attention as a paradigm offering salient features for the creation of resilient and inclusive operations by ensuring long-standing SC sustainability. However, there has been insufficient analysis of the challenges of implementing I5.0 in SCs. Therefore, this study aims to understand the challenges of implementing I5.0 when managing the impact of SC disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in an emerging economy. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used for this research. First, the challenges to I5.0 implementation were identified through a literature review and experts’ feedback. Those challenges were examined and prioritised using the Best-Worst Method (BWM). Second, the contextual relationships amongst these challenges were analysed using interpretive structural modelling (ISM) with cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) analysis. Findings showed that to adopt I5.0 initiatives successfully in order to manage the post-COVID-19 impact on SC sustainability, the active involvement of senior managers is required in the execution process. Findings also showed that financial support and funding (e.g., tax reduction, short loans, etc.) from investors and the government play a pivotal role in enabling sustainability in SCs. Finally, the challenges were classified using MICMAC analysis to provide valuable insights for managing future disruptions. This study is expected to help managers and decision-makers successfully overcome the challenges of implementing I5.0 in SCs and thus improve SC sustainability.

Energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with life cycle stages of road infrastructure are currently rarely assessed during road infrastructure planning. This study examines the road infrastructure planning process, with emphasis on its use of Environmental Assessments (EA), and identifies when and how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can be integrated in the early planning stages for supporting decisions such as choice of road corridor. Road infrastructure planning processes are compared for four European countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands). The results show that only Norway has a formalised way of using LCA during choice of road corridor. Only the Netherlands has a requirement for using LCA in the later procurement stage. It is concluded that during the early stages of planning, LCA could be integrated as part of an EA, as a separate process or as part of a Cost-Benefit Analysis.

AbstractThe wood pellet market is booming in Europe. The EU 2020 policy targets for renewable energy sources and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction are among the main drivers. The aim of this analysis is to map current European national wood pellet demand and supplies, to provide a comprehensive overview of major market types and prices, and to discuss the future outlook in light of raw material supply. Approximately 650 pellet plants produced more than 10 million tonnes of pellets in 2009 in Europe. Total European consumption was about 9.8 million tonnes, of which some 9.2 million tonnes is within the EU‐27, representing a modest 0.2% of Gross Energy Consumption (75 EJ level in 2008). The prices of most pellet types are increasing. While most markets of non‐industrial pellets are largely self‐sufficient, industrial pellet markets depend on the import of wood pellets from outside the EU‐27. Industrial pellet markets are relatively mature, compared to non‐industrial ones, because of their advanced storage facilities and long‐term price‐setting. However, industrial pellet markets are unstable, depending mainly on the establishment or the abolishment of public support schemes.Following our scenarios, additional 2020 demand for woody biomass varies from 105 million tonnes, based on market forecasts for pellets in the energy sector and a reference growth of the forest sector, to 305 million tonnes, based on maximum demand in energy and transport sectors and a rapid growth of the forest sector. Additional supply of woody biomass may vary from 45 million tonnes from increased harvest levels to 400 million tonnes after the recovery of slash via altered forest management, the recovery of waste wood via recycling, and the establishment of woody energy plantations in the future. Any short‐term shortages within the EU‐27 may be bridged via imports from nearby regions such as north west Russia or overseas. © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd