• Energy Research

Purpose In recent years, economic, environmental and social sustainability has become one of the fastest-growing research fields. The number of primary and secondary papers addressing the triple bottom line is growing significantly, and the supply chain (SC) management discipline is in the same wave. Therefore, this paper aims to propose a novel tertiary systematic methodology to explore, aggregate, categorise and analyse the findings provided by secondary studies. Design/methodology/approach A novel tertiary systematic literature review approach, including 94 secondary studies, is proposed and used to analyse sustainable SC literature. The papers have been analysed using a research protocol, including descriptive and content analysis criteria. Findings This tertiary study does not only provide an overview of the literature on the topic of sustainability in SCs but also goes further, drawing up a categorisation of main research areas and research perspectives adopted by previous researchers. The paper also presents a rank of research gaps and an updated and a prioritised agenda. Originality/value This paper provides a novel interpretation of the research topics addressed by the secondary studies and presents a new classification of the literature gaps and their evolution. Finally, a dynamic research compass for both academicians and practitioners is presented.

Sustainability and Circular Economy (CE) concepts have acquired a crucial role in the global economy. In addition, climate change has become one of the dominant issues today, and companies are under pressure to comply with national governments regulations. Studies, that examine the role of digital technologies that supports companies in the transition from a linear economy to the CE are therefore, highly needed. However, while contributions in both fields have increased, there is a scarcity of research that systematizes the literature and clarifies the relationship between the Industry 4.0/Industry 5.0 technologies and CE. To achieve this aim, we perform a systematic literature review of a sample of 98 articles and define a categorization of technologies supporting CE and taxonomy of barriers to the adoption of technologies in circular models.

Green energy transition models provide frameworks for policymakers, businesses, and stakeholders to plan and implement the shift toward more sustainable energy systems. These models evolve as technologies advance, policies change, and societal priorities shift, highlighting the importance of flexibility and adaptation in energy transition planning. This study presents a systematic literature review of 115 papers to elucidate methodological approaches, variables, and assessed impacts involved in these models. The descriptive analysis of the sample reveals a burgeoning interest in this pivotal domain alongside a conspicuous dearth of consolidated model and methodological approaches for evaluating the multifaceted environmental, societal, and economic impacts of green energy transition processes. Our results show a broad spectrum of methodological approaches proposed in the literature, with Agent-Based Modeling & Simulation and Statistical Methodologies emerging as prominently featured methodologies. Through a rigorous content analysis of the article sample, we developed a taxonomy of variables that encompasses environmental, economic, societal, governance, knowledge, and technological domains. Then, to elucidate the intricate relationships between output variables and methodologies, we utilised Sankey diagrams and a conceptual map to clarify the complexity inherent in studying related processes. Lastly, a meticulously crafted research agenda is outlined, derived from critical themes identified in the articles, to guide future research endeavours and contribute to advancing knowledge in the green energy transition modelling field.

AbstractTo date, few researchers have linked open innovation approaches with triple bottom line corporate sustainability objectives in terms of economic, social, and environmental performance. A systematic review suggests that the businesses' collaborative relationships with external consultants or organizations can increase their competitive advantage, as external stakeholders could assist them in the development of sustainable innovations, diversification into different markets, and in the generation of new revenue streams. At the same time, they can support them in addressing numerous deficits in society. On the other hand, this contribution implies that an organizational culture that promotes open innovation approaches could expose practitioners to risks and uncertainties, like revealing sensitive information to outsiders, among others. In reality, it may prove difficult for the businesses to trust new partners, as they are not subject to their organizations' codes of conduct, rules, and regulations.

AbstractDigital technologies have the potential to support achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Existing scientific literature lacks a comprehensive analysis of the triple link: “digital technologies – different industry sectors – SDGs”. By systematically analyzing extant literature, 1098 sustainable business practices have been collected from 578 papers, using 11 digital technologies in 17 industries to achieve the 17 SDGs. For instance, find that artificial intelligence can be used to achieve affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12) as well as to address climate change (SDG 13). Further, geospatial technologies may be applied in the agricultural industry to reduce hunger in various domains (SDG 2), to foster good health and well‐being (SDG 3), to improve the availability of clean water and sanitation facilities (SDG 6), raise awareness on responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), and to safeguard life on land (SDG 15), among other insights.

Due to the growing concern towards natural resource depletion and the increasing levels of waste generation caused by economic growth, sustainable consumption has gained the attention of both governments and society. Despite this, the market share of sustainable products remains low, and studies analysing the factors influencing consumers’ perception of sustainable products provide inconclusive results. This work aims to help bridge this gap by summarising the main literature results and focusing on practical implications. We perform a systematic literature review to identify the factors influencing consumers’ perception of sustainable products. Next, we classify these factors according to the triple bottom line framework, to provide a holistic perspective on the subject and present useful suggestions for companies. The findings suggest that most studies adopt a partial perspective on sustainability, focusing on only one of the sustainability dimensions or considering a single product category. The results also show that there are numerous factors that can influence consumer perception across all three sustainability dimensions. To increase the market share of sustainable products, companies should try and target new customer segments, by adopting a holistic approach to sustainability and analysing how consumers manage the trade-offs between the factors related to different sustainability dimensions. From a practical perspective, this study provides managers with a solid starting point to identify and assess the value of sustainable products in relation to the sustainability dimensions and the characteristics of the target customer segments.

AbstractThis article aims to assess the evolution of the literature on the link between Industry 4.0 and sustainable development. Through a systematic analysis of the literature, a sample of 234 documents was identified, published between 2011 and 2021. Given the large number of papers collected, the text mining approach was performed to analyze the sample of documents. In particular, the latent Dirichlet allocation model was adopted to group articles in different relevant topics starting from two dictionaries belonging to terms both in the domain of Industry 4.0 and in sustainability. As a result, 11 different topics have been identified that link these two domains. The results showed a strong predominance of Industry 4.0 compared to sustainability models that are very focused only on the environmental aspect. In conclusion, this study emphasizes future research potential by highlighting these existing research areas.

In recent years, sustainability and Industry 4.0 have become crucial aspects of the global economy. Numerous studies focus on the link between environmental aspects of sustainability and Industry 4.0. On the contrary, few studies address the issue of the integration of economic sustainability and digital technologies. This paper aims to fill this gap through a systematic analysis of the literature. In particular, 32 articles were selected and following a descriptive analysis to evaluate the evolution of the theme, a content analysis was performed. The findings of this study highlight and categorize the main sustainability metrics associated with digital technologies. Specifically, the digitalization process enhances the connection of products and factories, the value chain and users to achieve a production cycle as sustainable as possible. The new technologies developed allow companies to foster innovation and entrepreneurship, increase the market share, reduce energy waste, recover and reuse the material, etc. Finally, managerial and academic contributions were identified.