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This book investigates sustainability, CSR, climate change adaptation, the relevance of ESG scores and their impact on firm value and growth. The first part of the book analyses the topics from a conceptual angle. The authors discuss how the concepts of self-consciousness and awareness drive the shift of the traditional concept of corporate mission towards more sustainable business models. The authors propose an in-depth analysis of the main challenges posed by climate change and of the initial policy-makers’ responses and provide their view on the central role of ESG scores and circular economy for growth and development. The authors conclude with an analysis of the main literature on the measurement of the relation between ESG scores and firms’ performance and cost of equity (CoE). The second part of the book contains comparative empirical evidence, supporting these theories across specific industries, and will be of interest to academics, researchers, and students of sustainability and impact finance.

This book investigates sustainability, CSR, climate change adaptation, the relevance of ESG scores and their impact on firm value and growth. The first part of the book analyses the topics from a conceptual angle. The authors discuss how the concepts of self-consciousness and awareness drive the shift of the traditional concept of corporate mission towards more sustainable business models. The authors propose an in-depth analysis of the main challenges posed by climate change and of the initial policy-makers’ responses and provide their view on the central role of ESG scores and circular economy for growth and development. The authors conclude with an analysis of the main literature on the measurement of the relation between ESG scores and firms’ performance and cost of equity (CoE). The second part of the book contains comparative empirical evidence, supporting these theories across specific industries, and will be of interest to academics, researchers, and students of sustainability and impact finance.

Purpose of the paper: This paper aims to provide a systematic literature review on recycling behaviours in higher education institutions to gather and synthesise the extant knowledge on this topic into a comprehensive framework, in line with the premise that colleges and universities have the moral responsibility to educate people for a better and more sustainable future. More specifically, this study provides a basic understanding of the research topic and identifies the factors affecting recycling intentions/behaviours in higher education institutions. Methodology: A systematic literature review of existing research is conducted. A total of 64 journal articles published between 1995 and 2019 are analysed in five steps: obtaining a basic understanding, coding, categorisation, comparison and further analysis. Findings: This study identifies environmental concern, attitudes towards recycling, social norms, university environmental policy and availability of recycling facilities at higher education institutions as the factors affecting recycling intentions/behaviours in higher education institutions. Theoretical and practical implications: Scholars could use this paper as a reference to systematise knowledge on recycling behaviour in the higher education context and further advance knowledge on this topic by identifying specific research areas that could be theoretically and empirically investigated. University managers could use the findings of this study as a basis for designing behavioural intervention programs in their institutions. Originality of the paper: Previous research focuses on recycling in the home or workplace environments. No systematic literature review on recycling behaviours in the higher education setting has previously been undertaken, despite the key role universities play in increasing awareness of environmental issues.

Purpose of the paper: This paper aims to provide a systematic literature review on recycling behaviours in higher education institutions to gather and synthesise the extant knowledge on this topic into a comprehensive framework, in line with the premise that colleges and universities have the moral responsibility to educate people for a better and more sustainable future. More specifically, this study provides a basic understanding of the research topic and identifies the factors affecting recycling intentions/behaviours in higher education institutions. Methodology: A systematic literature review of existing research is conducted. A total of 64 journal articles published between 1995 and 2019 are analysed in five steps: obtaining a basic understanding, coding, categorisation, comparison and further analysis. Findings: This study identifies environmental concern, attitudes towards recycling, social norms, university environmental policy and availability of recycling facilities at higher education institutions as the factors affecting recycling intentions/behaviours in higher education institutions. Theoretical and practical implications: Scholars could use this paper as a reference to systematise knowledge on recycling behaviour in the higher education context and further advance knowledge on this topic by identifying specific research areas that could be theoretically and empirically investigated. University managers could use the findings of this study as a basis for designing behavioural intervention programs in their institutions. Originality of the paper: Previous research focuses on recycling in the home or workplace environments. No systematic literature review on recycling behaviours in the higher education setting has previously been undertaken, despite the key role universities play in increasing awareness of environmental issues.

To remain competitive, manufacturing companies are marketing to customers business offerings based on integrated packages of products and services – Product-Service Systems (PSS). While PSS offerings allow foreseeing economical benefits for customers and manufacturers, the sustainability assessment of PSS has not been extensively studied in the literature. While it is recognized that sustainability can be evaluated under the three dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) – i.e. economic, environmental, and social – existing assessment methods usually concentrate only on a single one, neglecting the interplay with the other two. Thus, a more comprehensive method for the evaluation of PSS sustainability is required. This paper proposes the use of Agent-Based Modelling (ABM) as a method for jointly assessing the economic and environmental sustainability of PSS offerings. The social dimension is not considered since the research about the impacts of PSS offering on the social dimension is still at its beginning, as a consequence of the difficulties in finding common social sustainability indicators. The proposed approach overcomes the limitations of traditional sustainability assessment methods by allowing for dealing with the stochastic nature of reality, testing multiple scenarios, and understanding the impacts of PSS solutions on the economic and environmental sustainability in the long-term perspective.

To remain competitive, manufacturing companies are marketing to customers business offerings based on integrated packages of products and services – Product-Service Systems (PSS). While PSS offerings allow foreseeing economical benefits for customers and manufacturers, the sustainability assessment of PSS has not been extensively studied in the literature. While it is recognized that sustainability can be evaluated under the three dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) – i.e. economic, environmental, and social – existing assessment methods usually concentrate only on a single one, neglecting the interplay with the other two. Thus, a more comprehensive method for the evaluation of PSS sustainability is required. This paper proposes the use of Agent-Based Modelling (ABM) as a method for jointly assessing the economic and environmental sustainability of PSS offerings. The social dimension is not considered since the research about the impacts of PSS offering on the social dimension is still at its beginning, as a consequence of the difficulties in finding common social sustainability indicators. The proposed approach overcomes the limitations of traditional sustainability assessment methods by allowing for dealing with the stochastic nature of reality, testing multiple scenarios, and understanding the impacts of PSS solutions on the economic and environmental sustainability in the long-term perspective.