The dynamic relationship among green logistics, technological innovation and green economy: Evidence from China

Under the background of "double carbon", exploring the growth path of green logistics and enhancing the driving force of technological innovation is the urgent need of our country to comply with the green transformation of its economy and realize high-quality economic growth. Taking the panel data of 30 Chinese provinces from 2010 to 2020 as the sample, the green logistics index evaluation system is constructed based on the driver-press-state-impact-response (DPSIR) theoretical framework, and the green economic efficiency of each province in the sample period is measured by using the non-expected output Super- Slacks-based measure (SBM) model, and by constructing the panel vector autoregressive (PVAR) model including technological innovation is used to systematically elaborate the dynamic influence paths among the three. The study found that: China's green economy, technological innovation, and green logistics all have their own mechanisms for growth, which will gradually diminish over time. In the near and long term, green logistics will promote technological innovations and the evolution of a green economy, but there is a lag in the long-term benefits of green logistics on technological progress. In the short term, technological innovation does not lend support to the growth of a green economy, but over time, the impact of technological innovation on the growth of that economy will shift from negative to positive. This shows that improving technological innovation capability is an important path for green logistics to promote green economic efficiency. The findings of the study provide a basis for decision making to achieve the emission reduction target and improve the efficiency of the green economy.

Preparation and characterization of bioplastic film from the green seaweed Halimeda opuntia

Protein-rich seaweeds are regarded as having commercial significance due to their numerous industrial applications. The green seaweed Halimeda opuntia was used during this study for the preparation of bioplastic film. A thin bioplastic film with better physical and mechanical properties was produced by optimizing the ratio of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to seaweed biomass. The films obtained were characterized by their thickness, tensile strength, elongation at break, Young's modulus, moisture absorption resistance, and solubility. To evaluate the composition and potential for chemical reactions of the films, an FTIR spectroscopy examination was conducted. Whereas TG-DTA and AFM were performed on films with high mechanical properties. The bioplastic film produced when algae percent was tripled in PVA concentration had better physical and mechanical characteristics, and the bioplastic films degraded in the environment within a short time. According to the current study, seaweed might serve as an alternative source for the production of bioplastic, which could help minimize the use of non-biodegradable plastics.

Comparative investigation on synergistic changes in enzyme activities during vermicomposting of cereal grain processing industry sludge employing three epigeic earthworm species

The management of cereal grain processing industry sludge through vermicomposting is an emerging prospect for researchers interested in the green economy. This work is designed to enumerate the enzymatic influence of three epigeic earthworm species - Eisenia fetida, Eudrilus eugeniae, and Perionyx excavatus on the industrial sludge. The vermicomposting experiment was conducted in plastic pots by blending the waste materials with 5% cow dung. The dynamics in activities of cellulase, amylase, invertase, phosphatase, protease, dehydrogenase, and urease were studied on 15 days intervals till the harvesting period. The periodical observations confirmed that the enzyme activities (in terms of μg reducing sugar/g/hr) of cellulase (26.45-128.09) amylase (205.43-878.96), invertase (105.32-841.65), phosphatase (85.29-435.54), protease (64.21-359.47), dehydrogenase (111.17-587.72), and urease (94.16-476.71) was low in the first 15 days of the vermicomposting experiment followed by a sharp increase in the next 45 days accompanied by a steady decline until the harvesting is carried out. Emerging statistical tools such as principal component analysis were employed to study the synergistic deviations of the enzymes during the vermicomposting process. The results confirmed that the enzyme activity efficiently influences the bio-oxidation of industrial waste at an individual level as well as synergistic level thereby allowing the vermicompost to mature much before the appearance of any physical symptoms on the surface of the vermireactors.

The dynamic evolution and coupling coordination development mechanism of new urbanization and green economy: an empirical study based on various provinces in China

Under the background that the country is vigorously promoting the construction of new urbanization and seeking green development, this paper takes 31 provinces of China as the research object. It constructs a comprehensive evaluation system that integrates new urbanization and green economy into the same research framework, analyzes the evolution characteristics of new urbanization and green economy from the scale analysis of time and space, and, through the relative development model, coupling coordination model, and the random panel Tobit model, further explores the relative development and coupling coordination relationship between the two, deconstructing the internal driving factors. Research shows that the regional differences in the development level of new urbanization are decreasing year by year, while the efficiency of the green economy is increasing yearly. The relative development types of the two have obvious regional distribution characteristics. The level of coupling coordination gradually increases over time. The impact of economic development and growth, urban construction, regional opening up, urban expansion, government investment, industrialization level, and industrial structure on the coupling coordination degree of new urbanization and green economy is inconsistent.

Towards green economy and sustainable development in Bangladesh: assessing the role of social and environmental indicators

The evolution towards a green economy integrating social, economic, and environmental concerns has opened a new window to pursue the sustainable development goals (SDGs), especially for emerging nations. Nonetheless, despite being a pressing concern on a global scale, empirical research into the potential for green economy development in the context of Bangladesh has remained notably inadequate. To fill this void, this study is an attempt to evaluate the connection among economic growth, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, education, life expectancy, and technology to conclude the ecological and socio-economic repercussions of a green economy in Bangladesh's framework of achieving SDGs. Considering the statistical features of the annual data from 1990 to 2019, the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) method has been employed to analyze the connections between the chosen variables. The empirical outcomes show that an upsurge in CO2 is accompanied by a 3.66% increase in GDP over the long term, suggesting a positive and statistically significant relationship between the two variables. In addition, GDP increases by about 4.2% for every 1% increase in life expectancy. However, the relationship between technological innovation and education found an insignificant positive linkage with GDP. The most important takeaway from these findings is that the growth of Bangladesh's economy is occurring at the expense of the environment. Hence, this research recommends that, as a developing nation, Bangladesh should concentrate on environment-friendly alternatives, which can be done through the introduction of a green economy to achieve a sustainably developed economy.

Industrialization, globalization, ICT, and environmental degradation in Malaysia: A frequency domain analysis

This paper examines the causal relationship between industrialization, globalization, information communication technology (ICT) and environmental degradation in Malaysia during 1970-2019. It uses two indicators of environmental degradation (carbon emissions and ecological footprint), three dimensions of globalization (political, social, and economic) and three indicators of ICT (users of internet, mobile cellular, and fixed telephone subscriptions). It utilizes Granger causality technique in frequency domain which differentiates between permanent and temporary causality, Vector Error Correction approach as well as Variance Decompositions. The bound test shows that the variables have cointegration relationship. It reveals joint long-run and short-run causality from industrialization, globalization, and ICT to carbon emissions, albeit the causality to ecological footprint is tenuous. It indicates that industrialization, globalization, and ICT significantly predict carbon emissions at high frequency than at low frequency. A substantial percentage of the forecast error variance in environmental degradation are explained by industrialization, globalization, and ICT. The robustness of the empirical outcomes is confirmed by the alternative proxies of the variables. Our study implies that industrialization, globalization, and ICT are determinants of environmental degradation. Therefore, policies to mitigate environmental problem should prioritize these variables to attain green economy.

The effects of trade, renewable energy, and financial development on consumption-based carbon emissions (comparative policy analysis for the G20 and European Union countries)

Recently, there has been a lot of focus on global trade and consumption-based carbon (CCO2) emissions. More research, however, has examined how financial development (FD) and international trade in renewable energy affect CO2 emissions. Furthermore, there are no distinct trends in the research about how globalization affects environmental quality. Our research analyzes and empirically investigates the relationship between CCO2 emissions and renewable energy, FD, and trade. A large panel of data from 41 G20 and European Union (EU) countries is assembled for empirical analysis from 1990 to 2019. The practical outcomes of panel quantile regression and feasible generalized least square (FGLS) approaches display that renewable energy and FD positively relate to CCO2 emissions; furthermore, trade to GDP hurts CCO2 emissions; market classification has been taken as a control variable which shows that the developed countries released more carbon than non-developed countries. These results suggest that the financial sector focuses more on supporting companies that use ecologically friendly techniques and pushing them to use other energy well-organized technologies in their production processes. As a result, CCO2 emissions will be reduced, preventing environmental damage at the non-renewable energy plant.

Assessing the role of green economy on sustainable development in developing countries

Purpose

Over the last few years, the green economy (GE) notion has been realized as a key tool for achieving sustainable development (SD) in both developing and developed nations. Therefore, the current study tries to investigate the role of GE in achieving SD in developing countries. Through empirically examining the relationship between the GE and three different dependent variables which are GDP per capita, total unemployment rate, and poverty level, using cross-sectional data for 60 developing countries in 2018.

Design/methodology/approach

Applying generalized least square (GLS) approach. The four dimensions of the Global Green Economy Index (GGEI) are the key independent variables that measure the accomplishment of nations in aspects of the global green economy.

Findings

The empirical results showed the existence of a positive statistically significant relationship between the GE and GDP per capita and the level of total unemployment, while there is a negative statistically significant relationship between the GE and the poverty rate in developing countries.

Implication policy

This study recommends that both the private and public sectors continue to endorse and adopt GE in the future for SD, job creation, and poverty alleviation.The original value of the study: It is the first research for developing countries that explores the relationship between GE and SD using three indicators of SD using a GLS approach according to our information. Also, this study categorized the dataset of the developing countries based on their income level for addressing the heteroskedasticity problem.

The impact of the digital economy development on haze pollution: evidence from the perspective of factor marketization

How to eliminate haze pollution is a major concern for all countries around the world. Based on panel data from 286 cities in China from 2011 to 2019, the article examines the impact of the digital economy development (DIGS) on haze pollution and the impact of transmission mechanisms in different dimensions using various methods such as the fixed effects model, mediated effects model, and threshold effects model. The study found that firstly, DIGS helps reduce pollution, and further research found that DIGS contributes to the reduction of haze pollution in the western region by improving the market allocation of factors. Secondly, the study concludes that the DIGS shows heterogeneity by dividing the full sample according to region, level of factor marketization, and city size. Finally, the threshold test model finds that the relationship between the DIGS and haze pollution is non-linear depending on the economic development level. The research in this paper provides new research literature on the development of the digital economy and the reduction of haze pollution, contributing to the development of a green economy in China.

Impact of economic and green growth on poverty, income inequalities, and environmental degradation: a case of South Asian economies

This study aims to investigate the impacts of traditional and green economic growth on poverty, income inequalities, and environmental degradation in the case of South Asian economies. In this regard, the study collects data for the period 2000 to 2018 from five South Asian economies (Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh) from world development indicators (WDI). The study applies second-generation unit root test and co-integration technique, CIPS unit root and Westerlund co-integration tests, to establish the stationarity of the series and co-integration relationship among variables. Furthermore, this study utilized dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) and fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) models to investigate the long-run empirical estimates. The study finds that both traditional economic growth (GDP) and green economic growth (GGDP) have a negative impact on poverty and inequality; however, GGDP contributes more than traditional GDP to reducing poverty and inequality. Moreover, the study shows that economic growth has a positive long-run impact on environmental degradation while GGDP has a negative and significant long-run association with environmental degradation. The study recommends that policymakers should develop policies to develop green economic growth to save the environment and for the reduction in poverty and income inequalities in south Asian economies.

Diverging or converging to a green world? Impact of green growth measures on countries' economic performance

Green growth has emerged in recent years to respond to environmental problems caused by climate change and the scarcity of resources. However, today's green growth involves environmental, social and financial dimensions. In this context, many countries are currently seeking green growth for their economic development through the efficient use of their resources. This study aims to assess the impact of green growth performance on the economic development of countries. A quantitative approach was applied to a sample of 172 countries worldwide, and the formulated hypotheses were tested through multiple linear regressions estimated by the ordinary least squares method. The economic development of countries was measured by the Human Development Index (HDI) and measures the sustainability performance of countries by the Green Growth Index (GGI). The results of this study demonstrate that (i) the measures of green growth performance have a positive impact on the economic development of high-income, upper-middle-income, and lower-middle-income economies, (ii) in poorer economies, less is the contribution of green growth to economic development, mainly because they neglecting the social dimension despite the numerous existing projects in these economies for greater inclusion and (iii) green economic opportunities (green investment, green trade, green employment and green innovation) do not influence green economic development in all analysed economies. Consequently, suggestions were made for policymakers from different groups of countries to increase and accelerate their sustainable green growth. Literature on economic development and green growth is still scarce, especially at the empirical level, and few studies use the 2020 GGI data. In addition, this study also uses recent rankings of world economies to categorize the economic development of countries.

Outward foreign direct investment, green financial development, and green total factor productivity: evidence from China

Prevailing research suggests reverse green technology spillovers from outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) significantly impact the green total factor productivity (GTFP) of the home country. However, the contribution of OFDI may depend on the home country's absorptive capacity. Based on panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2019, this study constructs a generalized method of moments (GMM) model and a dynamic threshold panel model to empirically investigate how green financial development influences the impact of OFDI on the GTFP of the home country. We found that green financial development plays a positive moderating role in the impact of OFDI on GTFP in home country. The results also show the impact of OFDI on GTFP has a significant single-threshold effect on green financial development. Only when green financial development reaches a certain level can OFDI significantly promote GTFP of the home country. Moreover, regional heterogeneity exists in the moderating effect of green financial development. Given the ongoing growth of China's OFDI, it is vital to decide on a proper green financial development policy to improve the reverse spillover effect of OFDI firms on the nation's GTFP. The empirical analysis suggests that policymakers should build a multilevel green financial system to allocate financial resources and maximize the reverse spillover effect of OFDI.

The role of biofuels for sustainable MicrogridsF: A path towards carbon neutrality and the green economy

Today, with the progress of technology, the world is facing an increasing growth in power consumption. Since the fuel of most power plants is supplied from fossil fuels, it has caused an increase in global fossil fuel consumption and environmental degradation. ّFurthermore, the volatility of fossil fuel prices and unstable energy security have prompted international organizations and governments to apply policies to restrict fossil fuel use and examine alternatives to fossil fuels. Since biofuels come from renewable sources and are clean fuels, they can be an appropriate alternative to fossil fuels and play a more expansive role in supplying energy for transportation industries, power plants, and heat production systems. Although there is some research about the drawbacks of using fossil fuels and the commendation of using biofuels in various industries such as transportation, the literature lacks a comprehensive study on the evaluation and analysis of the potential of using biofuels instead of conventional fuels in power generation systems. The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of utilizing biofuels instead of fossil fuels in microgrids to achieve carbon neutrality objectives. Furthermore, this paper reviews previous research studies that have operated biofuels in three categories: solid, liquid, and gas, to generate electricity and analyzes the potential of different biofuels to produce heat and electricity for microgrid power systems. In addition to outlining the present knowledge gaps in this area, this study explores the prospects and threats associated with expanding the use of biofuels in the power production industry and the development of sustainable microgrids. This study indicated that if the technical and economic problems of employing biofuels are overcome, these clean fuels have a great potential to obtain the maximum share of the global power generation market and move toward Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario (NZE) goals.

Fostering firm performance through the lens of environmental leadership and knowledge learning: a mediated moderation model

In the current era of business, environmental sustainability has emerged as an issue of critical relevance. The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between environmental leadership and environmental learning and its impact on the organization's performance. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by identifying the primary characteristics that help companies enhance their performance. Using a convenience sample approach, data was obtained from 417 respondents working in the construction industry. For direct and indirect hypothesis testing, we used the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and structural equation modelling (SEM). According to the study's findings, environmental leadership (EL) and environmental knowledge learning (EKL) significantly influence environmental passion (EP), green corporate social responsibility (CSR), and company performance. The link between EL, EKL, and firm performance (FP) is mediated by EP. The study's results indicate that green CSR significantly moderates the relationship between EP and firm performance. The study findings benefit business managers, policymakers, and government institutions.

Greening aviation in era of COVID-19: Towards conceptualizing and operationalizing decarbonization

Although net-zero greenhouse gas emission targets continue to gather burgeoning streams of research, there is a lacuna in current literature on the pathway challenges towards operationalizing decarbonization. The study advanced 2 × 2 matrix of an organizing framework of challenges in accomplishing net-zero emissions targets. Using the global airline industry as an illustrative context, the study provided deep insights on the pivotal industry, institutional, and organizational challenges in the era of COVID-19 such as fleet modernization, over-reliance on fossil fuel, slow progress in the development of hydrogen and electric aircraft, risk of corporate greenwashing, and divergent approaches adopted by airlines. The challenges can be classified into policy-oriented, organization-specific, and external/macro-environment factors. The contributions to theory and practices were identified and examined.

Does fiscal decentralization support green economy development? Evidence from China

China, as the world's largest energy consumer, has made the green economy a central component of its economic development strategy. However, how to effectively play the government's crucial role in promoting the development of the green economy has become the focus of research by a significant number of economic experts. This paper uses the Super-SBM model to measure the green economy development index by introducing carbon dioxide emissions and industrial "three wastes" emissions and analyzes the relationship between fiscal decentralization, green technology innovation, and the green economy from the vantage point of local government behavior. It is discovered that fiscal decentralization significantly inhibits the development of the green economy, and local green technology innovation activities in the last period will amplify this negative impact. The above findings pass the robustness test. After introducing comparative analysis of economic growth indicators that are measured by the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA), the results show that only in the eastern region does fiscal decentralization both drive economic growth and do not inhibit green economy development by local government officials' political promotion motives and self-interested preferred expenditures, but overall economic promotion and green economy inhibition caused by fiscal decentralization exist simultaneously in the Yangtze River Economic Belt region, and significant heterogeneity differences exist in the rest of the regions. The findings suggest that regulating local government fiscal behavior and improving fiscal transparency are very important to promote the development of China's green economy.

Impact of human capital on the green economy: empirical evidence from 30 Chinese provinces

In China, exploring the relationship between human capital and green economy in the context of economic transformation can promote the construction of an ecological civilization and high-quality economic development. This paper is dedicated to assessing the impact of human capital stock, human capital structure, and the difference between the two on China's green economy. Using the super-efficiency slack-based measure (SBM) model, this paper evaluated the green total factor productivity (GTFP) of 30 Chinese provinces to assess the greenness of its economy and analyzed its spatiotemporal evolution from 2000 to 2017. A spatial error model (SEM) was established to explore the impact of human capital on green economy. The results show that (1) the GTFP of China increased continuously from 0.219 to 0.457, showing a regional spatial differentiation of "eastern region > central region > western region." The spatial gaps of the green economy in the east-west and north-south directions are narrowing. (2) Moran's I index and Moran's I scatter plot indicate a significant spatial correlation between human capital and China's green economy. The local spatial correlation between human capital and green economy is mainly characterized by "high-high" and "low-low" types of agglomeration. (3) The effects of human capital stock and human capital structure on green economy were both positive, with coefficients of 0.0005 and 0.1601, respectively, but the effects of human capital structure were not significant. (4) The results of regional regression show that the difference between the human capital impact coefficients on green economy in the eastern and midwestern regions is small. The impact of human capital stock and human capital structure on green economy is consistent with the national level results. It can be preliminarily concluded that the development of China's green economy relied more on improving the human capital stock than on the improvement of the human capital structure. This study further enriches the literature on the green economy and provides information that can support government policy-making.

Green economy performance and sustainable development achievement: empirical evidence from Saudi Arabia

As a pillar of United Nations, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia pursues to greener its economy and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. The green economy represents a catalyzer for sustainable development in its three dimensions -economic, social and environmental- aiming to improve human well-being and social equity and reduce environmental risks. However, the relevant previous studies lacked the role of green economy on sustainable development for the Saudi Arabia. For this purpose, this paper aims to explore how green is the kingdom and analyze its performance toward sustainable development from 2015 to 2020. To do so, we adopt the EEPSE Green Economy Index that combines educational, economic, political, societal and environmental indicators associated with the pillars of the Quintuple Helix Innovation Model. In this study, this index is composed of 42 indicators related to the green economy and the sustainable development. The empirical results suggest that the Saudi Arabia witnessed a significant progress of EEPSE GEI score. In addition, the findings support that the performance of the kingdom regarding the green economy is affected after the COVID-19 crisis. Thus, the paper provides original visions for policy makers to encourage the transition to green economy which constitutes the main locomotive to attain the economic, social and environment sustainability for the kingdom.

Environmental commitment of large US publicly traded companies producing healthcare equipment: a cross-sectional comparative study

The environmental commitment of healthcare stakeholders is poorly described despite the sector pollution and the social needs of more sustainable behaviors. A cross-sectional study comparing the environment commitment of US publicly traded companies producing healthcare equipment (HE), healthcare companies (H), and large capitalization corporates (LC) was designed. Using a financial database, the 20 largest US publicly traded companies by market capitalization were selected for each cohort. The last available sustainability report was investigated, aiming to assess (1) the year and the method of dissemination of the last report; (2) the adhesion to environmental standards; (3) the presence of environmental policies, quantitative targets, and tracking; (4) the third-party evaluations about company environmental sustainability. HE companies published sustainability reports in time (p = 0.048), usually as standalone reports (p < 0.001). Half of HE companies adhered to standards, less than the control groups (p < 0.001). HE companies had an acceptable environmental policy, improving over the time and posing targets, similarly to control groups (p > 0.05). The number of companies reporting quantitative targets/tracking about carbon footprint, water, and renewable energy managements differed among the three cohorts (p = 0.013, p = 0.013, and p < 0.001, respectively), with HE cohort achieving the lowest rates (70%, 70%, and 50%, respectively). Carbon neutrality and all renewable energy statements were rare among HE companies (10% and 5% of companies, p < 0.007). In HE, CDP (The Carbon Disclosure Project) scores were lower than controls (p < 0.001). US publicly traded companies producing healthcare equipment demonstrated to be far less committed to environmental sustainability than healthcare companies and large capitalization corporates. Level of evidence: IV.

Research on the spatiotemporal evolution and influencing factors of green economic efficiency in the Yangtze River Economic Belt

In the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB), the green economy is an essential to sustainable economic development. In this study, we calculated a comprehensive index of environmental pollution based on the global entropy weight method and used the super slacks-based measure (SBM) model to estimate the green economic efficiency (GEE) of provinces and cities in the YREB from 2005 to 2018. Subsequently, we explored temporal and spatial evolution characteristics combined with the Theil and Moran indexes, and adopted the spatial Dubin model to analyze its influencing factors. We divided the YREB into three watersheds to facilitate the analysis. The results show that the GEE in the YREB initially decreased and then increased, and the difference among the three major watersheds was higher than that within the watershed. We found a positive spatial autocorrelation in the development level of the green economy in the YREB. While industrial structure had a negative effect, economic development, scientific and technological level, and environmental regulation all had a positive effect on GEE. Finally, we offered policy recommendations to improve the level of green development in the YREB.

Economic, ecological, and health aspects of β-diketonate application in the process of water purification

Water pollution is a constant challenge for humanity. Sustainable economic development and environmental protection through a green economy structure provide the opportunity to project a model of scientific, social, and economic flows. Considering new chemical use in water treatment, we tested two β-diketonates that we previously synthesized in the reaction between methyl ketone and diethyl oxalate under basic conditions. For water treatment, we used the appropriate salts of the mentioned compounds due to better solubility in water. In cooperation with the partner organizations PUC (public utility companies) Kragujevac, LTD (Private Limited Company), "Rudnik," and FIAT (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino), we conducted research on their wastewater treatment. The results appeared to be more convincing in practice than the conventional methods. As a result of the study, no negative effects exerted on living organisms were found. Therefore, we are on the right track for potential application in the treatment of drinking water. Appropriate β-diketonates were tested on twelve microorganisms (isolates from the wastewater and standard strains of bacteria and yeast). One of the two tested compounds showed promising antimicrobial activity. Further investigations showed that the tested compounds significantly reduce the concentration of heavy metals, which was confirmed by statistical calculations. Also, the main advantage of this method is a small volume of waste requiring disposal, no need for driving off excess moisture, used recyclability of the coagulants, reducing hazardous waste, and therefore reducing the costs for water treatment.

Can green trade save the environment? Introducing the Green (Trade) Openness Index

Environmental degradation is one of the main drivers of climate change. One of the most broadly accepted tools to minimize environmental degradation is the introduction of "green products". This paper introduces the "Green Trade Openness Index" to (a) measure the importance of green products in a region and (b) revisit the trade-environment nexus in a sample study of 31 OECD countries over the period 2007-2017. The empirical analysis confirms the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis and - more importantly - demonstrates for the first time that the presence of green products in a country's trade basket reduces that country's ecological footprint. This is essential information for practitioners and policy makers looking for a pathway to sustainable development. Finally, the novel index creates opportunities for future research, as the index can be used as explanatory variable in different research questions and fields of research.

The dynamics of public spending on sustainable green economy: role of technological innovation and industrial structure effects

In order to achieve the goal of sustainable green economic development, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the efficiency of the green economy and compare it with emission reductions. The green economy idea is a much-discussed solution to economic growth. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of government spending on the performance of the green economy of various countries under the "Belt and Road" (BRI) initiative project. The data were analyzed using the BRI economy panel data from 2008 to 2018. The generalized method of moments (GMM) was used to estimate the effect of government expenditures on education and research and development (R&D) on green economic performance index (GEE) in BRI countries. The results reveal that during the study period, BRI countries have experienced an upward transition towards green development, except for Pakistan and Bangladesh; their GEE decreased gradually from 2010 to 2018. Further, the findings of the system GMM revealed that both education and R&D have a positive impact on the green economy. Moreover, the compositional and technological effects of the overall sample were verified with the GMM process. Nevertheless, the sub-sample results revealed a heterogeneous impact on countries with a high per capita GDP. Following the results, useful policy measures for promoting sustainable green economic development have been proposed.

Asymmetric nexus among financial globalization, non-renewable energy, renewable energy use, economic growth, and carbon emissions: impact on environmental sustainability targets in India

Financial globalization has been argued to contribute to the increase/decrease in greenhouse gases and hence global temperature. India, according to International Energy Agency (IEA), is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases globally, where the consumption of the few rich produces about seven times carbon emissions when compared with the poorest households. This current research explores the asymmetric effect of financial globalization on carbon emissions, while controlling for non-renewable energy utilization, renewable energy consumption, and economic expansion. The study uses yearly data stretching from 1970 to 2018 and batteries of econometric approaches in order to investigate these associations. The outcomes of the NARDL unveiled that (i) a positive (negative) shock in non-renewable energy utilization increases (decrease) carbon emissions; (ii) favorable (unfavorable) variations in renewable energy consumption decrease carbon emissions; (iii) a favorable shock in financial development contributes to carbon emissions; and (iv) a positive shock in growth impacts carbon emissions positively. Based on the empirical outcomes, we are of the opinion that policymakers should intensify efforts in putting in place appropriate environmental policy (green economy) that emphasizes the importance of renewable driven economy via energy-saving and energy-efficient technologies. Else, increased consumption on non-renewable energy sources among the few rich in India and any other countries struggling with implementing green economy would be devastating to both the immediate and future generations.

A road map for environmental sustainability and green economic development: an empirical study

In today's era, the world economy needs to move towards a green transformation. Green total factor productivity provides the judgment about a country or region's ability to achieve long-term sustainable development goals. However, many factors considerably affect green total factor productivity that needs to be explored and clarified. This panel study investigates the link between technological input, environmental policies, governmental involvement, manufacturing and logistics industry cooperation, renewable energy consumption, and green total factor productivity in the context of Chinese's manufacturing and logistics industry. Hypotheses are tested through fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) econometric technique. The study used 12 cities data mainly taken from China Urban Statistical Yearbook (2005-2019) and National Economic and Social Development Statistics Bulletin. The results indicate that technological input, environmental policies, governmental involvement, manufacturing and logistics industry cooperation, and renewable energy consumption are significantly linked to green total factor productivity. The result also implies that the factors mentioned above have a crucial role in the transformation process. Moreover, the current research results will help popularize green total factor productivity and provide a new starting point for reducing non-renewable energy consumption and environmental pollution.

Does educated labor force is managing the green economy in BRCS? Fresh evidence from NARDL-PMG approach

It is observed that an educated labor force can increase the absorption capacity of the economy and improve the effectiveness of green technologies that lead to a reduction in potential CO2 emissions. The study investigates whether an educated labor force contributes to the management of the green economy or not in BRCS economies. Panel ARDL-PMG and NARDL-PMG approaches have been employed for empirical analysis for data ranging from 1995 to 2019. According to the ARDL-PMG results, a highly educated labor force contributes to alleviating CO2 emissions in the long run. In contrast, the findings of NARDL-PMG infer that positive component of a highly educated labor force has a significant negative impact on CO2 emissions, while negative component of a highly educated labor force has a positive impact on CO2 emissions in the long run. The study suggests that BRCS countries' policymakers should promote education and training for the labor force to maintain a reduction in CO2 emissions.

US biopharmaceutical companies' stock market reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the concept of the 'paradoxical spiral' from a sustainability perspective

In an uncertain and finite world, actions towards the development of a green economy are attracting wider support. The damaging anthropogenic impact on earth systems is leading humanity to devastating situations, jeopardizing its very survival. A new world scenario has emerged with COVID-19, where the biopharmaceutical sector has arisen as a powerful effective solution for the health, economic and social crisis derived from the pandemic. This research aims to study the stock market reaction of the two US biopharmaceutical companies that first developed messenger RNA vaccines against COVID-19 (Pfizer and Moderna), considering two time periods, before and during COVID. In the analysis, the influence of the technological market index, market volatility, and investor sentiment are also considered. The results show an unequal influence of market volatility and market sentiment on the returns of both companies, as well as a different volatility behaviour. Furthermore, a contagion effect is observed during the COVID period between both companies and the technological market. The study's findings provide investors, organizations, policy-makers and society with useful information for the design of policies and strategies that ultimately are called to ensure sustainable growth for future generations.

Fair trade governance: revisiting a framework to analyse challenges and opportunities for sustainable development towards a green economy

As a relatively new form of non-state governance, the fair trade movement presents an opportunity to promote sustainable production and consumption and hence social change. Global market demands and consumer engagement denote changes in social practices that have led governments to share decision-making processes with private sector and non-governmental organisations. In this context of change, it is important to consider not only whether new forms of governance weaken or strengthen states' authority within the marketplace but also the extent to which they may allow for "green washing" instead of the green economy proposed by the United Nations Environmental Program. This study considers the fair trade of food production and consumption as a potential innovative model. In doing so it examines the existing general literature on governance, which highlights that decision-making processes tend to reproduce top-down approaches. While such practices may reproduce conventional hierarchies, it is worth questioning the potential of new forms of governance within global markets. This article builds on a sustainability governance analytical framework to deepen understandings of fair trade governance and its possible responses to the dilemmas of food production for ethical consumption and thus sustainable development in transnational relations. This research aims to contribute to the literature on improving compliance with global sustainability standards and through this, inform practices that allow for cooperation towards a green economy.

Assessment of green economic efficiency in China using analytical hierarchical process (AHP)

Global health, as well as worldwide development regimes, was seriously threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic and Delta variant outbreaks. In addition to pledging to adapt to and mitigate climate change, experts, economists, and policymakers expressed their determination to do so. Green growth and sustainable development have become the focus of policymakers and governments. The progress toward green economic efficiency (GEE), which will benefit the economy, society, and environment, continues. In terms of green growth and development, implementing environmental regulations and policies has been one of the most challenging aspects of the process. China, the world's second-largest economy, has begun its journey to GEE. Nonetheless, the green economy faces many challenges. The objective of the study is to use AHP analysis to analyze environmental regulation and GEE in China. Accordingly, the study identified three alternative approaches to achieve GEE by analyzing four criteria and ten sub-criteria in the context of environmental regulations in China. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) has been used to rank criteria, sub-criteria, and alternative approaches. According to the model, China's best path to GEE is through resource efficiency and green purchasing strategies. This article offers an insightful assessment of sustainable development in the Chinese economy.

The local-neighborhood effect of green credit on green economy: a spatial econometric investigation

Green credit is one of the most important financial instruments to promote sustainable development. Taking the provincial panel dataset of China as the research sample, this paper investigates the spatial impacts of green credit on the green economy. The super slack-based measure (Sup-SBM) model with undesirable outputs is employed to calculate the level of green economy within China. On this basis, we establish spatial Durbin models to study the impact of green credit on green economy and its transmission mechanisms. The results show that green credit exhibits a local-neighborhood effect on green economy; that is, the green credit can not only improve the local green economy but also generate spatial spillover effect to promote the development of green economy in surrounding areas. The above conclusion still holds after the robustness test by replacing spatial weight matrices and alternative measurement for the explained variable. Furthermore, enhancing innovation efficiency and optimizing energy structure are important ways for green credit to promote green economy. The findings of this study not only provide a new perspective for understanding the economic consequences of green credit policy but also provide empirical evidence for the important role of green finance in achieving the win-win goals of economic growth and environmental protection.

Polycentric or monocentric, which kind of spatial structure is better for promoting the green economy? Evidence from Chinese urban agglomerations

The green economy has gained worldwide attention, especially in the urban agglomerations where population and economic activities are highly concentrated. However, what kind of urban agglomeration spatial structure is more conducive to promoting the green economy? No clear conclusions have been made. To bridge this gap, by employing the data of 16 urban agglomerations in China in 2003-2017 and a comprehensive analytic framework including dynamic panel threshold model, this paper studies the impact of urban agglomeration spatial structure on the green economy and the three subsystems of green economy to shed light on which kind of urban agglomeration spatial structure better drives the green economy. The main findings are shown below: (1) urban agglomeration spatial structural evolution is closely related to green economy, while in the research period, most urban agglomerations are not located in the optimal range of the spatial structure that drives the green economy. (2) Towards polycentric spatial structure is contributive to green economic growth; however, the excessively polycentric could not benefit green economy. (3) The evolution of urban agglomeration spatial structure exerts heterogeneous impacts on the three subsystems when green economy is decomposed into economic subsystem, resources subsystem, and environmental subsystem. Towards polycentric is more conducive to the improvement of economic subsystem and resource subsystem, while the tendency to monocentric drives the environmental subsystem. (4) Lastly, the conclusions enlighten the urban agglomeration development planning and spatial mode for approaching a better performance in green economy.

Management of human resources in the green economy: Does green labour productivity matter in low-carbon development in China

Environmentally friendly economic development has become a global concern, whereas the existing literature has ignored the human resources management in the green economy. This study utilizes the basic Cobb-Douglas production function and examines the nonlinear effect of labour productivity on the environment in China. Non-linear findings infer that a positive change in labour productivity has a positive and negative change in labour productivity, and has a negative effect on CO₂ emissions in the short run, while results persisted and stable in the long run in China. The crux of this study is that labour productivity is vital for understanding the evolution of a green economy. Conventionally, capital productivity and energy consumption also tend to follow dirty productivity growth and thus, increased environmental pollution. Indeed, research and development is a forceful input to environmental quality. Based on findings, policymakers should need to focus on human resource productivity, green business, and ecosystem protection.

Do financial regulations matters for sustainable green economy: evidence from Turkey

The attention of scholars and policymakers on the achievement of sustainable green economy has been on increase; however, the topic has not been exhaustively investigated. This study empirically investigates the implications of financial regulations on sustainable green economy in Turkey utilizing a time series data spanning from 1996 to 2019. This study employed Perron and Lee-Strazicich unit root test in the presence of structural break point for examining the stationarity properties of the series and FMOLS, CCR, and ARDL for estimating the long and short-run effect of the financial regulations on carbon productivity. Our study demonstrates that rule of law, economic freedom, and inflation have a significant long-run relationship with carbon productivity as confirmed by FMOLS and CCR, while rule of law, regulatory quality economic freedom, and inflation were confirmed by ARDL to have long-run causal relationship with carbon productivity. In addition, our study found that control of corruption, government effectiveness, rule of law, regulatory quality economic freedom, and inflation have a short-run causal effect on carbon productivity. Finally, this study concludes that financial regulations is significant for achieving sustainable green economy in Turkey and as such should be accorded adequate attention by the policy makers.

Does globalization affect the green economy and environment? The relationship between energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, and economic growth

This study analyzes the relationship between globalization, energy consumption, and economic growth among selected South Asian countries to promote the green economy and environment. This study also finds causal association between energy growth and nexus of CO₂ emissions and employed the premises of the EKC framework. The study used annual time series analysis, starting from 1985 to 2019. The data set has been collected from the World Development Indicator (WDI). The result of a fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) method describes a significantly worse quality environment in the South Asian region. The individual country as Bangladesh shows a positively significant impact on the CO₂ emissions and destroys the level of environment regarding non-renewable energy and globalization index. However, negative and positive growth levels (GDP) and square of GDP confirm the EKC hypothesis in this region. This study has identified the causality between GDP growth and carbon emission and found bidirectional causality between economic growth and energy use.

Sustainability and sustainable development: A review of principles and definitions

The concepts of sustainability and sustainable development have acquired great relevance in scientific research about environmental issues, policies linked to environmental management, and industrial and agricultural production, among others. Although these two concepts are frequently used as synonyms, they are immersed in debates regarding their meaning and their possibilities for application to real systems. This review analyzes the main theoretical definitions of both concepts, together with their potentials and limitations, emphasizing the differences between their meanings. A bibliographic search was carried out in the Web of Science database and other sources from official organizations of international relevance and authors referenced by them. The works providing substantive definitions of sustainability and sustainable development from a complexity theory perspective were selected for discussion throughout the article. The main results showed a strong criticism of the concept of sustainable development due to its imprecise definition, the emergence of the concept of sustainability in the debate of the 1990s and its consolidation in certain fields of knowledge, and the emergence of new alternatives to sustainable development such as degrowth and buen vivir. The results also show the potential of the concept of sustainability as a still-developing framework for scientific research and environmental management.

Fuzzy-based multi-criteria decision analysis of environmental regulation and green economic efficiency in a post-COVID-19 scenario: the case of China

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak posed serious threats not only to global health but also to the worldwide development regime. The experts, economists, policymakers, and the governments expressed their pledges and determinations to adapt and mitigate climate change. Policymakers and governments have started adopting green growth and development strategies. The progress moves further to achieve green economic efficiency (GEE) to achieve economic, social, and environmental development. One of the major challenges has been promulgating and strictly implementing environmental regulations and policies vis-à-vis green growth and development. China, having the second largest economy, has started its voyage to achieve GEE. However, there are multiple challenges on the way to the green economy. The objective of the present stud is to analyze environmental regulation and GEE in China using fuzzy-based multi-criteria decision analysis. To serve this purpose, the study identifies 5 alternative strategies to achieve GEE while considering 10 criteria and 48 sub-criteria in the context of environmental regulations in China. The Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been employed to rank criteria and sub-criteria to the goal. The Fuzzy VIekriterijumsko KOmpromisno Rangiranje (VIKOR) method has been used to rank the alternative strategies of GEE. The proposed model unveiled resource efficiency and green purchasing as the best strategy to achieve GEE in the Chinese economy followed by local production. The study provides a comprehensive insight into the green development process to achieve GEE in the Chinese economy in the post-COVID-19 world.

The assessment of buildings and constructions sector of economy proposal: an environmental perspective

Environmental impact assessment methods suffer from an applicability issue which could impede their use and development. The main subject of this article is to present a method to evaluate the applicability of building environmental assessment method in a given country. Here, when we say that a method is applicable in a given country, it means that it could be widely used and that it could produce the expected effects in terms of energy savings, environmental impact minimization, economic gain, etc. So, for this applicability evaluation purpose, the main criteria that affect the building environmental assessment method applicability were identified and were weighted by studying different scenarios. Then, the evaluation method was applied to the Tunisian case. Moreover, in order to contribute to a better understanding of the importance of building environmental assessment method implementation, stakes related thereto are reviewed. It was reported that building environmental assessment method would concur to improve building energy efficiency, enhance social capital, and contribute to environmental, social, and economic stability. In addition, it could be one of the major solutions for the collection of statistical data, which in turn would contribute to the success of projects undertaken as part of the green economy. Eventually, the building environmental assessment could be one of the major green marketing tools and should be taken into account by a company to improve profitability. The developed method and the presented stakes could be a good management and decision making tools and could help legislators and policy-makers for the best implementation of building environmental assessment method.

Introduction to emerging industrial applications of cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.)

The Italian Law of 22 November 2016 has legalized the cultivation of hemp, which drives the development of sustainable agriculture by generating new products with high added value in the new context of circular economy. Hemp cultivation is known for its low environmental impact, as hemp grows fast, suppresses weeds and does not need pesticides. It has no specialized parasites, favors pollination and improves the physical and chemical soil fertility. Recently, many countries have increased their interest in hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.), considering it as a climate-friendly crop that can mitigate climate change and desertification. For these reasons, hemp can be a new protagonist of Italian agriculture already oriented towards the objectives of EU 2030 which predicts 40% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990. The hemp cultivation can activate a new supply chain by allowing using different parts of the plant, benefiting farmers, environment, and human health. Indeed, although a very old plant, hemp will be one of the main protagonists of the green economy in the near future. Its seeds can be used by agri-food industry to produce flour, pasta, pastry and oil, while the stem through canapulo (woody part of stem) in green building sector. Its fiber (external part of stem) will find new applications in textile industry. As for its inflorescences and roots, thanks to the extraction of bioactive molecules, they will play an important role in the pharmaceutical and parapharmaceutical industry. Finally, only the medical sector with Δ⁹‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) extraction from inflorescence is not yet regulated by the aforementioned Italian Law.

Reviewing the interface of bioeconomy and ecosystem service research

The bioeconomy is currently being globally promoted as a sustainability avenue involving several societal actors. While the bioeconomy is broadly about the substitution of fossil resources with bio-based ones, three main (competing or complementary) bioeconomy visions are emerging in scientific literature: resource, biotechnology, and agroecology. The implementation of one or more of these visions into strategies implies changes to land use and thus ecosystem services delivery, with notable trade-offs. This review aims to explore the interdisciplinary space at the interface of these two concepts. We reviewed scientific publications explicitly referring to bioeconomy and ecosystem services in their title, abstract, or keywords, with 45 documents identified as relevant. The literature appeared to be emerging and fragmented but eight themes were discernible (in order of decreasing occurrence frequency in the literature): a. technical and economic feasibility of biomass extraction and use; b. potential and challenges of the bioeconomy; c. frameworks and tools; d. sustainability of bio-based processes, products, and services; e. environmental sustainability of the bioeconomy; f. governance of the bioeconomy; g. biosecurity; h. bioremediation. Approximately half of the documents aligned to a resource vision of the bioeconomy, with emphasis on biomass production. Agroecology and biotechnology visions were less frequently found, but multiple visions generally tended to occur in each document. The discussion highlights gaps in the current research on the topic and argues for communication between the ecosystem services and bioeconomy communities to forward both research areas in the context of sustainability science.

Renewable energy diversification: Considerations for farm business resilience

With a varied landscape, Wales is resource rich in terms of wind and water and a suitable location to develop many different forms of sustainable energy. Whilst farm businesses face increasing challenges in terms of economic stability and traditional production methods, this paper considers the role of renewable energy production as a form of diversification. The study adopts mixed methods as a means of undertaking an in-depth investigation into the role of renewable energy generation in supporting agribusinesses in Wales. Initially a questionnaire obtained 118 responses from farmers in Wales. Subsequently, 15 follow-up semi-structured interviews with farmers were conducted to further investigate the issues from the initial questionnaire. The theoretical contribution of this paper is a segmentation of farmer businesses which allows for distinctions to be made of different attitudes to off-farm income and the adoption of renewable energy sources. Five farm types were identified, varying in relation to farm characteristics, attitudes to diversification, access to renewable energy and resource allocation. These farm types highlight the need for specific policies towards facilitating the increase in renewable energy along with sustaining farming incomes. Furthermore the research provides valuable information to the farming industry on opportunities in renewable energy production, particularly for farmers and farm businesses who are considering diversification strategies.

Investigating the development efficiency of the green economy in China's equipment manufacturing industry

The equipment manufacturing industry is the industrial base of China, which makes it imperative to coordinate the relationship between industrial development and environmental protection. Using panel data of the seven sub-industries in China's equipment manufacturing industry from 2011 to 2015, this paper evaluates the static and dynamic aspects of green economic development efficiency by combining the super-efficiency slack-based measure model of unexpected output and the data envelopment analysis-Malmquist index model. The results show investments in research and development, and environmental regulations have yielded some positive results, but that regulations have also yielded some undesired output in terms of diminished economic benefits. Pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency have both declined, indicating that the scale and industrial structure need to be further optimized. The results of this study present an objective and comprehensive assessment of green economic development of China's equipment manufacturing industry and provide valuable insights for improving green economic development efficiency.

Greening the Post-pandemic Recovery in the G20

Rebuilding G20 economies after the COVID-19 pandemic requires rethinking what type of economy we need and want in the future. Simply reviving the existing 'brown' economy will exacerbate irreversible climate change and other environmental risks. For G20 economies, investing in a workable and affordable green transition is essential. A good place to start is learning what worked and what did not from previous efforts to green the economic recovery during the 2008-2009 Great Recession, examining the cases of the United States and South Korea. Policies for a sustained economic recovery amount to much more than just short-term fiscal stimulus. Transitioning from fossil fuels to a sustainable low-carbon economy will require long-term commitments (5-10 years) of public spending and pricing reforms. The priorities for public spending include support for private sector green innovation and infrastructure, development of smart grids, transport systems, charging station networks, and sustainable cities. Pricing carbon and pollution, and removing fossil-fuel subsidies, can accelerate the transition, raise revenues for the necessary public investments, and lower the overall cost of the green transition.

Greening the Post-pandemic Recovery in the G20

Rebuilding G20 economies after the COVID-19 pandemic requires rethinking what type of economy we need and want in the future. Simply reviving the existing 'brown' economy will exacerbate irreversible climate change and other environmental risks. For G20 economies, investing in a workable and affordable green transition is essential. A good place to start is learning what worked and what did not from previous efforts to green the economic recovery during the 2008-2009 Great Recession, examining the cases of the United States and South Korea. Policies for a sustained economic recovery amount to much more than just short-term fiscal stimulus. Transitioning from fossil fuels to a sustainable low-carbon economy will require long-term commitments (5-10 years) of public spending and pricing reforms. The priorities for public spending include support for private sector green innovation and infrastructure, development of smart grids, transport systems, charging station networks, and sustainable cities. Pricing carbon and pollution, and removing fossil-fuel subsidies, can accelerate the transition, raise revenues for the necessary public investments, and lower the overall cost of the green transition.

Innovation stages, knowledge spillover, and green economy development: moderating role of absorptive capacity and environmental regulation

In the past 20 years, the green economy has increasingly attracted the attention of governments and policy makers. However, most studies have only focused on the relationship between the green economy and innovation, and little attention has been given to the relationship between the different innovation stages and the green economy. This study draws on eco-innovation and institutional theories and proposes a model to empirically investigate the effects between the different innovation stages and green economy. Furthermore, it explores how these effects are mediated by knowledge spillover and moderated by absorptive capacity and environment regulations. We use data from the last 5 years (2012-2016) obtained from different China regions to empirically test the model. Results show that knowledge innovation, research and development (R&D) innovation, and product innovation have the same significant positive impact on knowledge spillovers. R&D and product innovation have a significant positive impact on green economy, whereas knowledge innovation has no significant effect on the development of the green economy. Knowledge spillover partially mediates the relationship between the innovation stage and the green economy. Meanwhile, absorptive capacity positively moderates the relationship between knowledge spillover and the green economy. However, environmental regulation negatively moderates the relationship between knowledge spillover and the green economy. In addition, corresponding measures are proposed based on the conclusions.

Sustainability of green jobs in Portugal: a methodological approach using occupational health indicators

Objective:

This study aimed to develop a methodological tool to analyze and monitor the green jobs in the context of Occupational Health and Safety.

Methods:

A literature review in combination with an investigation of Occupational Health Indicators was performed. The resulting tool of Occupational Health Indicators was based on the existing information of "Single Report" and was validated by national's experts.

Results:

The tool brings together 40 Occupational Health Indicators in four key fields established by World Health Organization in their conceptual framework "Health indicators of sustainable jobs." The tool proposed allows for assessing if the green jobs enabled to follow the principles and requirements of Occupational Health Indicators and if these jobs are as good for the environment as for the workers' health, so if they can be considered quality jobs.

Conclusions:

This shows that Occupational Health Indicators are indispensable for the assessment of the sustainability of green jobs and should be taken into account in the definition and evaluation of policies and strategies of the sustainable development.

Quantifying solid waste and recycling employment in Florida, USA: Trends in public and private sectors

Measuring and tracking the numbers of jobs in solid waste management and recycling industries over time provide basic data to inform decision makers about the important role played by this sector in a state or region's 'green economy'. This study estimates the number of people employed in the solid waste and recycling industry from 1989 through 2011 in the state of Florida (USA), applying a classification scheme based on the Standard Industrial Code (SIC) and utilizing the National Establishment Time Series (NETS) database. The results indicate that solid waste and recycling jobs in the private sector steadily increased from 1989 to 2011, whereas government employment for solid waste management fluctuated over the same period.

Secondary resources and recycling in developing economies

Recycling of metals extends the efficient use of minerals and metals, reduces pressure on environment and results in major energy savings in comparison to primary production. In developing economies recycling had been an integral part of industrial activity and has become a major concern due to the handling of potentially hazardous material without any regard to the occupational health and safety (OH&S) needs. With rising awareness and interest from policy makers, the recycling scenario is changing and the large scale enterprises are entering the recycling sector. There is widespread expectation that these enterprises would use the Best Available Technologies (BAT) leading to better environment management and enhanced resource recovery. The major challenge is to enhance and integrate the activities of other stakeholders in the value chain to make recycling an economically viable and profitable enterprise. This paper is an attempt to propose a sustainable model for recycling in the developing economies through integration of the informal and formal sectors. The main objective is to augment the existing practices using a scientific approach and providing better technology without causing an economic imbalance to the present practices. In this paper studies on lead acid batteries and e-waste recycling in India are presented to evolve a model for "green economy".