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The Contribution of Sustainable Businesses to achieve the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 July 2023) | Viewed by 12572

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Prof. Dr. Sara Calvo Martinez

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universidad International de la Rioja, Av. de la Paz, 137, 26006 Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
Interests: social enterprise; social innovation; innovation in education; sustainable businesses; sustainable development; visual research

Prof. Dr. Andres Morales Pachon

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universidad International de la Rioja, Av. de la Paz, 137, 26006 Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
Interests: social enterprise; innovation in education; sustainable businesses; international development; sustainable development; visual research

Dr. Rui Alexandre Castanho

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Faculty of Applied Sciences, WSB University, 41-300 Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland
Interests: cross-border cooperation (CBC); environmental impact assessment; international cooperation; landscape architecture; regional planning; spatial planning and territorial governance; strategic and common planning; sustainable tourism; urban and city planning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A few years ago, countries across the globe adopted the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined within it (United Nations, 2012). It is widely acknowledged that the SDGs may only be attained through collaborative efforts by actors across sectors.

People have often claimed that sustainable businesses have emerged as a powerful intervention for ameliorating socio-economic challenges in communities worldwide. Given the increasing gaps in the delivery of public services around the world, sustainable businesses are now being called upon to tackle these institutional voids though innovation in practice. There is a range of debates regarding their business models but all manifestations potentially align with the UN sustainable development goals, and could be the drivers of creativity and innovation that will lead to more sustainable and resilient communities.

This Special Issue seeks to host a collection of papers that explore the contribution of sustainable businesses through a sustainability lens. We are seeking theoretical as well as empirical contributions and would welcome case studies from both the North and the South.

References:

Agarwal, N., Gneiting, U., & Mhlanga, R. (2017). Raising the Bar: Rethinking the role of business in the Sustainable Development Goals. Oxfam Discussion Paper, 32.

Calvo, S; Lyon, F; Morales, A; Wade, J (2020), Educating at Scale for Sustainable Development and Social Enterprise Growth: The Impact of Online Learning and a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), Sustainability, 12, 3247, 1-15.

Gicheru, P. E. (2016). The Role of the co-operative enterprise model in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Least Developed Countries (LDCs). 22.

Littlewood, D. C., & Holt, D. (2018). How social enterprises can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – A conceptual framework. In N. Apostolopoulos, H. Al-Dajani, D. Holt, P. Jones, & R. Newbery (Eds.), Entrepreneurship and the Sustainable Development Goals (Vol. 8, pp. 33– 46). Emerald. https://0-books-emeraldinsight-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/page/detail/Entrepreneurship-and-the-Sustainable-Development-Goals/?k=9781787563766.

Morales, A; Calvo, S; Guaita, J. M; Martin, J.M (2021). Hybrid forms of business: Understanding the development of indigenous social entrepreneurship practices, , Journal of Business Research, 124, 212-222.

Pedersen, C. S. (2018). The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a Great Gift to Business! Procedia CIRP, 69, 21–24. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.1016/j.procir.2018.01.003

Tabares, S; Calvo, S; Morales, A; Molina, V (2021), Unpacking B Corps’ Impact on Sustainable Development: An Analysis from Structuration Theory, Sustainability, 13, 23, 1-21.

Prof. Dr. Sara Calvo Martinez
Prof. Dr. Andres Morales Pachon
Prof. Dr. Rui Alexandre Castanho
Guest Editors

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Keywords

sustainable development goals
sustainable businesses
social enterprises
creative enterprises
social entrepreneurship
community development
sustainable projects
Bcorps

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 4307 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Financial Risk and Environmental Sustainability in Poland: Evidence from Novel Fourier-Based Estimators

by Kwaku Addai, Sema Yılmaz Genç, Rui Alexandre Castanho, Gualter Couto, Ayhan Orhan, Muhammad Umar and Dervis Kirikkaleli

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5801; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15075801 - 27 Mar 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1740

Abstract

Using Fourier-based ARDL and Fourier Toda Yamamoto causality methods, this study aims to detect the impact of financial risk on environmental sustainability in Poland while controlling economic growth, primary energy consumption, and renewable energy consumption from 1990Q1 to 2019Q4. The outcomes of the Fourier ADL cointegration test indicate all variables are cointegrated. Additionally, the Fourier ARDL long-form estimates indicate both renewable energy consumption and financial risk contribute to reducing environmental degradation in Poland. However, the Fourier ARDL long-form estimates show that both primary energy consumption and economic growth have detrimental impacts on the economy’s level of environmental degradation. Analysis of causality direction with the Fourier Toda Yamamoto causality test indicates both financial risk and renewable energy consumption for the period had a one direction causal effect on environmental degradation. For policy insight, the government could support environmental policies requiring companies to factor climate-related risks into their supervision and financial stability monitoring. The Polish government requires financial institutions to prioritize climate risk scenarios in stress testing to control catastrophic weather-related losses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Contribution of Sustainable Businesses to achieve the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals)

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21 pages, 311 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Work Integration Social Enterprises in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case Study of Lithuania

by Audronė Urmanavičienė and Eglė Butkevičienė

Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4324; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15054324 - 28 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1633

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are internationally agreed-upon commitments to sustainable development, represent the global development agenda. Lithuania, along with other 192 countries, has committed to achieving these goals by 2030. The purpose of these goals is to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all and ensure that no one is left behind. As emphasized by SDG #17, an important role in achieving all SDGs is played by partnerships among all stakeholders, including partnerships developed by businesses and, especially, social businesses. In Lithuania, social businesses mostly act as work integration social enterprises (WISEs), working with the most vulnerable societal groups and ensuring their social integration into society, thus contributing toward the achievement of the SDGs. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented businesses from performing their usual activities and, subsequently, from achieving their social missions. Thus, in this study, we aimed to analyze the role of WISEs in achieving the SDGs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania. The study is based on the interviews with Lithuanian de facto WISE leaders. The findings showed that the WISEs in Lithuania mainly contributed to SDG #1 “No poverty”, SDG #2 “Zero hunger”, SDG #3 “Good health and well-being”, SDG #4 “Quality education”, SDG #8 “Decent work and economic growth”, and SDG #16 “Peace and justice” during the pandemic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Contribution of Sustainable Businesses to achieve the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals)

18 pages, 623 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Management Control Systems and the Integration of the Sustainable Development Goals into Business Models

by Marina Florêncio, Lídia Oliveira and Helena Costa Oliveira

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2246; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15032246 - 25 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3042

Abstract

Since the introduction of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), companies play a central role in promoting sustainable development. Management control became essential to support the SGDs’ integration into business models. This qualitative and interpretative study relies on a Brazilian company proactive in sustainability—Natura—and analyzes its management controls for sustainability using the Malmi and Brown framework. Natura’s external reports were used, along with public interviews with its sustainability key actors. The findings suggest the existence of broad management control, comprising planning, cybernetic, reward and compensation, administrative and cultural controls. Additionally, strong formal and informal management controls for sustainability are juxtaposed. The company’s culture and values are the main motivation for integrating the SDGs. It was found that Natura has been introducing increasingly innovative cybernetic controls, with emphasis on environmental profit and loss, social profit and loss, and integrated profit and loss tools. The research contributes to a greater awareness of the company role in achieving the SDGs, and the importance of their integration into business models. This study also adds to the management control literature, responding to the research calls concerning the role of management control tools to achieve SDGs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Contribution of Sustainable Businesses to achieve the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals)

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18 pages, 1863 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Productivity and Environmental Degradation in Germany: Evidence from Novel Fourier Approaches

by Kwaku Addai, Rahmi Deniz Ozbay, Rui Alexandre Castanho, Sema Yilmaz Genc, Gualter Couto and Dervis Kirikkaleli

Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16911; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142416911 - 16 Dec 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1713

Abstract

The increased consumption of fossil fuels worldwide has resulted in unprecedented historic environmental degradation and global warming. According to the United Nations, this is both the defining crisis of our time and a race the world could win given the right policy attention. Researchers seek to find critical pathways to provide policy recommendations for reducing environmental degradation. This paper aims to investigate the effect of energy productivity on environmental degradation in Germany while controlling for economic growth, primary energy consumption, and globalization for the period between 1990Q1 and 2019Q4. The outcomes of the Fourier ARDL long-run estimates indicate that (i) both energy productivity and globalization have a negative effect on carbon emissions in Germany, and (ii) both economic growth and primary energy consumption have positive effects on carbon dioxide emissions. These outcomes provide significant policy insights to EU members with respect to reducing their reliance on Russian energy imports amidst the rising energy bills and ongoing geopolitical war with Ukraine while increasing investments to realize their energy turnaround policy objectives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Contribution of Sustainable Businesses to achieve the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals)

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17 pages, 1600 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Patents on Environmental Technologies and Environmental Sustainability in Spain

by Modupe Oluyemisi Oyebanji, Rui Alexandre Castanho, Sema Yilmaz Genc and Dervis Kirikkaleli

Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6670; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14116670 - 30 May 2022

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3410

Abstract

Through an in-depth evaluation of the potential effectiveness of intellectual property protection on environmental technologies, the aim of the present research is to investigate the effect of patents on environmental innovation, energy use, GDP, and trade openness on environmental deregulation in Spain using nonlinear ARDL techniques. Specifically, the study findings indicate that patents on environmental technologies enhance environ-mental sustainability in Spain, as evidenced by the novel results from the nonlinear ARDL. Secondly, our study reveals that Spain’s growing economy degrades the quality of the environment. Based on the findings of the study, positive changes in trade openness could have positive effects on Spain’s environmental sustainability, suggesting that better productivity, more international trade, and increased economic openness could facilitate an improvement in Spain’s environmental impact. Lastly, this study provides evidence demonstrating that Spain’s environmental quality could suffer due to excessive energy consumption. In the light of this study’s policy recommendations, the policymakers and the Spanish government should encourage collaboration between private and public partnerships on environmental technologies to address global climate change or regional pollution. It is necessary for research and development to contribute to the development of technological progress in the Spanish energy sector; however, promoting patenting should be prioritized. By expanding patent protection, eco-friendly technologies that can combat carbon emissions can be developed swiftly in Spain, which will enable life to be more sustainable by lowering the use of energy and resources. A strong patent protection sys-tem will foster environmentally-friendly technologies and economic development while reducing CO₂ emissions in Spain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Contribution of Sustainable Businesses to achieve the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals)

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