A framework for informing consumers on the ecological impact of products at point of sale

The use of intelligent information technologies has the means to provide ecological information just-in-time, thus alleviating consumers' cognitive burden at the time of purchase. We propose a computational framework for supporting consumer awareness of the ecological impact of products they consider purchasing at point of sale. The proposed framework permits consulting multiple information sources through diverse access interfaces, combined with a recommendation engine to score product greenness. We evaluate our approach in terms of usability, performance, and user-influence tests through two conceptual prototypes: an online store and an augmented reality interface to use at physical stores. Our findings suggest that providing ecological information at the time of purchase is able to direct consumers' preference towards products that are ecological and away from products that are not; consumers also express willingness to pay slightly more for ecological products. The experimental results obtained with the interface prototypes are statistically significant

ASPECTS OF SERVICE QUALITY AND ECOLABELLING OF ROMANIAN LODGING SERVICES

Tourism has a significant environmental, economic and socio-cultural impact, which makes it important for environmental initiatives.The Rio Earth Summit (1992) was a milestone for these initiatives, having introduced the concept of sustainable development, its major principles and recommendations of implementation. So, the ecological movement grew globally more and more by widely disseminated actions among various bodies as the governments, associations, businesses, academics, NGOs and communities.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\nIn European Union eco-labelling scheme, is "a voluntary initiative to promote products and services which have the potential to reduce negative environmental impacts, as compared to the other products and services in the same product or service group, thus contributing to the efficient use of resources and a high level of environmental protection. This shall be pursued through the provision of guidance and accurate, non-deceptive and scientifically based information to consumers on such products and services". In fact this is official approach known as EU-Ecolabel Scheme, launched in 2005.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\nIn general, the idea of sustainable development, and eco-attitude of many of the activities carried out in different economic sectors have been encouraged to be certified, and to adopt sustainable practices to improve their environmental practices, and to inform and educate their clients regarding their friendly-environmental policies. The tourism sector adopted all of these.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\nOne by one in hospitality industry have emerged new trends, new destinations. Some of these trends are as well connected to environmental policy, eco-initiatives that certify EMS (Environmental Management System) and to use of eco-label in hospitality industry.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\nFor years, the tourism sector in Romania was declared a strategic sector. Within this framework, we decided to examine this area, the specific topic of eco-labelling and quality of lodging services in Romania. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\nThis paper proposes a short examination by observation of studies dedicated to lodging eco-label services and their quality based on a comparative analysis between Romanian supply of tourism \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"green services\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" and international one.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\nThis study has as a result a synthetic perspective on eco-label services and some aspects on the state of art of this topic in Romanian and international context of lodging services.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\nenvironmental policy, environmental management system, tourism, lodging services, quality of services, eco-labelling, Romania

¿Cómo garantizar el suministro de alimentos durante las pandemias? Repensar los sistemas alimentarios locales desde el comportamiento de los actores estratégicos peri-urbanos: El caso de estudio de la Región Metropolitana de Barcelona

The Covid-19 pandemic has acted as a warning for the world’s current food system, especially in urban contexts with global food dependence. This article aims to analyse the food system behaviour of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region (in the northeast of Spain) during the first stage of the pandemic by deepening the behaviour of different peri-urban agricultural areas in which local food supply is promoted. Semi-structured interviews to 11 entities and institutions located in the peri-urban area of the BMR based on its productive and management profile have been carried out from March to May 2020. The results obtained highlight the socio-economic, environmental, and health perspective of food supply during the pandemic. Main results show 1) shortcomings in the operation and logistics of the metropolitan food system; 2) the complicity between the local producer and the urban consumer through new sales and distribution initiatives, 3) the role of peri-urban agricultural areas for ensuring food supply and land preservation, and 4) the need to initiate cooperation and mutual aid activities between the different agents involved in the food system. Furthermore, agents underlined the need for rethinking the agroeconomic model to strengthening the producer-consumer nexus and promoting local food policy based on food sustainability, sovereignty, and governance.La pandemia del Covid-19 ha supuesto una advertencia para el sistema alimentario actual a nivel mundial, especialmente en contextos urbanos con dependencia alimentaria global. Este artículo tiene como objetivo analizar el comportamiento del sistema alimentario de la Región Metropolitana de Barcelona (en el noreste de España) durante la primera etapa de la pandemia, profundizando en el comportamiento de diferentes áreas agrícolas periurbanas en las que se promueve el suministro local de alimentos. Entre marzo y mayo de 2020 se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a 11 entidades e instituciones ubicadas en el área peri-urbana de la BMR en base a su perfil productivo y de gestión. Los resultados obtenidos destacan la perspectiva socioeconómica, ambiental y de salud del suministro de alimentos durante la pandemia. Los principales resultados muestran 1) deficiencias en la operación y logística del sistema alimentario metropolitano; 2) la complicidad entre el productor local y el consumidor urbano a través de nuevas iniciativas de venta y distribución, 3) el papel de las áreas agrícolas periurbanas para asegurar el suministro de alimentos y la preservación de la tierra, y 4) la necesidad de iniciar actividades de cooperación y ayuda mutua entre los diferentes agentes implicados en el sistema alimentario. Así mismo, los agentes subrayaron la necesidad de repensar el modelo agroeconómico para fortalecer el nexo productor-consumidor y promover con ello la política alimentaria local basada en la sostenibilidad, la soberanía y la gobernanza alimentarias

Sustainability as corporate culture of a brand for superior performance

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in the Journal of World Business. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2012 Elsevier B.V.Sustainability research highlights new challenges and opportunities for businesses. This paper reviews the literature to understand the ability of sustainable green initiatives when practiced as a corporate culture to individually create new opportunities for operations, management and marketing. According to current research, business opportunities exclusively available to different functions of a firm can drive its performance. The role of marketing in the achievement of superior performance by virtue of sustainability practices is also explained by the existing literature. Branding literature, however, fails to explain the influence of a brand on sustainability-driven opportunities available to a firm for superior performance. The objective of this study is to explore if a brand can strengthen the ability of sustainability-based green initiatives of managers to drive opportunities available to a firm for superior performance. A conceptual framework grounded in the triple bottom line theory is presented based on the assumption that brand as a stimulating factor can accelerate the conversion of opportunities available to a business into superior performance. Academic and managerial perspectives have been used to draw upon the implications of the model. Both practitioners and academic researchers will benefit from future research on this topic

The Perception of the Students Specializing Trade, Tourism and Services on the Importance of the Concept of Sustainable Development in Commercial Activities

Over time it has been shown that education is the most efficient and economical way to change the thinking of people to a specific problem and to produce the desired attitudinal change. Increased awareness and education are important tools in support of sustainable development, and complement the legal, regulatory and economic. This article presents a study made by the authors aimed to identify how students who have completed specialized studies in Economy Trade, Tourism and Services of the Department of Economics and Business Administration Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi perceive the concept of sustainable development and concerns of current managers on applying it in commercial activity; if they have mastered specific knowledge and if they feel that on their future job, as merchants or decision makers in commercial activity, will be able to consider strategies on sustainable development. An adjacent objective is related to perception the university's role in supporting sustainable development concept, by choosing disciplines, subjects taught and the transmission and the imposition of knowledge.sustainable development, education, commercial activity, the perception of students

Principles and design scenarios for sustainable urban food logistics

Food and nutrition systems are linked to all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which makes their transition toward social-ecological behavior patterns crucial for an overarching sustainability transformation. The perspective of (urban) logistics is of special interest. It couples the production and consumption physically and virtually. In this context, we shed light on the design of the turnover point of food in urban areas from the supply chain toward consumers and contribute to an overarching systemic perspective toward establishing a sustainable multilevel food system. We describe current patterns in urban food systems and propose several principles for sustainable design of (urban) food systems based on concepts such as (regional) collaboration and food literacy. Using these principles, we provide four design scenarios that concretely imagine future urban food consumption and production patterns titled "slow stock supply service," "deliver into the daily walk," "central district food depot," "super food action place." With this work we provide a starting for reflecting whether certain combinations of principles actually lead to patterns of daily life that are feasible, acceptable, or desirable. Moreover, we provide an initial qualitative assessment to stimulate further research that explores scenario pathways and incorporates additional indicators regarding the impact on social-ecological. We open up various research questions with regard to the overarching question of how urban food logistics should be designed to be consistent with the SDGs

A SURVEY OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN THE WORLD IN COMPARISON WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION AND TURKEY PRACTICES

As public became more aware of the possible hazardous effects of the conventional farming products, organic agriculture practices have been increasingly spreading all over the world. Since the 1980’s, organic agriculture has been an important topic in the research agenda of the scientists active in various fields from science to biology or even economics. Economic Unions have been increasingly important in the last decade, in which one of them is the European Union (EU) being the most integrated of all. It is an enlarging body that has achieved considerable degree of economic integration. The EU is considered to be important for Turkey. The EU has a supporting role in agricultural policy. Organical agriculture, which is considered to have an important role in EU economics, became more important issue between Turkey and EU relations, due to Turkey’s agriculture potential. Organic agriculture started in Turkey through the demand from foreign countries in 1990’s. Due to the lack of information sharing on organic agriculture, organic agriculture sector in Turkey was not aware of its potential. It is one of the factors that affects organic farming sector negatively. By creating the body which enables data sharing system by more number of people and significant support by organic agriculture sides would lead the sector to benefit from the existing potential. Organic agriculture market in Turkey will have a chance to compete with other world organic agriculture markets. Organic agriculture’s products are healthy for consumers. On the other hand what is also argued within this thesis is organic agriculture’s beneficial effects on the nature

Creating Markets for Biodiversity: A Case Study of Earth Sanctuaries Ltd

This papers examines the activities and operations of the first publicly listed company in Australia with wildlife conservation as its primary goal. Earth Sanctuaries Ltd (ESL) is the first publicly listed company in Australia with wildlife conservation as its primary goal. Its focus to date is on conservation of small native mammals that are threatened by exotic predators and loss of habitat. Its strategy has been to acquire land, erect electrified vermin-proof fencing, remove feral animals, regenerate native vegetation and reintroduce selected native species. The paper finds that there does not appear to be a consistent and coordinated approach across jurisdictions for private conservation providers to access, keep, relocate and trade native wildlife, amplifying uncertainty for organisations which operate in several jurisdictions.biodiversity - environment - conservation - wildlife - Earth Sanctuaries - regulation - property rights - competitive neutrality - contestability - ecological outcomes - private sector conservation

Crafting Next Generation Eco-Label Policy

Eco-labels present a promising policy tool in the effort to achieve sustainable consumption. Many questions remain, however, about the extent to which eco-labels can contribute to sustainability efforts and how to maximize their effectiveness. This Article deploys research from evolutionary psychology, behavioral law and economics, and norm theory to offer specific insights for the design and implementation of eco-labels to enhance their influence on sustainable consumer choice. Notably, this research suggests possibilities for eco-labels to shape or expand consumer preferences for green goods, and thereby enhance eco-label influence on consumer behavior by extending it beyond eco-minded consumers. We suggest that public exposure of the label (so that people see it) and the exposure of the purchasing behavior (so that other people can see that you have bought the product) are key elements to the success of eco-labels--the social context around product purchasing may be as important as the eco-label itself. We recommend that behavioral insights be used to improve eco-labeling as traditionally understood by incorporating knowledge about behavioral tendencies into label design so as to allow for more accurate matching of consumers\u27 preexisting environmental preferences to eco-labeled goods, and develop next-generation eco-labeling policy with the potential to significantly expand the market for eco-labeled goods. Specifically, 1) Eco-labels could be purposefully designed and implemented to attract consumers motivated by social norms; 2) Eco-labels could appeal to a wider range of abstract norm alternate more broadly or locally accepted and strong abstract that are stronger and/or more broadly accepted or locally-salient; and 3) Eco-labels could highlight private, near and near-term benefits