A sustainable supply chain study of the Indian bioenergy sector

In India, more than one third of the population do not currently have access to modern energy services. Biomass to energy, known as bioenergy, has immense potential for addressing India’s energy poverty. Small scale decentralised bioenergy systems require low investment compared to other renewable technologies and have environmental and social benefits over fossil fuels. Though they have historically been promoted in India through favourable policies, many studies argue that the sector’s potential is underutilised due to sustainable supply chain barriers. Moreover, a significant research gap exists. This research addresses the gap by analysing the potential sustainable supply chain risks of decentralised small scale bioenergy projects. This was achieved through four research objectives, using various research methods along with multiple data collection techniques. Firstly, a conceptual framework was developed to identify and analyse these risks. The framework is founded on existing literature and gathered inputs from practitioners and experts. Following this, sustainability and supply chain issues within the sector were explored. Sustainability issues were collated into 27 objectives, and supply chain issues were categorised according to related processes. Finally, the framework was validated against an actual bioenergy development in Jodhpur, India. Applying the framework to the action research project had some significant impacts upon the project’s design. These include the development of water conservation arrangements, the insertion of auxiliary arrangements, measures to increase upstream supply chain resilience, and the development of a first aid action plan. More widely, the developed framework and identified issues will help practitioners to take necessary precautionary measures and address them quickly and cost effectively. The framework contributes to the bioenergy decision support system literature and the sustainable supply chain management field by incorporating risk analysis and introducing the concept of global and organisational sustainability in supply chains. The sustainability issues identified contribute to existing knowledge through the exploration of a small scale and developing country context. The analysis gives new insights into potential risks affecting the whole bioenergy supply chain

Enhanced renewable energy adoption for sustainable development in India:interpretive structural modeling approach

Poverty alleviation and social upliftment of rural India is closely linked with the availability and use of energy for development. At the same time, sustainable supply of clean and affordable renewable energy sources is required if development is to be sustainable, so that it does not cause any environmental problems. The purpose of this paper is to determine the key variables of renewable energy implementation for sustainable development, on which the top management should focus. In this paper, an interpretive structural modeling (ISM) - based approach has been employed to model the implementation variables of renewable energy for sustainable development. These variables have been categorized under ‘enablers’ that help to increase the implementation of renewable energy for sustainable development. A major finding of this research is that public awareness regarding renewable energy for sustainable development is a very significant enabler. In this paper, an interpretation of variables of renewable energy for sustainable development in terms of their driving and dependence powers has been examined. For better results, top management should focus on improving the high-driving power enablers such as leadership, strategic planning, public awareness, top management support, availability of finance, government support, and support from interest groups

Role of community acceptance in sustainable bioenergy projects in India

Community acceptance has been identified as one of the key requirements for a sustainable bioenergy project. However less attention has been paid to this aspect from developing nations and small projects perspective. Therefore this research examines the role of community acceptance for sustainable small scale bioenergy projects in India. While addressing the aim, this work identifies influence of community over bioenergy projects, major concerns of communities regarding bioenergy projects and factors influencing perceptions of communities about bioenergy projects. The empirical research was carried out on four bioenergy companies in India as case studies. It has been identified that communities have significant influence over bioenergy projects in India. Local air pollution, inappropriate storage of by-products and credibility of developer are identified as some of the important concerns. Local energy needs, benefits to community from bioenergy companies, level of trust on company and relationship between company and the community are some of the prime factors which influence community's perception on bioenergy projects. This research sheds light on important aspects related to community acceptance of bioenergy projects, and this information would help practitioners in understanding the community perceptions and take appropriate actions to satisfy them

World Class Manufacturing In Indian Textile Industries

This report studies the Indian textile industry's performance and its potential to become world class. It investigates the various requirements to develop a world class textile sector and compares them with Indian textile sector's present position and identifies the gap between them. It uses tools such as survey, industrial visits, interviews. Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis, and Political, Economical, Social, and Technological (PEST) analysis in order to analyse the textile industrial sector in India. It identifies the requirements such as organisational support, investment, infrastructure, education and training, specialised supply chain management, increase in productivity, valuable social responsibility and quality improvements to become a world class sector and it examines these requirements and finds the hurdles in its path such as insufficient investment for growth by small scale industries, lack of offshore bases, poor social concern and the disorganised structure of the industries. It concludes with recommendations such as attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and joint ventures, grouping the industries, emphasis on supply chain improvement and many more by considering requirements and obstacles, in order to improve the Indian textile industry's potential and to become world class.School of Engineerin

Evaluation of Sustainable Accounting Practices in THE Italian Bioenergy Sector

Bioenergy is a vital component of the energy sector in Italy, contributing to the country’s commitment for reduction in green house gas emission and enhancing its self reliance on energy production. At the same time, however, there are risks that the bioenergy sector may generate negative impacts on the environment and society, if it is not properly managed. Sustainable accounting is one of the important instruments by which, through stakeholder pressure, responsible actions by organizations can be enforced. For this reason it is necessary to develop better sustainable accounting practices, to report and to address the concerns over the sustainability of the bioenergy sector in order to avoid detrimental results masked as renewable energy. In addressing the above needs, the aim of this research is to evalu- ate current sustainable accounting practices in the Italian Bioenergy sector and to construct a conceptual framework for enhanced sustainable accounting practices. This research begins with an analysis of a few small and medium Italian bioenergy enter- prises as regards their current accounting practices for sustainability using the content analysis method to identify the gaps in reporting. In this step, a considerable lack of reporting about the environmental and social impacts has been identified in a sample of small-and-medium-sized firms in the wood biomass sector. Based on the above findings, the study then develops a conceptual framework to fill the gap iden- tified, with due consideration of the practical limitations for the companies to adopt it. The basis of this framework is the regulatory framework of the European Union and sector-specific selective indicators have been proposed for use. This set of indicators, providing information on bioenergy’s sustainability impacts, will render a better picture of the company’s action for the stakeholders

Analysis of interactions among variables of renewable energy projects: A case study on renewable energy project in India

713-720This study highlights the variables associated with the implementation of renewable energy (RE) projects for sustainable development in India, by using an interpretive structural modeling (ISM) - based approach to model variables’ interactions, which impact RE adoption. These variables have been categorized under enablers that help to enhance implementation of RE projects for sustainable development. A major finding is that public awareness regarding RE for sustainable development is a very significant enabler. For successful implementation of RE projects, it has been observed that top management should focus on improving high driving power enablers (leadership, strategic planning, public awareness, management commitment, availability of finance, government support, and support from interest groups)

Analysis of interactions among variables of renewable energy projects:a case study on renewable energy project in India

This study highlights the variables associated with the implementation of renewable energy (RE) projects for sustainable development in India, by using an interpretive structural modeling (ISM) - based approach to model variables' interactions, which impact RE adoption. These variables have been categorized under enablers that help to enhance implementation of RE projects for sustainable development. A major finding is that public awareness regarding RE for sustainable development is a very significant enabler. For successful implementation of RE projects, it has been observed that top management should focus on improving highdriving power enablers (leadership, strategic planning, public awareness, management commitment, availability of finance, government support, and support from interest groups)