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Purpose: The objectives of this study are to elaborate on the concepts, dimensions and elements of green supply chain management (GSCM) and develop a framework of GSCM implementation for the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents the findings from a study where experts were asked to contribute their opinions related to GSCM in the construction industry. To develop the model, the Delphi method was used. The objective of this method is to achieve the most reliable consensus in a group of experts. Findings: The research result is a developed framework for GSCM in the construction industry comprising five concepts, 22 dimensions, and 82 elements. Research limitations/implications: The limitation of this research is that its output was the discovered elements, but it did not cover the implementation of this model in construction projects, so some elements may be missing. Practical implications: The output of the research could give new perspective to manage the construction project based on Green Supply Chain Method. Social implications: The stakeholder of the construction project has to learn with this concept (Green Supply Chain) in order to improve construction's project performance. Originality/value: The originality of this research is that it is a new theme in the area of the construction supply chain. Previous research merely considered the concept of GSCM in construction. Therefore, this research develops an assessment model for performance indicators of GSCM implementation in construction projects.

Purpose: This paper aims to identify the barriers for implementing Reverse Logistics in the construction sector and to rank the barriers between the barrier and the stakeholder, the phase in the project life cycle, and the relevant issues on the emergence of barriers in implementing reverse logisticsDesign/methodology/approach: This research began by identifying barriers re- verse logistics through a systematic literature review. The method used in the systematic literature review was the PRISMA method. The identification of barriers was assessed for their influence on reverse logistics’ successful implementation by the expert using a questionnaire instrument. The rating scale used was a Likert scale of 1 (greatly hinder the implementation of reverse logistics) to 5 (not greatly hinder the implementation of reverse logistics). The results of the expert assessment were used to rank barriers using TOPSIS.Findings: There were 38 barriers in this study, classified as: markets and competitor’s issues, policy issue, supply chain process, economic issue, knowledge-related issue, government support issue, and operational issue. This study’s results indicated that the lack of governmental support for the implementation of RL (GS1) was the barrier with the highest ranking. This barrier was related to governmental support issues and appeared in the project life cycle approach’s green initiation phase. The stakeholder who was responsible to improve the GS1 barrier is the government. In this case, the government played a vital role as a regulator and a project owner, who encouraged reverse logistics implementation.Research limitations/implications: The limitation in the scope of this research is specific to the construction sector in developing countries, particularly Indonesia. The object of construction in this study is the case of highway construction. Further research that examines barriers based on the project life cycle by entering the company scale, or study about the relationship between barriers can also be done.Practical implications: This study provides an understanding to stakeholders about the barriers in implementing reverse logistics. The ranking results become a reference for relevant stakeholders in developing a successful strategy for implementing reverse logistics and the PLC approach phases as a guideline for implementing the established strategy.Social implications: The stakeholder of the construction project has to learn with reverse logistics barriers in order to improve reverse logistics performance.Originality/value: This study tries to map reverse logistics implementation barriers in the construction sector in developing countries. The majority of research on reverse logistics implementation barriers examined the manufacturing sector in developed countries. This study also identifies barriers that show the relationship between barrier emergence in terms of the project life cycle approach and stakeholders responsibility for addressing barriers and associated problems. Previous researchers only identified barriers in terms of stakeholder linkages with related issues, so it was challenging to improve efforts based on identifying barriers because they were not guided by a process-based approach such as the project life cycle.

In the circular economy era, this study addresses sustainable business management for high-investment and long-life cycle projects, where accurate and reliable assessments are crucial to ensuring successful outcomes. The objective is to elevate the reliability of assessments by introducing a novel decision-making method that, for the first time, integrates time-based satisfaction and risk factors simultaneously. We propose a 3-phase multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method, which combines fuzzy MCDM comprising fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal situation (TOPSIS), Kano model, and failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) techniques, to handle reliable assessments effectively. Our method is distinct in its incorporation of time-based satisfaction weights derived from Kano model, emphasising decision-makers’ criteria preferences in short, medium, and long terms. Furthermore, we introduce risk-discounted weights by using FMEA to tune criteria scores. The method is validated via a numerical example case, assessing and selecting the most appropriate hydrogen storage method for lightweight vehicles. The results suggest that cryo-compressed hydrogen tank with 250–350 bar and at cryogenic temperature is the most suitable storage method. Health & safety with a weight of 0.5318 emerges as the most important main criterion, and permeation & leakage with a weight of 0.4008 is the most important sub-criterion. To bridge the gap between theoretical research and practical application, we transform the new method into a user-friendly web application with graphical user interface (GUI). End-users can conduct reliable assessments and foster sustainable business management through informed decision-making.

Clean-ups can be considered real conservation actions since beach litter may impact many ecosystem components. However, although these actions are quite easy to carry out, we think that they need to follow specific criteria and clear planning. Contrariwise, an unplanned clean-up could lead to counter-productive—or even harmful—consequences to the fragile dune ecosystem; e.g., excessive trampling and/or extreme sand removal. Here, we defined a road map for implementing beach clean-ups according to the logic of problem solving and project management, also adding a flow chart. More particularly, we subdivided the clean-up project into different steps as follows: context analysis, input and planning, process, monitoring (outputs and outcomes) and adaptation.

This research aims to evaluate the life-cycle project costs associated with “coal-to-gas” energy transition projects in the context of the present energy environment. Determining the possible role of such initiatives in attaining a sustainable and economical energy future is at the heart of the problem statement. Four major coal seam gas (CSG) projects have affected the local population in China. The study applied structural equation modeling (SEM) and quantile process estimation (QPE) techniques. In this piece, we analyze the methods used to calculate the societal costs of such populations. The people of impacted regions are concerned about increasing economic disparity, have poor trust in the future, and are experiencing a falling standard of living, according to a cross-sectional survey ( n  = 428) and structural equation modeling (SEM). Most people are worried about the future of their town (reported by 77.3% of respondents), the long-term effects on groundwater (reported by 77.4% of respondents), and the growing cost of living (reported by 83.4% of respondents). The study encompasses the project’s life cycle, from conception and construction to decommissioning and site restoration. The findings indicate that although coal-to-gas projects may provide short-term benefits, they may not be economically sustainable in the long term. Factors such as rising natural gas prices, prospective carbon taxes, and decommissioning and site restoration costs can significantly influence the overall project expense. Hence, policymakers and energy companies must carefully evaluate the life-cycle cost of such projects before investing in them as an interim solution.

Decarbonizing the built environment depends not only on improving operational efficiency but also on how supply is formed along the construction chain. Carbon pricing may reshape that process through upstream material costs, financing conditions, and project timing, yet evidence on the timing and stability remains limited. This study examines how carbon-price shocks are transmitted to construction activity in China and whether this transmission changed after the launch of the national emissions trading system (ETS) in July 2021. Using monthly data from January 2014 to October 2025, the analysis first applies additive Bayesian network (ABN) structure learning to identify links among carbon-market conditions, material costs, finance, and construction activity and then estimates a time-varying structural vector autoregression (TVP-SVAR) to trace dynamic responses across regimes. The results show that carbon-price shocks mainly depress housing starts and area under construction at medium horizons, especially around 6–12 months, with stronger contraction around the 2021 transition and easing later. Allowance trading volume responds positively on impact, but this sensitivity weakens in the post-2021 period. Forecast error variance decompositions further show that carbon-price shocks become an important source of medium- and long-horizon fluctuations. At the 12-month horizon, they account for 18.7% and 18.4% of the forecast-error variance of housing starts in the pre- and post-2021 regimes, and 13.7% and 10.8% of that of trading volume. Overall, the findings point to a project-cycle channel through which carbon pricing reshapes built-environment supply formation, with implications for procurement, transition finance, and the evaluation of carbon-market effectiveness in construction.

Anthropogenic threats impacting ecological targets should be mitigated and solved using fast and schematic tools useful in conservation strategies. Herein, we suggest a mixed and quick approach implementing coarse-grained (and expert-based) threat analysis with the fine-grained (and analytical) DPSIR (driving forces, pressure, status, impact, and response) framework of indicators, all included in a single causal chain. Both approaches are largely used in conservation but never combined. A simulated example of the application of the set of indicators (status, pressure, impact, and response) on dune ecosystems (and nested targets represented by halo-psammophilous plants) has been included. Due to its schematic format, values as targets, pressures as threats, and responses as conservation strategies have been unified in a single conceptual framework. This synthetic framework can also be used to communicate to academic students the complexities of socio-ecological systems on the conservation front lines using a simplified cause–effect chain.

The authors would like to thank the European Commission and the Research Council of Norway (RCN-project number 300560), Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (FORMAS-project number 2018-02777), the Water Research Commission (WRC) in South Africa (Project: 2019/2020-00034) and Spain Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCIU/AEI/FEDER) (PCI2019- 103674,2019), for funding the research in the frame of the collaborative international consortium NATWIP financed under the 2018 Joint Call of theWaterWorks2017 ERA-NET Cofund. This ERA-NET is an integral part of the activities developed by the Water JPI. We also acknowledge the International Institute for Sustainability for providing an in-kind contribution to this research. We also acknowledge that AEL received a grant from the Newton Advanced Fellowship (NAF/R2/18676), CAPES (001), CNPQ (308536/2018-5), FAPERJ (E-26/202.680/2018).

PurposeFor many types of buildings, prefabricated prefinished volumetric construction (PPVC) is increasingly becoming a preferred alternative construction approach. Empirical evidence of project performance has consistently demonstrated that the ultimate success of PPVC projects is directly linked to the key decisions made at the outset of the PPVC project life cycle. However, there is limited knowledge of how to successfully manage these early stages. This research identified and evaluated the critical success factors (CSFs) required for the management of the conception, planning and design stages of the PPVC project life cycle.Design/methodology/approachA multistage methodological framework was adopted to identify and evaluate the CSFs for management of the early stages of the PPVC project life cycle. Based on a comprehensive literature review and expert review, a list of the 9 CSFs relevant to the early stages of the PPVC project life cycle was established. Drawing on an online-based international questionnaire survey with global PPVC experts, the CSFs were measured. The data set was statistically tested for reliability and analyzed using several techniques such as mean scores, relativity weightings and significance analysis.FindingsThe analysis revealed that the top 5 most influential CSFs for management of the early stages of the PPVC project life cycle include robust design specifications, accurate drawings and early design freeze; good working collaboration, effective communication and information sharing among project participants; effective stakeholder management; extensive project planning and scheduling; and early engagement of key players. The research further found correlations among the CSFs and proposed a conceptual framework for the management of the early stages of the PPVC project life cycle.Research limitations/implicationsThe research recognizes that data quality and reliability risks are the major drawbacks of online questionnaire surveys but the engagement of experts with substantial theoretical and hands-on experiences in PPVC projects helped to minimize these risks. Although small, the sample size was justified and compared with studies that adopted the same data collection approach but analyzed even smaller samples. However, the results should be interpreted against these limitations.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that effective management of the early stages of the PPVC project lifecycle requires early commitment to the PPVC approach in a project; detailed planning and assessment of the suitability of PPVC for the given project; and collaborative design with manufacturers and suppliers to address module production challenges at the detailed design stage. These findings practically instructive and may serve as management support during PPVC implementation.Originality/valueThis research constitutes the first exclusive attempt at identifying the CSFs for successful management of the early stages of the PPVC project life cycle. It provides a fresh and more in-depth understanding of how best to manage the early stages of the PPVC project life cycle. Thus, it contributes to the practice and praxis of the PPVC project implementation discourse.

The long gestation period, high upfront costs and the risks in the development of central geothermal power plants are the main reasons for the slow rate of geothermal electricity growth and its contribution to the global electricity mix. The overall objective of this study was to make a comparison between central geothermal power plants and wellhead power plants in the delivery of geothermal electricity projects. The study showed that wellhead power plants are generally less efficient compared to central power plants because of higher specific steam consumption, but are financially attractive because of the quicker return on investment, early electricity generation and the lower financial risks. The study showed that permanent wellhead power plants are a better option for geothermal wells with too low or too high steam pressure compared to others in the steam field. Temporary use of wellhead power plants as opposed to their permanent use is preferred when only limited time is available between the commissioning of a wellhead plant and the commissioning of a central power plant in the same steam field. Technical, operational and environmental challenges, including higher specific steam consumption and lower efficiency than central power plants as well as absence of geothermal fluid reinjection system make wellhead plants less economical and less sustainable in resource use. It can thus be concluded that wellhead power plants can reduce the long wait to generate geothermal electricity and make an early return on investment for investors. Both central and wellhead power plants have relatively higher capacity factor than many other power plants and so can be used to supply base load electricity for the grid or off-grid power supply. This study is a review of the central and wellhead power plants and additionally provides policy guidelines in the execution of geothermal electricity projects either as central or wellhead power plants for grid electricity generation.