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The characteristics of a project that make it hard to understand, predict, and manage its general behaviour despite the availability of required information relating to the project dynamics is referred to as project complexity. Good knowledge of project complexity at the construction phase of a project, as well as a well-developed plan to manage complexity will determine how proficiently construction projects are planned, managed, and executed in an environmentally friendly manner. The level of complexity of construction projects, to a large extent, determines the performance or otherwise of the projects with regards to achieving specific environmental standards. At construction sites, the effects of adopting green-site practices on environmental performance, are largely dependent on the level of complexity inherent in the project's construction processes. This study investigates the moderating effects of project complexity on the relationship between various green construction site practices and environmental performance of construction projects. A survey was conducted on class A contractors in Nigeria and 168 usable responses were received. The data were analysed using the partial least squares structural equation modelling technique. The results show that project complexity moderates the relationship between waste management and environmental performance, and the relationship between materials management and environmental performance. But project complexity does not moderate the relationship between energy management and environmental performance. The study provides important theoretical and practical information for construction managers in understanding the dynamics involved in managing projects with different degrees of complexity while adopting certain green-site practices with the aim of delivering projects with a high degree of environmental performance.

This study investigates how environmental consciousness motivations—grounded in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) theories (instrumental, political, integrative, and ethical)—influence environmental management performance (MP) and indirectly affect operational performance (OP). Specifically, the research examines these motivations under the intensifying pressure of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) within manufacturing firms in Türkiye. From a cost–benefit perspective, the study addresses whether dominant instrumental (cost-oriented) consciousness acts as a barrier to innovation-led gains predicted by the Porter Hypothesis. Analyzing data from 400 managers using the PLS-SEM method, findings reveal that while ethical and political consciousness positively enhance MP and OP, instrumental consciousness—driven by short-term cost-compliance pressures—exerts a significant negative impact. Furthermore, the statistical insignificance of integrative consciousness highlights a strategic integration gap for manufacturing enterprises in Türkiye. These results demonstrate that perceiving environmental regulations merely as a “cost burden” creates a structural barrier that breaks the strategic productivity cycle. The study concludes that to achieve a positive multiplier effect on competitiveness, firms must transition from instrumental compliance to integrated strategic commitment, guiding managers to distinguish between short-term instrumental efforts and long-term strategic commitments.

Construction projects have been frequently criticized for their ineffective environmental management during the process of urban renewal and development. Currently, there is a huge challenge for decision-makers to improve environmental management performance using institutional pressures (i.e., coercive, mimetic, and normative pressures). However, the mechanism through which institutional pressures and their interactions shape environmental management performance is still not well understood. This study develops an agent-based simulation model using real-world data to conduct policy simulations based on the impact of different combinations of institutional pressures. The real-world data composed of agent characteristics are obtained through questionnaires. The results of model validation and policy simulation are shown as follows: (1) when all three types of institutional pressures are at a high level, the environmental management performance remains at an unexpectedly low level; (2) a higher probability and degree of government interventions are associated with a stronger environmental promotion effect; (3) when both the adjusting probability and degree of intervention reach a certain threshold, the promotion effect does not change significantly. The results identify the effective threshold of government intervention and provide novel strategic implications for the coordination of three types of institutional pressures in facilitating sustainable development. These findings contribute to the environmental management literature not only by expanding the understanding of how institutional pressures shape environmental management performance but also by assisting policymakers in developing and aligning environmental regulations or standards as better policy tools.

Purpose As social institutions, higher education institutions (HEIs) play a key role in the distribution of knowledge and skills for sustainable development and societal structures. To fulfill this task, the institutionalization of sustainability within the organization’s structures is essential. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the status quo of environmental management performance (EMP) in HEIs and conclusions for the application of management control systems. Design/methodology/approach Within a systematic literature review, 56 international publications were analyzed along a qualitative thematic content analysis. The coding followed the dimensions of EMP by Trumpp et al. Findings Structuring environmental sustainability efforts along the concept of EMP reveals a major weakness in environmental sustainability management of HEIs. Therefore, the study proposes a model for a processual integration of steering mechanisms for management bodies to systemize appropriate efforts to gain excellence in operations. Originality/value By applying the concept of EMP by Trumpp et al., this systematic review provides an overview of the status quo of environmental management performance at HEIs and proposes a model for the implementation of advanced top-down steering striving a whole institution approach.

Manufacturers are facing increasing pressures to adapt their operations to meet sustainability goals. Research and developments on industrial digitalization (aka Industry 4.0) present new opportunities to create and capture value in ever-more complex and connected industrial systems. However, digitalization does not always align with sustainability, and case studies combining these two topics are still scarce. To address these gaps, we adopted a bottom-up approach to (1) identify existing environmental solutions and their implemen\\tation challenges by reviewing 208 empirical studies, and (2) formulate eight propositions to guide further work so that digitalization supports environmental improvements more systematically. Finally, a framework for Digitalized Sustainable Manufacturing consisting of four research themes is proposed, pointing to future research needed to align industrial development with sustainable development goals. The propositions and framework aim to structure and focus future research by targeting specifically the challenges encountered when implementing environmental solutions in manufacturing.

Sustainability reports are those in which a company discloses its social, environmental or governance performance, and stakeholders identify, in a materiality matrix, how these criteria can impact the company's financial, operational and reputational aspects. However, few studies adopt sustainability reports that follow international standards and are aligned with the 2030 Agenda, prioritizing their environmental indicators, based on the application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Thus, this article aimed to analyze whether the priorities identified in the materiality matrix correspond to the performance of environmental indicators, present in the sustainability reports of five wind energy companies in southern Brazil, year/base 2017, using Multicriteria Decision Analysis. In the methodological procedures, a quantitative approach was adopted, through the application of the (AHP). When evaluating the materiality matrix, in the decision-making process, it was found that 73.6% prioritized environmental issues are very important and had a tendency to conceive and develop means that integrate stakeholders with organizational priorities and impacts. So, it was possible to observe that the guidelines for the preparation of GRI-G4 sustainability reports were applied to all the reports reviewed. As for the 2030 Agenda, for the sustainable development of the five companies analyzed, four of them, did not list the SDGs in their report. There is, therefore, a concern not to attribute importance to material issues that may generate negative impacts for the organization. Besides, there is no tool in the reports that demonstrates or provides a quantitative assessment of impacts to a greater extent.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are influential social institutions which educate future decision-makers and shape society as a whole. Motivated by new public management, the proliferation of business tools, and a rising awareness for responsible acting, environmental management has also become a matter for HEIs. Focusing on performance outcomes and improvement based mechanisms leads to a professionalization through the active management of environmental issues. Therefore, the support of management structures is an essential prerequisite when implementing environmental efforts. Thus far, little attention has been dedicated to environmental management performance and steering processes of environmental issues in HEIs, which marks the research gap of this study. This article presents results of a survey on the concept of environmental management performance (EMP) based on Trumpp et al. (2015) aiming to answer the research question of how HEIs conduct environmental management along the dimensions of EMP, which includes environmental policy, environmental objectives, environmental processes, organizational structures, and monitoring. The results show that, as of now, HEIs pursue no common practice when approaching EMP. Nevertheless, two thirds of the respondents show an orientation towards sustainability with particularly high values regarding issues of environmental policy.

Rapid population growth has led to significant demand for residential buildings around the world. Consequently, there is a growing energy demand associated with increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The residential building energy demand in arid countries such as Saudi Arabia is supplied with fossil fuel. The existing consumption pattern of fossil fuels in Saudi Arabia is less sustainable due to the depletion of fossil fuel resources and resulting environmental impacts. Buildings built in hot and arid climatic conditions demand high energy for creating habitable indoor environments. Enormous energy is required to maintain a cool temperature in hot regions. Moreover, climate change may have different impacts on hot climatic regions and affect building energy use differently. This means that different building interventions may be required to improve the performance of building energy performance in these geographical regions, thereby reducing the emissions of GHGs. In this study, this framework has been applied to Saudi Arabia, a hot and arid country. This research proposes a community–government partnership framework for developing low-carbon energy in residential buildings. This study focuses on both the operational energy demand and a cost-benefit analysis of energy use in the selected geographical regions for the next 30 years (i.e., 2050). The proposed framework primarily consists of four stages: (1) data collection on energy use (2020 to 2050); (2) setting a GHG emissions reduction target; (3) a building intervention approach by the community by considering cost, energy, and GHG emissions using the Technique for Order of Performance by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to select the best combinations in each geographical region conducting 180 simulations; and (4) a clean energy approach by the government using grey relational analysis (GRA) to select the best clean energy system on the grid. The clean energy approach selected six different renewable power generation systems (i.e., PV array, wind turbine, hybrid system) with two storage systems (i.e., battery bank and a combination of electrolyte, fuel cell, and hydrogen tank storage). This approach is designed to identify the best clean energy systems in five geographical regions with thirty scenario analyses to define renewable energy-economy benefits. This framework informs through many engineering tools such as residential building energy analysis, renewable energy analysis, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques, and cost-benefit analysis. Integration between these engineering tools with the set of energy policies and public initiatives is designed to achieve further directives in the effort to reach greater efficiency while downsizing residential energy demands. The results of this paper propose that a certain level of cooperation is required between the community and the government in terms of financial investments and the best combinations of retrofits and clean energy measures. Thus, retrofits and clean energy measures can help save carbon emissions (enhancing the energy performance of buildings) and decrease associated GHG emissions, which can help policy makers to achieve low-carbon emission communities.

This study centers on sustainable operations management within the energy sector, identifying and synthesizing effective strategies for integrating sustainability into business practices. We perform a systematic literature review covering contributions from January 2000 to June 2024 extracted from Web of Science and Scopus databases. The methodology includes an explicit search and selection protocol to ensure relevant and unbiased insights into the evolution of sustainable practices in the energy sector. The results indicate an increase in publications over the years, particularly in areas such as low-carbon economies, environmental management, and innovation, all of which are crucial for reducing carbon footprints and enhancing operational sustainability. This study categorizes existing research into five main streams: Closed Loop Supply Chains (CLSC), Low Carbon Economy (LCE), Environmental Management and Performance (EMP), Innovation (INN), and Social Responsibility (SR). The review underscores the significant gap between current practices and the potential for incorporating renewable energy sources into existing systems. In addition, it highlights the need for robust governmental policies and international cooperation in order to foster a more rapid transition towards sustainable operations on the energy sector. Furthermore, our findings suggest that despite technological advances, significant implementation gaps remain that require focused research and policy adjustments in order to achieve sustainability targets in the energy sector.

Purpose--Even though there is a growing recognition of the externality costs of low environmental performance by firms, there continue to be significant inter-firm differentials in environmental performance management. We build on the theories of strategic management to inquire into the factors contributing to these differentials. Design/methodology/approach--Using a 2015 survey sample of Chinese small and medium enterprises, we empirically investigate the alternative thesis that the profit maximization motive constitutes the appropriate heuristic for the performance management of corporate social responsibility factors. Findings--The green capability of a firm is an aggregate of green trading and the investments that the firm has made in green initiatives that are complementary to its strategic business model. The profit aspiration level of firms has a negative influence on their green programing, while transformational leadership has a positive influence. Originality/value - We develop seven propositions represented as algebraic relationships to interpret these factors.