Conceptual frameworks for the drivers and barriers of integrated sustainable solid waste management

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to formulate frameworks for the drivers and barriers of integrated sustainable solid waste management (ISSWM) with reference to conditions prevailing in India. Design/methodology/approach A multi-phased approach was adopted in this paper to come up with the conceptual framework of the drivers and barriers of ISSWM. In the first phase, drivers and barriers of ISSWM were identified based on a systematic literature review process. In the second phase, 25 experts having 15 plus years of experience in the field of sustainable development and environmental management were consulted to get their opinion. Validation and understanding of the interrelationship among the selected drivers and barriers were done based on the insights from expert interviews. And in the final phase, structural self-interaction matrix and transitive links are defined based on the expert opinion to come up with the theoretical frameworks of drivers and barriers of ISSWM. Findings Findings reveal the importance to have a system view point approach by giving equal importance to social, environmental and economic pillars of sustainability along with the technology component to effectively and sustainably manage the solid waste disposal. Institutional effectiveness and the robust policy and frameworks are the two variables found to have the highest driving power. Poor social values and ethics, huge population and illiteracy are the three most critical barriers faced by developing nations in achieving the sustainability practices in the solid waste management. The proposed frameworks of drivers and barriers of ISSWM will definitely help policy makers to effectively manage the sustainable waste management practices for developing economies by focusing on the key variables listed out. Research limitations/implications One of the limitations is in the use of very limited sample size in the study. Another limitation is that total interpretive structural modeling fails to come up with the relative weightings of drivers and barriers used in the study. These limitations can be overcome by extending the research by using a semi-structured questionnaire survey with higher sample size for the empirical validation of the model. Practical implications This research will help to clearly understand the framework of drivers and barriers of variables and their hierarchical level based on the driving power and dependence. Since such articles focusing on the conceptual frameworks of drivers and barriers of ISSWM are found to be very scant, this paper will equally help academicians and waste management professionals to understand the concepts deeply, by getting answers to the fundamental questions of “what,” “why” and “how.” Developed framework of drivers explicitly shows the need to attain financial stability through the commercialization of the waste management initiatives, which will help to reduce burden on various governmental institutions. Commercialization opportunities will also help to have more successful start-up ventures in solid waste management domain that can provide improved employment opportunities and hygiene environment in the developing nations like India. Originality/value Based on the authors’ best knowledge, there is hardly any article that explicitly explains the conceptual frameworks of the drivers and barriers of ISSWM by considering the conditions prevailing in developing countries like India. And thus, this can be considered as one of the unique research attempts to build a clear conceptual framework of ISSWM. The study contributes significantly to the existing literature body by clearly interpreting the interrelationships and the driving power and dependence of variables of ISSWM.

Holistic Review and Conceptual Framework for the Drivers of Offsite Construction: A Total Interpretive Structural Modelling Approach

“…The first stage in the TISM approach is a comprehensive review of the extant literature [27,28]. The paper adopted a comprehensive systematic literature review methodological framework comprising a selection of databases, selection of keywords and literature search, inclusion and exclusion criteria, specification of a unit of analysis, metadata extraction, and synthesis.…”

“…Considering its capability of mapping the holistic interactions of complex systems [36], TISM is widely used in building conceptual frameworks and theories. Gahana et al [27] adopted the TISM methodology to build a conceptual framework for the drivers and barriers to integrated sustainable waste management. Shibin et al [35] used TISM to develop a conceptual framework for the enablers and barriers of a flexible green supply chain.…”

“…Considering its capability of mapping the holistic interactions of complex systems [36], TISM is widely used in building conceptual frameworks and theories. Gahana et al [27] adopted the TISM methodology to build a conceptual framework for the drivers and…”

“…The hierarchical levels were derived by ranking the different drivers (clusters) and partitioning their positions in the model. However, like Gahana et al [27], the study used the computed values of the total dependences and driving powers to identify the levels (Table 7) of the drivers in the final RM. The highest-level variables are the drivers in the iteration where the reachability sets an intersection with the antecedent set is a reachability set itself [25,27].…”

Modeling drivers and barriers of climate change mitigation strategies in Indian iron and steel industry: a TISM-based approach

“…TISM is a system that enables people to make intricate connections between various variables in a complicated scenario (Warfield, 1974). Researchers have used TISM as an approach to study sustainable waste management (Gopal et al. , 2018) and green supply chain management (Dubey et al.…”