Mainstreaming Life Cycle Sustainability Management in Rapidly Growing and Emerging Economies Through Capacity-Building

Valdivia, Sonia; Bajaj, Sanjeevan; Sonnemann, Guido; Quirós, Ana Cecilia Arias; Ugaya, Cássia Maria Lie

doi:10.1007/978-94-017-7221-1_19

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 3 publications

(1 reference statement)

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“…The proportion of women participating in the LCA community is 41 %, only slightly above the global percentage of women participation (37 %) (Valdivia et al 2015). Argentina presents the highest women proportion (73 %) in LAC.…”

Section: Proportion Of Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

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LCA mainstreaming conditions in Latin America—based on learnings from 2005 to 2014

Valdivia

Sonnemann

Canals

2016

Int J Life Cycle Assess

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Purpose Based on the 2005-2014 developments in the Latin American and the Caribbean region (LAC), this paper aims to understand the conditions' levels for mainstreaming life cycle assessment/life cycle management (LCA/LCM) and map key next actions. Methods Along the paper, four mainstreaming conditions are analyzed: expansion of LCM/LCA training activities, availability of LCA studies, national LCA database operating, and existence and activity of national life cycle network(s). Assuming that countries with better conditions are in a better position to develop national LCA based regulations, policies are also researched to complement this study. Results and discussion With nine life cycle (LC) networks in 2014, the LAC region has positively developed its networking capacities since 2005 but not the databases area (only one LCA database, Mexicaniuh, is fully operational). It was found that countries with no networks, lack all LCA trainings, studies, and databases.Local capacities are limited which in best case, Chile, does not exceed 18 practitioners per 10 million inhabitants. Based on the total score on mainstreaming conditions, Mexico and Brazil are the most advanced countries, but their markets for LCA professionals are still small (Valdivia et al. 2015), which suggests that tailored made strategies are needed for stronger uptake of LCA by industrial sectors.Argentina, Peru, Chile, and Colombia are in the second tier but still lack a critical mass of business cases and the political will to improve their mainstreaming conditions. Conclusions LCA development in the LAC region since 2005 is overall positive but still insufficient to serve the growth of prosperous LCA markets. Well-functioning LC networks are essential to leapfrog LCA. In 2014, about 27 % of LAC countries counted on a LC network. A common language in the region (except for Portuguese in Brazil) has been instrumental for expanding LCA through regional cooperation. LCA-based policies are boosted when local capacities and databases are available following the cases of Mexico, Chile, and Brazil. More data and research are needed to understand the women role in advancing LCA and the causalities and motivations of LAC companies to decide for LCA implementation. The application of the methodology was possible thanks to good quality data available and delivered key findings to develop national road maps for advancing LCA. No indicator used is specific for the LAC region and similar exercises are encouraged in other regions such as Africa and Asia.

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Section: Proportion Of Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the total score on mainstreaming conditions, Mexico and Brazil are the most advanced countries, but their markets for LCA professionals are still small (Valdivia et al 2015), which suggests that tailored made strategies are needed for stronger uptake of LCA by industrial sectors.…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

LCA mainstreaming conditions in Latin America—based on learnings from 2005 to 2014

Valdivia

Sonnemann

Canals

2016

Int J Life Cycle Assess

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“…Stakeholders are becoming more outspoken on how organisations align their activities and operations with sustainable development principles [5,6], reinforcing Kolk's [18] assertion that different stakeholders are now much more interested in SPR. Hence, organisations are under pressure to disclose their sustainability performance due to their stakeholders' concerns [7,19,20].…”

Section: Overview Of Sustainability Performance Reporting (Spr)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This observation is consistent with Lozano's [15] assertion that there is a continuous emphasis by scholars and practitioners alike on organisational accountability and transparency in SPR. The dominance of SPR as the central theme in the review could be due to organisations' response to their stakeholder expectations [7,8,105]. These views emphasise the value and acceptance of SPR among diverse disciplines in reporting the impacts of business activities on sustainability and the risks they face.…”

Section: Studies Focusing On Sprmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although sustainability performance reports allow organisations to address their stakeholders' concerns, it also allows business executives and shareholders to understand the impact of organisations' business activities [6]. As a result, organisations need to publish their sustainability performance report (SPR) to demonstrate how their policies and practices align with stakeholders' expectations while ensuring the effective and efficient utilisation of resources [7,8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Providing a Roadmap for Future Research Agenda: A Bibliometric Literature Review of Sustainability Performance Reporting (SPR)

et al. 2022

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The concept of sustainability reporting is now an essential tool through which organisations demonstrate accountability to their stakeholders. The increasing market pressure coupled with the awareness of the consequences of organisations' activities suggests the need for organisations to report their sustainability credentials. Sustainability performance reports should provide adequate information on organisations' social, economic, and environmental performance. However, the current process through which organisations communicate their sustainability performance to stakeholders is questionable and remains a significant concern. This study assessed the current state and direction of research on sustainability performance reporting by conducting a bibliometric literature review of peer-reviewed studies on sustainability performance reporting published between 1987 and 2022. The findings highlight the misconceptions between sustainability and CSR when reporting organisations' sustainability performance. Furthermore, businesses and scholars prioritise reporting instead of communication with stakeholders. The observed lack of engagement with stakeholders indicates that the reported performance may not reflect the impact of business activities on the three dimensions of sustainability. Rather than adopting a one-way information dissemination approach, this study concludes that the desired performance can only be achieved through two-way communication with stakeholders.

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Status update on LCA studies and networking in Tanzania

Felix

2016

Int J Life Cycle Assess

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Mainstreaming Life Cycle Sustainability Management in Rapidly Growing and Emerging Economies Through Capacity-Building

Cited by 7 publications

References 3 publications

LCA mainstreaming conditions in Latin America—based on learnings from 2005 to 2014

LCA mainstreaming conditions in Latin America—based on learnings from 2005 to 2014

Providing a Roadmap for Future Research Agenda: A Bibliometric Literature Review of Sustainability Performance Reporting (SPR)

Status update on LCA studies and networking in Tanzania

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