The contested concept of sustainable aviation

Walker, Stuart; Cook, Matthew

doi:10.1002/sd.400

Cited by 38 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The air transport industry is a sector whose operations are strongly associated with negative externalities (Janić, ) and a much discussed boomerang effect (Evans & Schäfer, ). The concept of sustainable aviation and the air transport developmental regime is already contested (Coletsos & Ntakolia, ; Walker & Cook, ). In this context, materiality assessment has been adopted by airport operators in recent years as a management tool of internal analysis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sustainability reporting, materiality, and accountability assessment in the airport industry

et al. 2019

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Air travel is, nowadays, recognized as being one of the most popular modes of transport. Air transport is among the most significant contributors to the world gross domestic product and is accountable for a great environmental and social impact. Driven by the well‐established sustainability discourse and the vital role businesses can play in disseminating the sustainable development concept, this paper attempted to map airport industry's most material operational aspects and assess airport operators' accountability level on disclosing corporate information regarding airports' economic, environmental, and social performance. In this context, 33 reports and 903 material issues representing 193 international airports were reviewed and assessed, and a methodology for benchmarking the accountability level of best reporting airport operators was developed, showcasing materiality assessment as a useful management tool for strengthening airport operators' business strategy and enhancing their corporate performance. The paper indicated that (a) customer focus (i.e., health, safety and satisfaction), economic viability, and business continuity and preparedness are operational aspects of high materiality and (b) the disclosure level, especially concerning specific performance indicators, is still moderate. In conclusion, this study has shown that materiality assessment gains ground as a management tool among airports' management teams and the completeness of Sustainability reports is positively correlated with the “level” of adherence as described by the Global Reporting Initiative.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Evans & Schäfer, 2013). The concept of sustainable aviation and the air transport developmental regime is already contested (Coletsos & Ntakolia, 2015;Walker & Cook, 2009). In this context, materiality assessment has been adopted by airport operators in recent years as a management tool of internal analysis.…”

Section: Discussion On Materiality Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability reporting, materiality, and accountability assessment in the airport industry

et al. 2019

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“…Prior research has shown how ENGOs set environmental demands (Henriques and Sadorsky, ; Delmas and Toffel, ; Sprengel and Busch, ). Research has also identified typical features of environmental NGO–corporation relationships: ranging from cooperation (Rondinelli and London, ; Buysse and Verbeke, ) to more distant relationships involving conflicts between an ENGO and a corporation (Banerjee and Bonnefous, ; Walker and Cook, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Proximity and Environmental NGO Relationships in Corporate Sustainability Reports

2014

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This study demonstrates how three Finnish companies constructed their stakeholder relationships with environmental NGOs (ENGOs) in terms of social proximity in their sustainability reports between 2003 and 2012. The study identifies five types of stakeholder relationship between ENGOs and corporations constructed in the reports: monetary, management system, collaborative, dialogue and conflicting. Within these relationships the level of constructed social proximity and level of trust vary. The results indicate that, within the 10 years we examined, a change has occurred in the ENGO relationships constructed in corporate sustainability reports: they have shifted from being nonstakeholder relationships to more socially proximate, collaborative ones. However, social proximity is primarily constructed through projects that have little or nothing to do with core business operations. Thus the construction of more socially proximate ENGO relationships is just one way a corporation can seek legitimacy for its environmental management.

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“…Indeed, the very phrase 'sustainable aviation' is widely disputed -what political scientists and policy analysts often call a 'contested concept' (Walker and Cook, 2009). It has been dismissed as an oxymoron, while also being critically evaluated as an ideological move by governments and supporters of aviation expansion to ward off opposition to proposals to increase airport capacity (Griggs and Howarth, 2013).…”

Section: Contested Realities Sustainable Futures and Aviationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Aviation Futures: Crises, Contested Realities and Prospects for Change

Budd¹,

Griggs²,

Howarth³

2013

Sustainable Aviation Futures

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PurposeThis chapter critically examines the fault-lines structuring contemporary debates on the politics and policy of aviation. In so doing, it generates different scenarios for the future of air travel. OriginalityThis chapter demonstrates the importance of the competing frames constituting the contested realities of air transport. Its mapping of the fault-lines of aviation politics and policy inform what it determines to be post-carbon, high-modernist, market regulation and demand management scenarios for the future of aviation. Methodology/approachThe chapter undertakes a critical review of existing literature, policy reports and stakeholder briefings, using the definition of sustainable development as a heuristic device to map and identify the fault-lines structuring contemporary debates on aviation futures. It then builds upon this analysis to constitute four different scenarios for the future of flying. FindingsThe chapter demonstrates the contested realities of aviation politics. It re-affirms the political nature of the fault-lines, which structure contemporary understandings of aviation. These fault-lines, the analysis suggests, are re-constituted in part by appeals to the ambiguities and contradictions of competing evidence-bases or policy frames. Any reframing of aviation policy and politics therefore ultimately rests on the outcome of political negotiations and persuasion, our broader views of the future challenges facing society, and how governments and other stakeholders put in place and coordinate the multiple arenas in which a dialogue over the future of aviation can be held. Aviation futures cannot be reduced to the narrow confines of the technical merits or claims surrounding the feasibility of policy instruments.

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The contested concept of sustainable aviation

Cited by 38 publications

References 27 publications

Sustainability reporting, materiality, and accountability assessment in the airport industry

Sustainability reporting, materiality, and accountability assessment in the airport industry

Social Proximity and Environmental NGO Relationships in Corporate Sustainability Reports

Sustainable Aviation Futures: Crises, Contested Realities and Prospects for Change

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