scholarly journals Applying an Alternative Approach for Assessing Sustainable Road Transport: A Benchmarking Analysis on EU Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10391
Author(s):  
Yongjun Shen ◽  
Qiong Bao ◽  
Elke Hermans
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Clustering Analysis ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Relevant Factors

Road transport plays an important role in economic development, trade and social integration. However, it is also responsible for certain negative impacts on environment and society. In order to achieve sustainable development, there is a growing need for a country to assess both the benefits from road transport and its undesirable costs, to compare them with those in other countries and to provide estimates of their future developments. In this research, starting from the identification of relevant factors (both desirable and undesirable), a benchmarking approach is proposed as an alternative way to assess sustainable road transport among the 28 EU countries. Meanwhile, the basic concept of data envelopment analysis (DEA) for benchmarking purpose is further extended to integrate both the desirable achievements and the undesirable costs in evaluation. As a result, an overall road transport sustainability score is computed for the 28 EU countries, which can be further split into two efficiency scores with respect to desirable and undesirable factors, respectively. Furthermore, after applying a clustering analysis that groups countries with inherent similarity in their practices, the model is adopted to identify best-performing and underperforming countries within the cluster, as well as the reference sets for those underperforming ones, based on which valuable insights are gained, enabling decision makers to prioritize their actions towards a more sustainable road transport system in the future.

scholarly journals Influence of Pollutants from Transport on Life Expectancy in the EU Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-217
Author(s):  
Hana Rozehnalová ◽  
◽  
Michal Mádr ◽  
Lucie Formanová ◽  
Břetislav Andrlík
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Motor Vehicles ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Sulphur Oxides ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
The Eu

Road transport has become the major source of environmental pollution and it is also one of the biggest environmental risks in the EU countries. Good air quality is very important for population as pollutants have negative impacts on human health. The paper deals with relationship between air pollutants generated by road transport and the life expectancy in EU countries. At the beginning of the paper the main pollutants from motor vehicles are described and impact on human health is summarized too. We use regression analysis of panel data to analyse the relationship between chosen air pollutants and life expectancy. Our results show negative impacts of nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide, specifically reduction in life expectancy by 1.49 years for nitrogen oxides and 0.28 years for sulphur oxides with an increase of the pollutant by 1%. So according to our findings economic policy makers should focus primarily on the reduction of nitrogen and sulphur oxides.

Use of DEA method in the analysis of sustainable socio- economic development of EU countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 28-46
Author(s):  
Janusz Rosiek
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Development Policy ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Socio Economic Development ◽  
Dea Efficiency ◽  
The Eu

One of the key challenges currently faced by the European Union countries is ensuring sustainable socio-economic development. The article aims to present the results of the study concerning the effectiveness of expenditures incurred by the EU countries on sustainable development and their effects, tak ing into account the average three-year delay between the expenditures and the effects of the implemented policy. Data Envelopment Analysis was employed in the research. As an approximate measure of sustainability, the DEA efficiency indicator was used. This was due to the fact that the indicator was constructed on the basis of the value of expenditures and effects, which were crucial for the assessment and comparison of the degree of sustainable development. The research covered 28 EU countries and was carried out on the basis of data collected by Eurostat for the years 2011—2013 (expenditures) and 2014—2016 (effects). In general it can be stated that all analysed countries were characterized by high values of sustainable development indicators, which proves that the implementation of the EU sustainable development policy is highly effective. However, it is worth noting that the ranking of the countries considered to be the most economically developed is relatively low. In order to explain this fact, further indepth theoretical and empirical analyses are required.

scholarly journals Sustainable Development in EU Countries in the Framework of the Europe 2020 Strategy

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 443
Author(s):  
Elena Širá ◽  
Rastislav Kotulič ◽  
Ivana Kravčáková Vozárová ◽  
Monika Daňová
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Europe 2020 ◽  
Europe 2020 Strategy ◽  
The Baltic

The Europe 2020 Strategy was proposed with a long-term vision to ensure prosperity, development, and competitiveness for the member countries. This strategy is divided into three main areas named “growth”. One of these is sustainable growth. This is an area of sustainability, where the partial targets are referred to as the “20-20-20 approach”, and includes a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, an increase in energy efficiency, and the sharing of renewable energy sources. However, questions arise, including: How do member states meet these targets? Which countries are leaders in this area? According to these stated questions, the aim of this article is to assess how EU countries are meeting the set targets for sustainable growth resulting from the Europe 2020 strategy and to identify the countries with the best results in this area. We looked for answers to these questions in the analysis of sustainable indicators, which were transformed into a synthetic measure for comparability of the resulting values. Finally, we identified the Baltic states, Nordic countries (European Union members), Romania, and Croatia as the best countries in fulfilling the sustainable growth aims. As sustainable development and resource efficiency are crucial areas for the future, it is important to consider these issues.

scholarly journals Design for Circularity Guidelines for the EEE Sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3923
Author(s):  
Anton Berwald ◽  
Gergana Dimitrova ◽  
Thijs Feenstra ◽  
Joop Onnekink ◽  
Harm Peters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Electronic Equipment ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Hazardous Substances ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Stakeholder Collaboration ◽  
Weee Recycling ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Multi Stakeholder ◽  
Different Levels

The increased diversity and complexity of plastics used in modern devices, such as electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), can have negative impacts on their recyclability. Today, the main economic driver for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling stems from metal recovery. WEEE plastics recycling, on the other hand, still represents a major challenge. Strategies like design ‘for’, but also the much younger concept of design ‘from’ recycling play a key role in closing the material loops within a circular economy. While these strategies are usually analysed separately, this brief report harmonises them in comprehensive Design for Circularity guidelines, established in a multi-stakeholder collaboration with industry leaders from the entire WEEE value chain. The guidelines were developed at the product and part levels. They are divided in five categories: (1) avoidance of hazardous substances; (2) enabling easy access and removal of hazardous or polluting parts; (3) use of recyclable materials; (4) use of material combinations and connections allowing easy liberation; (5) use of recycled materials. These guidelines are the first harmonised set to be released for the EEE industry. They can readily serve decision-makers from different levels, including product designers and manufacturers as well as policymakers.

scholarly journals The Impact of the Implementation of Cohesion Policy on the Sustainable Development of EU Countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 4173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramona Pîrvu ◽  
Cristian Drăgan ◽  
Gheorghe Axinte ◽  
Sorin Dinulescu ◽  
Mihaela Lupăncescu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Cohesion Policy ◽  
Member States ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Official Data ◽  
The Eu

The impact of implementation of cohesion policy on the sustainable development of EU countries is of great interest and presents a number of actual challenges. This research aims to evaluate the impact and the effects of the cohesion policy among the Member States using hierarchical clustering analysis in order to identify how the selected variables affect the sustainable development adopted models. The variables used in the analysis were selected on the basis of official data provided by the European Commission, SDG Index and Dashboards Reports and the EU Cohesion Monitor. The results of the research have led to the grouping of the 28 Member States in a number of six clusters, identifying performers but also those countries that have a high potential for sustainable development or which require increased attention to be sustained in recovering existing gaps. The results of the study can be a starting point for policy makers and other stakeholders involved in their efforts to support sustainable development through effective and effective policies.

scholarly journals The Global Sustainability Index: An Instrument For Assessing The Progress Towards The Sustainable Organization

2015 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 215-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin Grecu
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Sustainability Index ◽  
Global Sustainability ◽  
Multiple Indicators ◽  
Mathematical Algorithms ◽  
General Indicator

Abstract There is rarely an optimal solution in sustainable development but most frequently a need to build compromises between conflicting aspects such as economic, social and environmental ones and different expectations of stakeholders. Moreover, information is rarely available and precise. This paper will focus on how to use indicators to monitor sustainable development, integrating the information provided by many of them into a complex general sustainability index. Having this general indicator is essential for decision makers as it is very complicated to evaluate the performance of the organization based on multiple indicators. The objective of this paper is to find mathematical algorithms for simplifying the decision-making process by offering an instrument for the evaluation of the sustainability progress.

scholarly journals Industry 4.0 and Sustainability Implications: A Scenario-Based Analysis of the Impacts and Challenges

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Bonilla ◽  
Helton Silva ◽  
Marcia Terra da Silva ◽  
Rodrigo Franco Gonçalves ◽  
José Sacomano
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Big Data Analytics ◽  
Industrial Process ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Negative Impacts

The new evolution of the production and industrial process called Industry 4.0, and its related technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data analytics, and cyber–physical systems, among others, still have an unknown potential impact on sustainability and the environment. In this paper, we conduct a literature-based analysis to discuss the sustainability impact and challenges of Industry 4.0 from four different scenarios: deployment, operation and technologies, integration and compliance with the sustainable development goals, and long-run scenarios. From these scenarios, our analysis resulted in positive or negative impacts related to the basic production inputs and outputs flows: raw material, energy and information consumption and product and waste disposal. As the main results, we identified both positive and negative expected impacts, with some predominance of positives that can be considered positive secondary effects derived from Industry 4.0 activities. However, only through integrating Industry 4.0 with the sustainable development goals in an eco-innovation platform, can it really ensure environmental performance. It is expected that this work can contribute to helping stakeholders, practitioners and governments to advance solutions to deal with the outcomes emerging through the massive adoption of those technologies, as well as supporting the expected positive impacts through policies and financial initiatives.

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