Revistas
Revista:
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
ISSN:
2013-8423
Año:
2023
Vol.:
16
N°:
2
Págs.:
186 - 204
The circular economy is a key issue for any company, city, or institution. The linear economy model, based on "take, make, use and waste" of products and resources, has discarded potentially valuable resources and caused serious contamination problems. In contrast, the circular economy (CE) model is a strategic paradigm whose purpose is to regenerate and conserve resources through closed material loops and the sustainable use of energy in its processes. Therefore, a growing number of companies are applying different tools and techniques to implement the CE principles to innovate their products, services, and processes, achieving promising results. Thus, the main objective of this study is to suggest an implementation model named ¿Circular clock¿ based on a set of tools and techniques which firms may use for implementing CE.
Autores:
Mora-Contreras, R.; Torres-Guevara, L.E.; Mejía-Villa, A.; et al.
Revista:
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
ISSN:
2352-5509
Año:
2023
Vol.:
35
Págs.:
95 - 115
Revista:
CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND SUSTAINABILITY
ISSN:
2730-5988
Año:
2022
Vol.:
2
Págs.:
693 - 711
The circular economy (CE) is now more imperative than ever due to several shortcomings humanity faces due to global economic disruptions. The CE might help initiate a virtuous circle whereby waste materials would be turned into resources for other companies to create closed-loop systems. However, the CE remains a niche paradigm embraced by only a small number of companies in some areas of the world. Some authors have argued that it is essential to encourage stakeholders at different implementation levels of a CE to increase the uptake of this new model among companies, and stakeholders may provide the required framework for the shift towards a circular model. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to answer the following research question: how can the transition towards the CE be accelerated from a `stakeholders¿ perspective? The study was undertaken in the Spanish region of Basque Country, where a CE strategy is already in place at the regional level, and some companies are already delivering circular solutions. This approach was selected to help understand the lack of widespread adoption of CE initiatives in a local system despite having a regional CE strategy. Data were collected from respondents from various stakeholders and also from desk research to ensure their reliability. The results showed the relevance of understanding how stakeholders can help speed up the transition by proactively exploring new ways to create novel conditions to work together with a broad...
Autores:
Prieto-Sandoval, V. (Autor de correspondencia); Mejía-Villa, A.; Jaca, Carmen; et al.
Revista:
CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND SUSTAINABILITY
ISSN:
2730-5988
Año:
2022
Vol.:
2
N°:
2
Págs.:
713 - 729
The circular economy (CE) is an alternative economic system based on closing energy and material cycles to achieve sustainable development and create value based on innovation. In this sense, business associations (BAs) can work as intermediaries to promote CE in industrial sectors. They bring together many companies, generate trust-based relationships, support companies' strategy and collaborative innovation to construct closed-loop material flows, and increase competitiveness in sectors and regions. This study aims to show the BA's role as intermediaries of CE and promoters of industrial symbiosis (IS) as a value creation strategy among its affiliated companies (AC). Thus, this work takes the form of an exploratory case study of five different companies of the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Navarra (UCAN) in Spain. Researchers collected this study's data through a focus group and surveys. As a result, an original serious game was developed in 2016 and a survey in 2016 and 2020, which considers the CE's six fields of action (take, make, manufacture, distribution, use, recovery, and IS). Finally, this study proposes a methodology to promote the CE through the BAs, based on the performance of the UCAN as an intermediary of the CE and IS. Likewise, BAs' potential to promote the closure of energy and materials cycles in regions and commercial sectors such as agribusiness is demonstrated. ...
Revista:
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
ISSN:
0959-6526
Año:
2021
Vol.:
279
Págs.:
123605
Current research on the circular economy (CE) reveals that, while the concept and its application have been extensively explored as shown in several case studies, the definition of tools and criteria measuring ¿circularity¿ of products, companies or regions are not well-defined. Therefore, indicators for measuring the different levels of a CE (micro, meso, and macro) should be a high priority for stakeholders (governments, companies, NGOs, civil society, etc.) in order to track progress on CE initiatives. However, the increasing interest on CE has caused a still open debate on the conceptualization of CE which hampers the creation of indicators based on a common conceptual framework. As a result, the absence of standard indicators to track progress on circularity is leading to contradiction and misunderstanding, which represents a challenge to the implementation of CE strategies. Thus, this study tries to address this gap by advancing a set of indicators adapted from existing indicators that guarantees simplicity and effectiveness, closely based on indicators proposed by government bodies. This research carried out an exploratory study to formulate the indicators requirements based on literature, refined through experts¿ opinion and then they were tested in Spanish companies located in the Basque Country region through an empirical work to assess this theory...
Revista:
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
ISSN:
2013-8423
Año:
2021
Vol.:
14
N°:
3
Págs.:
425 - 438
Purpose: The circular economy has multiple benefits and opportunities to achieve sustainability and a better future for the next generations. The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology that guides step-by-step any industrial SMEs in the transition from the linear to a circular model. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have a crucial role in the sustainable development transition, considering that they represent most of the world's companies. Design/methodology/approach: To develop this methodology, two research techniques were used: a focus group and storyboarding. Findings: The resulting methodology, called Ecopyme, comprises five steps: 1) Firm identity, 2) Diagnosis, 3) Planning, 4) Get the ball rolling, and 5) Assessment and feedback. In addition, two key criteria that must be included in the whole process were identified: value creation in the firm through a circular economy and organization commitment from the top management to the staff. Research limitations/implications: The Ecopyme methodology has two limitations: It does not propose either implementation tools or involve consumers and actors at the meso (e.g., eco-industrial parks) and macro (e.g., cities, provinces, countries) levels. Practical implications: This study will help policymakers understand the SMEs' perspective and remove barriers that may hinder the paradigm shift. The methodology is also a useful tool for consultants and entrepreneurs to incorporate the circular economy (CE) principles into their business. Originality/value: In the CE literature, little attention has been paid to proposing a structured methodology to implement CE in SMEs. Thus, the study provides a step-by-step methodology that guides any industrial SMEs to transition from linear to circular. Also, it provides additional evidence concerning the importance of human commitment in changing firms' paradigm because people can encourage the adoption of responsible production practices if firms commit CEOs, sustainability managers, and staff.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
ISSN:
0959-6526
Año:
2021
Vol.:
329
Págs.:
129742
Corporate Sustainability is today a key issue for companies considering value generation, climate change and social requirements. This sustainability must be achieved in the economic, social, and environmental aspects; many authors have studied the variables that make up these aspects. Despite the importance of employees in Corporate Sustainability, to our knowledge, no studies have connected the variables with the impact that employees have on them. Therefore, in this study, combining a literature review with a Panel Delphi with 11 experts, we seek consensus on: 1) the relevance of the different variables that define Corporate Sustainability; 2) on which variables can employees have an impact; and 3) what employee behaviors are more susceptible of having this impact. The results show consensus on employees and propose behaviors that could enhance some of the most important variables of economic, social and environmental sustainability. This result opens up the possibility of developing a scale to measure employee sustainable behaviors and to understand how companies can facilitate these behaviors.
Revista:
ORGANIZATION AND ENVIRONMENT
ISSN:
1086-0266
Año:
2021
Vol.:
34
N°:
1
Págs.:
145 - 170
Maturity models enhance the performance of companies by prescribing a trajectory through stages of increasing capability. However, a recent review of maturity models concludes that current maturity models hardly meet the design principles required for prescriptive use. To address this deficiency, we conducted semistructured interviews and a Group Model Building study with industrial companies in Spain in which we studied the progression toward a Leading Green Company as the highest maturity stage of environmental management. The findings from the study were tested using surveys with enterprises in Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom, semistructured interviews in the United Kingdom and case studies in Spain. Using these data sources, we develop a causal model that captures an idealized environmental management maturity dynamic progression though stages. By mapping maturity stages to feedback loops connected to actions to improve those maturity levels, system dynamics can help companies articulate policies for transitioning toward higher maturity stages.
Revista:
URBAN CLIMATE
ISSN:
2212-0955
Existing resilience-building plans and strategies for addressing climate change in urban areas are not as effective as they were intended to be due to city stakeholders' fragmented efforts and adopted passive behaviour. Developing awareness about climate change have proven to be key in the climate change resilience-building process, as it encourages partnership and a transformation in behaviour. This paper presents a framework for developing city stakeholders' awareness in urban areas. The conducted triangulation approach composed by a systematic literature review, semi-structured interviews and a case study results with the framework that defines the ideal process for developing awareness in urban areas. The resulting framework encapsulates three main elements: awareness-development mechanisms (experience, attention and knowledge), awareness-development over time graphs and a learning ladder. The three mechanisms explain the behaviour of the awareness-development process, the awareness-development over time graphs illustrate the evolution of the mechanisms and their effect over time, and the learning ladder specifies the gradual process of developing awareness. After presenting the ideal path for developing awareness, we further discuss the contribution of the conducted triangulation approach to the framework.
Revista:
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
ISSN:
0948-3349
Año:
2020
Vol.:
25
N°:
5
Págs.:
856 - 867
Purpose The European Ecolabel (EU Flower) has the mission to encourage cleaner production and influence consumers to promote Europe's transition to a circular economy. Nonetheless, little is known about EU Ecolabel evolution; it is not clear what the drivers that encourage its implementation are. Thus, this study aims to assess the growing acceptance of the EU Ecolabel in the European Union, and Spain more specifically, by examining product and service categories and geographical regions. Methods The methodological approach taken in this study is a mixed methodology based on the triangulation method by consulting the EU Ecolabel scheme database, EU Ecolabel delegates from some autonomous regions, and the academic literature. Also, a geographic analysis was run in the ArcGIS Software with data about the accumulation of licenses assigned in 2016. Results and discussion The analysis shows that most products in Spain that have been awarded the EU Ecolabel belong to the following categories: Do-It-Yourself Products (paint and varnish), Paper Products, Cleaning Up Products, and Electronic Equipment. At the same time, the study showed that this ecolabel faces significant obstacles in its diffusion, such as the competition with environmental labels launched previously in Europe and other regional labels. Conclusions The results of this study indicate the existence of five drivers that may encourage the implementation of EU Flower in a region: (1) public management, (2) communication strategy, (3) sustainable public procurement criteria, (4) local income per capita, and (5) international trade incentives. Finally, this study provides essential recommendations for policymakers to trigger ecolabeling practices such as the need to improve the understanding of the EU ecolabel impact in different levels of activity, which means countries, regions, industrial clusters, firms, and consumers. Also, this investigation identifies areas for further research, and it expresses the need to develop business case studies about ecolabeling with the objective to visualize this phenomenon as an eco-innovation process.
Revista:
SUSTAINABILITY
ISSN:
2071-1050
Año:
2020
Vol.:
12
N°:
20
Págs.:
8423
Defining the circular economy (CE) as a material and energy model coincides with the definition given by multiple authors in which Industrial Symbiosis (IS) has been deemed as a foundational strategy to support the implementation of the CE. The consumption of secondary materials is essential to achieve a successful transformation from a linear economy to a CE focused on IS practices. In this scenario, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a major role as stakeholders in developing CE systems as it is not possible to create this model with each company working in isolation. However, there is a lack of empirical studies on the role played by relevant local stakeholders such as individual firms interacting in the development of a local CE system. This study aimed to study the challenges that SMEs face in developing a CE system. A case study is selected as a research strategy using a mixed-method approach: a sequential quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews) data collection techniques were employed for this research. It was observed that an absence of inter-organisational collaboration and a misunderstanding of the roles played by SMEs may impede the implementation of a local CE system level.
Revista:
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
ISSN:
1535-3958
Año:
2019
Vol.:
26
N°:
6
Págs.:
1473 - 1484
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are key actors in the implementation of the circular economy (CE) concept as a basis for creating sustainable societies. Thus, the main objective of this study is to identify key strategies and resources that may favor CE implementation in SMEs. These key strategies should encourage SMEs to develop eco-innovations to gain competitive advantage and create and capture value that is coherent with nature. A mixed-method approach that consisted of a literature review and a focus group for gathering qualitative data was used. This focus group was made up of experts such as researchers and practitioners from universities, sustainable SMEs, and consultancy firms in Spain. A set of strategies and internal and external factors were identified to help SMEs to implement the CE. Finally, some useful dynamic capabilities for implementing the CE in business performance were identified.
Revista:
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTER INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING
ISSN:
0951-192X
Año:
2019
Vol.:
32
N°:
2
Págs.:
183 - 193
Nowadays companies are trying to become 'greener', which requires integrating the environmental dimension into their traditional performance metrics. However, managers may not have the complete information and data for their environmental problems and, crucially, there is a lack of knowledge about how these environmental issues affect a company's productivity. Even though the availability of technology has increased and it is easier than ever to obtain all kinds of data, there is a lack of agreement on how to correctly measure environmental performance, and companies could suffer from an overload of environmental information. The biggest challenge, therefore, lies in how to measure and obtain the appropriate environmental data and how to interpret and relate these data to the company's productivity. In this context, this paper presents a new and innovative approach, called Plug&Glean, for diagnosing and improving productivity and environmental performance in a defined production system. The approach is applied to a case study in the north of Spain. The findings suggest that it is possible to improve productivity and environmental performance at the same time, as well as reinforce the notion that waste elimination has a positive impact on improving environmental performance.
Revista:
MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
ISSN:
1477-7835
Año:
2018
Vol.:
29
N°:
1
Págs.:
49 - 62
Purpose
Environmental management (EM) is becoming increasingly important in all types of organizations. The food industry represents the top industrial sector of the Spanish economy; however, there is still little knowledge about how it is managed environmentally. The purpose of this paper is to present a descriptive analysis of the Spanish food sector.
Design/methodology/approach
This study undertook a descriptive analysis based on probabilistic sampling surveys from food companies in Spain. The survey was sent out to 900 companies obtaining 128 answers.
Findings
The results of this study show that companies with an EM standard tend to have a more developed system and a greater presence of EM tools and actions. Moreover, statistical differences were identified among the characteristics of companies and various factors that affect the evolution of their EM.
Originality/value
There are no studies that reveal a clear picture of the status of EM in the Spanish food industry. This study presents a clear starting point that might help policy makers, consultants, researchers and other parties to set new improvement routes so companies do not get stuck in their progress toward environmental excellence
Revista:
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
ISSN:
0959-6526
Año:
2018
Vol.:
185
Págs.:
157 - 167
The important role of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in most economies underpins this research, which develops an empirical analysis that allows us to explore the potential for implementation of the Circular Economy in SMEs and the barriers and opportunities they may distinguish from it. To that end, a survey was carried out in Navarra and the Basque Country, Spain. The main results show that companies are focused on complying with the law and, in many cases, they are worried about their company's image. Moreover, they do not tend to be committed to environmental issues because they do not think it would increase their profits and competitiveness. The focus on cost savings became clear from the Factor Analysis applied to the Take-Transform and Recovery phases of the Circular Economy. In this sense, three factors were associated with the companies' perception of the Circular Economy: 1) Material Provision, 2) Resources' Reutilization and 2) Financial Advantage. With regard to the barriers, another Factor Analysis suggested two different categories of barriers: Hard barriers and Human-based barriers, each requiring different strategies for addressing them, must be considered. Finally, the study briefly examines the integration opportunities between SMEs with other companies and industry associations or clusters to develop industrial symbiosis and close their materials loop. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Revista:
THE TQM JOURNAL
ISSN:
1754-2731
Año:
2018
Vol.:
30
N°:
4
Págs.:
281 - 295
The purpose of this paper is to develop a methodology that is based on the concept of environmental comfort and can serve as a tool that can help companies and employees to implement Kaizen projects. This methodology focuses on the worker¿s participation in analyzing and developing improvements related to their workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
This research is focused on the development of a methodology that encourages worker participation in improvement activities, through the analysis of their working conditions. For this purpose, the proposed methodology was developed in accordance with the dimensions of workplace comfort proposed by Vischer. The employees start working on the analysis of problems and their solutions through the logical framework approach, as it is a tool that encourages worker participation and consensus. The developed methodology was applied in a company, with three different groups of people, which enabled the authors to test its utility.
Findings
The findings reveal that the proposed methodology is effective in initiating workers in the path of Kaizen. The employees who applied this methodology were able to propose improvement actions that addressed the problems and opportunities that they had previously detected. Moreover, the questionnaire that was used to validate the methodology and was administered to employees shows that the methodology is useful in preparing them for adopting continuous improvement (CI) programs.
Revista:
MEMORIA INVESTIGACIONES EN INGENIERIA
ISSN:
2301-1092
Año:
2018
Vol.:
16
Págs.:
99-107
La Economía Circular se ha convertido en un tema de gran interés para los legisladores, académicos y empresarios, ya que se muestra como un nuevo paradigma para lograr la sostenibilidad de nuestra sociedad. Sin embargo, los principales esfuerzos en la Economía Circular no pueden reducirse a actos de profesionales o de expertos. Consideramos que, si pretendemos satisfacer las necesidades actuales sin comprometer la capacidad de las generaciones futuras para satisfacer sus propias necesidades, tenemos que enseñar a las generaciones actuales los principios para lograr la sostenibilidad económica, social y ambiental a corto, medio y largo plazo. Este artículo destaca el uso de actividades participativas en lugar de cursos tradicionales para enseñar e involucrar a estudiantes de ingeniería con las prácticas de economía circular.
Revista:
BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
ISSN:
0964-4733
Año:
2018
Vol.:
27
N°:
8
Págs.:
1525 - 1534
The circular economy has become an important issue in recent years because it makes sustainable development feasible by creating value in the economy and by closing the energy and materials loops. However, since most companies continue to operate under a linear model, it is particularly important to start providing companies with tools that facilitate their shift to the circular paradigm. The main objective of this research is to establish the key elements that are necessary for assessing the level of circular economy implementation. To that end, the Delphi method is used to validate and define the key elements of three categories: circular economy fields of action, industrial symbiosis, and environmental certifications. As a result, this study identifies the key elements that assess the degree of circular economy implementation and that allows small and medium-sized enterprises to understand where they are and what they need to do to improve their performance.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
ISSN:
0959-6526
Año:
2018
Vol.:
178
Págs.:
268 - 275
Manufacturers have become progressively more aware of their operations' impacts on the triple bottom line (social, environmental and financial), and they are under increased pressure to account for their resource consumption and environmental footprint. These challenges are forcing companies to implement and combine different management approaches, such as "green" and "lean", to meet the needs of the ever-changing market demand. Using semi-structured interviews in 58 different companies, this paper shows how manufacturing companies carry out manufacturing and environmental practices. This study contributes to the current debate in the literature on environmentally friendly manufacturing by arguing that companies with advanced manufacturing practices do not engage in proactive participation in environmental management with tactical and strategic practices inside their organizations. Following that, some considerations for correctly measuring the environmental efficiency in companies are presented. The findings and recommendations of this study can be used to fully utilize the potential of environmental practices to simultaneously improve manufacturing productivity and environmental performance and to identify trends in organizational development. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
ISSN:
0959-6526
Año:
2018
Vol.:
179
Págs.:
605 - 615
The growing importance of the concept of the circular economy as a way to attain sustainable development has encouraged scholars to propose different ways to understand it. Given the large number of studies done on the circular economy, their differing approaches and their multiple applications, this paper attempts to propose a consensus view of the basic notions of the circular economy framework and highlight its relationship with eco-innovation. To that end, this study carried out a systematic literature review that resulted in four main outputs: a knowledge map of the circular economy, an analysis of the main notions of the concept, principles, and determinants of a circular economy. Finally, this study brings to light some remarkable examples of eco-innovations developed for implementation in the circular economy. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
ISSN:
0959-6526
Año:
2018
Vol.:
181
Págs.:
201 - 208
The growing complexity of environmental issues and its connection with the way in which society is consuming make essential to understand the extent of the consumers' awareness regarding the sustainable aspects. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the motivations of sustainable consumers and how those motivations should be considered by consumer organizations for improving their purposes and services to drive environmental sustainability. The research presents a content analysis of the websites of 30 lbero-American organizations that promote sustainable consumption habits, classifying those organizations according to their purposes and services based on the six dimensions of consumer sustainability awareness. Then, a questionnaire was sent to a sample of Spanish-speaking consumers of sustainable products in order to assess their motivations for choosing environmentally friendly products or services. Then, an analysis was performed by comparing both results. As a result, the study offers new knowledge about the perception of sustainability consciousness across Spanish-speaking consumers and of the purpose of consumer organizations. It also provides valuable information for companies and marketers who wish to align their eco-innovation strategies with green consumers' motivations. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Revista:
MEMORIA INVESTIGACIONES EN INGENIERIA
ISSN:
2301-1092
Año:
2017
N°:
15
Págs.:
85 - 95
The circular economy is a paradigm that aims to generate economic prosperity, protect the environment and prevent pollution, consequently, facilitating sustainable development. The growing interest of governments, industry, and society in the implementation of the circular economy has led us to inquire about its direct connection with the ultimate goal of this paradigm: sustainability. For this purpose, an analysis of the scientific articles published in this last century on this concept has been made. As a result, we conclude that the Circular Economy is a paradigm of action that has evolved from the concept of sustainability and its application in the economy, society, and the necessary care of the environment that surrounds us. Accordingly, the Circular Economy has become a paradigm that seeks sustainable development, proposing different strategies throughout the chain of production and use of products and services. For this purpose, the article proposes five concrete fields of action and presents strategies for sustainable design to achieve the circularity in the processes, allowing the production and sustainable consumption.
Revista:
ORGANIZATION AND ENVIRONMENT
ISSN:
1086-0266
Año:
2017
Vol.:
30
N°:
1
Págs.:
27 - 50
Environmental management has become a fundamental concern for organizations, customers, and citizens, yet there are few environmental management metrics that guide toward environmental excellence. This research presents a detailed qualitative model of the evolution of environmental management of a firm through the definition of maturity stages and causal influences. The model provides a technique for assessing maturity stages as well as steps that can assist or negate their ecological advancement. The causal-based classification helps companies to understand the need for nontechnical elements in the process, such as top management commitment. This article also contributes to the literature on integrative multimethod research, as it brings together several approaches to environmental management.
Revista:
MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
ISSN:
1477-7835
Año:
2017
Vol.:
28
N°:
5
Págs.:
632 - 650
Purpose - Despite significant amounts of environmental management tools that are available for companies to use, no model guides them toward environmental excellence. As a consequence, the purpose of this paper is to develop an environmental management maturity (EMM) model that helps companies that are on the path toward environmental excellence. Design/methodology/approach - An iterative process was used to develop this model, starting with some semi-structured interviews with 19 companies within the Basque Country and two workshops with environmental experts. Following these steps, the initial version of the model was developed. Data from subsequent surveys carried out in Spanish and Italian companies, and a survey and semi-structured interviews in companies in the UK were incorporated into the model, yielding the final, more robust version of the EMM model. Findings - The EMM model proposes six maturity stages: legal requirements, responsibility assignment and training, systematization, ECO2, eco-innovative products and services, and leading green company. Each stage details a series of elements: description, agents involved, policies, tools, indicators, structure, and behavior over time graphs. This research confirms that a company's environmental management evolves through several distinctive stages, regardless of the industrial sector. Originality/value - The proposed model concludes that the defined maturity stages provide valuable guidance for industrial firms as it helps them identify their maturity stage as well as the steps they should follow to move to the next stage.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
ISSN:
0959-6526
Año:
2016
Vol.:
133
Págs.:
479 - 486
The rise in customers' and society's environmental awareness has pushed companies to improve their environmental management. Nevertheless, there are still many companies that are reluctant to go beyond the legal requirements, towards a more ambitious environmental framework. This research focuses on the drivers that encourage firms to improve their environmental management. As the importance of these drivers might be different depending on the maturity stage in which the company is, this study proposes a classification of companies that specifies which drivers are more important in each of these groups. None of the previous environmental management studies in the literature has been based on this relationship. The data for the study are obtained from an online survey conducted among UK companies. Firstly, factor analysis is used to find the interrelation among the different drivers proposed in the literature, obtaining three groups of factors. Secondly, Cluster Analysis is adopted to have a classification of the different UK companies according to the three factors. Finally, the most compact and coherent clustering solution is analyzed from the perspective of maturity stages leading to a final classification of companies focused on the identified factors. Globally, lower maturity stages are associated with a strong focus on formal requirements, while higher maturity stages are associated with an intense focus on internal improvement. This classification will allow practitioners and policy makers to better focus on specific drivers and help companies move forward according to their maturity stage. A roadmap for improving environmental performance somehow emerges, providing a good framework for decision support. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
ISSN:
2013-0953
Año:
2016
Vol.:
9
N°:
5
Págs.:
1047 - 1058
Purpose: This research analyzes the maturity of environmental management as well as the degree of to which the Circular Economy has been implemented in Basque SMEs. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 17 case studies were carried out in industrial SMEs companies in the Basque Country. Findings: The main results show that companies are limited to complying with the law and in many cases are worried about the image of the company, although they are not committed to environmental issues. There is still a lot to do in SMEs, as they are the companies that face the biggest challenges due to a lack of resources. Originality/value: Circular Economy aims to change a linear economy into promoting sustainability of the economy while also engaging in sustainable environmental protection. This research has focused on small and medium enterprises as they represent a 99% of companies in Europe and they are the ones that have the most difficulty reaching a stage of environmental excellence due to their limited resources.
Revista:
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
ISSN:
1535-3958
Año:
2015
Vol.:
22
N°:
3
Págs.:
169-181
This research focuses on the evolution of environmental management within firms. It is based on a survey and semi-structured interviews conducted among UK companies. Building on an evolutionary conceptual model, consisting of several maturity stages, we identify milestones', i.e. common practices companies engage in when progressing through specific maturity stages. Whilst clear commonalities can be identified, most notably linked to the order of maturity stages they progressed through and the emergence of commonly acknowledged practices linked to the individual maturity stages, the results also reveal a number of within-sample patterns regarding the companies' progression through the different maturity stages. It can be concluded that the maturity stages and practices identified in this research can provide valuable guidance for firms aiming to make progress in environmental matters, as they help them to identify in which maturity stage they are and sets out steps that they can take to move forward. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Revista:
BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
ISSN:
0964-4733
Año:
2014
Vol.:
23
N°:
2
Págs.:
73 - 88
This research is focused on a survey conducted among Spanish and Italian companies in order to define the environmental management evolution within firms. Through this survey, a number of maturity stages were defined and validated, and the identification of the relevant factors for each of the maturity stages was made. Survey results show that companies start with environmental management issues due to legislation requirements. Afterwards, firms go through a training phase, continuing with the systematization stage, then look for economic benefits through ecological improvements (ECO2 stage) and finish with the eco-innovation and leading green company stages. The survey has shown that the maturity stages have application in all types of industrial sector. These are useful for those firms that want to make progress in environmental matters, as it helps them to identify at which maturity stage they are and what are the factors that they need to take into account to move forward. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Revista:
DIRECCION Y ORGANIZACION
ISSN:
1132-175X
Año:
2013
Vol.:
49
Págs.:
17 - 26
A primera vista, la gestión ambiental puede parecer diferente en cada empresa. Sin embargo, esta investigación ha demostrado que la evolución de la gestión ambiental es similar en todas las organizaciones; es decir, cada compañía pasa por análogos estados de madurez. A través de entrevistas y workshops con expertos en gestión ambiental, se ha definido esta evolución y se ha desarrollado una clasificación de estos estados de madurez: Cumplimiento de la Legislación, Formación, Sistematización, ECO2, Eco-Innovación y Empresa Líder en Gestión Ambiental. Esta clasificación ayuda a comprender con mayor precisión la evolución de la gestión del medio ambiente y la estructura que representa a esta evolución.
Revista:
GESTION AMBIENTAL
ISSN:
0717-4918
Año:
2012
Vol.:
23
Págs.:
17 - 24
Actualmente la mayoría de las empresas cumplen los requisitos ambientales que exigen los clientes y la legislación
vigente. Sin embargo, no es fácil ir más allá y alcanzar la excelencia ambiental. Es aquí donde entra el concepto de
eco-innovación. Todavía no existe una definición clara de este concepto y es importante aclarar su significado para
poder avanzar. Por lo tanto, a través de una investigación exploratoria, este artículo expone los diferentes enfoques
de eco-innovación y aclara el concepto, dándole una perspectiva dinámica. Es importante destacar, que la ecoinnovación
no tiene por qué tener como objetivo inicial la mejora ambiental; sino que puede partir de innovaciones
que se realizan en los productos, procesos o servicios de la empresa. Esta definición se debe enmarcar en un campo
de mejora continua, de tal forma que se busque de manera incremental, nuevos márgenes de mejora; ya sea en los
productos, procesos y/o servicios y como consecuencia en el medio ambiente; o por el contrario, en aspectos
ambientales y como consecuencia en los productos, procesos y/o servicios. Por otro lado, la eco-innovación está
muy ligada al eco-diseño y a la eco-eficiencia. A través del eco-diseño se puede llegar a la eco-innovación, pero hay
que tener en cuenta que para que el producto/servicio sea rentable hay que analizar la eco-eficiencia que se centra en
el diseño de los procesos.
Revista:
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
ISSN:
1088-1913
Año:
2012
Vol.:
22
N°:
1
Págs.:
31 - 42
Environmental management has become a fundamental concern for organizations, customers, and citizens, yet there are few environmental management metrics that guide toward environmental excellence. This research presents a detailed qualitative model of the evolution of environmental management of a firm through the definition of maturity stages and causal influences. The model provides a technique for assessing maturity stages as well as steps that can assist or negate their ecological advancement. The causal-based classification helps companies to understand the need for nontechnical elements in the process, such as top management commitment. This article also contributes to the literature on integrative multimethod research, as it brings together several approaches to environmental management.
Revista:
M+A. REVISTA ELECTRONICA DE MEDIOAMBIENTE
ISSN:
1886-3329
Año:
2011
Vol.:
11
Págs.:
35 - 44
La mejora continua es un proceso dinámico y complejo, caracterizado por su dificultad
de mantenimiento en el tiempo, ya que su implantación conlleva un cambio cultural en
toda la empresa. En los programas de mejora continua, los equipos de mejora son un
elemento muy importante, y el modo en que se desarrollen y evolucionen es
determinante para el éxito del programa. Por este motivo, el objetivo de este trabajo de
investigación es desarrollar un modelo de simulación que permita analizar el desarrollo
de equipos de mejora. El modelo obtenido representa la evolución de estos equipos en
distintas situaciones. Gracias al modelo se pueden entender mejor cómo funcionan los
equipos de mejora y los factores más importantes que deben tenerse en cuenta a la hora
de implantar nuevos proyectos; como el seguimiento de la Dirección, el
reconocimiento a los equipos, la formalización del sistema, la asignación de recursos y
los objetivos que se pretenden alcanzar. Al mismo tiempo, el modelo es una
herramienta de formación para todos aquellos implicados en los equipos de mejora.
Revista:
REVISTA DE DINÁMICA DE SISTEMAS
ISSN:
0718-1884
Año:
2011
Vol.:
5
N°:
1
Págs.:
30 - 60
La mejora continua es un proceso dinámico y complejo, caracterizado por su dificultad de mantenimiento en el tiempo, ya que su implantación conlleva un cambio cultural en toda la empresa. En los programas de mejora continua, los equipos de mejora son un elemento muy importante, y el modo en que se desarrollen y evolucionen es determinante para el éxito del programa. Por este motivo, el objetivo de este trabajo de investigación es desarrollar un modelo de simulación que permita analizar el desarrollo de equipos de mejora. El modelo obtenido representa la evolución de estos equipos en distintas situaciones. Gracias al modelo se pueden entender mejor cómo funcionan los equipos de mejora y los factores más importantes que deben tenerse en cuenta a la hora de implantar nuevos proyectos; como el seguimiento de la Dirección, el reconocimiento a los equipos, la formalización del sistema, la asignación de recursos y los objetivos que se pretenden alcanzar. Al mismo tiempo, el modelo es una herramienta de formación para todos aquellos implicados en los equipos de mejora.
Capítulos de libros
Libro:
Ensuring sustainability. New challenges for organizational engineering
Editorial:
Ed. Springer
Año:
2022
Págs.:
23-33
Sustainability and the circular economy are the answer to today's challenge of resource depletion and waste generation. The transition to circular economy requires technological and process innovations: However, the capacity for innovation has often been a point of difficulty, and the problem is worse in small-sized companies because of the scarcity of resources. Our aim is to show how a company committed to sustainability overcomes the obstacles in the innovation process.
Libro:
Organizational Engineering in Industry 4.0
Editorial:
Ed. Springer
Año:
2021
Págs.:
205-212
Circular economy has been claimed as an approach to foster a systemic change in the current model based on disposability. Though, many companies have sprout to deliver circular solutions through either new business models, products or services, a full shift away from the entire system is lacking. In other words, in order to experience a fully transition toward a circular economy model, an inter-organizational approach needs to be deployed. This approach has been named industrial symbiosis whereby interactions among companies are crucial to start developing a circular economy in the so-called meso level. Collaboration among organizations rises as one of the most important factors in developing industrial symbiosis. In that sense, different projects have developed digital platforms with the idea of promoting active participation and collaboration between organizations. Those sorts of platforms ideally enable industrial symbiosis through gathering information about resources and potential substitutes in order to recommend waste-to-resource exchanges. However, depending on the context the platform was built certain characteristics may not apply. Thus, this paper is focused on the characteristics and usefulness of different available platforms that facilitate the exchange of waste as a resource, product or good. Based on this research, it is likely that none of the existing platforms and the upcoming ones will be one-size-fits-all, thus, for industrial symbiosis to succeed it is still important for companies to determine what their needs are and then explore which platform best covers their requirements.
Libro:
Industrial Symbiosis for the Circular Economy
Editorial:
Ed. Springer
Año:
2020
Págs.:
27 - 41
Most companies operate on a linear economy that consists of ¿take, make, use and waste.¿ However, the growing impact of industries¿ emissions on the environment has aroused global concerns about their activities. As a result, companies are increasingly aware of the importance of implementing a circular economy (CE) with environmental, social and economic beneficial results. In this transition to a circular system, companies will need guidance, especially in the case of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are the predominant type of company in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) area. Taking this into account, the objective of this chapter is to provide SMEs with a methodology to understand the value of CE for their corporate strategy, diagnose their business and design an action plan to facilitate the transition to the CE, allowing them to create value and gain a competitive advantage in the market. The CE could be addressed through six fields of action: take, make, distribute, use and recover goods and materials (Park et al. in J Clean Prod 18:1492¿1499, 2010; Stahel in Nature 24:6¿9, 2016), and a transversal field of action called industrial symbiosis. These six fields of action are the methodology¿s backbone. The CE methodology for an SME consists of the following steps: Diagnose the company¿s situation, through reflection on the current value proposal, the stakeholders and a preliminary diagnosis regarding its level of CE application through a proposed diagnosis tool. Analyze barriers and opportunities derived from the application of the CE. Propose a CE implementation plan. This chapter will explain, the process followed, and the various results obtained in the rubber-metal company. The proposed methodology makes an important contribution to SMEs¿ professionals regarding the step-by-step implementation of the CE using a real case that shows how to identify, plan and capitalize on the opportunities of the circular economy. The case study reveals how SMEs can start implementing the paradigm shift through environmental strategies that do not usually require high amounts of financial resources or technology. Moreover, the case study also highlights the relevance of the CE for creating value and a competitive strategy in the market.
Libro:
Industrial symbiosis for the circular economy : operational experiences, best practices and obstacles to a collaborative business approach
Editorial:
Ed. Springer
Año:
2020
Págs.:
27-41
Most companies operate on a linear economy that consists of ¿take, make, use and waste.¿ However, the growing impact of industries¿ emissions on the environment has aroused global concerns about their activities. As a result, companies are increasingly aware of the importance of implementing a circular economy (CE) with environmental, social and economic beneficial results. In this transition to a circular system, companies will need guidance, especially in the case of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are the predominant type of company in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) area. Taking this into account, the objective of this chapter is to provide SMEs with a methodology to understand the value of CE for their corporate strategy, diagnose their business and design an action plan to facilitate the transition to the CE, allowing them to create value and gain a competitive advantage in the market. The CE could be addressed through six fields of action: take, make, distribute, use and recover goods and materials (Park et al. in J Clean Prod 18:1492¿1499, 2010; Stahel in Nature 24:6¿9, 2016), and a transversal field of action called industrial symbiosis. These six fields of action are the methodology¿s backbone. The CE methodology for an SME consists of the following steps: Diagnose the company¿s situation, through reflection on the current value proposal, the stakeholders and a preliminary diagnosis regarding its level of CE application through a proposed diagnosis tool. Analyze barriers and opportunities derived from the application of the CE. Propose a CE implementation plan. This chapter will explain, the process followed, and the various results obtained in the rubber-metal company. The proposed methodology makes an important contribution to SMEs¿ professionals regarding the step-by-step implementation of the CE using a real case that shows how to identify, plan and capitalize on the opportunities of the circular economy. The case study reveals how SMEs can start implementing the paradigm shift through environmental strategies that do not usually require high amounts of financial resources or technology. Moreover, the case study also highlights the relevance of the CE for creating value and a competitive strategy in the market.
Libro:
Engineering Digital Transformation
Editorial:
Springer-Verlag London Limited
Año:
2018
Págs.:
275-282
The increase in environmental and social awareness has triggered numerous green initiatives at companies. Traditionally, companies¿ training related to environmental management focuses on technical aspects and theoretical concepts. In addition to these theoretical contents, it is necessary to carry out practical activities to impart the desired behaviors and skills. Serious games have been found to improve employees understanding of practical environmental sustainability challenges, by offering opportunities to obtain first-hand experiences that may otherwise be too costly and difficult to reproduce in reality. This work presents Pizz@green, a serious game which simulates the productive and environmental efficiencies generated by the improvements of processes in a pizza shop. The purpose of the game is the practical learning of the environmental impact caused by the production processes of a company.
Libro:
25 Experiencias de innovación educativa. Hacia un mundo por competencias
Editorial:
Escuelas de Ingenierías Industriales Campus Universitario
Año:
2017
Págs.:
11-22
En este trabajo se expone el programa de mentoring univeristario basado en
el desarrollo de competencias Tu&Co que se ha desarrollado en Tecnun, la
Escuela de Ingenieros de la Universidad de Navarra. Tu&Co tiene como objetivo
facilitar que los mentores/profesores puedan ir más allá del asesoramiento
académico, pudiendo desarrollar personalmente y profesionalmente a
los alumnos de Tecnun. Analizando el contenido de 56 entrevistas realizadas
a alumnos y profesores que han participado en el programa, se identifican
los elementos clave para el buen funcionamiento de este programa de mentoring
univeristario. El caso presentado en este trabajo pretende ser una ayuda
para poder mejorar la formación de los estudiantes universitarios hacia una
concepción más completa que desarrolle, además de la académica, las facetas
personal y profesional.
Libro:
Strategic Alliance and Value Co-Creation in the Service Industry
Editorial:
IGI Global
Año:
2017
Págs.:
133-153
Value co-creation emerges from the interaction between customers and firms, being the customer an active
player in the established interaction. This brings the customers to the core of the measurement system,
not allowing a traditional process capability analysis as usually performed. This chapter addresses
the development of a service capability index, taking into account customer¿s expectations, customer¿s
perceptions and service performance. This index is based on the ¿zone of tolerance¿ and it gives a
perspective on value co-creation effectiveness. A methodology for converting perceived performance
into real performance is proposed, including a procedure to assess the levels of adequate and desired
service. An approach inspired on the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is presented, promoting the
ability for converting customer¿s expectations into operational terms and extending the methodology to
situations with several customer¿s requirements and various operational characteristics. Different approaches
are considered for outcome-related features and process-related features.
Libro:
Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Management Science and Engineering Management
Lugar de Edición:
Berlin
Editorial:
Ed. Springer
Año:
2014
Págs.:
1521 - 1530
Environmental management is receiving increased attention by researchers, policy makers and companies as today¿s world is facing major environmental problems such as global warming and waste. As a consequence, companies are progressively improving their environmental practices and behaviors with the aim of reaching more advanced stages in their environmental management. Specifically, those companies most committed to environmental issues have started to introduce the concept of life-cycle and footprint thinking in their organizations. Nevertheless, there are currently many different software tools and companies may not know which one is most suitable. Consequently, the main objective of this research is to study the different software applications to help companies choose the most suitable one in each case. To achieve this objective, the paper provides an in depth review of the literature on life-cycle and footprint thinking. As a result, more than 20 software tools have been analysed and compared. It is important to highlight that the appropriateness of one software program relative to another may very much depend on the user¿s scope or objective, as the database of each program could be different.
Libro:
Industrial Engineering: Innovative Networks
Lugar de Edición:
London
Editorial:
Ed. Springer
Año:
2012
Págs.:
165 - 174
This paper consists of an analysis of environmental management in different enterprises. A classification of the factors that affect the environmental management in a company has been made through a multiple case study of nineteen different companies. Some of the main factors that affect all businesses have been identified, such as customers, the law and competitors. Every company has to comply with the law, although the law affects each sector differently. Depending on the markets in which they operate, customers are more or less aware of environmental aspects. Moreover, it is important to distinguish public from private clients. On the other hand, competitors also need to be taken into account when company decisions are made. All these aspects can be found in different companies with different activities and different characteristics, so enterprises should be aware of them when taking environmental decisions.