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The present work highlights the outstanding properties of Cannabis sativa that can be harnessed for various utilitarian functions and its climate friendly properties.

In this paper, the authors reviewed current research on all possible utilities from household work to manufacturing of various products that are environmentally sustainable. The authors have presented some of their research on this materials and also exploration of hemp as an archaeological material based on the findings from wall paintings of Ellora caves.

There are references of hemp use in mixing with earthen/lime plaster of western Indian monuments. Around 1,500 years of Ellora’s earthen plaster, despite harsh climatic conditions, survived due to the presence of hemp in the plaster that adds durability, fibrosity and its capacity to ward off insects and control humidity. Furthermore, the outstanding quality of Cannabis as carbon sequestrant was harnessed by Indians of ancient times in Ellora mural paintings.

This work discusses some relevant literature on the potential use of hempcrete aligned with Agenda 2030 of sustainable development goals.

There are several research going on in producing sustainable materials using hemp that have the least environmental impact and can provide eco-friendly solutions.

The authors impress upon the readers about multifarious utility of the hemp and advices for exploration of this material to address many environmental issues.

This paper presents both review of the existing papers and some components coming directly from their laboratory investigations.

This study aims to perform innovation analysis for a product based on market, design and process dimensions. This integrated approach provides sustainability for product design and development.

A significant aspect of innovation is investigated to provide energy from the wastes collected in the reverse chain. First, the indicators related to the product opportunity gap were collected and ranked by the structural equation modeling (SEM) method. Indicators with a factor loading above 0.6 are selected and inserted into the proposed mathematical model. The proposed mathematical model was implemented in GAMS 28.2.0 to maximize energy production from waste and minimize the cost of product innovation. A case study on pistachio new packaging process innovation is investigated.

The results showed that in today’s competitive world where sustainability and the environment are important, the index of converting waste into energy is one of the main indicators of innovation. Consequently, flammability is extracted from the mathematical model as one of the most significant indicators leading to higher energy production with the lowest innovation cost.

New product development (NPD) is significant to sustain market share and satisfy customer needs. Different approaches are proposed to handle NPD, mostly focusing on the customer and design requirements.

On completion of the case, the students will be able to understand the concept and importance of sustainability; understand how triple bottom line can help a company make a transition towards sustainability; evaluate the tensions between the three pillars of triple bottom line approach; assess the role of circular economy model as opposed to the conventional linear model in the transition of a company towards sustainability; and understand the sustainability challenge in an emerging market context.

Despite the promising growth potential of the plastics industry in India, it is faced with sustainability challenges owing to its detrimental impact on environment. To preserve the environment and human kind, the government made a bold announcement in 2018 to eliminate the use of highly polluting single-use plastics (SUPs) in the country. Amid this growing sustainability threat against plastics and the fall in demand of SUP items, this case illustrates that Sandip Patel, the plant manager of Cello Plastotech, is entrusted by the CEO with the responsibility of adopting a triple bottom line approach encompassing its three pillars, that is, people, planet and profits, as a response to the sustainability challenge. The strategic rethinking towards adopting sustainability required Patel to face the challenge of striking a balance between the three pillars of triple bottom line while also taking some valuable insights for plastic waste management from the circular economy model. While making a transition to sustainability, he needed to evaluate different options like stopping the manufacture of SUPs and look for alternatives, use of biodegradable raw material which was expensive but environment friendly or manufacture such durable plastic products that would replace SUPs.

The case is aimed at teaching the topic Triple Bottom Line approach in the courses of business strategy and sustainability in under-graduate and post-graduate level courses in the discipline of Management. It can also be used as a supplementary reading in courses like Corporate Social Responsibility and Circular Economy. In emerging markets’ context, these topics are generally taught to MBA students in courses like strategic management, sustainable business and business ethics.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

The increasing accumulation of synthetic plastic waste in oceans and landfills, along with the depletion of non-renewable fossil-based resources, has sparked environmental concerns and prompted the search for environmentally friendly alternatives. Biodegradable plastics derived from lignocellulosic materials are emerging as substitutes for synthetic plastics, offering significant potential to reduce landfill stress and minimise environmental impacts. This study highlights a sustainable and cost-effective solution by utilising agricultural residues and invasive plant materials as carbon substrates for the production of biopolymers, particularly polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), through microbiological processes. Locally sourced residual materials were preferred to reduce transportation costs and ensure accessibility. The selection of suitable residue streams was based on various criteria, including strength properties, cellulose content, low ash and lignin content, affordability, non-toxicity, biocompatibility, shelf-life, mechanical and physical properties, short maturation period, antibacterial properties and compatibility with global food security. Life cycle assessments confirm that PHB dramatically lowers CO₂ emissions compared to traditional plastics, while the growing use of lignocellulosic biomass in biopolymeric applications offers renewable and readily available resources. Governments worldwide are increasingly inclined to develop comprehensive bioeconomy policies and specialised bioplastics initiatives, driven by customer acceptability and the rising demand for environmentally friendly solutions. The implications of climate change, price volatility in fossil materials, and the imperative to reduce dependence on fossil resources further contribute to the desirability of biopolymers. The study involves fermentation, turbidity measurements, extraction and purification of PHB, and the manufacturing and testing of composite biopolymers using various physical, mechanical and chemical tests.

The purpose of this article is twofold. First, this study characterises the current state of the bio-packaging market's development. Second, it identifies key factors influencing and possible scenarios of the bio-packaging market transition to increase the market share of compostable packaging.

The results of 29 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with representatives of the key groups of bio-packaging supply chains' (SCs') stakeholders were the input for the consideration of the research problem.

The main economic, legal, social and technological enablers and barriers to the bio-packaging regime transition are recognised, and their impact at the market level is explained. The authors recognised the hybrid transition scenario towards an increase in the market share of compostable packaging related to the three traditional pathways of transformation, reconfiguration and technological substitution.

This study contributes to a better understanding of the socio-technical system theory by examining interdependencies between landscape (external environment), market regime (bio-packaging market) and niche innovations (compostable packaging) as well as system transition pathways. The findings and conclusions on bio-packaging market developments can be important lessons learnt to be applied in different countries due to the same current development stage of the compostable packaging lifecycle worldwide.

This study aims to compare and analyze the impact of the commonly used takeout packing (Kraft paper bowl and plastic bowl) through life cycle assessment, then certain suggestions for the development of green packaging could be provided.

In this study, Simapro software was used to calculate and analyze the whole life cycle of takeout packaging from the stage of raw materials, production and processing and waste disposal.

Twelve environmental categories were used to quantitatively analyze the environmental impact of the two different bowls. The results showed that the impact of Kraft paper bowl on the environment was less than that of plastic bowl, regardless of raw material, processing or waste stage. Kraft paper bowl was better than plastic bowl.

This study compared and analyzed the progress of 750-mL bowls made with different materials and specific specifications.

Green packaging is the development trend of the future packaging and follows the principle of reduce, resue, recycle, degradable. According to the calculation results, corresponding suggestions can be put forward from production, processing, use, waste and other aspects, and make corresponding contributions to the development of green packaging.

The contribution and impact of each stage of the product on the environment can be studied. The environmental impacts, such as global warming potential and water scarcity, can be reduced through different solutions, such as the use of green materials, good processing techniques and higher recycling rates.

In the transition towards circular economy and sustainable development, effective implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation is crucial to prevent plastic-waste generation and promote recycling activities. The purpose of this study is to undertake a qualitative analysis to examine recent EPR policy changes, implementation, barriers and enabling conditions.

In-depth interviews and group discussions with key stakeholders were undertaken to derive the barriers and facilitators of EPR implementation. Based on opinions and insights from a wide range of participants, this study identified a number of key issues faced by various parties in implementing EPR in India.

Stakeholders agree on a lack of clarity on various policy aspects, such as mandatory approval of urban local bodies, registration of recyclers/waste processors and consistency in the definition of technical terms. This paper provides useful policy inputs to address these challenges and to develop comprehensive EPR policy systems. More consultation and deliberation across various stakeholders is required to ensure the policies are effective.

India’s plastic-waste generation has increased at a rapid pace over the past five years and is expected to grow at a higher rate in the future. This research provides implications for policymakers to formulate coherent policies that align with the interests of brand owners and recyclers. Clear policy suggestions and improvements for effective plastic-waste management in India are also outlined.

This paper, based on a qualitative approach, contributes to research on plastic-waste management by integrating the perspectives of all EPR-policy stakeholders in India.

Mauritius is a Small Island Development State (SIDS) with limited resources, and it has been witnessed that many containers used for storing household and industrial products are made from plastic. When discarded as waste, those plastic containers pose a serious environmental and economic challenge for Mauritius. Moreover, landfill space is getting increasingly scarce, and plastic waste is contaminating both land and water. Therefore, it is of the utmost necessity to develop solutions for Mauritius' plastic wastes. Due to its abundance and accessibility, plastic waste is a promising material for recycling and energy production. One potential solution is the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to predict household plastic consumption, allowing policymakers to design effective strategies and initiatives to reduce plastic waste. Such information is a critical component to be able to efficiently plan for the collection and routing of trucks when collecting recyclable plastics. The development of new strategies for the recycling of plastic waste and development of new industry can address the import and export potential of the country to achieve self-sustainability as well as contribute to reduction in plastic pollution and amount of waste landfilled. These plastics can thereafter be used effectively for recycling and for the making of 3D printing filaments which fall under the SDGs 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and 12 (Responsible consumption and production).

This all-inclusive bibliometric study aims to highlight the importance and shift of the researchers and the society towards the sustainable menstrual products (SMPs). This study also provides insights for this taboo topic which needs to be addressed for improving the menstrual hygiene of women.

This study adopts a trio of systematic literature review, bibliometric analysis and content analysis of the research articles taken from the SCOPUS database. The influential journals, authors and countries were established with the bibliometric analysis. Most prestigious research articles were identified based on the page-rank analysis. The intellectual structure was established with bibliographic coupling through which various themes were identified. For the content analysis, thematic mapping and author keyword analysis was performed to gain deeper understanding of themes.

It was established that the taboo yet novel research domain of SMPs is a necessary step towards the improvement of hygiene of women as well as the economy. The products are here to stay making them a Classic; hence, more research normalizing their usage is necessary. From this analysis, research gaps providing directions to the researchers were identified.

To the best knowledge of the authors, this is the first study that provides a comprehensive review of the SMPs. The research methodology applied in this review involves the triad of systematic literature review, bibliometric and content analyses study that establishes an intellectual structure and provides an all-inclusive overview of this taboo research area.

The purpose of this paper is to review cases of artificial reefs built through additive manufacturing (AM) technologies and analyse their ecological goals, fabrication process, materials, structural design features and implementation location to determine predominant parameters, environmental impacts, advantages, and limitations.

The review analysed 16 cases of artificial reefs from both temperate and tropical regions. These were categorised based on the AM process used, the mortar material used (crucial for biological applications), the structural design features and the location of implementation. These parameters are assessed to determine how effectively the designs meet the stipulated ecological goals, how AM technologies demonstrate their potential in comparison to conventional methods and the preference locations of these implementations.

The overview revealed that the dominant artificial reef implementation occurs in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Seas, both accounting for 24%. The remaining cases were in the Australian Sea (20%), the South Asia Sea (12%), the Persian Gulf and the Pacific Ocean, both with 8%, and the Indian Sea with 4% of all the cases studied. It was concluded that fused filament fabrication, binder jetting and material extrusion represent the main AM processes used to build artificial reefs. Cementitious materials, ceramics, polymers and geopolymer formulations were used, incorporating aggregates from mineral residues, biological wastes and pozzolan materials, to reduce environmental impacts, promote the circular economy and be more beneficial for marine ecosystems. The evaluation ranking assessed how well their design and materials align with their ecological goals, demonstrating that five cases were ranked with high effectiveness, ten projects with moderate effectiveness and one case with low effectiveness.

AM represents an innovative method for marine restoration and management. It offers a rapid prototyping technique for design validation and enables the creation of highly complex shapes for habitat diversification while incorporating a diverse range of materials to benefit environmental and marine species’ habitats.