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This paper explores environmental accountability and downward accountability role of nongovernmental organisations (henceforth NGOs) under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in the food and beverage industry of Nigeria. The paper relies on empirical data gathered from qualitative interviews of three stakeholders – accountants, Corporate Social Responsibility Officers (CSROs), CEOs and NGO CSROs. It employed theoretical conceptualisation of environmental accountability and NGO's downward accountability. Analysis shows that despite the existence of attributes of environmental accountability such as sense of responsibility on the part of corporations and citizens' rights to demand for and enforce accountability, passivity of citizens' right caused by vulnerability prevails. The finding also shows that downward accountability roles of NGOs in the industry have been framed as that of enhancing activities in the value chain. Part of this is RecyclePay project that funds education for the poor. Thus NGOs' downward (environmental) accountability in Nigeria has potential to promote environmental well-being, beneficiary's economic empowerment and education for the poor, thereby simultaneously addressing vulnerability. It shows that vulnerability may induce a different conceptualisation of environmental accountability than that of a normal democratic setting where the citizens are deemed to have right to demand and enforce (environmental) accountability. This paper contributes to our understanding of (environmental) accountability and downward accountability role of NGOs within an emerging market context.

The global textile-fashion industry is resource inefficient thus requiring higher product-service systems (PSS) intervention. Further, insight of how PSS extends corporate responsibility is rather limited; knowledge of which may contribute towards increased PSS viability. The purpose of this paper is to explore how companies operating with used-clothing PSS extend their responsibilities through servitization.

An exploratory study of seven companies operating with various used-clothing PSS is conducted through semi-structured interviews and supplementary document studies.

Six dominant ways through which servitization drives responsibility in used-clothing PSS are identified. These are through: value-adding services, product leverage, collaborative partnership, information transparency, awareness and platform-enabled networking. Two trade-offs exist in terms of their focus on physical process or digitalization, and developed by honing core competency or collaborative partnership. Further three differentiating attributes underlie these mechanisms for: raising awareness and/or improving transparency, collaboration in value creation and/or in promoting consumption, and product ownership and/or leverage.

A wide range of used-clothing PSS exists each in its own way extending responsibility. In-depth studies are required to investigate the relationship between servitization and extended responsibility for diverse PSS-types and on type of responsibilities they address.

By identifying the key mechanisms or ways and their underlying characteristics companies can identify new servitization forms and ways to extend their responsibility, identify best practices and establish viability beyond the traditional measures, e.g. financial.

So far no studies have investigated the role of servitization in PSS and how it extends corporate responsibility, especially in industries like textile-fashion, where both resource efficiency and responsibility is low.

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.

Previous research in lease finance and evaluation has given little consideration to environmental factors. The purpose of this paper is to add to the literature by analysing how leasing provides a more attractive option than selling and extended producer responsibility (EPR) in helping to close product life‐cycle loops, extend the useful life of products, and increase environmental benefits.

This paper revisits the accounting concepts of asset depreciation, residual value and cost of leasing and proposes methods to incorporate these concepts into the “closed loop” lease and service mode for product life‐cycle management.

For business, the “closed loop” lease and service mode changes asset values through the extension of the asset's useful life and in particular, the increase of the residual value of the product (i.e. recoverable value to the producer/lessor). Such changes reduce the cost of leasing to the advantage of both lessor and lessee. However, the argument about a “win‐win” monetary and environmental outcome being associated with leasing presents several challenges for current accounting standards in terms of recognition of lease and lease revenue, recognition of intangible assets and internalisation of environmental costs and impacts associated with the leasing process.

To date, accounting and finance literature seems to focus exclusively on the economic aspects of leasing strategies. This paper uses a different lens to make a call for a rethink about leasing with environmental considerations. It is expected that the findings and suggestions in this study will facilitate the adoption and diffusion of the “closed loop” lease and service mode in the business world for the benefit of the environment in the future.

The purpose of this study is, first, to understand if the firms are displaying integrated approach toward electronic waste management and sustainability and, second, is there a business case for linking e-waste management with sustainable development goals (SDGs) pronounced by the United Nations.

This study conducts an extensive literature review to gather perspective from multiple disciplines and also carries out content analysis of annual reports/sustainability reports of the firms.

Bulk consumers have sustainability policies and/or strategies but many of these firms have not linked their e-waste management with their sustainability strategies practices. Also, based on the elaboration of different perspectives, this study provides an integrative framework that suggests focus of a particular perspective on a given SDG and commensurate business approach by the firms to find a synergy between the two.

This study provides a wider perspective on the subject of electronic waste management and its linkage with SDGs to create business case, thus opening up many theoretical avenues.

The policy like extended producers’ responsibility has a clear practical implication in terms of creating reputational capital for the firms by linking electronic waste management and SDGs.

The SDG, detailing clean water and sanitation by asking firms not to pollute water bodies by dumping the waste, has clear social implications.

This study is first of its kind to explore the linkage between electronic waste and SDGs to understand the business case. It also throws good insights on whether the firms use integrated approach toward electronic waste management and sustainability.

India generates around two million tonnes of e-waste every year, and it is increasing at a very high rate of 30%. However, due to inefficient handling of infrastructure and limited number of collection centres along with the absence of proper incentive structure for producer and recyclers, 95% of e-waste reaches to unorganized sector for disposal. Consumers are not aware of the need of proper e-waste disposal and in absence of proper motivation and they are not inclined towards recycling process. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the best practices of e-waste take adopted all over the world to implement effective policy interventions for e-waste management in India and other emerging economies.

This paper has recommended preventive as well as curative policy interventions on the basis of best e-waste management practices of Germany, Italy and Japan; life cycle assessment of e-waste; and SWOT analysis of Indian electronic product industry.

Preventive measures include a deposit refund scheme wherein a consumer will be responsible for depositing a refundable fees during the purchase of the product. The amount should be arrived at keeping in mind cost involved in handling e-waste and ensure some motivation for the consumers to give back used product. To ensure proper tracking of the product, Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags can be used which will be activated at the time of sale of product and remain so until product reaches some designated recycling space or recycler and consumer is returned back his deposit fee. Subsidy to the producers and recyclers can also be provided by the government to further incentivize the whole process. An example of mobile phones has been used to understand the proposed deposit fees and associated cost structure. Curative measures to reduce the generation of e-waste in long run for managing the discussed issue have also been proposed.

This study is an initiative for proposing and implementing best e-waste take back techniques in a developing economy like India by acquiring learnings from best/advanced economies in terms of e-waste take back.

This paper focuses on how the producer inspires his cooperative research partner to reduce carbon emission, by developing a menu of incentive contracts both in research and development (R&D) stage and recycling stage.

The proposed mechanism combines the researcher with the producer in a two-staged closed-loop system. Based on the concept that the producer takes the environmental responsibility, this paper designs a dynamically updating contract for the producer to encourage low-carbon efforts. Meanwhile, the producer offers a menu of contracts against the asymmetric information, that is, the R&D partner owns private information on his low-carbon R&D capability. According to incentive mechanism, the researcher decides whether to tell the truth and how much effort she would exert in R&D and recycling stages.

Discriminating between different types of researchers hurts the producer’s profit. But the updated screening contract can inspire researchers to tell the truth and is beneficial in reducing carbon emissions in the two stages. The results give the optimal solutions of the incentive mechanism. The low-type researcher only obtains reservation profit, whereas the high-type is given more to induce the information.

This paper proposes a strategy of updating the contract factors for avoiding adverse selection and moral hazard. Considering the environmental responsibility of waste products, the producer would like to encourage low-carbon designs among the R&D partners in a closed-loop supply chain.

Despite legislation in place, there is still a gap in knowledge and awareness of the communities on the issues of e-waste handling and management. It is important to understand the knowledge and awareness levels of the consumers of electronic products who ultimately become the generators of e-waste in a community. The current study is based on a survey conducted in an urban setting to understand people's perception about the genesis of issues related to e-waste and its management. The purpose of this paper is to study the findings that could help in designing customized awareness programmes for addressing this concern more effectively.

A survey was conducted in Delhi to understand public knowledge and awareness related to e-waste management in the city and country. A limited random survey was conducted with a sample size of 400 individuals in Delhi from middle class belonging to different educational backgrounds and professions. Personal interview method was used to collect in-depth information related to the issues of e-waste and its management. A questionnaire was developed and pilot tested before actual start of the survey. The questionnaire consisted of two sections – first about baseline information related to their age, family size, family income and educational background and second on their knowledge and awareness regarding e-waste and its management. Also, the practices they followed regarding e-waste at their household level were enquired. The questionnaire consisted of both open-ended and close-ended questions. Most of the questions had multiple-choice options, which made it easy for the respondents to answer them appropriately. The open-ended question gave the respondents ample time and space to express their views. The open-ended questions besides strengthening the close-ended questions provided a lot of qualitative information and made the study interesting. Apart from just interviewing, informal interactions were also used as a tool for data collection. During the course of the study, informal interactions were done with respondents to familiarize them with the objectives of the present study, their role and benefits to them from the study.

The present study aimed to gauge the awareness levels and practices of people regarding e-waste management. The survey conducted in Delhi revealed that significant fraction of middle-class population is still unaware of the issue; however, on getting the information they were able to link the impacts of improper management of e-waste with detrimental health outcomes. For those who knew about it, the main sources of information to them were found to be internet, and print media. However, despite some awareness about the issue, most respondents were totally unaware about correct ways of its recycling and management. An important finding of the study was that 12-26 per cent people replace their major electronic goods like refrigerators, food processors, personal computers and music systems within the first three years of purchase. Discarding products within their periods of useful lives leads to enhanced generation of e-wastes. Along with e-waste generation, this also puts additional stress over the resources used for manufacturing of these products. On management of e-waste, most of the respondents opined of need of having efficient recycling units and effective mass awareness programmes. The survey also revealed the willingness of users to pay extra cost for proper management of e-waste provided that there is proper cost sharing between consumers and producers. This also raises an important aspect of extended producer responsibility (EPR). EPR puts additional responsibility and onus on the manufacturer of the product to not only produce durable quality of products but also take back the obsolete products and manage the e-waste. This also means that the manufacturers will have to use recyclable material in manufacturing of new products for economic management of e-waste at the later stage. Although, in Indian context it would be a challenge to implement the concept of EPR, especially with the active informal sector. The respondents quite adequately put equal responsibilities on the government, consumers and producers for effective e-waste management. The study clearly highlights the issues perceived by the middle-class population of Delhi and can be replicated in other major cities for re-authentication of the facts. The study could prove to be important in designing awareness programme related to the issue.

This paper presents the results of a questionnaire survey-based study that was employed to understand the perception of a sample of respondents. Analysis of the data reveals that the knowledge on the issue of e-waste is minimal and requires massive awareness drives for senitization.

This research aims to compare consumer responses to pro-environmental communication and appeals to recycle packaging when these messages come from a high-familiarity versus a low-familiarity brand.

Two online between-subjects experimental studies evaluate consumer perceptions and the willingness to comply with recycling appeals in response to pro-environmental communications from a high-familiarity versus a low-familiarity brand. To test the hypotheses, the studies examine the moderating role of sustainability habits and the mediating role of shared environmental responsibility.

Findings show that communicating a brand’s adoption of sustainable packaging is more salient to consumers when the appeal comes from a low-familiarity rather than a high-familiarity brand, especially when sustainability habits are weaker. The mediating role of shared environmental responsibility partly explains consumers’ commitment to act pro-environmentally.

Sustainability officials and policymakers should consider the impact of pro-environmental interventions that encourage collective recycling between brands and consumers. Practitioners are encouraged to examine revised waste management schemes such as extended producer responsibility programs to elicit the collaboration of consumers in initiatives that boost recycling and stimulate pro-environmental behaviors.

Using the diagnosticity–accessibility framework and habit theory, to the best of the author’s knowledge, this research is among the first to empirically examine the role of sustainability habits in consumer responses to pro-environmental brand communications. It also highlights consumers’ willingness to comply with brands’ take-back programs in a shared effort to reduce plastic waste and encourage a circular economy.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of e-waste management practices in Kenya and selected countries. It develops an ideal regulatory framework for e-waste management in Kenya.

The methodology adopted for this paper includes collecting data using interviews, direct observation and literature review. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used.

Waste is an emerging stream of solid waste in Kenya. It has become a major concern due to the high volumes generated, its hazardous fractions and the lack of policies applicable to its disposal. Gaps are identified in the areas of awareness levels, e-waste management technology, financing, collection, disposal, monitoring, and stakeholder collaboration.

The study area is limited to Nairobi and its environs. With regard to product, the paper focuses on ICT equipment.

The proposed framework has direct practical policy implications to manufacturers who ought to reduce e-waste from production, consumers who should adopt safe disposal practices, recyclers/informal actors who ought to use environmentally friendly methods and government agencies that enforce e-waste policies.

Adoption of the proposed framework has positive socio-economic impacts on job creation, reduced crime and sound environmental management.

This paper adds to the body of knowledge on the e-waste problem from the perspective of developed as well as developing countries. It points out best practices for socio-economic development and fronts arguments for sustainable environmental management.