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This research analyses the impact of customers and government regulations on the implementation of socio-environmental practices in certifying organic agricultural products. It explores the dyad’s relationship between the focal company and its suppliers in the application of socio-environmental practices.

This study uses a quantitative methodology through a survey approach, with a sample of 206 agro-extractivists from the acai berry supply chain. The data are evaluated using regression analysis.

The main results reveal that customer pressure positively influences the implementation of social and environmental practices, but suggest a non-significant relationship between government regulations and the impact on environmental practices implementation. Social and environmental practices are positively related to operational performance. A moderating effect of organic certification is found in the relationship between customer pressure and the application of environmental practices.

The main contributions are exploring the use of socio-environmental practices in an emerging economy and organic certification as a moderating variable, revealing an “institutional void” that may hamper the enforcement of government regulations.

The manufacturing investment shift from developed countries to emerging and developing regions creates further needs for identifying appropriate green certification strategies. This study proposes that alignments between green certification practices (GCRs) and process innovation (PIN) could help identify appropriate strategies that national economic development can influence.

Drawing on the diffusion of innovation theories, this study proposed a taxonomy to examine whether sustainable performance differs depending on the levels of alignment and the role of national economic development. The study uses an empirical survey approach to highlight alignments between GCRs and PIN among developed, developing and emerging economic nations, addressing resource allocation for the world's sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Manufacturers need to align PIN practices with the level of green certification to achieve sustainable performance. Manufacturers experiencing higher payoffs from various improvements successfully align in GCR and PIN. The alignment between these two concepts can derive different taxonomies, which highlight performance and managerial implications for manufacturers. The manufacturers followed three distinct typologies: minimalist, process active and proactive. Besides, building on the theory of performance frontiers, the findings indicated that manufacturers in developing and emerging economies placed the most substantial GCR effort compared to their counterparts in developed nations. Manufacturers in developed countries are increasingly reaching the “diminishing points” and investing limited resources in GCR just enough to keep their competitive positioning as order qualifiers rather than order winners. Developing economies are catching up very quickly in attaining GCRs and business performance.

This insight is essential for managers to adapt to nations' economic development conditions and appropriately and effectively align resources.

The findings offer a decision-making process and provide straightforward guidelines for supply chain managers' green certification adoption.

In including both PIN and green certification, this paper adds greater comprehensiveness and richness to the supply chain literature.

This research aims to contribute to the literature on sustainable hospitality and tourism by applying social network analysis to identify sustainable tourism business networks and untangle the role of cognitive and geographical proximity in their formation.

Data mining and machine learning techniques were applied to data collected from the websites of tourism companies located in northeastern Italy, namely, the Veneto region. Specifically, the authors used Web scraping to extract relevant information from the internet.

The results support the existence of geographical clusters of tourist accommodation providers that are linked by strong cognitive proximity based on sustainability principles that are well communicated via their websites. This does not appear to be greenwashing because companies that have agreed on sustainability principles have also implemented concrete actions and tend to signal these actions through a variety of sustainability certifications.

The results may guide tourism managers and policymakers in developing tourism initiatives directed at the creation of fruitful collaborations between similarly oriented organizations and methods to support clusters of sustainable tourism accommodation. Identifying sustainable tourism networks may assist in the identification of potential actors of change, fueling a widespread transition toward sustainability.

In this study, the authors adopted an innovative methodology to detect sustainability-oriented tourism business networks. Additionally, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to simultaneously explore the cognitive and geographical connections between tourism businesses.

This study aims to understand the sustainable development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), analysing their current practices in the social, environmental and economic domain.

To fulfil this objective, an exploratory, qualitative approach was adopted, using the multiple case study methodology and focusing on eight cases (SMEs) in Portugal. Data were collected through interviews, since this technique allows proximity and interaction with decision makers and those responsible for firms’ sustainability.

From content analysis of the interviews held, the results show that SMEs are aware of and committed to sustainability and that the external context and some of its particularities have a significant impact on their sustainable development. These SMEs undertake various practices of a social, environmental and economic nature, highlighting especially environmental ones such as efficient resource consumption, using more sustainable resources, recycling waste and waste management.

This study contributes greater knowledge of the phenomenon of SMEs’ sustainable development and identifies practical examples that could increase this firm segment’s awareness of the importance of sustainable practices associated with developing their business.

In this study, new and innovative sustainability practices are presented in the SMEs. The authors can underline that this study contributes to reinforcing the theory about the topic investigated by adding knowledge about sustainable development in the SME context. It deepens knowledge in this scientific area, which can be spread in the scientific community and among SMEs.

The increasing urgency to address climate change in construction has made green construction (GC) and sustainability critical topics for academia and industry professionals. However, the volume of literature in this field has made it impractical to rely solely on traditional systematic evidence mapping methodologies.

This study employs machine learning (ML) techniques to analyze the extensive evidence-base on GC. Using both supervised and unsupervised ML, 5,462 relevant papers were filtered from 10,739 studies published from 2010 to 2022, retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases.

Key themes in GC encompass green building materials, construction techniques, assessment methodologies and management practices. GC assessment and techniques were prominent, while management requires more research. The results from prevalence of topics and heatmaps revealed important patterns and interconnections, emphasizing the prominent role of materials as major contributors to the construction sector. Consistency of the results with VOSviewer analysis further validated the findings, demonstrating the robustness of the review approach.

Unlike other reviews focusing only on specific aspects of GC, use of ML techniques to review a large pool of literature provided a holistic understanding of the research landscape. It sets a precedent by demonstrating the effectiveness of ML techniques in addressing the challenge of analyzing a large body of literature. By showcasing the connections between various facets of GC and identifying research gaps, this research aids in guiding future initiatives in the field.

This paper investigates the relationship between the sustainable finance disclosure regulation (SFDR) and the performance of unlisted real estate funds.

While existing literature has primarily focused on the impact of voluntary sustainability disclosure, such as certifications or reporting standards, this study addresses a significant research gap by constructing and analyzing the financial J-Curve of 40 funds under the SFDR. The authors employ a panel regression analysis to examine the effects of different SFDR categories on fund performance.

The findings reveal that funds categorized under Article 8 of the SFDR do not exhibit significantly poorer performance compared to funds categorized under Article 6 during the initial phase after launch. On average, Article 8 funds even demonstrate positive returns earlier than their peers. However, the panel regression analysis suggests that Article 8 funds slightly underperform when compared to Article 6 funds over time.

While investors may not anticipate lower initial returns when opting for higher SFDR categories, they should nevertheless be aware of the limitations inherent in the existing SFDR labeling system within the unlisted real estate sector.

To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first quantitative examination of unlisted real estate fund performance under the SFDR. By providing unique insights into the J-Curves of funds, our research contributes to the existing body of knowledge on the impact of sustainability regulations in the financial sector.

The ceramic tile chain can generate several environmental impacts, from raw material extraction to the production process, commercialization, consumption, maintenance and disposal. One of the open issues remaining in the literature on socially responsible supply chains, also known as responsible supply chains, is understanding how corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices are being implemented in ceramic tile companies in Brazil.

The method adopted is a multiple-case study. The authors conducted face-to-face interviews with six ceramic producers and a trade association. The authors also conducted eight interviews with specialists in the ceramic sector. They are two university professors, two class association representatives, one professional from a technological institute, two representatives of the inspection body and one supplier.

Companies perform on a compliance basis, manifesting a less proactive position when the subject is CSR. In addition, the CSR practices established by the companies are preferably aimed at reducing costs and risks and increasing reputation. Practices in terms of eco-design are linked to lowering costs and growing reputation, as seen from the reduction in the use of inputs and improvements in packaging to minimize costs. These practices improve the company’s reputation from the consumers' perspective. Environmental aspects are dominant due to the legislation.

This paper contributes theoretically since it identifies, from the companies' perspective, the CSR practices related to risk, cost reduction and reputation increase. There are also opportunities to be explored for facilitating their efforts towards a sustainable business model, especially considering the social dimension. From a managerial perspective, this paper provides some input for implementing CSR actions, mainly regarding their implications for society and local communities.

La cadena de revestimiento cerámico puede generar diversos impactos ambientales, desde la extracción de la materia prima hasta el proceso de producción, comercialización, consumo, mantenimiento y disposición. Una de las cuestiones abiertas que quedan en la literatura sobre cadenas de suministro socialmente responsables, también conocidas como cadenas de suministro responsables, es comprender cómo se están implementando prácticas de responsabilidad social empresarial en las empresas de revestimientos cerámicos en Brasil.

El método utilizado en el estudio es un estudio de casos múltiples. Realizamos entrevistas cara a cara con 6 productores de cerámica y una asociación comercial. También recibimos información de 8 especialistas representantes de organizaciones relacionadas con el sector cerámico; 2 profesores universitarios; 2 representantes de asociaciones de clase; 1 profesional de instituto tecnológico; 2 representantes del organismo de control; y 1 proveedor de esmaltes.

Las empresas actúan sobre la base del cumplimiento, manifestando una posición menos proactiva cuando el tema es la RSE. Además, las prácticas de RSC establecidas por las empresas están preferentemente encaminadas a la reducción de costes y riesgos y al aumento de la reputación. Las prácticas en materia de ecodiseño están esencialmente ligadas a la reducción de costos y al aumento de la reputación, a partir de la reducción en el uso de insumos y mejoras en los empaques para minimizar costos. Estas prácticas mejoran la reputación de la empresa desde la perspectiva de los consumidores. Los aspectos ambientales son dominantes debido a la legislación.

Este trabajo aporta teóricamente ya que identifica, desde la perspectiva de las empresas, las prácticas de RSE relacionadas con el riesgo, la reducción de costos y el aumento de la reputación. También hay oportunidades por explorar para facilitar sus esfuerzos hacia un modelo de negocio sostenible, especialmente teniendo en cuenta la dimensión social. Desde la perspectiva gerencial, este documento proporciona algunos insumos para la toma de decisiones sobre la implementación de acciones de RSE, principalmente en lo que respecta a las implicaciones para la sociedad y las comunidades locales.

This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of sustainable tourism research published in Scopus-indexed journals covering the period from 1997 to 2021. Articles published during these 25 years were subjected to science mapping and performance analysis to propose potential areas for future research.

A bibliometric analysis using performance analysis and science mapping was conducted on 1,754 research papers retrieved from the Scopus database using the keyword “sustainable tourism.” Biblioshiny and VOSviewer are commonly used bibliometric tools. Science mapping techniques use coauthorship, keyword co-occurrence and co-citation analyses.

This study revealed the sustainable tourism publications’ spatial and temporal patterns, indicating a yearly growth rate of 19.9% during a 25-year period. The study identified Stefan Gossling as the most influential author, the “Journal of Sustainable Tourism” as the leading journal and Australia as the most productive country in sustainable tourism literature. The study used co-citation analysis to identify five thematic clusters, namely, reconceptualization and criticism, the role of residents, eco-labeling and the role of stakeholders, community-based tourism and the shift toward establishing sustainability indicators and effective governance and policymaking. The coauthorship analysis identifies the most influential author in collaborative efforts, and the most common pattern of collaboration is between researchers from different institutions in the same country, such as China and the Philippines, followed by collaborations between authors from other countries. The keyword co-occurrence analysis uncovered keywords that aligned with theme clusters generated from the co-citation analysis.

This study comprehensively uncovers five thematic clusters that have never been extracted so far in the literature. Also, it attempts to fill the gaps related to sustainable tourism by suggesting directions for future research.

This study aims to examine the blockchain landscape in supply chain management by drawing insights from academic and industry literature. It identifies the key drivers, categorizes the products involved and highlights the business values achieved by early adopters of blockchain technology within the supply chain domain. Additionally, it explores fingerprinting techniques to establish a robust connection between physical products and the blockchain ledger.

The authors combined the interpretive sensemaking systematic literature review to offer insights into how organizations interpreted their business challenges and adopted blockchain technology in their specific supply chain context; content analysis (using Leximancer automated text mining software) for concept mapping visualization, facilitating the identification of key themes, trends and relationships, and qualitative thematic analysis (NVivo) for data organization, coding and enhancing the depth and efficiency of analysis.

The findings highlight the transformative potential of blockchain technology and offer valuable insights into its implementation in optimizing supply chain operations. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of product provenance information to consumers, with blockchain technology offering certainty and increasing customer loyalty toward brands that prioritize transparency.

This research has several limitations that should be acknowledged. First, there is a possibility that some relevant investigations may have been missed or omitted, which could impact the findings. In addition, the limited availability of literature on blockchain adoption in supply chains may restrict the scope of the conclusions. The evolving nature of blockchain adoption in supply chains also poses a limitation. As the technology is in its infancy, the authors expect that a rapidly emerging body of literature will provide more extensive evidence-based general conclusions in the future. Another limitation is the lack of information contrasting academic and industry research, which could have provided more balanced insights into the technology’s advancement. The authors attributed this limitation to the narrow collaborations between academia and industry in the field of blockchain for supply chain management.

Practitioners recognize the potential of blockchain in addressing industry-specific challenges, such as ensuring transparency and data provenance. Understanding the benefits achieved by early adopters can serve as a starting point for companies considering blockchain adoption. Blockchain technology can verify product origin, enable truthful certifications and comply with established standards, reinforcing trust among stakeholders and customers. Thus, implementing blockchain solutions can enhance brand reputation and consumer confidence by ensuring product authenticity and quality. Based on the results, companies can align their strategies and initiatives with their needs and expectations.

In essence, the integration of blockchain technology within supply chain provenance initiatives not only influences economic aspects but also brings substantial social impacts by reinforcing consumer trust, encouraging sustainable and ethical practices, combating product counterfeiting, empowering stakeholders and contributing to a more responsible, transparent and progressive socioeconomic environment.

This study consolidates current knowledge on blockchain’s capacity and identifies the specific drivers and business values associated with early blockchain adoption in supply chain provenance. Furthermore, it underscores the critical role of product fingerprinting techniques in supporting blockchain for supply chain provenance, facilitating more robust and efficient supply chain operations.

This study aims to offer the intellectual structure and dynamics of the sustainability branding field, involving the identification of influential authors and journals, current and emerging themes, theories, methods, contexts and future research directions.

The study conducted a bibliometric approach of 1,509 articles retrieved from Scopus to analyze the evolution of the knowledge of sustainability branding and suggest future research. The analysis used various methods such as performance analysis, keyword analysis, cluster analysis and bibliographic coupling.

The topics of corporate image, philanthropy and stakeholder pressures were core in the foundation phase. Then rose the topics of sustainable development goals and global supply chains. Green marketing and the new paradigms of circularity, ethical consumerism and hyperconnected societies emerged more recently. Six thematic clusters represent the field’s knowledge structure: (1) corporate branding and reputation, (2) sustainable business development, (3) sustainable branding and ethical consumption, (4) corporate social responsibility, (5) brand equity and green marketing and (6) sustainability branding in hospitality and tourism.

This paper provides readers with an overview of sustainability branding core themes, key contributions and challenges, which can be used as a toolkit for brand management studies and practice.

The study’s uniqueness lies in bibliometric analysis (combined with network analysis and science mapping techniques) of the sustainability branding field from the identification and evolution of the thematic clusters to propose future research directions.