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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 60687

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yu-Shan Chen

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Guest Editor

National Taipei University, Taipei, Taiwan
Interests: strategic management; corporate sustainability; green marketing; patent analysis and management; technology management; corporate ethics/corporate governance

Dr. Ching-Hsun Chang

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Assistant Guest Editor

National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
Interests: sustainable development; green innovation; new product development; corporate social responsibility

Dr. Yi-Wen Chen

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Assistant Guest Editor

Tamkang University, Tamsui, Taiwan
Interests: technology management; technology policy; entrepreneurial management; university social responsibility

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable consumption is defined as the consumption of products and services in a way that minimizes environmental impact and meets consumer needs for both present and future generations. Sustainable consumption can be promoted to improve sustainable performance, meet consumer needs, increase the quality of life, enhance resource efficiency, increase renewable energy use, minimize waste, and reduce carbon emissions. As a result, sustainable consumption, which can help us to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs), plays a more important role in our society. On behalf of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH), we are organizing the Special Issue “Sustainable Consumption: A Global Perspective”. IJERPH is an international peer-reviewed journal published by MDPI. This Special Issue offers an opportunity to publish high-quality interdisciplinary research that focuses on sustainable consumption. We invite colleagues from all disciplines to submit papers discussing the topics related to sustainable consumption by means of qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods approaches. In addition, we look forward to receiving a variety of manuscripts which can contribute to comprehensively improving for sustainable consumption.

Dr. Yu-Shan Chen
Dr. Ching-Hsun Chang
Dr. Yi-Wen Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sustainable consumption
public health
responsible consumption
sustainable development goals
green marketing
corporate sustainability
corporate social responsibility
environmental impact
greenwash
consumption responsibility

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 816 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Value Co-Creation in the Virtual Community: How Diversified Co-Creation Experience Affects Co-Creation Intention

by Yi-Wen Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(22), 8497; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228497 - 17 Nov 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5476

Abstract

The popularization of digital infrastructure has enabled the rise of the online game industry. Instead of targeting entertainment-oriented technology and services, which are the focus of most relevant studies, in the present study, we review the literature from the perspective of considering players of online games as both consumers of entertainment and co-creators of value. The three major antecedents of the theory of planned behavior, namely personal attitude toward co-creation, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control, were modified to explore the relevant constructs. Specifically, the diversity of co-creation experience was used to predict co-creation intention. The proposed model was empirically evaluated through the structural equation modeling of survey data collected from 321 World of Warcraft (WoW) players. As hypothesized, the diversified co-creation experience positively affected the antecedents. The findings provide implications on how to increase players’ participation in co-creation to achieve sustainable mutual benefits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption in Environmental Issues: A Global Perspective)

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15 pages, 639 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Green Open Innovation Activities and Green Co-Innovation Performance in Taiwan’s Manufacturing Sector

by Ching-Hsun Chang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(18), 6677; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186677 - 14 Sep 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3579

Abstract

This study investigates the positive effects of an appropriability regime and perceived similarity to green co-innovation performance when considering green open innovation activities as the mediator. It proposes a novel construct, i.e., green open innovation activities, and employs structural equation modeling to test its hypotheses. 190 valid questionnaires were collected from executives in Taiwanese manufacturing companies. Manufacturing activities are regarded as a major source of pollution. Consequently, given the broad concern for the environment among governments and consumers, adopting green practices has become critical for manufacturing companies. All the proposed hypotheses were supported by the analysis results. An appropriability regime is positively associated with green open innovation activities and green co-innovation performance. Perceived similarity is positively associated with green open innovation activities and green co-innovation performance. Moreover, green open innovation activities are positively associated with green co-innovation performance. A major finding is that if a company introduces one, the longer the duration of a green project is, the stronger the green open innovation activities and green co-innovation performance are. This study aimed to determine the simultaneous effects of both factors, i.e., appropriability regime, and perceived similarity on green open innovation activities and green co-innovation performance. The contribution of this study highlights the simultaneous importance of appropriability regimes and perceived similarity to determine a company’s green practices. While companies have tended to increase their green co-innovation performance, they need to improve their appropriability regime, perceived similarity, and green open innovation activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption in Environmental Issues: A Global Perspective)

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20 pages, 1144 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does It Matter Who Exhibits More Green Purchase Behavior of Cosmetic Products in Asian Culture? A Multi-Group Analysis Approach

by Farzana Quoquab, Azila Jaini and Jihad Mohammad

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(14), 5258; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17145258 - 21 Jul 2020

Cited by 44 | Viewed by 8650

Abstract

This study attempts to investigate the moderating effect of gender on value-belief-norm relationships. In addition, this study aims to investigate the factors that affect green purchase behavior of cosmetics products. Particularly, this study investigates the causal relationships between values and pro-environmental beliefs, pro-environmental beliefs and personal norms and personal norms and green purchase behavior. An online survey was carried out which yielded 240 usable responses among which 79 responses were obtained from males and 161 from females. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, partial least square (PLS-SEM) approach and multi-group analysis (MGA) technique. Results revealed that all direct relationships were supported by the data. It was also found that gender moderates the relationships between altruistic values and pro-environmental beliefs, pro-environmental beliefs and personal norms and personal norms and green purchase behavior. Nevertheless, gender did not moderate the link between hedonic value and pro-environmental beliefs. This study contributes to the existing literature by considering gender as a moderator, which is comparatively new in the green purchase behavior literature. In addition, this study examines few new linkages: more specifically, incorporating hedonic value in value-belief link and adapting value-belief-norm (VBN) theory in measuring consumers’ green purchase behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption in Environmental Issues: A Global Perspective)

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31 pages, 826 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does Water, Waste, and Energy Consumption Influence Firm Performance? Panel Data Evidence from S&P 500 Information Technology Sector

by Liliana Nicoleta Simionescu, Ștefan Cristian Gherghina, Ziad Sheikha and Hiba Tawil

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(14), 5206; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17145206 - 19 Jul 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4886

Abstract

This paper aimed to investigate the impact of water, waste, and energy consumption on firm performance for a sample of enterprises that belong to the S&P 500 Information Technology sector over the period of 2009–2020. The quantitative framework covered both accounting (e.g., return on assets—ROA; return on common equity—ROE; return on capital—ROC; return on invested capital—ROIC) and market-based measures of performance (e.g., price-to-book value—PB), alongside firm and corporate governance specific variables. By estimating multivariate panel data regression models, the empirical results provided support for a negative impact of total water use on PB but a positive effect on ROA. With reference to the total waste, the econometric outcomes revealed a negative influence on the entire selected performance measures, whereas total energy consumption did not reveal any statistically significant influence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption in Environmental Issues: A Global Perspective)

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18 pages, 1473 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on the Design of and Preference for Collection Modes of Reusable Takeaway Containers to Promote Sustainable Consumption

by Xiaohong Jiang, Mingyu Dong, Yuewei He, Jiayi Shen, Wenqi Jing, Nan Yang and Xiucheng Guo

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(13), 4764; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134764 - 2 Jul 2020

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 5561

Abstract

The development of the online to offline business has accelerated the growth of the online food ordering market in China. The widespread use of disposable takeaway containers has resulted in a large amount of waste, which seriously affects the ecological environment. This paper studied the collection modes of reusable takeaway containers and the preferences of consumers and merchants. First, after two rounds of discussion and revision, four takeaway container collection modes were designed. Second, based on the survey results of consumers and merchants, a binary logistic regression model was applied to analyze the preferences of consumers and merchants. The results showed that the consumers’ delivery requirements and the current disposal of takeaway containers had a significant impact on consumers’ preferences. Consumers were more concerned about the hygienic status of the containers, food health and safety, while the merchants were more concerned about the increased costs. The promotion of collection modes requires the special consideration of the locations of dishwashing facilities and increased costs. Finally, according to the preferences and concerns of consumers and merchants, several suggestions on promoting the collection mode, such as the use of different promotion strategies for different people, the short distance of dishwashing facilities, reward systems, and food safeguard measures were proposed. This research provides guidance for decision making regarding the sustainable consumption and the promotion of reusable takeaway containers, which will contribute to resource conservation, ecological environmental improvement and sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption in Environmental Issues: A Global Perspective)

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30 pages, 2446 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Examining the Research Evolution on the Socio-Economic and Environmental Dimensions on University Social Responsibility

by Víctor Meseguer-Sánchez, Emilio Abad-Segura, Luis Jesús Belmonte-Ureña and Valentín Molina-Moreno

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(13), 4729; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134729 - 1 Jul 2020

Cited by 70 | Viewed by 10122

Abstract

Responsible higher education institutions have an impact on society and economic, environmental, and social development. These effects define the axes of the socially responsible management of the universities. The concept of university social responsibility (USR) manages these relationships to produce a positive impact on society through higher education, research, and the transfer of knowledge and technology, as well as education for sustainability. For this study, worldwide research into this subject was studied for the period 1970–2019. A bibliometric analysis of 870 articles was made, obtaining results for the scientific productivity of the journals, authors, institutions, and countries contributing to this research. The main category is business, management, and accounting. The most productive journal is the Business and Society Review, while the California Management Review is the most cited. The authors with the most articles are Stavnezer, Luo, and Lanero. The most productive institution is Wuhan University. The United States is the country with the most publications and citations, and the same country, together with the United Kingdom, make the most international contributions. Evidence shows growing worldwide interest in the economic and environmental impacts of USR. Future research should focus on analysing the links between the responsible and sustainable consumption of universities and their short-term financial, economic, and sustainable impacts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption in Environmental Issues: A Global Perspective)

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17 pages, 759 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Green Brand Affect on Green Purchase Intentions: The Mediation Effects of Green Brand Associations and Green Brand Attitude

by Yu-Shan Chen, Tai-Wei Chang, Hung-Xin Li and Ying-Rong Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(11), 4089; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17114089 - 8 Jun 2020

Cited by 47 | Viewed by 12224

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of green brand affect on green purchase intentions and explores the mediation effects of green brand attitude and green brand associations by means of the structural equation model (SEM). There is no previous literature discussing the relationship between brand affect and purchase intentions from the perspective of green marketing. Therefore, this article establishes a green purchase intention framework to fill in the research gap. The research object of this study focuses on Taiwanese consumers who have the purchase experience of information and electronics products in Taiwan. A total of 1000 consumers were randomly selected and 365 valid responses were received. In addition, this research conducted an empirical study using a questionnaire survey and structural equation model (SEM) to verify the research framework. The results show that green brand affect has no direct influence on green purchase intentions. Besides, this study indicates that green brand associations and green brand attitude fully mediate the relationship between green brand affect and green purchase intentions. It implies that green brand affect indirectly influences green purchase intentions via green brand attitude and green brand associations. While companies tend to raise their customers’ green purchase intentions, they need to increase their green brand affect, green brand associations, and green brand attitude. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption in Environmental Issues: A Global Perspective)

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20 pages, 1098 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Corporate Sustainable Development Strategy: Effect of Green Shared Vision on Organization Members’ Behavior

by Tai-Wei Chang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(7), 2446; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072446 - 3 Apr 2020

Cited by 37 | Viewed by 5667

Abstract

In this study, expectancy–valence theory was used from the perspective of corporate green management to investigate green shared vision (GSV). Moreover, organizational identity theory and psychological ownership theory were combined to propose an integrated conceptual framework. To fill research gaps, an investigation was also conducted with frontline R & D and sales employees to further examine the effect of GSV on organization members’ psychology and behavior. The research results indicate that when under the following circumstances, corporate members can enhance organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (OCBE) to improve green management performance, gain the favor of green consumers and achieve sustainable consumption goals. First, enterprises should focus on environmental issues and develop their GSV. Second, enterprises should implement the GSV in different aspects, such as product design, processing, marketing and management. Finally, corporate GSV should be in line with the expectations and values of organization members on environmental issues to motivate their OCBE. Therefore, enterprises must implement their GSV to strengthen the green organizational identity and green product psychological ownership of their members. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption in Environmental Issues: A Global Perspective)

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16 pages, 606 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantity, Quality, and Performance of Corporate Social Responsibility Information Disclosure by Listed Enterprises in China: A Regional Perspective

by Haifeng Zhang, Zhuo Zhang, Adrian Tan and Ekaterina Steklova

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(7), 2245; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072245 - 27 Mar 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3638

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to promote an increase in the number of enterprises that will disclose corporate social responsibility (CSR) information, and to improve on their quality of CSR information disclosure. Using the theory of organizational ecology, we propose that the density of companies that disclose CSR information in a region has an impact on both the quality and the performance of CSR disclosures. The study results suggest that an increase in the density of CSR information disclosing enterprises in a region will increase the number of enterprises with disclosure intentions. A density increase has a nonlinear influence on the quality of CSR information disclosure and on corporate performance, where the influence of disclosing enterprises’ density on corporate performance is partly mediated by the quality of CSR information disclosure. Our research also shows that the impact of density change of disclosing enterprises on the quality of CSR information disclosure is mediated by corporate capital structure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption in Environmental Issues: A Global Perspective)

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