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It is believed that the critical next step from examinations of operations and the environment is the study of sustainability and supply chains (Linton, Klassen, and Jayaraman (2007)). Environmental quality and preservation as well as meeting the stress of emission reductions is rapidly becoming an important issue for public policy (Wilkinson, Hill, and Gollan (2001)). However, Lambertini and Mantovani (2007) note the disregard, unrelated to regulatory requirements, of research practitioners to the potential benefits of appropriate competition policy measures and consumer pressures (Srivastara (2007)). In addition, a firm’s success, notably, in terms of financial and/or environmental practices, has been tied, in part, to the strength of its ability to coordinate and integrate activities along the entire supply chain (Spekman, Kamauff Jr., and Myhr (1998)), and to effectively implement multicriteria decisionmaking tools to aid in their strategic decisions. I present five essays in this dissertation. For each model I utilize the theory of variational inequalities, derive the formulation, present qualitative properties, and provide numerical examples. The first essay develops the multitiered sustainable supply chain network model with multicriteria decision-making. In the second essay I construct a modeling and computational framework that allows for the determination of optimal carbon taxes applied to electric power plants in the context of electric power supply chain (generation/distribution/consumption) networks. The third essay considers electric power supply chain networks and develops a model of tradable pollution permits in the case of multiple pollutants and spatially distinct receptor points. In the fourth essay, I quantify and assess, from a system-optimized sustainable supply chain network perspective, the environmental effects resulting when a horizontal supply chain integration occurs. In the fifth and final essay, I extend the work of Nagurney (2009) to the multiproduct supply chain network domain to quantify the impacts. This dissertation is heavily based on the following papers: Nagurney, Liu, and Woolley (2006), Nagurney, Liu, and Woolley (2007), Woolley, Nagurney, and Stranlund (2009), Nagurney and Woolley (2009) and Nagurney, Woolley, and Qiang (2009).

Världens resurser är begränsade, däribland infaller alla de konsumtionsvaror som människan behöver för att överleva. En av de absolut mest fundamentala är mat. Matförsörjningen sker till stor del via dagligvaruhandeln. Leverantörsledet till dagligvaruhandeln har en stor klimatpåverkan och är därför viktigt att granska i hållbarhetsrapporterna. Tidigare studier har fokuserat på det interna hållbarhetsarbetet i livsmedelsbolagen. Denna studie särskiljer sig från tidigare studier då fokus har riktats mot att granska livsmedelsbolagens hållbarhetsarbete i leverantörsledet. Det är väsentligt att studera leverantörsledet, dels för att majoriteten av de utsläpp som sker inom en livsmedelskoncern kan härledas till leverantörsledet. En annan väsentlig del är de anställda inom leverantörsledet och deras arbetsvillkor då många av de produkter som tillhandhas av matvarukedjorna importeras från utvecklingsländer. Studien har valt att fokusera på de tre största aktiebolagen inom dagligvaruhandeln. Genom att granska bolagens hållbarhetsredovisningar så har en tematisk analys genomförts där teman som avfallshantering, transport, kemikalier, vatten, djur, förpackningar, löner, etik och hälsa har beaktats. Via den tematiska analysen kan studien konstatera att företagen lägger större vikt kring miljödimensionen i leverantörskedjan än vad de gör kring den sociala dimensionen. Samtliga bolag ställer störst krav på transporter och djurhållning. Studien kan konstatera att det finns en informationsbrist på redovisningen av de anställdas löner i leverantörsledet. Resultatet av rapporten påvisar att bolagen tar väldigt lite ansvar, då bolagen i vissa fall inte beaktar dessa parametrar överhuvudtaget. De är konsekventa när det gäller att följa upp sina mål i de flesta fallen. Axfood hade ett mål som de utlämnade. Studien är dock för kort för att följa huruvida de följer upp sina mål eller inte i många fall. Bolagen är dock sämre på att redovisa hur deras arbete kring målen har gått och progressen. Här utelämnar bolagen information av essentiell betydelse då de inte redovisar hur de ligger till. / The worlds resources are limited, these resources include all the consumption articles that the human needs for survival. One of the core fundamentals is food. Traditionally, the food is gathered in accessible supermarkets. These supermarkets have suppliers that deliver the products to the stores. The supply chain has large impact on the climate. Previous studies have primarily focused on internal sustainability work from these supermarkets. This study distinguishes itself from previous ones, mainly because it focuses on reviewing the supply chain's sustainability work instead of the internal sustainability work. It is necessary to study the sustainability work of the supply chain due to the amount of harm the transportation does to the environment. There is another essential part to study when it comes to the supplier's sustainability work and that is the employees´ working conditions. Since many suppliers' workforce works in tough conditions, often due to the origin of the products, namely developing countries. This study has focused on three of the biggest limited companies in the Swedish food industry, ICA group ltd, Axfood Ltd and Lidl Ltd. By investigating the companies’ sustainability reports a thematic analysis has been done with themes like waste, transportation, chemicals, water, animals. packages, wages, ethics, and health. The thematic analysis can conclude that the companies emphasize the environmental dimension in the supply chain rather than the employees’ work conditions. The companies have the highest requirements when it comes to the transportations and animal husbandry. The study can conclude that there is an information shortage regarding the supply chains employees' work conditions. The companies are generally consistent in evaluating their previous aims in the sustainability reports. Axfood left one aim out. The study is covering a limited time and thus in many cases too short to analyze how the companies follow their own aims in the long term. The companies are, however, generally lacking in presenting the progress and evaluation of the specific aims and often withholds essential information. The result of this paper demonstrates that the companies are not taking enough responsibility for the supply chain's sustainability work.

Freshwater scarcity is an issue with multiple origins, currently affecting a major part of theearths' population. Rapid urbanization, intensive agriculture, people growth and overconsumption leads to stress on freshwater resources; a concern that is expected to increase inthe future due to the impacts of climate change. One of the most acknowledged technologiesto cope with increasing freshwater scarcity in coastal areas is seawater desalination, andcurrently a large-scale desalination project is carried out in Morocco. The project aims toprovide millions of people with drinking water simultaneously as supporting the importantagriculture with irrigation water. In the Souss-Massa region, where the desalination plant isbeing built, water access is closely linked to the economy through agriculture and tourism, aswell as wellbeing for individuals and nature. UN describes the need for effective planning tomeet climate-related and humanitarian threats as urgent and has agreed on the currentSustainable Development Goals in Agenda 2030. This thesis provides a mapping ofinterlinkages between the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Moroccan desalinationproject. It is aimed to support and facilitate decision making on planning level in order toreach the Sustainable Development Goals. Here evidence in literature is used to identifysynergies and trade-offs between desalination and fulfilment of the SDG targets in the region.In total 46 synergies and 17 trade-offs were identified, and the synergies and trade-offs arepresented in illustrations and text and table form Appendix 1. The identified interlinkages arediscussed based on the result shown in Appendix 1 and the supplementary informationprovided in section 5.1-5.3. / Brist på färskvatten har blivit ett vardagligt problem för en stor del av världens befolkning,och det är en angelägenhet som förväntas öka i framtiden med anledning av fortsatturbanisering, befolkningstillväxt, intensivt jordbruk och överkonsumtion. I framtidenförväntas klimatförändringar förvärra färskvattenbristen ytterligare, och en av åtgärderna föratt stå emot vattenbrist i torra områden är avsaltning av havsvatten. Just nu pågår ett avvärldens största projekt för avsaltning i Marocko. Projektet ämnar förse miljontals människormed dricksvatten och samtidigt tillgodose jordbruket i regionen med vatten för bevattning.Avsaltningsprojektet äger rum i regionen Souss-Massa. Där är vattentillgångarna närakopplat till den regionala ekonomin genom jordbruk och turism, likväl som det ennödvändighet för människor och natur. FN, ihop med många andra aktörer, beskriver behovetför effektiv planering för att möta klimatrelaterade och humanitära hot som "brådskande". Dehar även tagit fram de globala hållbarhetsmålen i Agenda 2030. Denna rapport innehåller enkartläggning av kopplingar mellan avsaltningsprojektet i Marocko och FN:s hållbarhetsmål.Syftet är att identifiera och kartlägga synergier och kompromisser mellan projektets införandeoch hållbarhetsmålen. Detta för att förenkla interdisciplinär planering för att effektivt nåmålen i Agenda 2030. Totalt är 46 synergier och 17 kompromisser identifierade, utspritt överolika målområden. Synergierna och kompromisserna är presenterade i illustrationer, text ochtabellform och diskuteras baserat på resultatet i Appendix 1 samt kompletterande informationfrån rapporten.

Environmental management and sustainability have been recent important issues in the hospitality industry. The hotel industry, as a main sector of the hospitality industry, has benefited from environmental initiatives through improving corporate image and increasing resource and energy efficiency. Among various environmental issues that have been addressed in the hotel industry, managerial influence on environmental management is rarely investigated. The purpose of this study was to examine the current state of environmental management in the hotel industry. Further, this study also determined a relationship between top managers' personal environmental attitudes and organizational involvement in environmental management practices. To achieve the purpose of this study, this study examined currently adopted green practices, top managers' environmental attitudes, and their perception of advantages derived from environmental management. Hotels that participated in this study showed greater involvement in energy management, water conservation, and waste management practices than hotels examined by previous research in different geographical areas. The results of this study showed a correlation between top managers' environmental attitudes and organizational involvement in environmental management. It was also found that top managers' environmental attitudes were positively related to their perceived advantages of environmental management. These findings present various managerial and theoretical implications for related organizations and hotel management companies. The hotel industry should keep promoting green hotel practices to reduce negative impacts on the valuable environment and increase operational efficiency. In order to promote environmental management in the hotel industry, related organizations, governments, and stakeholders need to focus on raising top managers' environmental awareness as well as providing information on successful cases of environmental management. / Master of Science

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Municipalities as the custodians of the environment in their areas of jurisdiction have the responsibility to care for the environment through their activities. This will ensure that the health and quality of the living of residents is protected and that residents continue to benefit from the environment in the long term. This study focuses on the environmental management activities of South African municipalities by providing a theoretical framework for environmental management, review available environmental management tools and reflect on environmental management activities by municipalities of the Kgalagadi area. Municipalities of the Kgalagadi area were analysed against the various available environmental management tools, municipal health responsibilities and powers and functions. The core finding is that most environmental management tools are developed and implemented in the Kgalagadi area. However a concern is the lack of effective utilisation of by-laws as a tool and the under-performance of the municipal health function by the District Municipality. It is recommended that municipalities should align their environmental activities to the powers and functions of local government and the performance management system of municipalities measure environmental performance as well. / Thesis (M. Environmental Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

The increasing environmental problems have today become global and changes are dras-tically needed in all levels of society. Customers’ buying behaviour can play a big partand it is possible to both contribute to a more sustainable world and add economic valueto a business, but new sustainable business models are needed. In this research projectThe Lobby, a new innovative marketplace owned by AMF Fastigheter, has been usedas a case study to find the key areas in retail business where change is most important.Furthermore, a life cycle assessment has been conducted to see where in a T-shirt’s lifecycle the most CO2equivalents are released and what the difference between a T-shirtbought at a physical store and e-commerce is. This research project has found that themost important area to focus on if sustainability is to be integrated successfully in aretail business is the company management. The commitment and attitude the companymanagement mediates to their employees is crucial for success. For The Lobby it is alsoimportant to evaluate which retailers they choose to approve due to the fact that its in-directly affecting their sustainability. The Lobby should also try to be more transparentand informative. By promoting their sustainability actions they can attract both cus-tomers and future retailers. But the research and knowledge in the field of influencingand changing customers’ behaviour is still limited and more research is needed. / De ökade miljöproblemen har blivit globala och drastiska förändringar måste ske på allanivåer i samhället. Konsumenters köpbeteende kan ha stor inverkan och det är möjligatt både bidra till en mer hållbar värd och öka företagets ekonomiska tillväxt. Men nyaföretagsmodeller behövs. I detta examensarbete har The Lobby, en ny innovativ han-delsplats som ägs av AMF Fastigheter, använts i en fallstudie för att hitta de områdendär hållbarhet kan integreras. En livscykelanalys har även blivit utförd där en T-shirtsCO2ekvivalenter blev beräknade för att se skillnader om T-shirten köps via e-handeleller i en butik. Examensarbetet har hittat att de viktigaste områdena att fokusera påför en lyckad integration av hållbarhet är företagets ledningsgrupp. Engagemanget ochinställning som ledningen förmedlar till sina anställda är den viktigaste faktorn för attlyckas. För The Lobby är det även viktigt att utvärdera de företag de väljer att expon-era i The Lobby då det indirekt påverkar deras hållbarhet. The Lobby borde även blimer transparenta och ge mer information. Genom att förmedla vilka hållbara val de görkan de attrahera både nya konsumenter och företag. Men kunskapen om hur man bästinfluerar och påverkar kunders beteende är begränsad och mer forskning inom områdetbehövs.