This thesis consists of three empirical studies investigating, from various perspectives, the corporate motivations to join one of the largest voluntary initiatives promoting sustainability: the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). I employ three different statistical techniques, logistic regression analysis, event history analysis and structural equation modelling. The first study provides evidence from a field experiment on shareholder engagement effectiveness in general and on which tactics are more effective in engaging publicly traded firms. The experiment consists of an invitation letter sent by the Principles for Responsible Investment Clearinghouse, one of the largest worldwide coalition of investors, to encourage companies to sign up the United Nations Global Compact. I use a theoretical model for investor salience in order to understand the impact of the engagement. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first large-scale research on engagement using randomized controlled trials in the academic literature and in practice. The aim of the second study is three fold. First, most academic literature focuses on how the adoption of the UNGC impacts on the implementation of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) performance; this study addresses how ESG performance shapes the CSR strategy, namely, the UNGC. Next, I explore to what extent the ESG performance of firms adopting the UNGC change over time. Finally, this paper investigates whether the existence of controversies is a determinant for joining the initiative. Results show that, in all cases, ESG performance is significant and positively related to the adoption of the Ten Principles. Furthermore, results show that ESG performance differs across different points in time. Contrary to my expectations, controversies have no influence on UNGC membership. The third and final study examines the effect of the characteristics of the board of directors on the adoption of the UNGC/GRI by US-based firms. I investigate whether and how a CSR oriented board chooses the UNGC/GRI as part of their firms reporting strategy. I also consider the level of environmental and social performance as a mediator for such a decision. Results show that there is a positive and significant relationship between the board and environmental and social performance, and between environmental and social performance and the adoption of voluntary CSR initiatives. This relationship is stronger for social performance and for the GRI. Overall, this thesis provides further evidence about motivations to join the UNGC. The outcomes of this thesis are of relevance for shareholders and investor coalitions, policy makers, and other groups of stakeholders. Theoretically, this thesis adds to the literature on shareholder engagement, strategy and corporate governance.

A geração de excedentes agrícolas sustentou o crescimento populacional dos últimos 10.000 anos. Historicamente, a relação entre produção de alimentos e número de habitantes foi vista como positiva, mesmo quando em detrimento do meio ambiente. Desde o século XIX, o questionamento sobre a disponibilidade de oferta suficiente para atender o aumento da população foi afastado com a abertura de novas terras, o desenvolvimento de técnicas e tecnologias inovadoras e a intensificação do comércio internacional. Porém, novas preocupações surgiram, notadamente a capacidade de suporte do planeta frente ao aumento da produção, seus impactos sobre a biodiversidade e as emissões de Gases de Efeito Estufa. Esses elementos modificaram a percepção sobre as consequências do crescimento econômico sem a observância de condicionantes socioambientais e ensejaram negociações internacionais com o objetivo de propor soluções para esse problema. O Brasil, detentor de vastas extensões de florestas, tornou-se central nas discussões, nas quais obteve avanços com a efetiva consolidação do conceito de desenvolvimento equilibrado. Contudo, pouco se evoluiu na compensação aos países em desenvolvimento pelas externalidades geradas ao planeta pelos ativos ambientais. A despeito desse fato, houve significativas melhorias na proteção ao meio ambiente no Brasil com a aprovação de legislação restritiva à abertura de novas áreas, programas governamentais e estrutura burocrática voltada à sua implementação, além de ferramentas para o dimensionamento do uso e ocupação do solo no bioma Amazônia. A partir dessas informações, foram analisados econometricamente por painéis espaciais dois temas pertinentes à relação entre a fronteira agrícola e o desflorestamento nos municípios do bioma Amazônia dos estados de Mato Grosso, Pará e Rondônia. No primeiro, foram estimados os condicionantes dos usos da terra, no qual se concluiu que as políticas e os instrumentos públicos, eficazes na redução das taxas de desflorestamento, não atuaram de forma eficiente na intensificação e melhor aproveitamento do uso da terra, em particular das pastagens, e da melhoria das condições econômicas e sociais da região. Também se observou que a valorização dos produtos florestais tem efeitos positivos sobre as áreas de vegetação. No segundo, foi estimada a relação entre a expansão da área de soja e as ações de políticas públicas e setoriais. As conclusões são de que a redução da participação de plantios nos desflorestamentos após 2006 se deu, em primeiro lugar, pela queda das taxas de desflorestamento, a qual diminuiu a abertura de novas áreas disponíveis para a soja, e foi, em seguida, complementada pela restrição de compra pelas empresas signatárias da Moratória da Soja. Os setores público e privado, portanto, agiram em conjunto para que os cultivos de soja passassem a representar percentual pequeno das novas áreas desflorestadas. A partir desses dois estudos, conclui-se que o desenvolvimento da agricultura da região depende de políticas públicas coordenadas que promovam o uso mais intensivo das lavouras e pastagens e o fortalecimento de pagamentos por serviços ambientais para conservação e preservação dos recursos naturais. Dada a forte dependência espacial, recomenda-se que as ações sejam direcionadas de forma mais homogênea entre os municípios a fim de potencializar seus efeitos. / The generation of agricultural surpluses has sustained population growth for the last 10,000 years. Historically, the relationship between food production and the number of inhabitants was seen as positive, even when it was at the expense of the environment. Since the nineteenth century, the question of having a sufficient food supply to meet population growth has been averted by opening new lands, developing innovative techniques and technologies, and intensifying international trade. However, new concerns have emerged: notably the planet\'s capacity to support increased food production, its impacts on biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions. These elements have modified perceptions about the consequences of economic growth without observing socio-environmental constraints, and have led to international negotiations that aim to propose solutions to this problem. Brazil, which has vast tracts of forests, has become central to these discussions, in which it has made progress with the effective consolidation of the concept of balanced development. However, little progress has been made in compensating developing countries for the externalities their environmental assets generate for the planet. In spite of this fact, there were significant improvements in the protection of Brazil\'s environment, with the approval of legislation restricting the opening of new areas, government programs and bureaucratic structures for their implementation, and tools for ascertaining land use and occupation of the Amazon Biome. Based on this information, two topics pertaining to the relationship between the agricultural frontier and deforestation in the municipalities of the Amazon Biome in the states of Mato Grosso, Pará and Rondônia were econometrically analyzed by spatial panels. In the first topic, land use determinants were estimated, with the conclusion that the policies and public instruments that effectively reduced deforestation rates have not been as efficient in intensifying and improving land use, especially pastures, and in improving the region\'s social and economic conditions. Appreciation of forest products has also had a positive effect on areas of vegetation. In the second, the relationship between soybean acreage expansion and the actions of public and sector policies was estimated, concluding that the reduction in the share of plantings in deforestation rates after 2006 was primarily due to the fall in deforestation rates, which reduced the opening of new areas for soybeans, and this was complemented by the restrictions imposed on purchases by the companies signing the Soy Moratorium. The public and private sectors, therefore, acted together so that soybean crops would represent a small percentage of newly deforested areas. Based on these two studies, the conclusion is that development of agriculture in the region depends on coordinated public policies that promote a more intensive use of crops and pastures, and the strengthening of payments for environmental services related to the conservation and preservation of natural resources. Given the strong spatial dependence, actions should be directed more homogeneously among the municipalities in order to maximize their effects.

Este estudo procura contribuir com as discussões sobre gestão estratégica corporativa para a sustentabilidade, procurando responder ao seguinte problema de pesquisa: \"Como se dá a inclusão, nas estratégias corporativas para a sustentabilidade, das externalidades ambientais negativas geradas pela cadeia de valor em que a organização está inserida?\" São objetivos deste trabalho: (i) analisar de que forma as organizações pesquisadas consideram, no processo de formulação de suas estratégias, o diagnóstico de suas externalidades negativas ambientais para também fazer gestão de risco estratégico socioambiental e aproveitar eventuais oportunidades; (ii) analisar como o processo de formulação de estratégias para a sustentabilidade dialoga com o processo de formulação estratégica geral das organizações pesquisadas; (iii) contribuir para o avanço do conhecimento da Administração no campo da gestão estratégica para a sustentabilidade, particularmente do ponto de vista da argumentação econômica teórica do tema da sustentabilidade. O referencial teórico consiste dos seguintes macro temas: estratégia corporativa, desenvolvimento sustentável, externalidades e estratégia corporativa para a sustentabilidade. O referencial teórico orientou a realização de uma pesquisa empírica, de natureza qualitativa, exploratória, do tipo estudos de casos múltiplos, envolvendo três grandes empresas brasileiras. Os resultados da pesquisa apontam para a observância, pelas empresas pesquisadas, com distintos níveis de formalização do processo, das externalidades ambientais negativas geradas por suas cadeias de valor. Consistente com a natureza dos estudos exploratórios, com base no referencial teórico e nos casos empíricos estudados, são feitas reflexões sobre as relações entre estratégias corporativas, estratégias para sustentabilidade, externalidades, serviços ecossistêmicos, riscos e oportunidades para as organizações. / In order to contribute to the contemporary discussions regarding corporate sustainability strategies, this research seeks to answer the following question: \"In what ways are the negative environmental externalities generated by a company\'s value chain considered in the sustainability corporate strategies?\" This research aims at: (i) understanding how organizations that are sustainability-oriented take into consideration in their sustainability strategy making process the diagnosis of their value chain\'s negative environmental externalities as to manage risks and create business opportunities; (ii) understanding the links between the sustainability strategy and the company\'s overall strategy; (iii) contributing to the body of knowledge in Management Sciences, particularly by making the economic argument for sustainability strategy. The theoretical basis includes: corporate strategy, sustainable development, externalities and sustainability corporate strategies. The theoretical basis guided the empirical research, which is qualitative, exploratory, multiple case study, involving three large Brazilian companies. Results point out to the consideration in their sustainability strategies - with different adherence and formalization levels - of the negative environmental externalities generated by their value chain. Consistent with exploratory studies, and based on the literature review and the cases studied, considerations are made regarding the relationships among corporate strategies, sustainability corporate strategies, externalities, ecosystem services, business risks and opportunities.

O texto discute as dificuldades epistemológicas ao lidar com temática transdisiplinar, a questão ambiental, estabelecendo como enfoque geral a visão dos problemas nesse campo como fenômenos associados à transformação da natureza pelas diferentes formações sociais. Procura-se apresentar referências teóricas gerais para a discussão da política ambiental, trazendo alguns dos enfoques mais representativos e dando uma idéia da evolução do tratamento do tema, até atingir o patamar em que está posto hoje, o da discussão da sustentabilidade. No decorrer, procura-se expor conceitos básicos atinentes aos conteúdos abordados, buscando fugir da construção de um texto hermético. Passa-se depois à discussão da questão ambiental no Brasil, dentro da postura que associa a evolução dos problemas ambientais aos estágios da história econômica. Apresenta-se a progressão do movimento de cidadãos a favor da proteção ambiental e descreve-se a evolução geral da política ambiental do Estado brasileiro, na esfera da União e dos estados. Há uma discussão crítica sobre os padrões atingidos por esta política, e insere-se a descentralização - ou a entrada em cena do poder local - como novo estágio desse processo. Passa-se ao caso sobre o qual se aprofunda a pesquisa, a política ambiental de São Sebastião. Para tanto, descreve-se a natureza local e a evolução histórica do município, dedicando-se maior espaço às décadas recentes, quando maturaram os problemas ambientais hoje verificados, e o correspondente conflito social. Procura-se situar a importância da região e os impasses ali estabelecidos pelo desenvolvimento predatório. Descreve-se então a política ambiental desenvolvida, procurando permitir um acompanhamento das iniciativas empreendidas, o estágio de desenvolvimento a que chegaram, as atitudes dos diferentes setores governamentais e não governamentais envolvidos, a dinâmica política. Discute-se o alcance das iniciativas, seu potencial de inovação para a política ambiental brasileira, e sua articulação com as políticas gerais voltadas à região, para ao final procurar estabelecer a política em nível local como algo de interesse geral, na construção de uma nova cidadania. / The text initiates with the discussion about epistemologic difficulties when dealing with transdisciplinary themes, like environment, and adopting an approach wich gives special attention to the transformation of nature by different societies. There is an effort to present theoretical references for environmental policy debate, describing representative approaches and evolution until current period, when the concept of sustainability is considered as the most important reference. The text includes basic concepts, avoiding an hermetic style. It comes to discuss environmental problems in Brazil, always relating its evolution to economic history. There is a description about citizens\' claim for environmental protection and about the evolution of environmental policy of brazilian government. This policy, concerning federal and states government iniciatives, is evaluated. Related to this context, the new role of local initiatives is presented. The case which permits a deeper research is the environmental policy of São Sebastião. There is a report about region\'s nature and history, more detailed when it describes current environmental problems and the related conflicts. Concerning the environmental policy in São Sebastião, there is a description about all the initiatives, their development and results, the attitudes of different governmental and non governmental groups, and the political dynamics. The text discusses the innovation potential and the relations between local initiatives and other governmental policies concerned to the region, concluding that local environmental policy has general interest as citizenchip development.

O desastre socioambiental ocorrido na cidade de Mariana (MG) no final do ano de 2015 é considerado o maior já ocorrido no Brasil. O rompimento da barragem de rejeitos operado pela mineradora Samarco S.A. despejou imediatamente 34 milhões de metros cúbicos de lama na bacia hidrográfica do Rio Doce, destruindo as comunidades locais de Bento Rodrigues e Paracatu de Baixo e causando a morte de dezenove pessoas. Esta tese tem como objetivo central relacionar as ações que a empresa Samarco e a Fundação Renova empreendem com seus stakeholders mais importantes no município de Mariana e os reflexos causados na retomada da licença social para operar desta empresa. Para tal, o referencial teórico foi montado em torno de assuntos relacionados à sustentabilidade, stakeholders e licença social para operar. O método científico adotado foi estudo de caso, por entender que o objeto de estudo é único e significativo, e que bem poderá servir para fundamentar por indução a análise de outros similares. A coleta de dados primários deu-se por meio de visitas, observações e entrevistas com os stakeholders entendidos como legítimas partes no problema causado pelo rompimento da barragem da Samarco. Além destes, analisaram-se dados secundários, tais como documentos públicos, materiais reportados pela mídia e inquéritos realizados pelos órgãos investigativos. Pôde-se concluir, após o cumprimento dos objetivos específicos, que o desastre não foi uma fatalidade; a empresa Samarco esteve mais orientada em gerar lucros - após a queda do preço de commodities de minério ocorrida desde o ano de 2011 - do que prezar pela segurança de sua operação, trabalhadores e comunidades onde a empresa operava. Apesar da insatisfação de seus stakeholders com várias questões relacionadas ao cuidado que a empresa deveria ter tido com os atingidos e com o próprio município de Mariana, a empresa ainda preserva sua licença social para operar, visto a cidade ainda depende da mineração como principal fonte de renda, de arrecadação e de geração de trabalho. / The environmental disaster that occurred in the city of Mariana, located in the State of Minas Gerais, by the end of 2015 is considered the largest one taking place in Brazil. The dam collapse, whose responsibility was attributed to the mining company Samarco S.A., was responsible for the 34 million cubic meters mining waste washed across Doce River, which destroyed the city of Bento Rodrigues and killed nineteen people. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the relationship between the actions taken by Samarco and Renova Foundation and their most salient stakeholders in the city of Mariana, and its influence on the social license to operate. In order to fulfil such goal, the theoretical review approaches issues related to sustainability, stakeholders and social license to operate. This is a single case study since the object of our study is unique and meaningful and can be useful in analyzing similar cases. The primary data collection was accomplished through visits and interviews accomplished with salient stakeholders involved with the dam collapse. It was also possible to analyze secondary data, such as documents provided by the company, media reports and police investigation. After fulfilling the secondary objectives of the research, it was possible to conclude that the disaster was no fatality; Samarco seemed to be more inclined to generate profit - especially after the plunge in commodity prices - than to focus on the security of its employees and communities surrounding the company. Despite the dissatisfaction of several stakeholders, the company would still be awarded with a social license to operate, considering that several communities still rely on mining as the main source of income and tax collection.

Análises sobre a sustentabilidade intertemporal da dívida pública nos países emergentes ganham cada vez mais importância no debate econômico internacional devido à sua importância na avaliação das políticas macroeconômicas desses países. Depois da reforma monetária de junho de 1994 que deu fim ao processo hiperinflacionário, a economia brasileira obteve como sub-produto a exposição de um grave desequilíbrio fiscal, em que a razão dívida/PIB passou a apresentar uma trajetória monotonicamente crescente, ultrapassando a marca de 50%, nível considerado extremante perigoso para um país emergente que se defronta com a intolerância da dívida. O presente estudo tem como objetivo estimar uma função de reação da política fiscal no Brasil para o período pós-Real, quantificando a relação entre o resultado primário do setor público consolidado, o comportamento da razão dívida/PIB, as instituições e a intolerância da dívida, bem como avaliar a ciclicidade da política fiscal no Brasil. Além disso, realiza-se um teste de raiz unitária com quebra endógena da razão dívida líquida/PIB descontada bem como testes de cointegração a fim de avaliar a hipótese de spend and tax da política fiscal brasileira no período em questão. Dentre as conclusões que foram extraídas deste estudo, destacam-se as evidências de que a política fiscal se comportou de maneira insustentável após a reforma de 1994, sendo marcado pela indisciplina fiscal, em que a receita foi a variável endógena do regime fiscal, caracterizado esse por um sistema spend and tax. / Analyses of the sustainability of public debt across time in emerging countries are increasingly gaining in importance in the international economic debate, due to their importance for the evaluation of the macroeconomic policies of these countries. Following the June 1994 monetary reform that did away with hyperinflation, a major fiscal imbalance came to light in the Brazilian economy as a sub-product, with the debt/GDP ratio following a monotonically rising path and exceeding the 50% level. This is considered extremely dangerous for an emerging nation that is faced with debt intolerance. The aim of this study is to estimate a reaction function regarding Brazils fiscal policy for the post-Real period, quantifying the relation between the consolidated public sectors primary results, the behavior of the debt/GDP ratio, institutions and debt intolerance, as well as evaluating the cyclical aspects of fiscal policies in Brazil. Additionally, a unit root test was carried out, with endogenous breakdown of the discounted net debt/GDP ratio, as well as co-integration tests, in order to evaluate the spend and tax hypothesis of Brazilian fiscal policy during the period in question. One of the prominent conclusions of this study is that the fiscal policy behaved in a unsustainable manner after the 1994 reform, and underscored by fiscal indiscipline, with revenue being the endogenous variable of the fiscal regime, characterized by a spend and tax system.

L’entrée tardive du développement durable en France apporte son lot d’expériences basées sur un cadre législatif en constante évolution et la volonté politique d’orienter les territoires en fonction de leurs problèmes et potentialités. « Penser global, agir local » fait désormais figure de principe pour définir l’action des territoires insérés dans des logiques mondiales mais dont les ressources peuvent être exploitées par la reconnaissance de compétences attribuées aux acteurs locaux. Dès lors, une culture de la participation émerge progressivement au travers de procédures nouvelles vouées à se faire rejoindre l’ensemble des acteurs territoriaux autour de règles communes pour la construction du territoire et en faveur de la connaissance des dynamiques territoriales. Cependant, les multiples injonctions à la participation de la société civile supposent de faire évoluer le territoire dans sa culture, ce que nous proposons par une démarche d’intelligence territoriale. Ce paradigme de recherche suppose donc qu’en préalable à l’établissement d’un processus de communication, issu d’une médiation sociale (Ateliers 21, Conseils de quartier, CIQ, etc.) ou socio-technique (journal municipal, forum électronique, Chat, etc.), le territoire doit constituer son « capital formel » (Bertacchini, 2004) pour permettre aux acteurs locaux d’accepter des règles et procédures communes, d’échanger leurs compétences, de se mobiliser et se rejoindre autour du projet territorial. Or, la constitution du capital formel territorial suppose non seulement que la collectivité échange de l’information sur les dynamiques territoriales à l’oeuvre mais également qu’elle apporte une plus-value à cette information échangée, notamment par l’exploitation de l’ensemble des « ressources communicationnelles des TIC » (Habib & Baltz, 2008). Il s’agit par-là de fournir des connaissances, des outils nécessaires afin que le citoyen se forge une opinion éclairée et mettre l’accent sur l’apprentissage collectif (Manin in Sintomer et Talpin, 2011 ; Urfalino, 2005) de la logique du développement durable (Angot, 2013).Notre objet de recherche s’intéresse aux collectivités territoriales de la région Provence-Alpes-Côte-D’azur engagées dans un projet de développement territorial durable du type Agenda 21, Plan Climat Energie Territorial et label Action Globale Innovante pour la Région (AGIR). Ce choix nous permet d’approcher le développement durable sous l’angle de la participation des acteurs au travers de démarches participatives spécifiques (de l’information à la concertation), au regard du paradigme de l’intelligence territoriale et de notre domaine de recherche : les sciences de l’information et de la communication. Nous aborderons la question des usages numériques au sein des collectivités territoriales, la production de connaissances formulées dans des contenus et supports numériques, diffusées et échangées au sein des différentes arènes de la société civile. / Due to the late entry of sustainable development spirit and practices in France, territories, according to their problems and potential, have to face evolving legislative framework and political will for their experiments based on. "Think global, act local" principle seems leading and guiding the action of territories inserted in a global logic which can be exploited by the recognition of skills allocated to local actors. Consequently, a participative culture is gradually emerging through new procedures aiming to be joined all territorial actors in connection with common rules for shaping territory and for the knowledge of local dynamics. What we suggest within a process of territorial intelligence, beyond repetitive call for the participation of civil society, is changing territorial culture. This paradigm of research pre supposes that, prior to the establishment of a communication process as result from a social mediation (A21 neighborhood councils, CIQ, etc..) or socio- technical (municipal newspaper, electronic forum Chat, etc..), the territory should build its "formal capital" (Bertacchini, 2004) enabling local actors to accept common rules and procedures, sharing their skills, mobilize with each other and join all through the territorial project. However, setting up the territorial formal capital constitution requires that local authorities exchanges information on territorial dynamics in action, in addition with a credit value to the exchanged information, including operation of the total amount of "communicative ICT resources" available (Habib & Baltz, 2008). We focus providing knowledge and tools enabling citizens to build their own enlighten opinion and focus on collective learning ( Manin in Sintomer and Talpin, 2011; Urfalino 2005) about logical sustainable Development (Angot, 2013). Our object of research is concerned with territorial authorities of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region involved in a project for sustainable spatial development of the Agenda 21 type (A21), Territorial Energy and Climate Plan Action label (PCET), Global Innovative for the Region (AGIR).This choice allows us to approach sustainable development from the perspective of stakeholder participation through specific participatory approaches (information to consultation), under the paradigm of territorial intelligence and our field research: information and communication sciences. We will furthermore discuss the issue of digital uses within local authorities’ organization, production of knowledge contained in digital content and media, and exchanged in different arenas of civil society.

M.Com., Facultyof Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011 / Following the release of the King III report on Corporate Governance for South Africa in March 2010, South African companies are expected to embrace the concept of integrated reporting in which they are required to report on their strategies, corporate governance, risk management processes, financial performance and sustainability. More importantly, companies need to show how these components of integrated reporting are linked to one another, so that stakeholders can make informed decisions about their current performance as well as their ability to create and sustain value in the future. The purpose of this report by is to determine whether the level of reporting by South African listed companies has improved subsequent to the release of the King III report. The findings of this study reveal improvements in this regard. However, there is still a need for further improvement in the level of reporting by South African listed companies in order to achieve the objective of integrated reporting.

Despite mounting demand for a more sustainable worldwide water supply system, available reservoir capacity is relentlessly diminishing due to sedimentation. This fact, coupled with a decrease in the rate of dam construction, indicate an impending water supply dilemma. In the future, dams should be designed following a life cycle management approach rather than the typical short-sighted design life technique.Neither sustainable reservoir lifespans nor intergenerational equity is achieved through conventional cost-benefit analyses (CBA), which render all benefits and costs projected to occur more than several decades into a project as negligible. Consequently, future expenditures, including dam decommissioning or retrofitting with sediment management facilities, are regarded as non-factors in an analysis. CBAs have also historically failed to account for the impacts of sedimentation on infrastructure and the environment over time.Alternatives to the traditional application of the CBA do exist, however. These include dam owners establishing retirement funds or insurance policies, beneficiaries paying for rehabilitation or maintenance, and economists incorporating infrastructure damages and potentially declining discount rates into their analyses.To analyze the disadvantages of not managing sediment, a case study of costs caused from sedimentation impacts at Gavins Point Dam was performed. Impacts from sedimentation at Gavins Point Dam include, among many others, upstream municipal flooding and downstream bank stabilization and sandbar construction. The financial analysis considered the time value of money and showed that the value of expenditures to resolve sedimentation impacts is equivalent to 70% of the original construction cost. Including the costs of additional impacts would amplify this result. Design and operations decisions at Gavins Point Dam could have been drastically different, leading to a more sustainable project, if these expenditures from sedimentation impacts had been included in the initial economic analyses.It is recommended that multidisciplinary discussions occur at multiagency levels to consider changes to traditional CBAs for long-term water supply projects. These discussions should investigate the creation of funding to address sediment management at existing dams. The frequency of bathymetric surveys should also be increased, which would lead to a better understanding of the condition of our infrastructure. By pursuing these recommendations and integrating the aforementioned alternatives to the CBA, economic studies for reservoirs will be more accurate, reservoir lifespans will be more sustainable, profits will be extended indefinitely, and the economic burdens passed to future generations will be lessened.

This thesis examined how the sustainability of laminated and coated textile barriers can be compared by analysing them through an environmental and functional perspective. This was done by building an evaluation model in which an analysis of the functional performance and an analysis of the environmental performance was combined and applied on a case study of a laminated and a coated material used for workwear. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was used to evaluate the environmental impact. To evaluate the functional performance a series of material testing was made for tear strength, waterproofness and permeability. The LCA measured the environmental impact in terms of water use, climate change, and human toxicity. The results showed a similar impact on climate change and water use for both barriers. The assessment of human toxicity showed that the solvent dimethylformamide, used in the coating paste, meant a potential risk for human health. From the material testing it could be stated that the coating performed better in terms of tear resistance and waterproofness, but that the laminate showed more even results and higher breathability. To conclude, the study showed that the production of the coated textile barrier had the largest environmental impact due to the use of a toxic solvent, but that the functional performance generally was better for this coated material. The use of an evaluation model to compare coated and laminated textiles demanded knowledge and experience of LCA to be used. Though with the right LCA knowledge, the combined methods of functional testing and environmental impact may lead to conclusions which would otherwise go unnoticed. / I den här rapporten undersöktes hur hållbarheten hos laminerade och textila barriärer kan jämföras genom både ett funktionellt och ett miljömässigt perspektiv. Det gjordes genom att bygga en utvärderingsmodell inom vilken en analys av den funktionella prestandan och en analys av den miljömässiga prestandan kombinerades för att appliceras på en fallstudie av ett laminat och en beläggning som används för arbetskläder. En livscykelanalys (LCA) användes för att analysera den miljömässiga prestandan. För att analysera den funktionell prestandan utfördes en serie materialtester i rivstyrka, vattentäthet och permeabilitet.LCAn mätte miljömässig prestanda genom påverkanskategorierna klimatförändring, vattenanvändning och humantoxicitet. Resultaten visade liknande påverkan avseende klimatförändring och vattenanvändning för materialen. Utvärdering av påverkan gällande humantoxicitet visade att lösningsmedlet dimetylformamid, som används i beläggningspastan, innebär en risk för människors hälsa. I materialtesterna gav beläggning bättre resultat i rivstyrka och vattentäthet, men laminatet visade en mindre spridning i resultaten och en högre permeabilitet. Efter viss förslitning och tvätt uppvisade materialen dock mer liknande värden.Sammanfattningsvis visade studien att det belagda materialet hade störst miljöpåverkan på grund av utsläpp av det toxiska lösningsmedlet, men att det belagda materialet generellt hade bättre funktionell prestanda. Nackdelen med utvärderingsmodellen som togs fram för jämförelsen av materialen, var att den krävde kunskap och erfarenhet av LCA för att kunna användas. Med det sagt är en LCA det bästa verktyget tillgängligt för att mäta miljöpåverkan, och med den rätta kunskapen om LCA kan den kombinerade modellen leda till insikter som annars skulle missas. Därför kan utvärderingsmodellen vara ett framgångsrikt verktyg för att jämföra textila barriärer, och även utgöra ett steg på vägen i arbetet mot att kunna mäta hållbarhet.