An AHP-ELECTRE framework to evaluate barriers to green supply chain management in the leather industry

ABSTRACT

The leather-processing industry (LPI) is constantly polluting the environment in Bangladesh. As a result, stakeholders are continuously pressurizing managers working in LPI to embrace green leather-processing activities. Thus, the green concept is attracting significant attention from managers in the Bangladeshi LPI. However, the industry is struggling with many barriers to implementing green supply chain management (GSCM). There are many studies regarding barriers to GSCM. However, those studies failed to show the possible pathways to implement GSCM. This study addresses the gap by evaluating barriers to GSCM considering effective pathways to GSCM. In this study, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is integrated with Elimination Et Choix Traduisant La Realite (ELECTRE-I) method to identify and prioritize the barriers and to rank the possible pathways to implementing GSCM in the leather industry. To accredit the proposed framework, it is implemented on a leather-processing factory in Bangladesh. A sensitivity analysis is performed to inspect the strength of the outcome of this method. The outcome of this study indicates that the high cost of advanced technology is the most important barrier to implement GSCM while green technology and techniques are the most effective pathways to GSCM. The findings of this research will support researchers and practitioners by giving insights on barriers and possible pathways to implementing GSCM.     

Is there really a green paradox?

In the absence of a CO₂ tax, the anticipation of a cheaper renewable backstop increases current emissions of CO₂. Since the date at which renewables are phased in is brought forward and more generally future emissions of CO₂ will decrease, the effect on global warming is unclear. Green welfare falls if the backstop is relatively expensive and full exhaustion of fossil fuels is optimal, but may increase if the backstop is sufficiently cheap relative to the cost of extracting the last drop of fossil fuels plus marginal global warming damages as then it is attractive to leave more fossil fuels unexploited and thus limit CO₂ emissions. We establish these results by analyzing depletion of non-renewable fossil fuels followed by a switch to a clean renewable backstop, paying attention to timing of the switch and the amount of fossil fuels remaining unexploited. We also discuss the potential for limit pricing when the non-renewable resource is owned by a monopolist. Finally, we show that if backstops are already used and more backstops become economically viable as the price of fossil fuels rises, a lower cost of the backstop will either postpone fossil fuel exhaustion or leave more fossil fuel in situ, thus boosting green welfare. However, if a market economy does not internalize global warming externalities and renewables have not kicked in yet, full exhaustion of fossil fuel will occur in finite time and a backstop subsidy always curbs green welfare.     

Announcing climate policy: Can a green paradox arise without scarcity?

Unintended consequences of a pre-announced climate policy are studied within a framework that allows for competition between polluting and clean energy sources. We show that early announcement of a carbon tax gives rise to a “green-paradox,” in that it increases emissions in the interim period (between announcement and actual implementation), irrespective of the scarcity of fossil fuels. The paradoxical outcome is driven by consumption-saving tradeoffs facing households who seek to smooth consumption over time and holds both when the announced implementation date is taken as a credible threat and when households are skeptical about the (political) will or capability of the government to implement the policy as announced.     

Green thermal analysis for predicting thermal hazard of storage and transportation safety for tert-butyl peroxybenzoate

Liquid organic peroxides, such as tert-butyl peroxybenzoate (TBPB), have been widely employed in the petrifaction industry as a polymerization formation agent. This study investigated the thermokinetic parameters of TBPB by isothermal kinetic algorithms and non-isothermal kinetic equations, using thermal activity monitor III (TAM III) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. Simulations of 0.5 L, 25 kg, 55 gallon, and 400 kg reactors in liquid thermal explosion models were performed and compared to the results in the literature. A green thermal analysis was developed for a reactor containing TBPB to prevent pollution and reduce the energy consumption by thermal decomposition. It is based on the thermal hazard properties, such as the heat of decomposition (ΔH_d), activation energy (E_a), self-accelerating decomposition temperature (SADT), control temperature (CT), emergency temperature (ET), and critical temperature (TCR). From the experimental results, the optimal conditions to avoid violent runaway reactions during the storage and transportation of TBPB were determined.     

油库、加油站场所的雷电及静电安全防护

分析当前销售企业油库、加油站防雷防静电方面存在的常见问题,探讨解决这些问题的措施和办法,保证油库、加油站的安全.     

抗除草剂转基因作物实时荧光定量PC检测

建立了一种以SYBR Green Ⅰ为结合染料、快速准确检测转抗除草剂基因成分的实时荧光定量PCR方法.以转基因大豆与转基因玉米标准品为材料,通过使用特异性引物和SYBR Green Ⅰ结合染料实时荧光定量PCR技术,对转基因农作物中外源抗除草剂基因进行了定量检测,绘制了两种基因扩增的标准曲线图,根据标准曲线方程计算外源基因含量;并作了溶解曲线、检测方法检测灵敏度和精密度的分析.研究发现,两者标准曲线方程线性关系良好.R~2 值分别达到0.993 9与0.992 4.通过已知标准品进行验证,实测值与真值接近,与实际含量的相埘偏差是6.52%和7.90%.结果表明,SYBR Green Ⅰ结合染料法完全可以用于转基因农作物定量PCR检测.图5表2参11     

Spatial aggregation and the value of natural capital

Location matters for the value of capital assets. The value of changes in natural capital wealth can depend on whether natural capital asset prices are measured locally and then aggregated or whether average values are applied over aggregate representative areas. Spatial heterogeneity of resource characteristics and institutions impact approximations of the intertemporal welfare function and accounting price function because when spatial aggregation precedes valuation it implies greater arbitrage opportunities leading to more inelastic shadow (accounting) price functions than when valuation is done locally and then aggregated. Aggregation of observed values across varying resource and institutional characteristics can lead to omitted variables bias. We illustrate these results in the context of groundwater in the Kansas High Plains Aquifer and demonstrate that the accounting price function is less elastic when the accounting price is measured locally. Failure to measure locally and then aggregate could lead to undervaluing scarce resources and overvaluing plentiful ones, which biases wealth accounts in favor of passing the non-declining wealth sustainability test.     

漏电断路器的安装与使用

提出断路器存在的问题,分析了原因并提出一些改进方法。     

退耕还林工程对四川盆周低山丘陵区生态系统服务价值的影响——以洪雅县为例

退耕还林工程是我国实施的重点林业生态工程。以四川盆周低山丘陵区退耕还林工程重点示范县洪雅县为研究对象,基于遥感和地理信息系统技术,参照中国陆地生态系统单位面积生态系统服务价值当量表,结合研究区粮食平均产量和收购价格,分析了退耕还林前(1994-1999年)、后(1999-2007年)的生态系统服务价值变化,探讨了退耕还林工程对生态系统服务价值的影响。结果表明:退耕还林工程在一定程度上使土地利用程度呈减弱趋势,土地利用处于衰退阶段;退耕前,生态系统服务价值变化不明显;退耕后,生态系统服务价值发生显著变化,总生态系统服务价值增加2.90×10⁸元,可能是由于退耕还林使耕地生态系统服务价值降低,林地生态系统服务价值增加;各项生态功能服务价值中,食物生产功能价值下降,其它各项功能价值上升,以水源涵养功能上升最大,水源涵养价值增加0.78×10⁸元;敏感性分析表明,研究区生态系统服务价值对生态系统服务价值系数变化缺乏弹性,研究结果具有稳定性。     

Simulation of thermodynamic transmission in green roof ecosystem

Green roofs entail the creation of vegetated space on the top of artificial structures. They can modify the thermal properties of buildings to bring cooling energy conservation and improve human comfort. This study evaluates the thermodynamic transmission in the green roof ecosystem under different vegetation treatments. Our model simulation is based on the traditional Bowen ratio energy balance model (BREBM) and a proposed solar radiation shield effectiveness model (SEM). The BREBM investigates energy absorption of different components of radiation, and the SEM evaluates the radiation shield effects. The proposed model is tested and validated to be efficient to simulate solar energy transmission in green roofs, with some major findings. Firstly, the solar radiation transmission processes might be considered as free vibration motion. Daytime positive heat storage of the green roof is 350-520 W·m⁻² on an hourly basis. Nighttime or afternoon negative value registers a rather constant magnitude of −60 W·m⁻². Daily net average is positive around 155-210 W·m⁻². Secondly, solar radiation vibration is highly correlated with plant structure. The canopy reflectance and transmittance are strongly correlated (R² = 0.87). The multi-layer shrub treatment has the highest shield effectiveness (0.34), followed by two-layer groundcover (0.27), and single-layer grass (0.16). Green roof vegetation absorbs and stores large amounts of heat to form an effective thermal buffer against daily temperature fluctuation. Vegetated roofs drastically depress air temperature in comparison with bare ground (control treatment). Finally, the thermodynamic model is relatively simple and efficient for investigating thermodynamic transmission in green roof ecosystem, and it could be developed into a broad solar radiant land cover model.