The Experts below are selected from a list of 38376 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Anne Toppinen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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student values and perceptions of corporate social responsibility in the Forest Industry on the road to a bioeconomy
Forest Policy and Economics, 2017Co-Authors: Satu Patari, Heli Arminen, Laura Albareda, Kaisu Puumalainen, Anne ToppinenAbstract:Abstract Understanding how stakeholders perceive corporate social responsibility (CSR/CR) is of importance, especially in industries that place high social demands on the sustainability of their products and services. The key objective of this article is to examine the perceptions of students as future consumers concerning CSR and the future of the Forest Industry. Using survey data from three countries, we analyze how personal values, general CSR support, and four background variables (nationality, gender, age, and study field) are related to student perceptions of overall sustainability and specific social and environmental sustainability performance in the Forest Industry. Our findings indicate that nationality and study field are strongly associated with student CSR perceptions. In addition, students build their CSR perceptions on their personal values and their overall support for CSR. We additionally explored how respondents perceive the future of the Forest Industry. The results underline the complex and context-dependent nature of sustainable Forest use in a future bioeconomy as an issue that cannot be managed at the corporate level, but is dependent on perceptions, values, and levels of Industry knowledge among stakeholders.
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biodiversity and ecosystem services in supply chain management in the global Forest Industry
Ecosystem services, 2016Co-Authors: Katja Lahtinen, Yucong Guan, Anne ToppinenAbstract:Abstract Recognizing business risks and opportunities associated with biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES) has triggered a need for identifying, measuring, monitoring and developing business management on these issues to meet stakeholder needs. The extractive industries with direct impacts and dependence on BES are particularly apt to encounter stakeholder pressures for profound corporate responsibility (CR) reporting. In our study, we investigate how global Forest Industry companies address BES in supply chain management through CR reporting practices in reference to 30 environmental performance indicators (EPIs) of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines. The objectives of this study are: to identify the information content of the GRI EPIs for assessing directly or indirectly positive or negative impacts of companies’ operations on BES; to examine the environmental strategies of these companies in relation to BES and supply chain management; and to identify needs and possibilities of indicator development. The material of the study comprises CR reports of thirteen large Forest Industry companies in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index analyzed with content analysis. According to the results, companies tend to disclose indirect BES impacts over direct ones, emphasize corporations’ positive achievements over negative consequences, and focus on the supply chain in upstream activities rather than in downstream activities.
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standardizing social responsibility via iso 26000 empirical insights from the Forest Industry
Sustainable Development, 2015Co-Authors: Anne Toppinen, Aino Virtanen, Audrey L Mayer, Anni TuppuraAbstract:This paper focuses on the emerging trend to increase the credibility and legitimacy of corporate contributions to sustainable development through the adoption of the ISO 26000 guidance standard for social responsibility. Empirical insights are gained from a two-stage exploratory study combining an online managerial survey and personal interviews in large-scale Forest Industry companies. Based on the results, the majority of these companies have already adopted social responsibility practices that are covered by the seven core subjects of ISO 26000. Our results also reveal that Forest Industry companies are strongly focused on environmental issues and organizational governance as key priorities for implementing the CSR, while for example consumer issues and human rights receive very little attention. Furthermore, while the legitimacy of ISO 26000 as a global sustainability standard was not criticized, based on our results it can be argued that this standard may not bring much added value to sustainability frontrunners with existing social responsibility related processes, nor is it sufficiently detailed to incorporate Forest-sector-specific issues. This is in line with conceptual literature questioning the ability of sustainability standards to drive progress towards sustainable development at the national or global scale. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment
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global reporting initiative and social impact in managing corporate responsibility a case study of three multinationals in the Forest Industry
Business Ethics: A European Review, 2013Co-Authors: Anne Toppinen, Kaisa KorhonenkurkiAbstract:We examine recent evolution in corporate responsibility in the Forest Industry, an important natural‐resource‐based Industry which is under rapid internationalisation and structural change under challenging financial pressures. We address two recent trends in corporate communication: corporate disclosure, that is the adoption of consistent external reporting standards [namely the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)], and the growing awareness of engagement with and impact on local communities through philanthropy, generation of prosperity, communication and the social impact of core activities. This study uses a comparative qualitative case approach to Forest Industry multinational enterprises (MNEs) based on a combination of secondary (reporting, company newsletters and other documentation) and interview data. Three large‐scale multinational Forest Industry firms, all pursuing different strategies in terms of internationalisation and geographical and product diversification, were chosen for the study: Stora Enso, SCA and Sappi Ltd. Our results show that the overall quality of sustainability reporting has improved in these companies from 2005 to 2009 with the adoption of GRI. However, based on our fourfold categorisation of social impact, the core social impact indicator in GRI (SO1) has been interpreted very differently in these MNEs, and the adoption of GRI has not actually much improved the comparability of the reports or transparency of practices.
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corporate responsibility and strategic groups in the Forest based Industry exploratory analysis based on the global reporting initiative gri framework
Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 2012Co-Authors: Anne Toppinen, Anni Tuppura, Ying XiongAbstract:A growing number of large Forest Industry companies have declared voluntary adoption of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines to avoid the lack of verification in reporting and to alleviate current criticisms of corporate responsibility (CR) practices. In this study, we use quantitative multivariate analysis of CR disclosure data (GRI indicators) from 66 Forest Industry firms. The results from cluster analysis show that 58% of the major companies in Forest-based industries are following what could be called a relatively defensive approach to CR, while companies proactive towards CR represent only a minority of the sample (18%), and one-quarter of the companies could be classified as being ‘stuck-in-the-middle’ in terms of CR. CR practices are found to run parallel to and beyond core business activities, number of employees, sales, and production in these three strategic groups. However, no strategic group level differences in terms of the location of headquarters or financial performance were found. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Anna Wolf - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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using an optimization model to evaluate the economic benefits of industrial symbiosis in the Forest Industry
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2008Co-Authors: Magnus Karlsson, Anna WolfAbstract:In this work, a model comprising a pulp mill, a sawmill, a district heating network and a biofuel upgrading plant is used to demonstrate how the MIND method, an optimization method based on mixed integer linear programming, can be used to evaluate industrial symbiosis in the Forest Industry. Using this method, both energy and material flows on both the supply and the demand side can be studied simultaneously. The method can be used to find improvements in the structure of the modelled system, to find the optimal operational strategy of a given system, and to evaluate and compare different systems. The total system costs for stand-alone cases and integrated industrial symbiosis system configuration are compared, generating results that can be used as decision support when planning industrial symbiosis initiatives in the Forest Industry. The results of this study showed that there are financial benefits to industrial symbiosis compared to the same system operated in stand-alone mode, and that the industrial symbiosis configuration generates a more stable system. However, it is difficult to generalize the results from a case study, and the main conclusion drawn is that it is possible to show that industrial symbiosis has economical benefits, although the magnitude of these benefits needs to be evaluated from case to case.
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industrial symbiosis in the swedish Forest Industry
Progress in Industrial Ecology An International Journal, 2007Co-Authors: Anna Wolf, Kenth PeterssonAbstract:Forskningen som presenteras i denna avhandling anknyter till forskningsfaltet Industriell Ekologi och da sarskilt den gren som kallas Industriell Symbios (IS). Inom IS forordas att ett foretag kan ...
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energy efficient pellet production in the Forest Industry a study of obstacles and success factors
Biomass & Bioenergy, 2006Co-Authors: Anna Wolf, Anna Vidlund, Eva AnderssonAbstract:With an expanding market for upgraded biofuel in many countries, it is important to develop efficient production methods for upgrading wet biomass. The possibilities for heat recovery can be improved if the upgrading process is integrated with other energy-intensive processes, as for example a pulp mill or a sawmill, in a biofuel combine. This work evaluates obstacles and Success factors for forming such biofuel combines with the Forest Industry. Case Studies and calculations on theoretical cases have been used together with literature references to evaluate how a biofuel combine can be realised and to compile obstacles and success factors for a combine. It could be seen from the case studies that an excess of by-products and waste heat, together with an existing need for investments are important driving forces for the formation of biofuel combines in the Forest Industry. The market was also identified as an important factor, which can be both an obstacle and a success factor depending on the situation. It was concluded that the existence of a small-scale pellet market near the plant is important for economic feasibility when sawdust is used as raw material. The conditions for the biofuel combine are different depending on the form of ownership. When a pulp mill or sawmill owns the pellet factory, it was concluded that minimising the risk by using well-known technologies can be an important factor for the realisation of the combine.
Heikki Juslin - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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corporate social responsibility in the chinese Forest Industry understanding multiple stakeholder perceptions
Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 2013Co-Authors: Lei Wang, Heikki JuslinAbstract:The stakeholder theory is a useful tool for collecting and evaluating corporate social responsibility (CSR) data. Using a multistakeholder approach, we have succeeded in evaluating the CSR performance of the Chinese Forest Industry. In all, 810 observations have been made using a quantitative research method. This study contributes in three aspects. (1) The findings demonstrate that the stakeholder theory is a useful tool for collecting and evaluating CSR data. (2) We have systemically studied CSR issues in the Chinese Forest sector, finding that the Chinese Forest Industry performs slightly better in its economic responsibility than environmental and social responsibilities. (3) Its results provide strong empirical evidence to suggest that values have a significant effect on the stakeholder perception of CSR performance. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
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strategic marketing in the global Forest industries
2002Co-Authors: Eric Hansen, Heikki JuslinAbstract:The Forest Industry is increasingly global and every marketer of Forest products should have a global perspective. As a natural resource-based Industry, the Forest Industry has an especially high profile role in environmental protection and is increasingly involved in climate change mitigation and management. Global Forests are not only important because they provide a source of industrial raw material, but also because of the various other human needs they satisfy. A Forest products marketer should have a basic understanding of the role that global Forests play in society. Major societal trends are impacting the external environment within which the Forest Industry operates. We provide an overview of global Forests and a brief description of the markets for the main categories of the Forest Industry.
Laura Sokka - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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sustainability and industrial symbiosis the evolution of a finnish Forest Industry complex
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2010Co-Authors: Suvi Pakarinen, Tuomas Mattila, Matti Melanen, Ari Nissinen, Laura SokkaAbstract:Abstract An industrial symbiosis (IS) is a group of industrial plants and other actors which exchange energy, water, by-products and waste. This article studies the evolution of an IS centred around a Finnish pulp and paper mill and analyses how the operations of the case system developed in a more sustainable direction during the years 1890–2005. We build upon basic sustainability principles known as The Natural Step (TNS) System Conditions by identifying and selecting quantifiable indicators for each of the conditions in the case of our target symbiosis. The study reveals that the environmental impacts of the case IS became more far-reaching during the 110-year period studied. Emissions, however, decreased substantially after the 1970s due to tightening environmental legislation and other policy measures and the progress in environmental technology, not due to symbiosis-type of arrangements. There has been no strong driver for more symbiosis-like cooperation among the companies in this study. It appeared that the main motives for increased collaboration were economic.
Tuomas Mattila - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Impacts of international trade on carbon flows of Forest Industry in Finland
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2011Co-Authors: Monika H. Ståhls, Laura Saikku, Tuomas MattilaAbstract:Abstract Finland is a Forested country with a large export oriented Forest Industry. In addition to domestic Forest extraction, roundwood is imported, thus displacing the environmental impacts of harvests. In this paper, we analyse the international carbon flows of Forest industries in Finland from a consumption-based perspective. Quantitative analyses are available on trade embedded emissions of CO2 from fossil fuel combustion, and here we address in a similar way the impact of trade on the carbon budget of the Forest products sector in Finland. Carbon flows through the Forest Industry system increased substantially between 1991 and 2005. We show that the annual carbon balance related to Forests and Forest Industry system in Finland functioned as a sink in 1991, whereas in 2005 the system was a sink on a national level, but not on a global level. Through calculating the carbon content in traded Forest Industry products and emissions embodied in Forest Industry activities, we further show that the direct impacts of the Forest Industry in Finland are only a minor fraction of the total CO2 emissions related to Finnish production. Nearly all of the emissions were caused due to production of exports. Yet, direct carbon dioxide emissions of the industrial production are reported to Finland in the production based inventories.
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sustainability and industrial symbiosis the evolution of a finnish Forest Industry complex
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2010Co-Authors: Suvi Pakarinen, Tuomas Mattila, Matti Melanen, Ari Nissinen, Laura SokkaAbstract:Abstract An industrial symbiosis (IS) is a group of industrial plants and other actors which exchange energy, water, by-products and waste. This article studies the evolution of an IS centred around a Finnish pulp and paper mill and analyses how the operations of the case system developed in a more sustainable direction during the years 1890–2005. We build upon basic sustainability principles known as The Natural Step (TNS) System Conditions by identifying and selecting quantifiable indicators for each of the conditions in the case of our target symbiosis. The study reveals that the environmental impacts of the case IS became more far-reaching during the 110-year period studied. Emissions, however, decreased substantially after the 1970s due to tightening environmental legislation and other policy measures and the progress in environmental technology, not due to symbiosis-type of arrangements. There has been no strong driver for more symbiosis-like cooperation among the companies in this study. It appeared that the main motives for increased collaboration were economic.