Centre for Business Relationships Accountability, Sustainability and Society

Lead Research Organisation: Cardiff University
Department Name: Cardiff Business School

Abstract

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
 
Description In its period of just over eleven years of ESRC funding, BRASS generated over 470 scholarly journal articles, over 50 books, over 200 book chapters and well over 500 conference papers. This makes its key findings hard to summarize, but some highlights were as follows:

Bioregions work: BRASS work on agri-food and rural-regional development led to new work that conceptually explored the boundaries and distinctions between the more localised eco-economy and bio-economy models of spatial development. Initial work based on our study areas of Devon and Shetland were disseminated internationally in Europe and North America to combined academics/policy audiences, and captured in journal papers for Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, and Town Planning Review. This led to an exploration of how effective new re-localised hubs, clusters and networks of an eco-economy can be created as part of new sustainable infrastructures in towns and cities, and in rural locations. In the Toronto city region this led to a collaboration with Canadian partners on two engagement projects (funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and the Social and Humanities Research Council for Canada respectively) on new 'roadmaps' and pilots of best practice in building new local and regional food hubs.

Climate attitudes and behaviours: BRASS has taken a leading role in climate research combining environmental psychology with a consumer behaviour perspective, applied to key sectors including food, transport and energy. The outputs from this work included two Earthscan books on climate change, engagement and behaviour; a paper on public understandings of 'carbon' and its role in generating an environmental value-action gap in relation to adoption of low-carbon lifestyles for Global Environmental Change; a paper on environmental self-identity and its influence on carbon offsetting behaviours for Journal of Environmental Psychology; one on climate beliefs and energy choices for Energy and Environment; and a leading role in a Wiley Interdisciplinary Review on Climate Change. This work also formed the basis of a private briefing to Chris Huhne (then Climate Change Minister) and officials at DECC in August 2010. A paper published in Journal of Marketing Management on consumer response to climate change based on a 1600+ adult sample, demonstrated a modest but significant element of perceived 'consumer social responsibility' in relation to climate change. This represents an important revision to the widely accepted notion that companies rather than consumers have responsibilities in terms of the consequences of market transactions and externalities. Other work on climate change narratives represents a groundbreaking approach to exploring how specific types of consumers and citizens understand and respond to particular climate change 'framings'.

CSR, Poverty & Vulnerability. BRASS led a multidisciplinary international collaboration aiming to improve well-being through business interventions in urban areas which combine high environmental deterioration and social vulnerability (so-called 'hot-spots'). This research developed an interdisciplinary framework combining theories on risk, vulnerability/adaptability, sustainability, systems-thinking and CSR/entrepreneurship which was further distilled into an intervention model to reduce poverty and risk through stakeholders' engagement. A key methodological development was the design of a spatial analysis tool to identify areas in need of urgent intervention (based on indicators of social vulnerability and accumulated potential environmental hazards generated by industrial activity). Policy findings include the geographical identification of 1236 census units under high risk in three Ibero-American countries and case-studies of good business practice emphasising CSR adaptation to local contexts through partnerships. The project generated 2 book chapters and 3 papers for leading journals (including Journal of Business Ethics and Journal of Environmental Management) and a book, and the findings were fed into policy-making through events in Spain and Buenos Aires.

Project 'Bernie': For over two years BRASS worked with South Wales Fire & Rescue on a social marketing project developing a behavioural intervention to deter rural fire-setting in South Wales Valleys' communities. In terms of scientific impact this was both an innovative application of social marketing, and a global first in rigorously applying the National Social Marketing Centre's 'Total Planning Process'. An intervention was devised and tested during Spring 2010, with BRASS involved in the formative research, project management, Fire Service staff training and evaluation. The project led to a reduction in fires during the 6 week intervention period (compared to a 'control' community) of 46%, three times the original target. Follow up stakeholder interviews showed improvements in working practices within SWFRS, improved community cohesion and a significant shift in social norms about fires. Police data showed that reported incidence of all anti-social behaviour reduced in the community during the Bernie intervention, and that fire incidents continued to be reduced afterwards. It generated new insights into the role of social marketing in delivering public sector services and influencing inter and intra-organisational working practices.

Towards sustainable food: BRASS produced a range of academic outputs linked to its Towards Sustainable Food Research, many of which were also highlighted in the BRASS book: 'The New Regulation and Governance of Food: Beyond the Food Crisis?' (Routledge) addressing major questions about power, governance and security in the global production and consumption of food (now in a paperback edition and published in the USA). There was also a range of socio-economic ccontributions for this work. This included BRASS leading the research work for a report on global food security published by Chatham House; BRASS providing the Research work for the Welsh Government and Food and Drink Advisory Partnership's new 10 Year Food and Drink Strategy for Wales; work on more sustainable school meals including work on ecofootprinting for school meals to combine with nutritional data to create an overall sustainability perspective on the subject and the work led by Kevin Morgan (which was recently recognised with an ESRC Impact Champion award); and work assessing the sustainability of particular food initiatives including the Food for Life programme.

Towards sustainable automobility: BRASS undertook a long-term stream of work aiming to redefine what a sustainable automotive industry might look like. This was developed through the BRASS authored reports published by TrendTracker on 'Car Futures: Rethinking the Automotive Industry - Beyond the American Model' and by AutomotiveWorld on 'Low-Carbon Cars: Strategic Implications for the Vehicle Manufacturers'. The Micro-Factory Retailing concepts for car production pioneered by BRASS Researchers were taken into practical production by several firms (Gordon Murray Design, Axon Automotive and RiverSimple), demonstrating that BRASS research has shaped both thinking and practice relating to the automotive industry and sustainability. From a consumption perspective BRASS articles on promoting more sustainable mobility behaviours were published in Ecological Economics; Environmental Policy & Governance and Journal of Environmental Planning & Management. Other contributions included articles and book chapters on 'new technologies for cleaner cars'; a 'state of the art' review of fuel cell technologies; and a review of America's hydrogen strategy; and a series of webinars and technical articles on automotive technologies (such as fuel cells and hydrogen power) and policies (including the UK car scrappage scheme, industry restructuring and European carbon reduction targets).


'Green Growth'. A major area of work for BRASS in its later years was on 'Green Growth' including (a) the analysis of green growth policies (in East Asia, Europe and Brazil) to stimulate innovation and transform productive processes; (b) the analysis of UK industrial performance in terms of synergies between environmental innovations (e.g. in waste treatment) and economic performance; and (c) market approaches to biodiversity and natural resources conservation (e.g ecosystem services for poverty alleviation). This work was encapsulated in a book published by Springer on Green-Growth: Managing the Transition to Sustainable Capitalism (Learning by doing in East-Asia and Europe). It also journal articles for the International Journal of Operations and Production Management and Journal of the Operational Research Society; to a piece written for the UN Research Institute for Social Development on 'Green Growth, Social Agency and the Regulation of Agricultural Production in India and Brazil'; and was the basis of a Westminster ministerial briefing and a presentation to the Parliamentary Social Science Group.

'Researching Sustainability'. In August 2011 Earthscan published the book 'Researching Sustainability: A Guide to Social Science Methods, Practice and Engagement', written entirely by BRASS researchers with its 18 chapters based on research methodologies, challenges and user engagement opportunities informed by experience from BRASS research projects across the first ten years of the Centre's existence. It represents a ground-breaking contribution to social science for sustainability and brings together contributions from a range of social science disciplines, including geography, planning, sociology, law, business and economics.

Single Use Carrier Bag Research. A single use carrier bag charge was introduced in Wales in October 2011 (as a possible precursor to a similar UK measure) providing BRASS the chance to conduct some pathfinder research on this policy development. A team of BRASS researchers conducted a survey with members of the public and retailers on the introduction of the new charge. The research produced an analysis of the attitudes, awareness and acceptance of the charge by the public and an analysis of the attitudes of retail companies, their level of understanding of the regulations and WG guidance, how they have introduced the charge (including staff training and record keeping) and how they will disseminate the proceeds from the charge. This work has generated widespread media and policy interest with a policy paper on its implications developed for the Scottish Government. The results were also fed back to the Welsh Government in two reports and the research is now being used to generate academic publications.

Wellbeing and the Young. As part of a national debate about 'wellbeing' BRASS was commissioned by the ONS to research (in partnership with Techniquest) into young people's perceptions of well-being. The results were presented to a largely policy-maker audience in June 2011 at the National Museum of Wales as part of Wales Sustainability Week. The findings from the report were mentioned in several key documents published in July 2011 at the six-month stage of the national 'What matters to you?' debate launched by the Prime Minister in November 2010 and formed the basis of two published papers.

Work-Life Integration. BRASS for several years took a leading role in co-ordinating an international network of researchers interested in the emerging topic of 'Work-Life Integration' (as part of BRASS's Work, Wellbeing and Welfare research stream). In January 2010 a new book 'Ways of Living: Work, Community and Lifestyle Choice' was published, by Palgrave Macmillan with BRASS providing the Lead Editor and two chapters. This book is a key tangible output from an International Work-Life Integration Colloquium held in Melbourne and co-sponsored by BRASS. It provides a step-change in thinking on work-life integration with a focus on two vital, but neglected, areas (a) the importance of locating work-life discussions within a far wider range of influencing variables than in the past, and (b) by paying greater attention to previously overlooked groups, including low paid workers in insecure economic and social environments. This latter issue has been pursued further in subsequent research, publications and conference presentations.

Sustainable Communities. In 2008 BRASS published Sustainable Communities: New Spaces for Planning, Participation and Engagement a book which represented a synthesis of research work conducted by BRASS researchers over several years. It combines key debates and empirical cases from an international perspective exploring the ways in which more sustainable and resilient communities can be built. BRASS also completed the major project Motivating, Engaging, Leading and Supporting Skills and Knowledge for Sustainable Communities - Applying Models of Sustainable Localised Economies. This brought together case study analysis of the skills and knowledge behind the success of twelve different sustainable communities initiatives. This was complemented by an in-depth study of initiatives within the community of Stroud and all of the project findings were pulled together to create an interactive 'virtual sustainable community'. This virtual community, made publicly available on the project website, has been designed as an innovative way of engaging with a much wider audience in the dissemination of research findings and it links to the project case study communities to provide examples of skills and knowledge development for sustainable communities. The project findings have been distilled into a non-technical 'Guidance for Communities'; generated six academic articles, two book chapters and have fed into policy-making through briefings for Defra and CLG.

Third Sector/Social Enterprise; BRASS undertook work looking at the role of social enterprises and other Third Sector organizations in the development of more sustainable local economies. This included the publication of the ESRC Research Monograph 'Social Enterprises: Diversity and Dynamics, Contexts and Contributions' launched at the 2008 Social Enterprise Research Conference. The monograph integrates findings from a wide range of studies on social enterprise and analyses the needs for future research. The research challenges facing Social Enterprise were further expanded in the discussion paper, 'Social Enterprise: The Research Challenge' and the article, 'Eight Paradoxes of the Social Enterprise Research Agenda', published in the Social Enterprise Journal. This work was complemented by another research monograph entitled 'Strategic Positioning in Voluntary and Charitable Organizations' published by Routledge. This book continues a recurring theme in BRASS's work of the transfer of management ideas between commercial and non-commercial sectors by examining the adoption of generic commercial (for-profit) management strategies and approaches in the non-profit context. This research also generated a book chapter and three papers in leading management journals on management strategies within the Third Sector, including one in Public Management Review on strategic positioning within social enterprises.
Exploitation Route BRASS's Research findings will be useful for any researchers seeking to take forward issues relating to business sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) particularly in the following key areas for BRASS Research:

1. Towards Sustainable Mobility: this included work on alternative vehicle technologies, and alternative vehicle consumption and production including electric vehicles; alternative business models and production methods, particularly Micro-Factory Retailing; alternative consumption methods such as car sharing; behavioural issues including transport choices and 'eco-driving'; and projects based on policy and infrastructure to promote alternative approaches to mobility

2. Sustainable Food Systems: including work on local food production & consumption systems and food hubs; bio-economy and eco-economy paradigms; organic agriculture; sustainable school meals; urban food systems; food security; and animal welfare.

3. Sustainable Technologies and Responsible Innovation: including work on GM food; nanotechnology; biopatenting; carbon capture and storage; and broader theoretical work on notions of responsible innovation in the context of sustainability and CSR.

4. Environmental Protection & Justice: including work on environmental risk; property rights; access to environmental justice; contaminated land; international protection for particular species; mine remediation, waste regulations; construction & demolition waste; and biosecurity.

5. Sustainability Indicators & Impacts: including work on ecological footprinting, water footprinting and demand management; accounting for biodiversity; sustainability indicators in particular contexts (including for the Welsh Government, for social enterprises and for arts businesses); environmental components of Regional Economic Input-Output Tables and the preparation of Tourism Satellite Accounts.

6. Work, Wellbeing and Welfare: including work on work-life balance/integration; access to working time choices and work-life balance; human-rights for workers and corporations' relationships with human rights laws and principles; well-being measurement for young people; businesses and social inclusion/exclusion; and business's role in sustainable communities.

7. Behaviour Change and Social Marketing: including work on social marketing for sustainable behaviours, consumption reduction and sustainable communities; consumer perceptions and behaviour in relation to domestic energy and "Smart Homes"; and behavioural impacts of the carrier bag charge introduced in Wales (covering both consumer and retailer responses).

8. Sustainable Business Models and Practices: including work relating to alternative vehicle businesses and alternative food businesses; studies of social enterprise; FairTrade consumption and production systems; notions of distributed economies; and broader theoretical work on alternative business models for sustainability.

9. CSR & Accountability in Key Contexts: including projects relating to CSR in the contexts of SMEs, Premiership football clubs, financial services organisations, the mining industry, and in Arts businesses; also projects concerning corporate criminality (including corporate killing) and irresponsible accounting; CSR in industry supply chains; and there was also some broader work on the links between CSR, sustainability, corporate strategies and leadership.

10. Climate Change and Carbon Reduction: including work on climate scepticism; notions of consumer social responsibility for climate change; investigating 'climate change narratives'; energy governance; 'Smart-Grids'' and climate orientated aspects of the food and automotive streams.

Four elements of the BRASS research agenda are continuing within Cardiff University under the auspices of its Sustainable Places Research Institute:

Sustainable food and agriculture systems research. Building on the work that BRASS has done on sustainable food and food governance, which has strong PLACE-based themes relating to rural economies, agricultural communities and the theme of food within sustainable city regions;

Sustainable mobility. Building on BRASS work linked to sustainability within the automotive industry and the promotion of more sustainable transport and travel behaviours. This has strong links to the PLACE research theme on mobilities, flows and migrations and a strong element of shared work between BRASS and PLACE on this agenda emerged during 2011/12;

Ecosystem services valuation. This will extend BRASS work on issues like eco-footprinting, valuing biodiversity and sustainability impacts of tourism, and increasingly will connect with the physical sciences contributions to PLACE on issues such as biodiversity to tackle a research agenda linked to natural resources and physical 'places' that is an increasing priority for policy makers nationally and internationally;

Sustainability communities. Including work on the contribution of social innovation, arts and the creative industries; green space and land ownership and elements of food production and consumption and mobility systems to urban and rural community sustainability and well-being.
Sectors Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Creative Economy,Education,Electronics,Energy,Environment,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Retail,Transport
URL http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/research/sustainable-places/research/themes/brass-research-unit/brass-archive
 
Description In addition to academic publications, BRASS's research work has contributed strongly to the evidence base of both the public and private sector through a mixture of: Commissioned research: including research into the environmental impacts of household consumption (Defra), biosecurity (Defra and Welsh Government), promoting sustainable consumption (NESTA), social enterprise and sustainability (DTI/BIS), nanotech (Defra), human rights and CSR (Ministry of Justice), environmental impacts of business and trade (UN). It also undertook commissioned research for commercial companies including Toyota, Volvo, Apple, Triodos Bank and Fujitsu. Data resources: BRASS developed and managed the Industrial Waste Arisings Database on behalf of the Environment Agency and provided statistics from and analysis of it for a range of users. It also developed a large online library of resources relating to the 2001/2002 Foot & Mouth outbreak which was later passed onto to another organisation to manage; Policy briefs and briefing events: BRASS developed a range of policy briefing papers on topics including recycling, provided policy briefing directly to policy and practice organisations such as to Defra and the Welsh Government on topics such as biosecurity and hazardous waste; to the Lord Chancellor's Dept on markets and regulation; or to the EU on the precautionary principle or the European Patent Office on responsible innovation, and either hosted or contributed to a range of briefing events on topics including biosecurity, ecological footprinting, food supply chains, sustainable school meals and sustainable automobility; Expert evidence submissions and comment; BRASS researchers have regularly provided evidence for a range of policy and practice organisations including UK and Welsh Government (biosecurity, planning and energy infrastructure, climate change, sustainable living, and contaminated land); EU (automotive sustainability, energy infrastructure, biopatenting, sustainable marketing); OECD (automotive sustainability); UN (environmental regulation, sustainable food, species conservation). BRASS also provided very direct support in terms of the drafting of regulation particularly to branches of government for Northern Ireland & Wales; Engagement via a range of policy and practice networks and partnership projects with organisations including the ACCA, UKELA, the Law Society, and Groundwork; The development and promotion of new tools to help practitioners, policy makers: this included developing an environmental ratings system for vehicles (with Clifford-Thomas); demonstrating that ecological footprinting could be used as a management tool for events, sports venues and even school meals; the development of a research-based report and interactive toolkit to help SMEs to adopt CSR initiatives; creating a system for analysing the sustainability impacts of sports events developed for UKSport; a simple online interactive 'sustainable community' model to act as an interface to the Centre's sustainable communities research work along with community guidance resources; an online environmental law resource developed with UKELA to provide citizens and small businesses access to information on environmental justice; the CSR, poverty and vulnerability work in Latin America and Europe that produced a new methodology for determining and mapping how the environmental risks generated by business activities combined with patterns of social deprivation to create 'hotspots' of risk. There are a number of research topic specific impacts linked to the research findings that are mentioned in the 'Key Findings' section, but a few of the other key research related impacts are as follows: CSR & Extractive Industries: BRASS had a longstanding interest in CSR for mining and extractive industries which was promoted through a major stakeholder engagement event in London. It involved 50 participants included mining MNCs (De Beer, Xstrata, AngloGold), consultants, key NGOs and supranational organizations (World Bank, EBRD). This event used innovative stakeholder engagement techniques (role playing, framing) to explore and develop a research agenda addressing future challenges and conflicts for extractive industries. Published outputs included journal articles on mine safety and natural resource law. Biopatenting and Biosecurity: BRASS research work on biopatenting had a particular impact in Germany where a major report on biopatenting in agriculture was submitted to the German State Secretary of Agriculture in July 2010. This report went from the German Agriculture Minister to the President of the European Patent Office (EPO) as part of an amicus curiae letter with regard to a pending key decision of the Board of the EPO, widely known as the "Broccoli Case". This led to a meeting in late September between the President of the EPO and the German Minister which was largely based around the report and its recommendations. The subsequent final decision in December 2010 by the EPO Board to not allow the patenting of plants developed by conventional breeding techniques, completely reversed the decision from two years earlier. Environmental Regulation and Justice. BRASS had a range of environmental law-related projects, many with direct economic and social impacts. In June 09 Lord Justice Carnwath launched the new website "Law and Your Environment" developed by BRASS as part of a joint project with UK Environmental Law Association. This provides a 'one-stop' solution for citizens, firms and Third Sector Organisations (such as NGOs or community groups) needing plain English legal information on environmental issues such as planning applications, pollution incidents through to tackling climate change. It promotes greater environmental justice by providing both citizens and organisations with details of their rights and responsibilities along with sources of further information. BRASS was also commissioned by the Environmental Law Foundation (ELF) in London to conduct an analysis on the funding of potential environmental legal actions. This analysis was presented in an ELF report launched at the House of Lords by Lord Woolf. This work had a strong media profile also led to a book chapter and two conference papers on access to environmental justice. Nanotechnology. BRASS led a stream of pioneering nanotech-related social science research in terms of industry regulation and practical CSR strategies. It produced two major reports for Defra and the DTI and findings were also presented to the Nanotechnology Stakeholder Forum (main liaison body between government and industry led by BIS) and Nanotechnology Issues Dialogue Group (Inter-departmental government group). BRASS was also featured in a special issue of Modern Government on Nanotech, and a policy brief on nanotech in food was presented to the House of Lords Select Committee on Science & Technology. BRASS also developed a PAS industrial standard for the BSI (137 - safe handling and use of nano materials) as a piece of action research, co-organised a Nanotechnology and CSR event in 2009 and contributed to a Responsible Nanoforum/Food & Drink Federation nano & food stakeholder roundtable in 2010. BRASS Nanotech methodologies were also adopted by other research studies and reports including the "Review of health safety aspects of nanotechnologies in food production" (RIKILT & RIVM, Holland) and "International Approaches to the Regulatory Governance of Nanotechnology" (Canada).The impact and value of BRASS's Nanotech regulatory work is explicitly highlighted in the Government's Nanotechnology Strategy.
First Year Of Impact 2002
Sector Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Creative Economy,Education,Electronics,Energy,Environment,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Retail,Transport
Impact Types Cultural,Societal,Economic
 
Title Biosecurity and the regulation of animal health : the case of Bovine Tuberculosis : 10 farmer interviews 
Description Biosecurity and the Regulation of Animal Health: the case of Bovine Tuberculosis, Economic and Social Research Council Research Project [RES-000-22-1738 (2006 - 07)] - Gareth Enticott, award/grant holder. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2007 
Provided To Others? Yes  
 
Title Biosecurity intensive treatment area (WAG project) : 15 farmer interviews 
Description Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2007 
Provided To Others? Yes  
 
Title Consumer attitudes towards climate change 
Description Delphi study: Consumer Attitudes towards Climate Change, ESRC Business Engagement 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2007 
Provided To Others? Yes  
 
Title Coventry and Liverpool lives oral history collection 
Description This dataset is a collection of life history interviews conducted in Coventry and Liverpool (2007-08) with respondents who self-identified as having been working-class inhabitants of one of these cities in the period 1945-70. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2009 
Provided To Others? Yes  
 
Title Merged dataset for transition to and income from self-employment/business ownership : British household panel survey (BHPS) 1991-2008 
Description This data set is with UK Data Archive 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2012 
Provided To Others? Yes  
 
Title SDF, AONB & EW data : WAG project 
Description Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2007 
Provided To Others? Yes  
 
Description An overview of the framework of current regulation affecting the development and marketing of nanomaterials : a report for the DTI 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Presentation to the 12th Nanotechnology Issues Dialogue Group, DTI
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2008
URL http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file36167.pdf
 
Description Business schools and sustainability : escaping the psychic prison 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Paper presentation
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Comparative analysis between metalliferous mining and oil-gas extractive industries in Argentina : economic development, management and social licence 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Presented at First International Seminar on Social Responsibility in Mining
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Creating a sustainable economy : growing new business skills in Wales 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Paper presentation
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Diversity, scale and sustainability 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Presented at Advances in Cleaner Production 3rd international workshop
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Eco-industrialism : the potential for inclusive growth with bio-plastic production in Brazil using sugarcane ethanol 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Eco-industrialism embraces the concept of spatially-concentrated and inter-connected

industrial activities that collectively are eco-efficient in the use of resources, though not

necessarily premised on renewable resources. One area of activity that has potential for

renewable eco-industrialism is that of bio-plastics; specifically in this case the production of

plastic feedstock from sugarcane ethanol along with downstream products manufactured

from bio-plastic feedstock for industrial or consumer markets. Eco-industrialism, in addition,

has little to say about the subject of inclusive growth - an important element in the social

and economic dimensions of sustainability. Inclusive growth means bringing some of the

wealth created by growth to the marginal elements of society. This paper examines the

nascent sugarcane ethanol bio-plastic industry in Brazil with a view to understanding the

potential of the sector for renewable eco-industrialism in general, and for inclusive growth to

mitigate rural poverty in particular. It is concluded that while the sector and the underlying

technology is only in the formative stages, there are reasons to suppose that there is

potential for inclusive growth and alleviating rural poverty by broadening income flows and

reducing income volatility risk to rural areas. The paper explains that the concept of ecoindustrialism has thus far been limited in that it is not based on renewable resources per se.

Hence in theoretical terms the paper seeks to explain the significance of two possible

developments of the concept: a basis of on renewable resources; and an extension with

'inclusive growth'. The analysis is grounded in an understanding of contemporary definitions

of bio-plastic and why it might be important e.g. in the automotive industry. Information on

the technology and scale of production, etc. is used to compare the bio-plastic sector with

the mainstream petrochemical plastic sector.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Eco-innovation and the power of purchase 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Paper presentation at DIME Seminar: 'Eco-­_Innovation: Policy Perspectives'
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Envisioning sustainable businesses in sustainable places 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Paper presentation
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Low carbon expo 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Paper presentation
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Managing the process of changing thought? 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Sustainable Consumption and Production Seminar Series

2006-2008

Seminar One: Changing the Way we Think
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
URL http://www.brass.cf.ac.uk/uploads/26107kp.pdf
 
Description Marketing for social enterprise 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Paper presentation
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Moving to a low carbon economy : linking research with policy 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Paper presentation
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description NVMP : StEP e-waste summer school 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact As volumes of e-waste around the globe continue to rise,

so do the associated negative environmental, social and

economic impacts. The E-Waste Summer School sought to

develop international collaborative and interdisciplinary

discussions and partnerships between early-mid career

researchers and practitioners on all aspects of e-waste.

BRASS Research Associate, Dr Hazel Nash was selected

to attend the scheme in September 2009, along with 16

other researchers from around the globe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2010
URL http://www.brass.cf.ac.uk/uploads/BRASS_Newsletter_Issue5.pdf
 
Description New technologies and their regulatory heritage 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Presented at Wellcome Trust workshop on regulating health technologies
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description School food revolution under threat from cuts 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact Article in The Guardian

The Guardian
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2012
URL http://www.guardian.co.uk/public-leaders-network/2011/apr/28/school-food-revolution-threat-cuts
 
Description Sustainability and equity : a research agenda to understand why change does not happen 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Article in International Sustainable Development Network Newsletter
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2011
 
Description Sustainability and the travel sector 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact ESRC Round Table
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description The challenge : sustaining business success 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Paper presentation
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description The credibility of corporate social responsibility and ethics in the twenty-first century sweatshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Presented at 1st workshop on business ethics
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description The moral economy of food : local and green or global and fair? 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Presented at the University of Southampton
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity