Solid waste management remains a pressing environmental challenge in both developed and developing nations. Recycling has been promoted globally as a key pathway to sustainability, yet recycling rates often provide only a partial picture of performance. In many contexts, challenges such as poorly regulated recycling policies, informal sector dominance, and practices that prioritize profit over environmental sustainability limit progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.5.1, which tracks the national recycling rate. This study investigates the extent to which recycling rates reflect sustainable waste management and identifies the underlying factors that influence their effectiveness. The major objective of this study is to evaluate recycling rates as an indicator of sustainable waste management. This is further specified by: (i) examining recycling practices in selected countries (Germany, South Korea, USA, Brazil, and India), (ii) identifying key drivers and barriers that influence recycling performance, and (iii) assessing the implications of recycling rates for sustainable waste management systems. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining secondary data analysis, comparative country assessment, and policy review. Results show that recycling rates are useful but insufficient as a stand-alone measure of sustainability, since they are influenced by broader elements such as policy enforcement, economic incentives, public participation, and market structures. The findings highlight that Nigeria’s recycling rate remains significantly low compared to leading economies, underscoring the need for integrated waste management reforms. This research contributes to environmental management discourse by demonstrating that while recycling rates provide a benchmark for SDG 12.5.1 monitoring, they must be interpreted alongside contextual drivers to ensure meaningful progress towards sustainable waste management.

The research investigates how organizational size influences the implementation of supply chain resilience and sustainability practices. While resilience and sustainability are increasingly recognized as interrelated priorities, existing literature often overlooks how firm size conditions strategic behaviour, particularly the distinct constraints faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). To address this gap, the study employs a two-phase, mixed-methods approach. First, a structured literature review identifying the current state of academic research on the field. Second, a global survey of 252 supply chain professionals captures quantitative data across SMEs and large organizations. Statistical analysis tests three hypotheses regarding core aspects of driving resilience and sustainability outcomes. Findings show that large firms tend to formalize strategies more thoroughly, especially in risk detection and sustainability goal setting. However, SMEs demonstrate comparable resilience through informal, agile approaches and supplier collaboration. Overall, strategic effectiveness does not vary by firm size, but implementation pathways do. This study contributes original empirical evidence to the limited comparative literature on organizational size in supply chain strategy. By introducing size as a moderating variable, the research advances theoretical models and highlights the need for differentiated tools, policies, and partnerships. The findings aim to hold practical value for managers, and support businesses seeking to design scalable, inclusive approaches that enhance resilience and sustainability across the entire supply chain spectrum.

This paper presents a detailed case study of Unilever’s strategy and progress toward achieving zero carbon emissions, focusing on Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. The study analyzes a 10-year time series of both financial and non-financial data to assess the relationship between sustainability indicators, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, total and renewable energy use, and the company’s operating profit. Forecasting techniques were applied to project future emission levels based on historical data, while correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationships between key variables. The results show a strong positive correlation between total energy use and CO₂ emissions, highlighting the importance of energy efficiency in emission reduction efforts. However, no significant correlation was found between operating profit and CO₂ emissions or energy use, suggesting that sustainability initiatives have not yet had a measurable direct impact on profitability. Despite this, Unilever has demonstrated substantial progress toward its climate targets, including a 91% reduction in CO₂ emissions per ton of production (compared to a 2008 baseline) and the transition to 100% renewable electricity in many of its facilities. The study concludes that while sustainability measures may not immediately influence profit margins, they are essential for long-term competitiveness and corporate responsibility. This case provides valuable insights for firms aiming to integrate environmental performance into strategic decision-making.

The higher education sector in China has faced unprecedented challenges recently due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The influx of international students, a vital component of the nation's academic landscape, presented distinct challenges, including maintaining academic achievements through various online platforms, which necessitated innovative strategies to ensure that their educational pursuits remained rewarding despite these challenges. This study aims to explore the innovative strategies adopted by Chinese higher education institutions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and examine their impact on the academic achievements of international students. This study employs a comprehensive approach that incorporates questionnaire surveys and dominant Machine Learning Algorithms, such as Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Decision Tree Model (DTM), Support Vector Regression Model (SVRM), and K-nearest neighbors (KNN). By employing rigorous data-gathering approaches, our study aimed to address a set of particular questions: How did these innovative strategies improve students' academic performance in the face of environmental emergencies? To what extent did international students benefit from these adaptations? Through investigation of these concerns, our research provides insight into the effectiveness of these strategies and their possible significance for future educational methodologies. Innovative strategies positively correlated with student academic performance during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chinese higher Education. This research highlights how overcoming these challenges can have broader implications for shaping resilient global education systems in future crises. The study accurately predicted academic performance, highlighting the importance of innovative teaching approaches in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study might influence educational policies and practices. Educational institutions can make informed decisions about emergency preparedness and development by assessing results using a creative approach. Our findings bring depth to the global conversation on higher Education under challenging circumstances, showing how Innovation might alleviate the adverse impacts on international students' learning experiences.

This research looks at the vital roles of leadership and organisation design in the attainment of project resilience and success in the construction sector. Informed by contemporary theories on organisational resilience and leadership, a framework was developed and rigorously tested against data using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) and with more advanced techniques of segmentation (FIMIX-PLS and PLS-POS) to identify and take into consideration unobserved heterogeneity. Using data collected from project professionals, resilient leadership and adaptive organisation design were shown to be critical to project resilience, but the effect of leadership and organisation design on project resilience differed from segment to segment as well as across demographics. The ex-post analysis suggested that the awareness of resilience, practical experience and higher education exacerbated the relationships between aspects of resilient leadership and project resilience, as well as between adaptive organisation design and project resilience. The analysis also showed that relationships between leadership, organisational structure, and resilience can be mediated by demographic factors, such as awareness, experience, and education. The findings highlighted the importance of fostering inclusive, participative type leadership styles and continuous forms of experiential learning to enhance resilience outcomes. The value of specific indicators such as team participation in decision making or the leader's self-confidence was also identified as being critical aspects of resilient organisational structures and effective leadership. The implications of this study were important for each group of stakeholders: organisations should encourage resilience-based leadership, experiment with multi-dimensional flexible team structures and create a culture of continued, experiential learning and communications as knowledge and industries evolve. The theoretical contributions that validated the effects of segments of latent variables and offered insight into the added value of using segmentation were positive contributions to theory. Limitations, such as sample size and sector, stimulate avenues for future work and in particular reinforce the case for longitudinal, cross-sector research to build sectors’ internal and external constructs of project resilience. Future research needs to apply multi-facilitated empirical, qualitative and advanced analytics means to enable further quantification, and complexity in project survival, success and resilience.