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China’s quick economic recovery from COVID-19 has presented a narrow but vast opportunity to build an economy that is cleaner, fairer, and safer. Will China grab this opportunity? The answer rests with both business managers and the government. Based on a questionnaire survey of 1160 owners and managers of companies headquartered in 32 regions of China and covering 30 industries, this paper explores how COVID-19 has impacted Chinese business, especially with regard to the three dimensions of sustainability (economic, social, and environmental). The results suggest that Chinese companies’ sustainability priorities have been shifted towards the social dimension both during COVID-19 and into the post-pandemic phase, regardless of the type of ownership, company size, or market focus (domestic, overseas, or mixture of the two). However, all types of company prioritize the need for economic sustainability in the post-pandemic phase and in relative terms the importance of the environmental dimension has been diminished. Hence the potential for a post-pandemic environmental rebound effect in China is clear. But it does not have to be the case if Chinese businesses and the government take actions to change its recovery plans to embrace the environmental dimension of sustainability. The paper puts forward some suggestions and recommendations for businesses and the government.
Dongyong Zhang; Mengge Hao; Stephen Morse. Is Environmental Sustainability Taking a Backseat in China after COVID-19? The Perspective of Business Managers. Sustainability 2020, 12, 10369 .
AMA StyleDongyong Zhang, Mengge Hao, Stephen Morse. Is Environmental Sustainability Taking a Backseat in China after COVID-19? The Perspective of Business Managers. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (24):10369.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDongyong Zhang; Mengge Hao; Stephen Morse. 2020. "Is Environmental Sustainability Taking a Backseat in China after COVID-19? The Perspective of Business Managers." Sustainability 12, no. 24: 10369.
The need for effective solid waste management (SWM) is an important environmental and public health issue. As a key way of minimizing municipal solid waste (MSW), source separation has in recent years become the centre of discussion in China. Following the example of Shanghai, the city of Zhengzhou introduced its mandatory waste separation measures on December 1, 2019. But does the mandatory regulation work? This study aims to investigate the waste separation behaviour of college students in Zhengzhou under the mandatory regulation and the motivations behind students’ behaviour. A questionnaire-based survey was carried out on 62 university campuses in Zhengzhou City, and a total of 1747 valid questionnaires were completed across these campuses and analysed. It was found that under Zhengzhou’s mandatory measures, college students do have a basic knowledge of waste separation and most are familiar with where kitchen waste should be placed, but they have problems categorizing some recyclables such as glass, hazardous waste such as lightbulbs and other waste such as cigarette butts and napkins. It was also found that college students’ waste separation behaviour, their attitude towards waste separation and the convenience of waste sorting facilities in Zhengzhou in the mandatory era have been improved compared to the era prior to mandatory waste separation. The results also indicate that most of college students (86.7%) always or sometimes undertake waste separation, and students majoring in science and senior year undergraduates are more likely to participate in the practice of waste separation. Other influencing factors of college students’ waste separation behaviour include convenience of waste sorting facilities, their willingness to separate waste, knowledge of a related field, attitude towards waste separation, peer pressure as well as the existence of a reward and penalty system. Management strategies for improving college students’ waste separation behaviour under mandatory regulation are also discusses and a number of recommendations for improvement are made.
Mengge Hao; Dongyong Zhang; Stephen Morse. Waste Separation Behaviour of College Students Under a Mandatory Policy in China: A Case Study of Zhengzhou City. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, 17, 8190 .
AMA StyleMengge Hao, Dongyong Zhang, Stephen Morse. Waste Separation Behaviour of College Students Under a Mandatory Policy in China: A Case Study of Zhengzhou City. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17 (21):8190.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMengge Hao; Dongyong Zhang; Stephen Morse. 2020. "Waste Separation Behaviour of College Students Under a Mandatory Policy in China: A Case Study of Zhengzhou City." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 21: 8190.
Waste characterization is the first step to a successful waste management system. This paper explores the trend of solid waste generated on a university campus (Longzi Lake Campus of Henan Agricultural University) in China and the factors that influence the potential for recycling of the waste. Face-to-face interviews were carried out for 12 consecutive months on a campus in central China, and 416 interviewees were questioned. It was found that 7.32 tonnes of solid waste were generated on the campus each day, of which 79.31% were recyclable. The characterization of major waste streams are discussed, and the results are compared with comparable data from five universities in a range of other countries (Mexico, Canada, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Ethiopia). The annual growth of GDP per capita in China over the past five years before the research appeared to play an important role in the increasing of food waste on university campus, and the proportion of food waste is found to have a positive influence on recycling potential.
Dongyong Zhang; Mengge Hao; Sida Chen; Stephen Morse. Solid Waste Characterization and Recycling Potential for a University Campus in China. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3086 .
AMA StyleDongyong Zhang, Mengge Hao, Sida Chen, Stephen Morse. Solid Waste Characterization and Recycling Potential for a University Campus in China. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (8):3086.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDongyong Zhang; Mengge Hao; Sida Chen; Stephen Morse. 2020. "Solid Waste Characterization and Recycling Potential for a University Campus in China." Sustainability 12, no. 8: 3086.