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Social Sustainability of Water and Waste Management Companies in Portugal

Author

Listed:
  • Eleonora Santos

    (Centre of Applied Research in Management and Economics, School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal)

  • Jacinta Moreira

    (Centre of Applied Research in Management and Economics, School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal)

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals aim at balancing economic, social and environmental development. In this framework, social sustainability is key to tackle current challenges that hinder the maximization of social satisfaction. Yet, for many years, scholars have negleted the social dimension. A possible explanation may be the difficulty to measure social concepts such as well-being and prosperity. Thus, we argue that, to evaluate sectoral performance, the concept of social sustainability should be translated into metrics, by focusing on the indicators that impact on those social concepts. Consequently, time-series data from Quadros do Pessoal, PORDATA and SABI databases for the sector of Water Collection, Treatment and Distribution, Sanitation, Waste Management and Depollution, are consulted to analyze the evolution of those indicators and evaluate corporate performance concerning social sustainability in 2008–2019. In line with previous literature, we use average wages and employment as proxies for social sustainability. However, we introduce a new indicator, the average term for receipts to carry out an analysis from the stakeholders’ perspective. The results suggest that, especially as of 2017, sectoral firms appear to have reagained their momentum concerning social sustainability performance. This study provides the opportunity to uncover average sectoral trends on social sustainability and paves the way for future research exploring firms’ heterogeneity.

Suggested Citation

  • Eleonora Santos & Jacinta Moreira, 2021. "Social Sustainability of Water and Waste Management Companies in Portugal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2021:i:1:p:221-:d:711476
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Abdullah Yıldızbaşı & Cihat Öztürk & Deniz Efendioğlu & Serol Bulkan, 2021. "Assessing the social sustainable supply chain indicators using an integrated fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making methods: a case study of Turkey," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 4285-4320, March.
    2. Francesco Gangi & Eugenio D'Angelo & Lucia Michela Daniele & Nicola Varrone, 2021. "Assessing the impact of socially responsible human resources management on company environmental performance and cost of debt," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(5), pages 1511-1527, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bernardo Valente & Eduardo Medeiros, 2022. "The Impacts of EU Cohesion Policy on Sustainable Tourism: The Case of POSEUR in Algarve," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-15, October.
    2. Amrullah & Umi Kaltum & Merry Citra Sondari & Diaz Pranita, 2023. "The Influence of Capability, Business Innovation, and Competitive Advantage on a Smart Sustainable Tourism Village and Its Impact on the Management Performance of Tourism Villages on Java Island," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-31, September.
    3. Robin Hogrefe & Sabine Bohnet-Joschko, 2023. "The Social Dimension of Corporate Sustainability: Review of an Evolving Research Field," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-22, February.

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