The Drivers of Green Practices Adoption in Air Cargo Carriers
Keywords:
Green Practice, Air Transport, Green DriversAbstract
Environmental problems are becoming increasingly severe, and the air transportation industry significantly impacts the environment. Although green practices are available for air carriers, more research is needed to understand the factors that drive their adoption. Therefore, this article aims to investigate the factors that drive the adoption of green practices in air cargo carriers. The researchers collected data from the environmental reports of various airlines and analyzed it using the content analysis method through the lens of institutional isomorphism theory. The results reveal that coercive and normative pressures are the main drivers of green practice adoption in air cargo carriers. In contrast, mimetic pressure was not found to be a significant factor. This article contributes to the current literature by providing a framework for studying airline green practices from an institutional theory perspective and insight into air carriers adopting green practices. The authors also identify the limitations of this study and provide suggestions for future research.
References
Baharozu, E., Soykan, G. & Ozerdem, M. (2017). Future aircraft concept in terms of energy efficiency and environmental factors. Energy, 140, 1368-1377.
Bengtsson, M. (2016). How to plan and perform a qualitative study using content analysis. NursingPlus Open, 2, 8-14.
Chao, C. (2014). Assessment of carbon emission costs for air cargo transportation. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 33, 186-195.
Chen, X., Yi, N., Zhang, L., & Li, D. (2018). Does institutional pressure foster corporate green innovation? Evidence from China's top 100 companies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 188, 304-311.
Clemens, B., & Douglas, T. (2005). Understanding strategic responses to institutional pressures. Journal of Business Research, 58(9), 1205-1213.
Dalmau, R. & Prats, X. (2015). Fuel and time savings by flying continuous cruise climbs. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 35, 62-71.
DiMaggio, P., & Powell, W. (1983). The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American Sociological Review, 48(2), 147-160.
Dray, L., Evans, A., Reynolds, T., Schäfer, A., Vera-Morales, M., & Bosbach, W. (2014). Airline fleet replacement funded by a carbon tax: An integrated assessment. Transport Policy, 34, 75-84.
EASA. (2016). European aviation environmental report 2016. https://ec.europa.eu/transport/sites/transport/files/european-aviation-environmental-report-2016-72dpi.pdf
EIA. (2018). What are the types of greenhouse gases?. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=environment_about_ghg
Glover, J., Champion, D., Daniels, K., & Dainty, A. (2014). An institutional theory perspective on sustainable practices across the dairy supply chain. International Journal of Production Economics, 152, 102-111.
Govindan, K., Diabat, A., & Madan Shankar, K. (2015). Analyzing the drivers of green manufacturing with fuzzy approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 96, 182-193.
Hoejmose, S., Grosvold, J. & Millington, A. (2014). The effect of institutional pressure on cooperative and coercive ‘green’ supply chain practices. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 20(4), 215-224.
Howitt, O. J., Carruthers, A. M., Smith, J. I., & Rodger, J. C. (2011). Carbon dioxide emissions from international air freight. Atmospheric Environment, 45(39), 7036-7045.
IATA. (2013). IATA technology roadmap (4th edition). https://www.iata.org/whatwedo/environment/documents/technology-roadmap-2013.pdf
IATA. (2015). Fuel fact sheets. https://www.iata.org/pressroom/facts_figures/fact_sheets/documents/fact-sheet-fuel.pdf
IATA. (2017). Annual review. https://www.iata.org/publications/Documents/iata-annual-review-2017.pdf
IATA. (2022). Annual review. https://www.iata.org/contentassets/c81222d96c9a4e0bb4ff6ced0126f0bb/annual-review-2022.pdf
ICAO. (2016). ICAO environmental report 2016. https://www.icao.int/environmental-protection/Documents/ICAO%20Environmental%20Report%202016.pdf
ICAO. (2023). CORSIA - carbon offsetting and reduction scheme for international aviation.https://www.icao.int/environmental-protection/CORSIA/Pages/default.aspx
Janić, M. (2017). An assessment of the potential of alternative fuels for “greening” commercial air transportation. Journal of Air Transport Management, 69, 235-247.
Khoo, H., & Teoh, L. (2014). A bi-objective dynamic programming approach for airline green fleet planning. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 33, 166-185.
Kim, S., & Lee, S. (2012). Stakeholder pressure and the adoption of environmental logistics practices. The International Journal of Logistics Management, 23(2), 238-258.
Kousoulidou, M., & Lonza, L. (2016). Biofuels in aviation: Fuel demand and CO2 emissions evolution in Europe toward 2030. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 46, 166-181.
Krippendorff, K. (2004). Content analysis. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Kupfer, F., Meersman, H., Onghena, E. & Van de Voorde, E. (2017). The underlying drivers and future development of air cargo. Journal of Air Transport Management, 61, 6-14.
Lee, C., Wahid, N., & Goh, Y. (2013). Perceived drivers of green practices adoption: A conceptual framework. Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR), 29(2), 351-360.
Lin, R., & Sheu, C. (2012). Why do firms adopt/implement green practices?–An institutional theory perspective. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 57, 533-540.
Lin, Z. (2013). Making aviation green. Advances in Manufacturing, 1(1), 42-49.
Lynes, J. (2014). The motivation for environmental commitment in airlines industry: A case study OF scandinavian airlines. Griffith University.
McKinnon, A. (2010). CO2 emissions from freight transport: An analysis of UK data. Edinburgh: Logistics Research Centre Heriot-Watt University.
Meyer, J., & Rowan, B. (1977). Institutionalized organizations: Formal structure as myth and ceremony. American Journal of Sociology, 83(2), 340-363.
Miyoshi, C., & Mason, K. (2009). The carbon emissions of selected airlines and aircraft types in three geographic markets. Journal of Air Transport Management, 15(3), 138-147.
Mitchell, D., Ekstrand, H., Prats, X. & Grönstedt, T. (2012). An environmental assessment of air traffic speed constraints in the departure phase of flight: A case study at Gothenburg Landvetter Airport, Sweden. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 17(8), 610-618.
Morrison, J., Bonnefoy, P., Hansman, R. J., & Sgouridis, S. (2010, September 13-15). Investigation of the impacts of effective fuel cost increase on the us air transportation network and fleet [Paper presentation]. 10th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations (ATIO) Conference (p. 9202), Texas, United States.
Müller, C., Kieckhäfer, K., & Spengler, T. (2018). The influence of emission thresholds and retrofit options on airline fleet planning: An optimization approach. Energy Policy, 112, 242-257.
Oliver, C. (1991). Strategic responses to institutional processes. Academy of Management Review, 16(1), 145-179.
Olivier, J., Schure, K., & Peters, J. (2017). Trends in global CO2 and total greenhouse gas emissions. https://www.pbl.nl/sites/default/files/cms/publicaties/pbl-2017-trends-in-global-co2-and-total-greenhouse-gas-emissons-2017-report_2674.pdf
Pagoni, I. & Psaraki-Kalouptsidi, V. (2017). Calculation of aircraft fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions based on path profile estimation by clustering and registration. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 54, 172-190.
Porter, M. E., & Linde, C. (1995). Green and competitive: An underlying logic links the environment, resource productivity, innovation, and competitiveness. Harvard Business Review, 73(5), 120-129.
Sancha, C., Longoni, A., & Giménez, C. (2015). Sustainable supplier development practices: Drivers and enablers in a global context. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 21(2), 95-102.
Sarkar, A. (2012). Evolving green aviation transport system: A holistic approach to sustainable green market development. American Journal of Climate Change, 1(3), 164-180.
Sarkis, J., Zhu, Q., & Lai, K. (2011). An organizational theoretic review of green supply chain management literature. International Journal of Production Economics, 130(1), 1-15.
Scheelhaase, J., Maertens, S., Grimme, W., & Jung, M. (2018). EU ETS versus CORSIA – A critical assessment of two approaches to limit air transport's CO2 emissions by market-based measures. Journal of Air Transport Management, 67, 55-62.
Sayed, M., Hendry, L., & Zorzini Bell, M. (2017). Institutional complexity and sustainable supply chain management practices. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 22(6), 542-563.
Smith, P., Gaffney, M., Shi, W., Hoard, S., Armendariz, I, & Mueller, D. (2017). Drivers and barriers to the adoption and diffusion of Sustainable Jet Fuel (SJF) in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Journal of Air Transport Management, 58, 113-124.
S&P Global. (2023). ESG Score. https://www.spglobal.com/esg/scores/results?cid=4379438
Union of Concerned Scientists. (2017). Why does CO2 get most of the attention when there are so many other heat-trapping gases?. https://www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/science-and-impacts/science/CO2-and-global-warming-faq.html
Walker, H., Di Sisto, L., & McBain, D. (2008). Drivers and barriers to environmental supply chain management practices: Lessons from the public and private sectors. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 14(1), 69-85.
Wang, Z., Wang, Q., Zhang, S., & Zhao, X. (2018). Effects of customer and cost drivers on green supply chain management practices and environmental performance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 189, 673-682.
Xu, Y. & Prats, X. (2017). Effects of linear holding for reducing additional flight delays without extra fuel consumption. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 53, 388-397.
Yang, C. (2018). An analysis of institutional pressures, green supply chain management, and green performance in the container shipping context. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 61, 246-260.
Yilmaz, N., & Atmanli, A. (2017). Sustainable alternative fuels in aviation. Energy, 140, 1378-1386.
Zhang, Y., Thompson, R., Bao, X., & Jiang, Y. (2014). Analyzing the promoting factors for adopting green logistics practices: A case study of road freight industry in Nanjing, China. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 125, 432-444.
Zhou, G., & Zhang, Y. (2017). Integration and consolidation in air freight shipment planning: An economic and environmental perspective. Journal of Cleaner Production, 166, 1381-1394.
Zhu, Q., Sarkis, J., & Lai, K. (2007). Green supply chain management: pressures, practices and performance within the Chinese automobile industry. Journal of Cleaner Production, 15(11-12), 1041-1052.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Creative Business and Sustainability Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Opinions and discussions in papers published by the Creative Business and Sustainability Journal (CBSJ) are deemed as personal opinions and the responsibility of the writers. They are not the opinions or responsibility of the Chulalongkorn Business School of Chulalongkorn University.
Papers, content, information etc. appearing in the Journal are deemed to be the copyright property of the Chulalongkorn Business School of Chulalongkorn University. Anybody or any organization that wishes to publish any part of them or use them in any way must obtain written permission from the Chulalongkorn Business School, Chulalongkorn University.
