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The beer industry stands as a significant player in the global economy, and it is increasingly renowned not only for its diverse flavours, but also for its impact on the environment. Amidst its popularity, the beer sector faces mounting pressure to address environmental concerns, particularly related to packaging. As the world is increasingly embracing sustainability as a guiding principle, the beer industry's approach to packaging has come under scrutiny for its ecological footprint. This study aims to shed some light on the environmental footprint of beer production by applying a life cycle assessment, comparing different types of packaging. This study calculated the product environmental footprint of beer consumed in PET kegs, glass bottles and aluminium cans, and performed three sensitivity analyses on load factors of transport, waste transport distance and recycled content. The results identified draught beer in PET kegs as the most sustainable solution for beer consumption, with a footprint of around 90 % lower than the other types of packaging. However, the analysis showed that the biggest environmental impact is found in the cultivation, packaging and use phases, that account for a contribution of 60 %, 27 % and 11 % respectively. The results of this study highlighted the importance of the load factor in the distribution phase, of recyclability and of the use of secondary raw materials for packaging. This study stands as an original and valuable contribution, offering a comprehensive understanding of the environmental impact of beer packaging and of the beverage industry. Its insights can guide breweries, policymakers, and consumers towards sustainable choices, fostering a positive change within the sector. It also questions the sustainability of circular solutions by comparing recycling and reuse options. This study revealed also that a green supply chain management is key in the transition towards a circular economy and in the decarbonization process.

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Recent works have found a negative correlation between the amount of food waste generated in foodservice outlets and the extent to which managers perceive it as a relevant problem. However, it is hard to believe that food flows would be impacted by wishful thinking alone. In this paper, we try to offer an explanation to these findings by testing the associations between importance recognition, food waste measurement and compliance to waste reduction strategies in three different stages (pre-kitchen, in-kitchen and post-kitchen). We do so by fitting a generalized structural equation model in the results of a survey ran in Italy with almost 500 Horeca (Hotels, restaurants and cafeterias) managers. Our findings reveal that importance perception triggers strategies' adoption in only one of the three stages (in-kitchen). Furthermore, this association is essentially dependent on the mediation performed by measurement, suggesting that importance recognition covers a complex pathway to arrive in reduced amounts of waste. Additional results indicate that larger and higher-end outlets tend to place more importance on food waste. Moreover, although 77% of the sample recognizes the relevance of food waste to their businesses, the incorporation of some of the main reduction strategies is still low, as 85% of the establishments report the adoption of no more than 3 out of the 9 strategies presented.

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Drawing on Bansal & Roth's model of ecological responsiveness, the study investigates how environmental managers' cognitive framings of sustainability issues and interpretations of field-level contextual factors affect decision-making processes with regard to environmental management system (EMS) internalization. Using data from a survey questionnaire of 457 ISO 14001-certified and EMAS-registered European companies, the research analyses the influence of managers' perceptions of contextual factors (i.e. environmental issue salience and governmental regulatory incentives) and managers' cognitive traits (i.e. managers' environmental concern and cognitive framings of environmental practices) on internalization. The results highlight that, while managers' perceived stakeholders' concern for the natural environment directly influences substantive internalization, governmental regulatory reliefs fail to influence the internalization of EMS. Similarly, managers' environmental concern emerges as an antecedent of internalization, while managers' adherence to an alignment logic between economic and environmental objectives does not contribute to internalization. Furthermore, the study contributes to the conceptualization of substantive internalization of environmental practices, by highlighting the existence of two distinct dimensions of EMS internalization, i.e. operational and strategic internalization.

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Waste prevention is currently a critical issue, and our research aims to provide a more nuanced view by examining the determinants of individual behaviour when deciding to either purchase a certain item or to extend the life of an owned item through repair or reuse activities. Our research has two main aims: (1) to examine the importance that being aware of consequences and personal norms have in shaping positive attitudes towards waste prevention behaviour; and (2) to explore the relationship between attitudes and perceived behavioural control on waste prevention by testing the mediation effects of perceived behavioural control and waste prevention behaviour. The research is based on 375 questionnaires collected in Pietra Ligure, a municipality located in Northwest Italy. Data were modelled using a structural equation model to test the hypotheses. The findings show that awareness of the consequences is a fundamental driver of waste prevention attitudes while personal norms are not. The findings also confirm a positive relationship between attitudes and perceived behavioural control. Finally, a positive significant relationship was found between perceived behavioural control and waste prevention behaviour, and between social norms and waste prevention behaviour. The results of our investigation are contextualised in theoretical, political and managerial frameworks and suggest several avenues for further research.

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Institutional theory has been widely debated by scholars. A part of literature examines how institutional pressures act on company choices regarding proactive environmental strategies. However, the institutional perspective has still not completely clarified the influence of these pressures on the effectiveness of environmental management systems (EMSs) in achieving goals in terms of eco-innovation, competitiveness and corporate reputation. This paper analyses the role played by coercive, mimetic and normative forces in stimulating innovative and competitive responses by firms with an environmental certification. Using the results of a survey on 242 European EMAS-registered organisations, the paper highlights the more positive influence of mimetic and normative pressures than coercive ones. The paper contributes to the literature debate on EMSs analysed through the lens of institutional theory.

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There is a considerable debate on the effects of environmental regulation on competitive performance. Based on survey data, this paper analyzes the two main research questions, derived from literature, on the links between environmental regulation and competitiveness, by focusing on firms operating in the building and construction sector, i.e.: 1) whether environmental policy stringency affects the competitive performance of firms in the building and construction sector 2) and how a specific form of environmental regulation (direct regulation, economic instruments and soft instruments) affects this performance? By applying a regression analysis, we find that a more stringent environmental regulation, measured by inspection frequency, provides a positive impulse for increasing investments in advanced technological equipment and innovative products and on business performance. Moreover, a well-designed "direct regulation" appears to be the most effective policy instrument for prompting the positive impact of environmental policies on innovation and intangible performance while economic instruments do negatively affect business performance.

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