Núria Arimany-Serrat

This study analyses how the construction sector in Catalonia is advancing towards a circular economy model through four dimensions: construction and demolition waste (CDW) recycling, Energy Saving Certificates (CAEs), passive building design and the RECONS environmental certification. The literature has examined these dimensions separately, and the contribution of regional, company-level certification schemes such as RECONS remains largely unexplored. An exploratory multiple-case-study design based on documentary analysis and source triangulation is applied to representative initiatives in Catalonia, and an integrated conceptual framework linking material circularity, energy efficiency, passive design and environmental governance is developed. Each dimension addresses a distinct aspect of sustainability: CDW recycling improves resource efficiency and reduces landfill disposal; CAEs shorten the payback period of energy-efficiency investments by monetising verified savings; passive design reduces operational energy demand under Mediterranean conditions; and RECONS strengthens company-level environmental management among small and medium-sized enterprises. Persistent barriers include regulatory requirements, market uncertainty, upfront costs and the limited international visibility of regional schemes. Because the study draws on secondary sources and a small number of illustrative cases, its findings are exploratory rather than generalisable and indicate that progress towards circular construction depends on coordinated rather than isolated measures.

This study examines the relationship between financial health (2019–2023) and the transparency of environmental information disclosure in leading Catalan pharmaceutical companies. Based on an economic–financial analysis of financial statements and environmental information reported in accordance with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards, the study evaluates the relationship between financial and environmental indicators. Environmental transparency is measured through a Disclosure Index (DI), defined as the proportion of ESRS‐aligned indicators reported, and a Quality of Numerical Disclosure index (DI‐N), based on a 0–3 scale assessing the quality of quantitative reporting. The results reveal solid financial health across the sector and a relatively high level of environmental disclosure, with particular emphasis on circular economy and climate change indicators. The relationship between financial performance and environmental disclosure is mixed, suggesting that higher profitability does not necessarily lead to greater environmental transparency. Given the limited number of firms with available sustainability reports, the empirical results should be interpreted as exploratory.

The aim of this research is to analyse how small and medium-sized construction companies in Catalonia are advancing towards a circular economy model through material recycling, energy efficiency and passive building design, in line with the 2030 Agenda and the European Green Deal. The exploratory study focuses on case studies of companies, including those certified with the RECONS (acronym for Environmental Responsibility in Construction in Catalonia) environmental label, identifying strategies to reduce the carbon footprint by valorising construction and demolition waste, adopting Energy Saving Certificates (ESCs), and implementing passive standards such as Passivhaus in a Mediterranean climate. A literature review is combined with empirical analysis to assess regulatory, technological and market barriers, as well as existing economic incentives. The findings indicate that the use of recycled aggregates and passive construction solutions enables significant reductions in energy consumption and emissions, while ESCs and environmental labels act as key levers to accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable construction sector aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

In contemporary organizations characterized by the coexistence of multiple generations and diverse professional backgrounds, internal communication has established itself as a key strategic function for fostering organizational cohesion and alignment. Although the literature has extensively analyzed its strategic and relational dimensions, there is still limited empirical evidence on how temporal and sociodemographic variables—especially age and organizational tenure—shape the internal communication experience. This research examines whether age and tenure are associated with satisfaction regarding eight theoretically based dimensions of internal communication. A quantitative cross-sectional design was used, involving a structured survey of 249 employees using the Internal Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire (ICSQ). Since the data did not follow a normal distribution, nonparametric tests were applied (Kruskal–Wallis with Bonferroni post hoc comparisons). The results partially confirm the influence of age and suggest that tenure plays a significant role in several dimensions. Age and tenure are found to be complementary, though not redundant, variables associated with distinct dimensions of the internal communication experience. Furthermore, a descriptive non-monotonic pattern is observed across tenure groups, which is compatible with interpretations derived from organizational socialization theory. However, given the cross-sectional design and the bivariate nature of the analyses, these findings should be interpreted as exploratory associations. The independent effects of age and organizational tenure cannot be fully isolated without multivariable modelling.

The article aims to visualize in a single graph Spanish fish and meat processing companies with respect to solvency, energy, waste and water intensity and gender employment gap. These financial, environmental, and social indicators are ratios, which require specific statistical analysis methods. We use the compositional data methodology and the principal‐component analysis biplot. Fish‐processing companies have more homogeneous financial, environmental, and social performance. Firms with higher solvency tend to be less efficient in energy use. Firms can be visually ordered along all indicators simultaneously and thus can visually see their areas of improvement in financial, environmental, and social performance compared to their competitors. This is the first time in which visualization tools have combined financial, environmental, and social indicators. The main limitation is the small sample size. As of now, few Spanish firms publish reports according to the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.

Repositori institucional de la Universitat de Vic amb accés obert a articles

Compositional data are contemporarily defined as positive vectors, the ratios among whose elements are of interest to the researcher. Financial statement analysis by means of accounting ratios a.k.a. financial ratios fulfils this definition to the letter. Compositional data analysis solves the major problems in statistical analysis of standard financial ratios, such as skewness, non-normality, non-linearity, outliers, and dependence of the results on the choice of which accounting figure goes to the numerator and to the denominator of the ratio. In this article, we review the literature on said problems and the applications of the compositional data methodology since the first publication 10 years ago. We present a how-to guide for early adopters of the methodology. This includes some transformations within compositional data analysis that are particularly useful for financial statement analysis, how to visualise firms in an industry with a compositional principal-component-analysis biplot and how to do statistical inference on the financial performance by groups of firms. We discuss in which cases compositional data analysis is essential and in which it can be dispensed with, as well as current debates, future challenges and avenues for further research.

In 2023, the World Tourism Organisation stated that rural tourism in member states faces the challenge of improving rural infrastructure, overcoming depopulation and seasonality, and enhancing competitiveness, while providing the necessary knowledge for rural development. Rural tourism receives international, national, and local subsidies, as it is an essential sector for sustainable development and the implementation of the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda. Moreover, it contributes to reducing rural depopulation and provides complementary income to the primary sector. This research assesses the sector’s financial performance and the relationship between subsidies and said performance. The data used in the study were obtained from the SABI - Bureau van Dijk database and correspond to the period 2018–2022. A set of robust financial ratios was derived using compositional data analysis as representative indicators of the companies’ financial performance. The importance of subsidies was examined through regression models. Although it is not uniform across all ratios, companies that received subsidies exceeding 25 % of their total assets show higher turnover, a more tangible asset structure, and longer debt maturity. These factors support the sector’s financial health and, in turn, firm survival.

El declive de los polinizadores afecta la biodiversidad y la seguridad alimentaria, y preservar el sector apícola deriva del nuevo pacto por los polinizadores de la Comisión Europea de 2023. La salud de las abejas condiciona la salud financiera del sector y presentamos su diagnóstico entre 2016 y 2021 para ayudar a tomar decisiones empresariales. Empleamos análisis de datos composicionales por sus ventajas en análisis de estados contables, con medias geométricas de las ratios y análisis clúster para identificar los grupos de empresas más amenazadas. El mayor problema es el margen negativo, aunque se identifiquen dos clústeres con valores positivos.

One of the core objectives of the European Green Deal in pursuing climate neutrality and sustainable development is the decarbonization of high-impact sectors. Among the most polluting is the fast fashion industry, driven by linear business models that must urgently transition to circular economy frameworks and decarbonized supply chains. Fast fashion poses significant environmental and social challenges due to its high greenhouse gas emissions, excessive resource consumption, and substantial waste generation. To foster greater sustainability within the sector, this study examines environmental indicators defined by the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), in accordance with the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) 2022/2464. Aligned with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), these standards aim to harmonize sustainability disclosures and enable better decision-making across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions throughout Europe. This research focuses on five key environmental aspects—climate change, pollution, water resource management, biodiversity, and circular economy/resource use—across four leading fast fashion brands: Mango, Zara, H&M, and Shein. Using an exploratory web-based methodology, this study evaluates how these companies disclose and implement ESG strategies in their supply chains. The central aim is to assess the sustainability and resilience of their operations, with particular emphasis on communication strategies that support the transition from linear to circular business models. Ultimately, this study seeks to highlight both the progress and persistent challenges faced by the fast fashion industry in aligning with ESG and ESRS requirements.