Li Chai

Crop cultivation occupies substantial areas of land globally, contributing to biodiversity loss. In the context of globalization, the transnational flow of biodiversity loss footprints caused by international crop trade has raised questions about the distribution of ecological responsibility. However, most existing research tends to attribute such loss exclusively to either consumers or producers, which overlooks a more equitable perspective that integrates both parties’ responsibilities. By drawing upon welfare economics, this study allocates the biodiversity loss arising from crop trade between producers and consumers. We developed a high-resolution distribution map illustrating the allocation of export-induced biodiversity loss among consumers and producers. We also trace the origin of biodiversity loss allocated to consumers. These findings provide a basis for global ecological compensation initiatives and assist policymakers in optimizing land-use strategies.

With the growing emphasis on sustainable development, the impact of customer environmental performance on innovation activities has attracted more attention. Using a dataset of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2009 to 2022, this study empirically investigates the relationship between customer environmental performance and supplier green innovation. The results show that customer environmental performance has a significant positive effect on supplier green innovation. Mechanism analysis reveals that customer environmental performance promotes supplier green innovation through four pathways: supply chain transmission, market investment expectations, institutional policies, and financial constraints. The impact of customer environmental performance on supplier green innovation is more pronounced when the customer enterprise is state-owned, the supplier enterprise is state-owned, or the supplier enterprise holds ISO14001 certification. This study contributes to the literature on supply chain sustainability and provides valuable insights for enterprises on enhancing competitiveness and promoting sustainable supply chain transformation through improved environmental performance.

The sustainable dietary transitions must account for the varied culinary traditions and regional food cultures to ensure a balanced and culturally sensitive approach. This study aims to explore the impact of regional preferences on culinary culture and examine ways to achieve environmentally friendly dietary transitions in China by considering the differences in the environmental burdens of various cuisines. We investigate the eight Chinese culinary traditions and depict their respective popularity in China at the city level via POI characterization based on ArcGIS. Water, carbon, and ecological footprints are selected to investigate the environmental performance of each type of cuisine. Results show that the eight cuisines vary significantly in spreads of influence and environmental performances. Chuan cuisine is the most widely disseminated cuisine with a relatively low environmental burden. The remaining seven cuisines have limited spreads of influence and are mainly distributed in small cultural regions and the surrounding areas. Hui Cuisine, Zhe Cuisine, and Min Cuisine have the worst environmental performances. This study reveals the significant impact of regional cuisines on the environmental footprint of diets and highlights the necessity of considering this impact when promoting dietary transition, especially in culturally diverse countries.

Virtual water was introduced by John Anthony Allan in 1998 as a measure of the amount of water required for the production of goods and services. Following the initiation of the Sustainable Development Goals in recent years, an intensified focus on environmental sustainability, particularly regarding water sustainability, has emerged. In this context, virtual water, as a crucial tool for water resources management, garnering attention from the academic community. Existing studies on virtual water have made significant contributions on quantifying the virtual water content embedded in commodities, delineating cross-regional patterns of virtual water flows, unveiling the temporal evolution and spatial distribution patterns of virtual water trade, assessing the economic valuation of virtual water through shadow pricing techniques, and analyzing the drivers influencing virtual water flows. However, there are still research gaps in the current literature on virtual water trade forecasting, virtual water accounting in different sectors (such as services and light industry), grey water footprint estimation and water scarcity indices. Moreover, virtual water research involves hydrology, economics and ecology. Multidisciplinary crossover will be an important trend in virtual water research in the future. This article seeks to comprehensively review current dialogues and investigations regarding virtual water and virtual water trade, assessing their impacts on a range of natural, social, and economic dimensions, and help scientists advance the frontiers of the field, as well as help policymakers adapt regional trade patterns and manage water resources more efficiently.