Drivers of water utilities’ operational performance – An analysis from the Portuguese case

Amaral, A. L.; Martins, Rita; Dias, Luís C.

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136004

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…At the same time, this literature review reveals that utility companies do not only disclose their commitment to sustainability, but their practices go beyond the talk level, confirming previous studies' results [3]. Several studies investigated the sustainability practices and the impact these have on ESG performance [86,87,90,91]. Some studies evidenced that circular economy [68,69,74] and technological innovations [70][71][72] are essential to supporting utility companies' change from traditional business models to sustainable business models [2].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

“…Sustainability efficiency is another issue that has been investigated by academic scholars both in the water [83] and energy [84,85] sectors, where microgrid communities are proposed as a valid solution to creating sustainably beneficial energy systems [84,85]. However, some authors [86] have also evidenced the existence of operational obstacles to sustainability (such as allocated personnel or water losses), with obvious consequences in terms of certification policies (environmental and occupational health and safety).…”

Section: Practices For Sustainability: the Relevance Of The Circular ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

How Is the Utilities Sector Contributing to Building a Sustainable Future? A Systematic Literature Review of Sustainability Practices

D’Amore,

Testa,

Lepore

2023

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Utilities have a key role in the transition to a more economically and socially sustainable future. Driven by pressures from investors, regulators, government and society, companies across all sectors are setting bold ambitions for sustainability. However, they strongly depend on the utility industry meeting their own sustainability goals. Despite the relevance of their role, the determinants and obstacles to the adoption of sustainability practices by utility companies have been little investigated by scholars. This article aims to bridge this gap through a systematic literature review of 72 articles published from 1990 to 2023 in the accounting and management fields. After the analysis of bibliometric data and keywords used for science mapping, this study developed an in-depth review of the literature. Five different clusters, corresponding to the main research topics on which management and accounting literature has focused over the last 30 years, were identified. The results highlight that the expanding regulation and institutional pressures coming from governments, financial investors, consumers and society represent the primary factors that are driving utility companies toward sustainability. However, there are still several obstacles preventing utility companies from radically changing their business models, including the high costs associated with the technological and process innovations required. This study offers theoretical and practical contributions and policy implications. It contributes to systematizing literature on this topic, evidencing existing gaps and future research guidelines. It also outlines some managerial propositions that may be useful for practitioners, governments and policymakers.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Section: Practices For Sustainability: the Relevance Of The Circular ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

How Is the Utilities Sector Contributing to Building a Sustainable Future? A Systematic Literature Review of Sustainability Practices

D’Amore,

Testa,

Lepore

2023

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Utilities' operations must be guided by measures seeking to reduce NRW to as little as possible. This is because NRW represents a burden, both financial and environmental (Amaral et al, 2023), indicating a great source of inefficiency for water utilities (Alsharif, Feroz, Klemer, Raab, 2008).…”

Section: Implications Of Nrwmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A great part of private operators succeeded in reducing water losses (Marin, 2009;P. Carvalho et al, 2015) and the explanation for such fact may be simple: reductions in water losses represent a revenue for the service provider (Amaral et al, 2023), an important incentive for investments with this focus for water supply utilities.…”

Section: Nrw Drivers In Brazilmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The growing pressure on water resources, which is accelerating due to climate change and increasing occurrence of extreme weather events, has led to an urgent need in increasing efficiency in water systems, which includes minimizing water loss (González-Gómez et al, 2012;Pillot, Catel, Renaud, Augeard, & Roux, 2016). Nevertheless, despite the uncertainties related to water availability in the future, water utilities still struggle with non-revenue water (NRW; Pillot et al, 2016;Amaral, Martins, & Dias, 2023;Beker & Kansal, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Guidelines for water conservation in Brazil

Sousa

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

First and foremost, I am grateful for the support of my family. My husband, Andre, was by my side in every step I took during my PhD, giving guidance, mental assistance, and cheering every time I succeed. I am also grateful for my daughters, Lara and Cecília, who were born during my academic journey. They may not understand this process, but they always gave me strength to continue, even during the most difficult times.To my parents, Lincoln and Suzana, and sisters, Mariana e Ana Carolina, who were always there for me. Moreover, my mother and my sister played an important role in my academic aspirations, as female PhDs. Also, always in my mind was my grandfather, Prof. Celso, the greatest enthusiast of environmental research in my opinion, contributing to pollution and climate change studies in Brazil for decades.To my supervisor, Nuno, thank you for joining me in this adventure back in 2016, when I was still an undergraduate student. I am so glad our partnership lasted all these years and was so fruitful.This dissertation was written in English, with the objective of facilitating the process of submitting the articles to publication in international journals. This was a challenge, but I was able to overcome thanks to my aunt Beatriz's proofreading and language feedback. Thank you for your time, dedication, and interest in my research.

show abstract

Performance analytics for regulation in retail water utilities: Guiding asset management by identifying peers and targets

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Drivers of water utilities’ operational performance – An analysis from the Portuguese case

Cited by 5 publications

References 47 publications

How Is the Utilities Sector Contributing to Building a Sustainable Future? A Systematic Literature Review of Sustainability Practices

How Is the Utilities Sector Contributing to Building a Sustainable Future? A Systematic Literature Review of Sustainability Practices

Guidelines for water conservation in Brazil

Performance analytics for regulation in retail water utilities: Guiding asset management by identifying peers and targets

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About