The human population is growing every day and with it the worldwide consumption of resources. This consumption results in an increasing demand for goods and products which leads to shifting agriculture and commodity-driven deforestation. While climate change and the rapid global warming are further driven by the degradation of forests, the shocking and increasing number of twenty-five million hectares of forest loss annually threatens the world's ecosystems (Global Forest Watch, 2021; UNEP, n.d.). This thesis examines the impact of deforestation-mitigation technologies on corporate performance, analyzing 110 companies gathered from the Forest 500 report. Integrating Industry 4.0 tools such as satellite monitoring, blockchain technology, IoT, AI, and the Starling solution, alongside zero-deforestation commitments (ZDCs), some of these companies demonstrate a proactive approach to environmental sustainability. Regression models revealed nuanced relationships: while technology and ZDCs individually affect a company’s deforestation performance, their combined effect on it is less evident. However, integrating these deforestation-mitigation technologies positively influences the association between ZDCs and the firm value. This suggests that the synergy of technologies to mitigate deforestation and ZDCs enhances firm value, signaling market recognition. Additionally, this study highlights the promising scalability of deforestation-mitigation technologies and their potential to drive positive environmental change. Thus, these findings provide valuable insights for organizations seeking sustainable and impactful deforestation mitigation strategies.
La popolazione umana cresce ogni giorno e con essa il consumo mondiale di risorse. Questo consumo si traduce in una crescente domanda di beni e prodotti, che porta a un'agricoltura in continua evoluzione e a una deforestazione guidata dalle materie prime. Mentre il cambiamento climatico e il rapido riscaldamento globale sono ulteriormente guidati dal degrado delle foreste, lo scioccante numero di venticinque milioni di ettari di foreste perse ogni anno minaccia gli ecosistemi mondiali (Global Forest Watch, 2021; UNEP, n.d.). Questa tesi esamina l'impatto delle tecnologie di mitigazione della deforestazione sulle prestazioni aziendali, analizzando 110 aziende raccolte dal rapporto Forest 500. Integrando strumenti dell'Industria 4.0 come il monitoraggio satellitare, la tecnologia blockchain, l'IoT, l'AI e la soluzione Starling, insieme agli impegni di deforestazione zero (ZDC), queste aziende dimostrano un approccio proattivo alla sostenibilità ambientale. I modelli di regressione hanno rivelato relazioni sfumate: mentre la tecnologia e le ZDC influiscono singolarmente sulla performance di deforestazione di un'azienda, il loro effetto combinato è meno evidente. Tuttavia, l'integrazione di queste tecnologie di mitigazione della deforestazione influenza positivamente la connessione tra ZDC e valore aziendale. Ciò suggerisce che la sinergia tra tecnologie e ZDC aumenta il valore dell'azienda, segnalando il riconoscimento del mercato. Inoltre, lo studio mette in evidenza la promettente scalabilità delle tecnologie di mitigazione della deforestazione e il loro potenziale per guidare un cambiamento ambientale positivo. Questi risultati forniscono quindi spunti preziosi per le organizzazioni che cercano una deforestazione sostenibile e d'impatto.
Esame dell'impatto delle tecnologie di mitigazione della deforestazione sulle performance aziendali
MÖNKS, CELINE
2022/2023
Abstract
The human population is growing every day and with it the worldwide consumption of resources. This consumption results in an increasing demand for goods and products which leads to shifting agriculture and commodity-driven deforestation. While climate change and the rapid global warming are further driven by the degradation of forests, the shocking and increasing number of twenty-five million hectares of forest loss annually threatens the world's ecosystems (Global Forest Watch, 2021; UNEP, n.d.). This thesis examines the impact of deforestation-mitigation technologies on corporate performance, analyzing 110 companies gathered from the Forest 500 report. Integrating Industry 4.0 tools such as satellite monitoring, blockchain technology, IoT, AI, and the Starling solution, alongside zero-deforestation commitments (ZDCs), some of these companies demonstrate a proactive approach to environmental sustainability. Regression models revealed nuanced relationships: while technology and ZDCs individually affect a company’s deforestation performance, their combined effect on it is less evident. However, integrating these deforestation-mitigation technologies positively influences the association between ZDCs and the firm value. This suggests that the synergy of technologies to mitigate deforestation and ZDCs enhances firm value, signaling market recognition. Additionally, this study highlights the promising scalability of deforestation-mitigation technologies and their potential to drive positive environmental change. Thus, these findings provide valuable insights for organizations seeking sustainable and impactful deforestation mitigation strategies.È consentito all'utente scaricare e condividere i documenti disponibili a testo pieno in UNITESI UNIPV nel rispetto della licenza Creative Commons del tipo CC BY NC ND.
Per contatti: unitesi@unipv.it
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14239/3172