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Treball guanyador de la XVIII Edició dels premis a Treballs de Recerca de la UdL per a l’estudiantat de batxillerat i cicles formatius de grau superior en l'Àrea Juridicoeconòmica i de Turisme. Tutora: Ma. Luisa Samitier (Col·legi Claver) La presente investigación se refiere al estudio de los principios/códigos éticos i sostenibles que siguen las empresas del sector textil con el objetivo de averiguar si hay malas praxis en las empresas de este mismo sector. Por otra parte, determinar si realmente es posible crear tu propia empresa siendo totalmente ética y sostenible, y al mismo tiempo, obtener unos beneficios económicos considerables, será otra tarea prioritaria. Por lo tanto, se pondrá en duda la compatibilidad entre los principios éticos y sostenibles, y la obtención de un beneficio económico alto, aplicado en el sector textil. Mediante el asesoramiento de diversos expertos en el mundo de la moda, fuentes de información fiables y el cálculo del umbral de rentabilidad, se determina que estos dos conceptos son compatibles, pero dependiendo del tamaño y la magnitud de la empresa y siempre y cuando la empresa no tenga grandes pretensiones económicas. Del mismo modo, este trabajo quiere poner de manifiesto las conductas éticamente poco correctas que llevan a cabo muchas empresas textiles, como la producción desmesurada -causada por la Fast Fashion-, o el amplio abuso de los derechos humanos durante la producción de textil en países tercermundistas. The current research refers to the study refers to the study of the ethical and sustainable codes followed by companies in the textile sector with the aim of finding out if there are any malpractices in the companies in this same sector. On the other hand, determining whether it is possible to create your own company being totally ethical and sustainable, and at the same time obtain great economic benefits, will be another priority task. Therefore, the compatibility between ethical and sustainable principles, and the achievement of a high economic benefit, applied in the textile sector will be questioned. Through the advice of various experts in the world of fashion, reliable sources of information and the calculation of the break-even point, it’s determined that these two concepts are compatible, but depending on the size and the magnitude of the company as long as that the company does not have great economic claims. In the same way, this investigation wants to highlight the ethically incorrect behaviors carried out by many textile companies, such as excessive production -caused by Fast Fashion-, or the extensive abuse of human rights during textile production in third world countries.

Background: The UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 (‘Zero Hunger’) aims to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030. Thus, a range of different strategies are needed to facilitate the achievement of SDG 2 to overcome challenges and enable synergies between various SDG targets. Objective: The aim of this review is to highlight Africa’s progress toward SDG 2, including targets, strategies, synergies and challenges. Methods: We scrutinized published research articles in peer-reviewed journals, UN reports and in-country Africa reports (between 2015 and 2020) that were relevant to the current topic. Results: Several hunger indicators are showing slow progress or even deterioration in Africa. The prevalence of undernourishment in the general population was 19.1% in 2019 and is expected to increase to 25.7% by 2030. Improvements in child stunting in several regions in Africa are slow, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where about 34% of under-fives were stunted in 2012 and 31% in 2019. In Eastern Africa, stunting prevalence decreased from 38% in 2012 to 34% in 2019. Major drivers of hunger are poor governance and state fragility, war and conflicts, increasing inequality, weak economic development, climate change, biodegradation – and now lately the Covid 19 pandemic – factors that all increase food insecurity. Conclusion: Africa is off track to reach SDG – ‘Zero Hunger’ – by 2030. Current efforts and progress are insufficient. Africa must champion the SDG agenda on a national, regional and global level to facilitate synergies to unlock the potential for reaching ‘Zero Hunger’ throughout the continent.

Temperature projections from 2020 to 2099 under RCP 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5 scenarios.Rainfall projections from 2020 to 2099 under RCP 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5 scenarios.Annex – I The impacts of Covid-19 restrictions on air quality

In its European Green Deal the European Commission sets the objective of achieving climate neutrality in Europe by 2050. To support the delivery of this objective in relation to transport, which accounts for a quarter of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions, the Commission has declared 2021 as the European Year of Rail. A significant modal shift will be needed from less environmentally sound modes, such as road in particular, but also aviation, towards the greenest modes, namely rail and inland waterways, without compromising the connectivity of goods and persons, which is at the heart of the single market. This, in turn, will require measures to manage better, and to increase the capacity of railways and inland waterways, which the Commission has pledged to propose by 2021. COVID-19 has hit the transport sector particularly hard. There is a broad consensus that EU and national regulations should seize the opportunities afforded by the recovery plans to exit the crisis to promote the twin green and digital transformations. The 19th Florence Rail Forum, co-organised by the Transport Area of the Florence School of Regulation together with the Commission’s DG COMP and DG MOVE, examined the role of State aid in meeting the challenges of the Green Deal. Evaluations are currently underway of the relevant State aid guidelines including those pertaining to railways. Any revision will have to reflect the policy objectives of the Green Deal and ensure a level-playing field in the internal market. Investments will be paramount to boosting intermodal freight transport, in particular in transshipment terminals but also more generally in rail infrastructure (to ensure interoperable and sufficient capacity), and, possibly, in rolling stock or technology (e.g., automation for train composition). The Forum discussed the cases that justify State aid in order to support investment as well as operations, and moreover, the conditions under which State aid should be declared compatible to make intermodal freight transport attractive. The possibility and conditions to set up public service obligations for (structurally non-viable) rail freight routes was also discussed in view of ensuring sufficient capillarity and addressing the issue of the unprofitable last mile service. As regards passenger rail, the forum examined the demonstration of the necessity of public service contracts by public authorities.

On 19th March 2020, the European Commission adopted a Temporary Framework for State Aid measures, which is based on Article 107(3)(b)TFEU and complements other possibilities available to Member States to mitigate the social-economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in line with EU State aid rules, notably the possibility under Article 107(2)b TFEU to compensate specific companies or specific sectors for the damages directly caused by exceptional occurrences, such as the pandemic. The 17th Florence Air Forum, co-organised by the Florence School of Regulation’s Transport Area together with the Commission’s DG Competition, examined the hard impact of COVID-19 on the air sector while exploring possible ways forward to ensure its recovery. More specifically, it sought to analyse whether special needs exist in the short- and mid-term period, until the Aviation Guidelines are reviewed. Drawing on the policy debates, this brief explores investment aid and support to green investments for airports and airlines with a view to meeting the European Green Deal objectives. Furthermore, the brief looks at operating aid to regional airports, which have been particularly heavily hit by the crisis, and more specifically discusses how long these regional airports might need public support. Another aspect examined here concerns air connectivity, which constitutes an essential component of the European Single Market, as it can foster cross-border trade, promote economic growth and European integration. The pandemic’s impact on the sector has raised concerns about a substantial loss of air connectivity. In view of this, the brief reflects on the need to adopt a temporary set of rules in the short-term to restore connectivity after the COVID-19 outbreak and to adjust existing rules on start-up aid in the mid- and long-term. Last but not least, this policy brief delves into the timely topic of remedies in mergers. A new round of consolidation in the industry can be expected as a result of the financial difficulties of many airlines. In order to protect competition, effective remedies will have to be identified.

As a cornerstone of its urban mobility policy, the European Commission has strongly encouraged European towns and cities of all sizes to embrace the concept of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs). By improving accessibility to, through and within urban areas and promoting the shift towards more sustainable modes of transport, SUMPs hold the potential to improve the overall quality of life for residents by addressing issues of congestion, air- and noise-pollution, climate change, road accidents, unsightly on-street parking and the integration of new mobility services. Despite the increasing recognition of the wide range of benefits linked to this strategic urban mobility planning approach, the implementation of SUMPs has been voluntary and remains limited to a small proportion of European cities. This can be attributed to the lack of financial, technical and political support as well as quality control for SUMPs from national and regional levels in the Member States where devolution gives regions more competences. Furthermore, where plans have been developed these have often failed to fulfil minimum quality standards due to a lack of uniform understanding of the SUMP concept. A number of measures have been considered by Member States to improve SUMPs’ enforcement, such as for instance preconditioning the provision of operational subsidies or grants on an approved SUMP and trained mobility department. In order to overcome existing barriers and accelerate the uptake of high-quality SUMPs Europe-wide, the European Commission is now exploring the idea of developing a common EU-framework for sustainable urban mobility indicators (SUMI), which, in turn, formed the focus of discussions at our 7th Florence Intermodal Forum. More specifically, the forum brought together key stakeholders for a discussion on the definition and appropriate indicator parameters; data collection techniques and data standardisation, as well as more generally the question of enhancing the enforcement of SUMPs. Last but not least, the forum drew on the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to urban mobility in as far as SUMI are concerned.

The article aims to analyze some empirical evidence for competitiveness in the cultural sector in the Puglia region during COVID-19 times. In particular, the results of NeTT project, part of the Interreg VA Greece-Italy 2014 – 2020 program, are analyzed. Fourteen cultural operators from various spheres of the cultural life of the region were interviewed and five key dimensions of COVID-19 influence were studied, namely: digital, educational, media, regional and community. These areas are subject to a border evaluation from the regional authorities. The study confirms the research thesis that the COVID-19 pandemic situation can be used as an accelerator for competitiveness in the cultural sector in the Puglia region, and as a key for new sociological, educational, and behavioral patterns and joint artistic interven. JEL: O220

The meaning of riverine landscapes to society has evolved to serve our ever-changing needs, from harvesting and transporting resources to arenas for outdoor recreation and contemplation. From the 18th century, rivers have been important resources for industry and hydroelectric power. The objective of this study is to explore and describe the rhythms of everyday use of a river environment using multiple quantitative and qualitative methods, and to identify subjective, multiple and often competing relations. We use Lefebvre’s concept of rhythmanalysis and Ingold’s contextual approach as a tool for bridging scientific and methodological disciplines. Our results show a wide breadth in everyday activities and a dynamic relation between people and the river on multiple time scales. The use of the river environment appears orderly and predictable, but the wide spectrum of everyday users on different spatiotemporal scales is diverse and forms multiple rhythms at each locality. The partial lockdown in Norway in response to Covid-19 and the subsequent shifts in people’s daily routines changed the rhythm of daily and weekly use patterns, and demonstrates how rhythms can change rapidly in the face of largescale, societal agitation. We argue that rhythmanalysis is a useful analytical tool in interdisciplinary approaches to better understand the use and valuations of landscapes.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, aviation was one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions, directly accounting for about 3% of the EU’s total emissions and more than 2% of global emissions. Even though the crisis has caused a visible drop in air traffic and aviation emissions, the upward trend in emissions will likely resume unless further measures are taken to ensure that the sector’s growth is compatible with the European Green Deal objectives. Following the release of the Fit for 55 Package, a number of legislative processes are underway at the EU level to support the aviation sector’s decarbonisation. A key measure in the “Basket of Measures” is increasing the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs), which hold significant potential to reduce aircraft emissions. To this end, the European Commission’s recently published ReFuelEU Aviation Initiative seeks to boost the production and uptake of SAFs in the EU, which today account for a mere 0.05% of total jet fuel consumption. Significant efforts will also be needed to develop disruptive technologies to bring zero-emission aircraft to the market. For this to happen, an enabling EU policy framework will need to be put into place, including through the enactment of adequate carbon pricing policies and research and innovation (R&I). The reduction of the EU Emissions Trading System allowances allocated for free to airlines is another avenue the Commission is pursuing whilst closely coordinating with actions at the global level, notably with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).