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This study examines how board characteristics influence air, water and renewable energy (AWR) disclosures in an emerging economy. It argues for the necessity of separating these disclosures to address unique environmental impacts and stakeholder concerns.

Using longitudinal data from environmentally sensitive firms (2014–2022), a disclosure index based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework was developed to quantify AWR separately. To address potential statistical issues such as endogeneity and selection bias, the analysis employed a set of robust regression models, including the industry fixed effects (FE) model, a lagged model and a two-stage least squares (2SLS) model.

Board size and audit committees positively influence all AWR disclosures, while foreign directors significantly impact air and renewable energy disclosures. Board meetings negatively affect water disclosures. Surprisingly, board independence shows no significant impact, and gender diversity has no notable relationship. Post-amendment, firms increased AWR disclosures, though participation remains limited.

Grounded in legitimacy theory, this study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how separating the unique characteristics of AWR disclosures offers stakeholders more precise insights into how firms manage specific environmental concerns. The findings are based on data from listed firms in Bangladesh and may not be generalisable to unlisted firms or other regions.

The study emphasises the importance of distinct AWR reporting, offering valuable insights for regulators and corporate boards to improve transparency and sustainability practices.

Separating AWR disclosures provides stakeholders with clearer assessments of firms' environmental performance, promoting accountability and informed decision-making.

This study uniquely emphasises the need for disaggregating air, water and renewable energy disclosures in emerging economies. By focussing on each environmental issue separately, the research highlights how distinct disclosures offer clearer insights into how firms address specific environmental challenges, such as air pollution, water management and the transition to renewable energy sources. This disaggregation is essential for stakeholders – particularly regulators, investors and policymakers – to assess and respond to firms' sustainability efforts accurately.

Cracking, deformation and rutting are the most prevalent types of pavement distress, and these deformations and flow characteristics greatly distress the pavement features while also limiting its use. In India, on the other hand, more than 300 million scrap tyres are generated each year, and their disposal has become a severe environmental issue. Furthermore, the scrap generated by the used tyre must be disposed of properly. Hence, this study presents the experimental investigations of bitumen incorporating with Crumb rubber as main additive along with SBS polymer, to enhance the engineering property.

Crumb rubber (CR) was used as an additive along with styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) polymer to enrich the engineering qualities of the bitumen to reduce the disposal problem of scrap tyres and reduce the risk of environmental pollution. Because SBS polymer is expensive, response surface methodology modelling's central composite design (CCD) was used to optimise the number of tests. CCD modelling's input factors (process variables) were the inclusion rates of SBS and CR, which ranged from 2% to 5% and 4% to 10%, respectively, by total weight. Furthermore, the influence of SBS polymer and CR on the characteristics of modified bitumen was prioritised.

The addition of SBS and CR enhanced the bitumen's penetration resistance at service temperatures. Furthermore, increasing the SBS and CR concentration affected the flow characteristics of the modified bitumen and enhanced its viscosity. The addition of SBS and CR as bitumen modifiers increased penetration resistance by 24.06%. The Dynamic Shear Rheometer test demonstrated that the complex modulus of virgin bitumen increases with increasing SBS and CR content, which is consistent with the shifting softening point trend. The dosing rate of up to 3.5% SBS and 11% CR considerably contributed to the creation of polymer link networks, which increased the complex modulus of the bitumen by 16.5%. The CCD model's analysis of variance and Pareto bar chart demonstrated that the dose of CR is significant in improving the engineering features of the virgin bitumen rather than the SBS.

The utilisation of CR as a bitumen modifier may solve the problem of waste tyre disposal while also lowering the risk of environmental damage. Furthermore, because the presence of CR increased the engineering properties, particularly the complex modulus of virgin bitumen, the use of CR in combination with SBS polymer can be an efficient and cost-effective strategy to improving bitumen qualities.

Emerging nations strive to diminish their ecological impact to meet net-zero targets, yet encounter formidable hurdles in curbing their environmental footprint. This purpose necessitated the study into impact of stock market, renewable energy and international investment on the ecological footprint in emerging countries from 1990 to 2020.

The study used augmented mean group (AMG) estimator, cointegration and heterogenous panel causality approach.

Results from the AMG show that renewable energy consumption reduces environmental pollution in most countries except Mexico. The study disclosed that stock market capitalization decreases ecological footprint in emerging countries. Using both the Kao and Pedroni cointegration methods, the study affirms the existence of stable equilibrium relationship in the long term. The causality test concluded a bidirectional relationship between stock market and ecological footprint and a unidirectional link between international investment, clean energy and ecological footprint.

The research is limited to only emerging countries. Therefore, future research should examine the environmental impacts of renewable energy consumption in different countries and regions, taking into account the local environmental conditions, policies and practices. This would help to identify the best practices and standards for minimizing the ecological footprint of renewable energy technologies and maximizing their benefits for environmental sustainability.

The study found that stock market capitalization reduces ecological footprint in Brazil, China, Turkey and India. To foster a culture of sustainability in stock market development impact, academic policies should emphasize the integration of environmental education across disciplines. By promoting awareness of the ecological consequences of stock market activities, societies can cultivate a mindset that values responsible economic practices. This, in turn, can lead to informed decision-making at individual and institutional levels.

First, since the study found that clean energy reduces ecological footprint, advocating for utilization of clean energy sources could be a key priority in emerging countries. Governments should incentivize the development and adoption of renewable energy technologies, such as wind and solar power, by providing subsidies and tax benefits. Furthermore, increasing awareness among residents about the benefits of clean energy and promoting its utilization in both residential and commercial environments can expedite the transition to a more environmentally friendly energy combination.

First, it pioneers an exploration into the interplay between stock market capitalization, international investment, clean energy and ecological footprint in emerging countries. Secondary unlike, unlike prior research, this study uses methodologies that account for cross-sectional dependencies and a unique characteristic specific to each country. In addition, by using common correlated effects mean group, AMG, cointegration and causality procedures, this study distinctly isolates and analyzes empirical findings for each country, leading to policy-oriented outcomes.