Table 2.
Summary of the research conducted separately on the main pillars of sustainability and COVID-19.
| Reference | Sustainability dimension |
Subject area/theme | Research focus and objective(s) | Scale of study | Geographical scope | Methodological approach |
Method | Findings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environment | Social | Economic | Quantitative | Qualitative | Mixed method | |||||||
| Somani et al. (2020) | ✓ | Environmental pollution | Studying the implications of COVID-19 towards a sustainable environment | Macro | India | ✓ | Case study | Analyzed the COVID-19 environmental implications for air quality, water quality, noise pollution, and emission of GHGs | ||||
| Adelodun et al. (2020) | ✓ | Wastewater management | Studying the potential snowballing transmission of COVID-19 through wastewater in low-income countries | Macro | Low-income countries | ✓ | Content analysis | Proposed sustainable preventive measures for the low-income countries against the potential outbreak of COVID-19 through wastewater | ||||
| Vanapalli et al. (2021) | ✓ | Waste management | Studying the challenges and strategies for effective plastic waste management during and after COVID-19 | NA | NA | ✓ | Content analysis | Presented the disruption caused by COVID-19 on plastic waste generation and recommended policies to combat the rise in the use and disposal of single-use plastics post COVID-19 | ||||
| Kulkarni and Anantharama (2020) | ✓ | Municipal solid waste management | Reviewing the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on municipal solid waste management | Macro | selected developed and developing countries | ✓ | Content analysis | Identified different types of waste generated during the COVID-19 outbreak that impact the existing municipal solid waste management practices | ||||
| Amankwah-Amoah (2020) | ✓ | Airline industry | Examining the new challenges imposed by COVID-19 for adopting environmental sustainability policies in the global airline industry | Macro | Global | ✓ | Content analysis | Indicated that some airlines had to sidestep environmentally-friendly commitments to pass new restrictions in the wake of COVID-19 such as “cost pressures”, “survival threat and deprioritizing environmental sustainability initiatives" | ||||
| Anholon et al. (2020) | ✓ | Education | Studying the need to insert sustainability into engineering education after the COVID-19 crisis | Macro | NA | ✓ | Content analysis | Denoted the importance of academic staff in the field of engineering education during the COVID-19 pandemic to pay attention more to sustainable development principles | ||||
| Christoffel et al. (2020) | ✓ | Healthcare | Examining the impact of the COVID-19 infection on vulnerable Brazilian children | Macro | Brazil | ✓ | Content analysis | Highlighted the critical role of the nursing field in monitoring children and their families in vulnerable social situations to prevent COVID-19 contamination | ||||
| Sharma et al. (2020) | ✓ | Healthcare | Analyzing the consequences of COVID-19 on the society for investments in family planning | Macro | NA | ✓ | Content analysis | Highlighted the need for support by governments and public-private partnerships for ensuring family planning services considering the newly emerged situation by COVID-19 | ||||
| Ryan et al. (2020) | ✓ | Healthcare | Studying the effects of COVID-19 on the Maslow hierarchy of needs and social determinants of health to ensure community stabilization and sustainability | Macro | NA | ✓ | Content analysis | Proposed a sustainability framework to ensure community stabilization considering the hierarchy of needs and social determinants of health through providing baseline requirements, regulations and recommendations, and triggers | ||||
| Iyengar (2020) | ✓ | Education | Studying the importance of education initiative in the post-COVID-19 recovery | Macro | NA | ✓ | Content analysis | Proposed three policies for education systems post COVID-19, including using technology to overcome the digital divide in learning, recognizing community-driven support systems, and focusing on SDG 4.7 | ||||
| Freire-González and Font Vivanco (2020) | ✓ | Environmental pollution | Studying the environmental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic | Macro | NA | ✓ | Content analysis | Outlined the environmental rebound effect of COVID-19, referring to increase environmental burdens rather than decrease them | ||||