A retrospective analysis of the evolution of ergonomics for environmental sustainability (2011–2021)

Abstract

Ergonomics for environmental sustainability has been rapidly gaining attention in the scientific community. So far, a large part of the literature has focussed on specific dimensions of ergonomics for environmental sustainability, such as green designs, green buildings, environmental education, and sustainability frameworks. However, there is a necessity for an integrated study that presents the summary of published literature supported by detailed bibliometric characteristics. To address this gap, this study examined 418 articles on ergonomics for environmental sustainability and analysed them through bibliometric and network analysis. Major findings reveal the publication trends in ergonomics for environmental sustainability starting from 2011 to the present, the most productive and influential authors, and the most influential articles. This study also identifies the co-citation structure, bibliographical couplings and keyword co-occurrences among these articles. Findings from this study also provide a summary of the current research and present a robust roadmap for future directions in ergonomics for environmental sustainability.

Practitioner summary: This paper presents a bibliometric and network analysis of the academic literature in the domain of ergonomics for environmental sustainability. The study provides comprehensive insights into the relevant literature and identifies global research foci and future scopes. This study can guide practitioners in identifying the specific aspects of ergonomics for environmental sustainability to reduce global environmental impacts.

Keywords:

• Ergonomics for environmental sustainability
• Sustainability
• Bibliometric analysis
• Network analysis
• Co-occurrence networks

Acknowledgement

The authors thank the anonymous referees for their valuable suggestions that significantly improved this manuscript. The authors also thank the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Professor Andrew Thatcher, for his continued guidance and support throughout the review process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).