1,720,977 research outputs found
Hidden flows assessment in the agri-food sector: Evidence from the Italian beef system
Full text linkPurpose – The study proposes Material Flow Analysis (MFA) methodology as a tool to measure and qualify
food waste in the Italian beef supply chain in each stage of the food supply chain, from farm to fork. In
particular, the authors attempt to: (1) measure resources consumption and waste generation toward companies’
and policymakers’ sustainable evaluations; (2) enhance consumers’ education in the field of agri-food resilience
and sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach – MFA is applied to the entire Italian sector of beef consumed as packaged
fresh product in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The analysis regards bovine, which represent roughly
one-third of the national meat flow. To collect data, bottom-up and top-down mixed approach is applied.
Subsequently, MFA results are used to calculate the wastage-related losses in terms of embedded natural
resources (e.g. water, energy).
Findings – In 2020, it results that the Italian meat industry slaughtered more than 1.15 Mt of bovine to produce
approximately 0.29 Mt of fresh meat, 0.69 Mt of by-products and over 0.015 Mt of food waste at households,
while 0.15 Mt of beef meat is destined to catering services and food industry (out-of-boundaries). In terms of
hidden natural resources, it emerged that, on average, more than 94bn m3 of water, approximately 101,000 TJ of
energy and over 11,500 t of PET and PE trays are required to sustain the entire beef system.
Originality/value – This research is one of the few studies proposing MFA methodology as a tool to measure
food waste and hidden associated flows in the agri-food sector. This analysis shows its utility in terms of
natural resources (water, energy, materials) and waste quality/quantity evaluation, hidden flows accounting
and development of new educational strategies toward food waste minimization and sustainability at
household consumption
Environmental management of the green asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) supply chain: a carbon footprint assessment in Southern Italy
No full textPurpose
The objective of the research is to evaluate the carbon footprint of the green asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) supply chain, encompassing the agricultural production to the packaging stage in Italy, as it is the sixth largest producer and the second largest in Europe. It provides an assessment in the province of Foggia and highlights the global perspective of the carbon footprint application in agro-food systems.
Design/methodology/approach
The carbon footprint (ISO 14067:2018) considers 1 t of packaged fresh asparagus as a functional unit in the agricultural production and packaging stage and is based on primary data collected in one of the leading companies of asparagus production in the province of Foggia, which markets about 0.21 kt of asparagus per year produced in about 31 ha. Data were integrated with face-to-face in-depth interviews and pre-filled checklists.
Findings
Findings show that the carbon footprint of 1 t of packaged fresh asparagus is equivalent to 335.31 kgCO2eq, of which 61% in the agricultural stage and 39% in the packaging one. The majority of the emissions are associated with the fertigation and the diesel consumption for the transportation of workers. Farmers should adopt green electricity so as to reduce the emissions associated with the electric pump for the extraction of water from artesian wells. Moreover, it would be desirable to replace mineral urea phosphate with organic fertilizers.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, scholars have not yet investigated the environmental impacts of the green asparagus supply chain, even if it represents one of the most cultivated vegetables worldwide, with a global production that amounts to 8.5 Mt per year
Global warming potential of food waste through the Life Cycle Assessment: An analytical review
No full textFood loss and waste represent an increasing concern under social, economic and environmental perspective, either in developed or developing realities. It is estimated that more than 1.3 billion tons of food waste are generated along the whole food supply chain, from agricultural to final consumption stages, with associated environmental impacts estimated in approximately 3.3 Gigatons of CO2 equivalent per year (6% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gases emissions). Indeed, food waste issue has been accounted among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in terms of responsible production and consumption, with the aim of halving per capita global food waste and reduce food losses by 2030. The present paper, through a systematic, analytical and configurative review on food waste global warming potential, focuses on the role of Life Cycle Assessment and its related opportunities and challenges along upstream, core and downstream stages, considering at the same time the challenges embedded within alternative disposal technologies. Through the choice of 16 different research string and the selection of 33 papers out of more than 2000 articles between 2011 and 2021, the authors highlight the environmental impacts associated to food waste with regards to: (a) entire food baskets; (b) specific food commodities; (c) food service and households' experiences; (d) diverse disposal alternatives (e.g., anaerobic digestion, incineration, landfill), addressing future research and suitable opportunities to reach national and international sustainable goals
Material Flow Analysis in The Agri-Food Sector: Evidence from The Italian Beef Supply System
No full textHalal Food Sustainability between Certification and Blockchain: A Review
Full text linkIslam is the second-largest religion on a global scale. All around the world Muslims are estimated to comprise more than 1.9 billion people. Therefore, the demand for Halal commodities is expected to reach a high growth rate: thus, it is crucial to increase its global market’s reliability and traceability. Based on these grounds, the scope of this paper is to assess Halal food sustainability, examining the barriers and opportunities offered by the certification and blockchain tools. To this purpose, the authors carried out an integrative literature review, selecting 54 contributions in the Web of Science platform. Despite several limitations, such as the lack of a standardized framework or universally accepted and reliable certifying authorities, the implementation of blockchain technology has emerged as an interesting instrument to increase the trustworthiness and traceability of Halal foods. This tool could also help the development of protocols and standard procedures, ensuring hygienic and permitted products that may boost food safety and security. Besides, the enhancement of the Halal certification and the blockchain tool, even if several efforts are required in terms of innovation and cooperation by local authorities, industrial associations and leading consumers, could enhance fair trade, ethical business, green animal breeding and environmental economics, and hence sustainable development
Enhancing the Sustainability of the Aviation Industry: Airlines’ Commitment to “Green” Practices
Full text linkThe aviation industry represents an important polluter, being responsible for increasing
environmental impacts on global scale. Aiming to approach the adoption of suitable policies
in the aviation industry towards the achievement of the national and international
sustainability goals, the present research tackles airlines’ commitment to aviation-related
environmental issues, as well as their willingness to adopt sustainable aviation fuel (i.e., bio
jet fuel) and sustainable development strategies, focusing on those companies operating
flights in the Karol Wojtyła Airport (Bari, Italy). The paper adopts the χ2 test and the logistic
regression to investigate three different hypotheses related to airlines’ headquarters, carriers’
typology (i.e., low-cost or not, flag carriers or not) and years of service. Results outline that
traditional airlines, either flag carriers or not, as well as South and North American
companies, are more likely to be aware of aviation environmental consequences, publishing
environmental reports and offering to passengers the chance to participate to climate change
reduction (e.g., through online carbon offset programs or more expensive ticket to produce
bio jet fuels). In addition, airlines transiting in Karol Wojtyła Airport show a small
willingness to share information through environmental reports and are scarcely intentioned
to make use of bio jet fuels, confirming that low-cost companies are still less attentive
towards aviation environmental issues. The present research contributes to the empirical
studies on sustainable aviation and carriers’ commitment to environmental strategies,
highlighting the need to enhance carbon offsets programs and digital technologies as the
online compensation of CO2 emissions
Material flow analysis and sustainability of the Italian meat industry
No full textThe Italian meat industry represents a core business for the national economy, accounting for over 20 billion euro (15% of the domestic agri-food value), but requires large amounts of energy and produces several types of waste, of which food loss and waste account for an always-increasing amount. The United Nations 2030 Agenda has established food waste as a global concern, contributing to social, environmental and economic losses. Nevertheless, only a few studies have addressed food waste quantification from production to consumption stage. This paper, in line with Commission Delegated Decision (EU) 2019/1597 concerning a common methodology and minimum quality requirements for the uniform measurement of levels of food waste, applies the Material Flow Analysis (MFA) methodology to the Italian meat industry, testing its reliability in sustainability assessments. With MFA it was possible first to quantify and qualify food waste streams and secondly to calculate related material cycles and eco-efficiency indicators. Results demonstrate that, in 2018, the Italian meat industry processed more than 4.9 Mt to produce approximately 2.0 Mt of fresh meat, 1.9 Mt of co-products and by-products, 0.7–0.8 Mt of meat-based products and more than 0.2–0.3 Mt of food waste at retail and final consumption. Material Use Efficiency was estimated at 0.95–0.97 (96%) at slaughtering, drastically decreasing to 0.79–0.85 (82%) when “unconscious” food waste was included, showing that it represents a significant variable mass for material cycle indicator calculation. On the other side, a sharp increase in eco-efficiency indicators was assessed, showing an average variation of approximately +20% in the last ten years in terms of material input productivit
Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed food waste perception and behavior? Evidence from Italian consumers
Full text linkFood waste represents a multi-sectoral issue and influences the economy, society and environment. Considering that over 50% of food waste is generated from household consumption, the issue has been included among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with the aim of halving its quantity by 2030. However, the COVID-19 pandemic imposed several variations in the agri-food industry in terms of food manufacturing, storage and distribution, changing at the same time food access, food consumption and food waste behavior. The present paper, through an online-based questionnaire among 831 respondents from Italy and the application of the cumulative logit model, investigates consumer behavior after the lockdown with reference to unpredictable lifestyles, improvements in smart food delivery and never-experienced time management. Results illustrate that always-at-home consumers (forced to stay at home 24 h a day) are more likely to perceive food waste and reduce its amount, whereas discontinuous smart working makes food purchase, preparation and consumption activities even more stressful and complex. Furthermore, smart food delivery tends to increase consumers’ awareness of meals, improving buying decisions and indirectly reducing food waste generation. The unjustifiable prevalence of household food waste represents a major barrier to the achievement of food security, health insurance and hunger reduction, but also the most promising entry point to stress in the achievement of private and public benefits. Thus, the active role of education among young generations must be enhanced
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