scholarly journals Linking Sustainability with Geographical Proximity in Food Supply Chains. An Indicator Selection Framework

Agriculture ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oriana Gava ◽  
Francesca Galli ◽  
Fabio Bartolini ◽  
Gianluca Brunori
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Social Indicators ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Geographical Proximity ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Holistic Approaches ◽  
Standard Procedures ◽  
Selection Framework

Despite policymakers’ promotion of food relocalization strategies for burden mitigation, the assumption that local food chains are more sustainable than the global ones might not hold. This literature review tries to highlight a possible framework for exploratory analyses that aim at associating sustainability with the geographical proximity of food supply chains. The purpose of the article is identifying a set of communicative and information-dense indicators for use by evaluators. Bread is the selected test food, given its importance in human nutrition and the relevance of some of its life cycle phases for land use (cereal farming) and trade (cereal commercialization). Article searching (including keyword selection, explicit inclusion/exclusion criteria, and computer-assisted screening using the NVivo® software) was carried out over the Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases, and returned 29 documents (refereed and non-refereed publications). The retrieved literature shows varied research focus, methods, and depth of analyses. The review highlighted 39 environmental, 36 economic, and 27 social indicators, along the food chain. Indicators’ reporting chains are heterogeneous; even the comparison of standard procedures, e.g., Life Cycle Assessment, is not straightforward. Holistic approaches are missing.

Social gains for artisanal agroindustrial producers induced by cooperation and collaboration in agri-food supply chain

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Renato Rocha dos Santos ◽  
Patricia Guarnieri
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Social Indicators ◽  
Collective Actions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Positive Effects

Purpose This study aims to analyze which collective actions (cooperation, coordination and collaboration), present in the supply chain of artisanal products, generate positive effects in terms of social gains. Design/methodology/approach The authors conduct multiple case studies in the supply chain of seven artisanal agroindustries in the Distrito Federal, Brazil. The data were collected through interviews, documental analysis and direct observation. The data were analyzed using the content analysis technique proposed by Bardin (1977). With priori and a posteriori analytical categories, it was possible to conduct: a detailed analysis of the current situation of artisanal agroindustries regarding collective actions from the perspective of supplier/supplier and supplier/client and a detailed analysis for the possible effects of collective actions that impact the supply chain and the indicators of social sustainability of artisanal agroindustries. Findings The results indicate that cooperation and collaboration have contributed positively in the transactions of the products of the artisanal agroindustries, reflecting in social gains for the producing families. In this context, some collective actions can be highlighted as follows: the collective commercial spaces, the demonstration spaces of the artisan products in the clients’ environment, the prospecting of improvements from the final consumers, the face-to-face meetings with the suppliers, the product dissemination by the customer, the joint marketing actions and the rationalization of transportation logistics. Research limitations/implications The study used a qualitative approach and findings and discussion are inherently interpretative and cannot be generalized. Practical implications This study can contribute to researchers and practitioners interested in collective actions contributing to the incrementation of social responsibility in agri-food supply chains. Social implications Understanding how the collective actions support the inclusion of smallholding and artisanal producers in agri-food supply chains can help policymakers and managers to implement initiatives related to social responsibility, which can be measured using social indicators. This creates a social benefit through rural growth and economic development, generation of income and social productive inclusion of the artisanal producers in larger agri-food supply chains. Originality/value For the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper approaching collective actions as the main source of incrementation of social benefits, which can measure the incrementation of social responsibility in agri-food supply chains.

scholarly journals Are Short Food Supply Chains More Environmentally Sustainable than Long Chains? A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the Eco-Efficiency of Food Chains in Selected EU Countries

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 4853
Author(s):  
Edward Majewski ◽  
Anna Komerska ◽  
Jerzy Kwiatkowski ◽  
Agata Malak-Rawlikowska ◽  
Adam Wąs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food Distribution ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Short Food Supply Chains ◽  
Efficiency Indicators

Improving the eco-efficiency of food systems is one of the major global challenges faced by the modern world. Short food supply chains (SFSCs) are commonly regarded to be less harmful to the environment, among various reasons, due to their organizational distribution and thus the shortened physical distance between primary producers and final consumers. In this paper, we empirically test this hypothesis, by assessing and comparing the environmental impacts of short and long food supply chains. Based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, we calculate eco-efficiency indicators for nine types of food distribution chains. The analysis is performed on a sample of 428 short and long food supply chains from six European countries. Our results indicate that, on average, long food supply chains may generate less negative environmental impacts than short chains (in terms of fossil fuel energy consumption, pollution, and GHG emissions) per kg of a given product. The values of eco-efficiency indicators display a large variability across analyzed chains, and especially across different types of SFSCs. The analysis shows that the environmental impacts of the food distribution process are not only determined by the geographical distance between producer and consumer, but depend on numerous factors, including the supply chain infrastructure.

scholarly journals Life cycle inventory data for the Italian agri-food sector: background, sources and methodological aspects

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Notarnicola ◽  
G. Tassielli ◽  
P. A. Renzulli ◽  
R. Di Capua ◽  
G. Saija ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Citrus Fruit ◽  
Food Product ◽  
Food Sector ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Product Systems ◽  
Italian Context ◽  
Methodological Aspects

Abstract Purpose For the development of any life cycle assessment study, the practitioner frequently integrates primary data collected on-field, with background data taken from various life cycle inventory databases which are part of most commercial LCA software packages. However, such data is often not generally applicable to all product systems since, especially concerning the agri-food sector, available datasets may not be fully representative of the site specificity of the food product under examination. In this context, the present work investigates the background, sources and methodological aspects that characterise the most known commercial databases containing agri-food data, with a focus on four agri-food supply chains (olive oil, wine, wheat products and citrus fruit), which represent an important asset for the Italian food sector. Methods Specifically, the paper entails a review of currently available LCI databases and their datasets with a twofold scope: firstly, to understand how agri-food data is modelled in these databases for a coherent and consistent representation of regional scenarios and to verify whether they are also suitable for the Italian context and, secondly, to identify and analyse useful and relevant methodological approaches implemented in the existing LCI databases when regional data are modelled. Results Based on the aforementioned review, it is possible to highlight some problems which may arise when developing an LCI pertaining to the four Italian agri-food supply chains, namely: 1. The need for specific inventory datasets to tackle the specificities of agri-food product systems. 2. The lack of datasets, within the existing DBs, related to the Italian context and to the abovementioned supply chains. In fact, at present, in the currently available LCI DBs, there are very few (or in some cases none) datasets related to Italian wine, olive oil, wheat-based products and citrus fruit. The few available datasets often contain some data related to the Italian context but also approximate data with that of product systems representing other countries. Furthermore, the present study allowed to identify and discuss the main aspects to be used as starting elements for modelling regional data to be included in a future Italian LCI database of the abovementioned four supply chains. Conclusions The results of the present study represent a starting point for the collection of data and its organisation, in order to develop an Italian LCI agri-food database with datasets which are representative of the regional specificities of four agri-food supply chains which play an important role in the Italian economy.

A Survey of the Life Cycle Assessment of Food Supply Chains

2020 ◽  
pp. 125506
Author(s):  
Petra Vidergar ◽  
Matjaž Perc ◽  
Rebeka Kovačič Lukman
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food Supply Chains

scholarly journals Key factors of carbon footprint in the UK food supply chains: a new perspective of life cycle assessment

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 945-970
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Ferguson Aikins ◽  
Usha Ramanathan
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
The Uk

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically identify key factors of UK food supply chains (SCs) that significantly contribute to CO2 emissions (CO2e) taking into account the life cycle assessment (LCA). The UK food supply chain includes imports from other countries.Design/methodology/approachThis research develops a conceptual framework from extant literature. Secondary data obtained from ONS and FAOSTAT covering from 1990 to 2014 are analysed using Multilinear Regression (MLR) and Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) to identify the factors relating to CO2 emissions significance, and the efficient contributions that are being made to their reduction in the UK food supply chains.FindingsThe study results suggest that Transportation and Sales/Distribution are the two key factors of CO2 emissions in UK food supply chains. This is confirmed by two multivariate methods, MLR and SFA. MLR results show that transportation increases UK CO2 emissions by 10 tonnes of CO2 emissions from one tonne of fruits and vegetables imports from overseas to the UK Sales and Distribution reduces the UK CO2 emissions by 1.3 tonnes of CO2 emissions due to improved, technological operation activities in the UK. In addition, the SFA results confirm that the key factors are sufficient to predict an increase or decrease in CO2 emissions in the UK food supply chains.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has focused on the LCA of the UK food supply chain from limited data. Future studies should consider Sustainability Impact Assessment of the UK food supply chain, identifying the social, economic, regulatory and environmental impacts of the food supply chain using a re-defined LCA (all-inclusive assessment) tool.Practical implicationsThis research suggests that food supply chain professionals should improve efficiency, e.g. the use of solar energy and biogas, and also integrate low-carbon policies and practices in food supply chain operations. Furthermore, governments should encourage policies such as mobility management programmes, urban redevelopment and privatisation to enhance better transportation systems and infrastructure to continuously reduce CO2e from the food trade.Originality/valueAlthough logistics play a major role in CO2 emissions, all logistics CO2 emissions for other countries are not included in the ONS data. This research reveals some important insights into the UK food supply chains. Logistics and other food supply chain processes of importing countries significantly contribute to CO2 emissions which are yet to be considered in the UK food SCs.

Local Dairy Supply Chains: A Profitability Analysis in Haryana

2020 ◽  
pp. 508-511
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Food System ◽  
Economic Viability ◽  
Milk Supply ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Financial Position ◽  
Profitability Analysis ◽  
Dairy Processing

The shorter food supply chains were the emerging trend in the agro-food system. The characteristic of local food supply chains are regional, freshness, quality products, and health benefits to the consumers. The present study explores the existing local dairy supply chains in the Haryana state. The local dairy supply chains were analysed and found that the shorter milk supply chains were more profitable with reduced intermediaries and higher producer shares in consumer rupees for all dairy products. The supply chains which involved intermediaries had lesser cost per unit of operation in dairy processing but fetched lower prices due to the quality issues and more distance travelled by dairy products. The economic viability and financial position of the processing units exhibited favourable results for both supply chains but it was higher for Supply Chain-I.

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