Towards Sustainable Factories

2021 ◽  
pp. 51-79
Author(s):  
Gema Calleja ◽  
Jordi Olivella Nadal
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Toxic Materials ◽  
Global Demand ◽  
Factories Of The Future

Sustainability is becoming a major objective of factories worldwide in an effort to eliminate or reduce the use of toxic materials and greenhouse emissions, extend the life of products, reuse waste, and conserve energy, not only for meeting the needs of consumers, but also the multi-stakeholders from both within and beyond the supply chain. The increasing global demand for scarce natural resources is posing a great challenge for producing companies. In recent years, the advent of new technologies and the changes in demography and working conditions as well as the desire for individualized products has added greater complexity to manufacturing. In this context, this chapter provides an overview of the main issues affecting the industrial sector on the way ahead towards sustainability, including contemporary trends triggering the requirements for factories of the future as well as the main research and innovation lines necessary to answer such requirements.

scholarly journals Biosurfactants’ Production from Renewable Natural Resources: Example of Innovativeand Smart Technology in Circular Bioeconomy

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surekha K. Satpute ◽  
Grażyna A. Płaza ◽  
Arun G. Banpurkar
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Food Processing ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Great Depth ◽  
Industrial Biotechnology ◽  
Nutritional Values ◽  
Renewable Natural Resources ◽  
Processing Wastes ◽  
Food Processing Wastes

Abstract A strong developed bio-based industrial sector will significantly reduce dependency on fossil resources, help the countries meet climate change targets, and lead to greener and more environmental friendly growth. The key is to develop new technologies to sustainably transform renewable natural resources into bio-based products and biofuels. Biomass is a valuable resource and many parameters need to be taken in to account when assessing its use and the products made from its. The bioeconomy encompass the production of renewable biological resources and their conversion into food, feed and bio-based products (chemicals, materials and fuels) via innovative and efficient technologies provided by industrial biotechnology. The paper presents the smart and efficient way to use the agro-industrial, dairy and food processing wastes for biosurfactant’s production. Clarification processes are mandatory to use the raw substrates for microbial growth as well as biosurfactant production for commercial purposes. At the same time it is very essential to retain the nutritional values of those cheap substrates. Broad industrial perspectives can be achieved when quality as well as the quantity of the biosurfactant is considered in great depth. Since substrates resulting from food processing, dairy, animal fat industries are not explored in great details; and hence are potential areas which can be explored thoroughly.

scholarly journals Traditional sectors based on natural resources – a blessing or a curse for less developed regions? A case study of Podlaskie Voivodeship

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 89-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Dąbrowska
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Traditional Industry ◽  
Industry Sectors

AbstractThe natural environment, as a source of natural resources, has long been perceived as being a factor in determining the development of many states and regions, especially less developed areas. The main research question in this article is what role is played by natural resources and traditional industry sectors based on natural resources (milk production and tourism), in the process of establishing a competitive advantage for Podlaskie Voivodeship, which is one of the less developed regions in Poland. The results of the research reveal weaknesses that are inherent in earlier ways of thinking about these industries and, at the same time, emphasise the importance of making use of natural resources in an integrated way and combining them with new technologies.

scholarly journals Logistics and Agri-Food: Digitization to Increase Competitive Advantage and Sustainability. Literature Review and the Case of Italy

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 787
Author(s):  
Marco Remondino ◽  
Alessandro Zanin
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Supply Chain Optimization ◽  
Food Sector ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Entrepreneurial Management ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Managerial Problem

This paper examines the current challenges faced by logistics with a focus on the agri-food sector. After outlining the context, a review of the literature on the relationship between logistics and strategic management in gaining and increasing competitiveness in the agri-food sector is conducted. In particular, the flow of the paper is as follows: after examining the aforementioned managerial problem and its broader repercussions, the paper proceeds to address two main research questions. First, how and by which tools can digitization contribute to improving supply chain management and sustainability in logistics? Second, what are the main managerial and strategic implications and consequences of this for the agri-food sector in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, cost reduction, and supply chain optimization? Finally, the paper presents Italy as a case study, chosen both for its peculiar internal differences in logistical infrastructures and entrepreneurial management between Northern and Southern regions (which could be at least partially overcome with the use of new technologies and frameworks) and for the importance of the agri-food sector for the domestic economy (accounting about 25% of the country’s GDP), on which digitization should have positive effects in terms of value creation and sustainability.

Comparative characteristics of working conditions of vegetable growers working in greenhouses of old and new types

2021 ◽  
pp. 15-24
Author(s):  
Liliya Aleksandrovna Yatsenko ◽  
Nikolay Petrovich Mamchik ◽  
Olga Vladimirovna Kameneva
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Preventive Measure ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Vegetable Crops ◽  
Vegetable Products ◽  
Open Ground ◽  
The Impact

Every year, the consumption of vegetables grown on the territory of our country increases, which became possible not only in the summer, when mass cultivation begins in the open ground, but also in winter, due to the functioning of a large number of greenhouse complexes. Greenhouse vegetable growing is a priority in the development of the agro-industrial sector of the state. On the territory of the country, greenhouses exist for a fairly long period. Modern greenhouse complexes differ both in the way of growing vegetable products and in the working conditions of employees. Working in greenhouses that use soil is associated with physical stress, in contrast to modern complexes, where the work on watering plants is automated, and plant care has new means of mechanization. Hygienic assessment and comparative characteristics of the working conditions of greenhouse workers were carried out when performing work during the annual cycle of growing vegetable products. The effect of physical factors and the severity of the labor process was evaluated. The results of the study showed that the work of vegetable growers working at enterprises with different technologies of crop cultivation differs both in the impact of physical factors and in the class of labor severity. Modern greenhouse complexes are able to create favorable climatic conditions for personnel, thanks to an automated microclimate management system. With the mechanization of the labour process, working conditions talionic improved with class 3.2 (harmful heavy labor 2-degree) to class 3.1 (harmful hard work of 1 degree). Comparative characteristics of the working conditions of greenhouses, allowed us to talk about the introduction of new technologies in the process of growing vegetables, as an event that contributes not only to improving the productivity of vegetable crops, but also a preventive measure that improves the working conditions of vegetable growers.

scholarly journals Contextualizing Security Innovation: Responsible Research and Innovation at the Smart Border?

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Klimburg-Witjes ◽  
Frederik C. Huettenrauch
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Border Security ◽  
Responsible Research And Innovation ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Security Technologies ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Societal Needs ◽  
Responsible Research

AbstractCurrent European innovation and security policies are increasingly channeled into efforts to address the assumed challenges that threaten European societies. A field in which this has become particularly salient is digitized EU border management. Here, the framework of responsible research and innovation (RRI) has recently been used to point to the alleged sensitivity of political actors towards the contingent dimensions of emerging security technologies. RRI, in general, is concerned with societal needs and the engagement and inclusion of various stakeholder groups in the research and innovation processes, aiming to anticipate undesired consequences of and identifying socially acceptable alternatives for emerging technologies. However, RRI has also been criticized as an industry-driven attempt to gain societal legitimacy for new technologies. In this article, we argue that while RRI evokes a space where different actors enter co-creative dialogues, it lays bare the specific challenges of governing security innovation in socially responsible ways. Empirically, we draw on the case study of BODEGA, the first EU funded research project to apply the RRI framework to the field of border security. We show how stakeholders involved in the project represent their work in relation to RRI and the resulting benefits and challenges they face. The paper argues that applying the framework to the field of (border) security lays bare its limitations, namely that RRI itself embodies a political agenda, conceals alternative experiences by those on whom security is enacted upon and that its key propositions of openness and transparency are hardly met in practice due to confidentiality agreements. Our hope is to contribute to work on RRI and emerging debates about how the concept can (or cannot) be contextualized for the field of security—a field that might be more in need than any other to consider the ethical dimension of its activities.

scholarly journals Mind the gap: Grass roots ‘brokering’ to improve labour standards in global supply chains

2017 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 584-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah J Kaine ◽  
Emmanuel Josserand
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Global Supply Chains ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Whistle Blowing ◽  
Grass Roots ◽  
Labour Standards ◽  
Implementation Gaps

While governance and regulation are a first step in addressing worsening working conditions in global supply chains, improving implementation is also key to reversing this trend. In this article, after examining the nature of the existing governance and implementation gaps in labour standards in global supply chains, we explore how Viet Labor, an emerging grass-roots organization, has developed practices to help close them. This involves playing brokering roles between different workers and between workers and existing governance mechanisms. We identify an initial typology of six such roles: educating, organizing, supporting, collective action, whistle-blowing and documenting. This marks a significant shift in the way action to improve labour standards along the supply chain is analysed. Our case explores how predominantly top-down approaches can be supplemented by bottom-up ones centred on workers’ agency.

Effiency of organic fertilizers for corn

2021 ◽  
Vol 03 (01) ◽  
pp. 72-74
Author(s):  
Nərgiz Musa qızı Nəsirli ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Quality Indicators ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Normal Development ◽  
Natural System ◽  
Organic Fertilizers ◽  
High Doses ◽  
Technical Measures

Pollution of the environment with waste is the basis of the degradation of the natural system. To prevent this, it is necessary to protect natural resources as much as possible and organize the recycling of waste. Azerbaijan has sufficient resources to prepare organic fertilizers based on new technologies. The presented article discusses the damage caused to the environment by pollution of lands of Neftchala region. The need for agro-technical measures to restore such areas that have lost their fertility is emphasized. In landscaping research, it is recommended to grow soybeans on such lands and apply high doses of organic fertilizers to ensure their normal development. Key words: soil fertility, corn, nutrients, productivity, quality indicators

scholarly journals The European Union and natural resources that fund armed conflicts: Explaining the EU’s policy choice for supply chain due-diligence requirements

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martijn C Vlaskamp
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Due Diligence ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Conflict Zones ◽  
Resource Governance ◽  
Conflict Minerals ◽  
The Eu

Natural resources can be an important source of funding for warring parties in armed conflicts. Curbing the trade in these so-called conflict resources is, therefore, part of the European Union’s conflict management policies. The article explores the EU’s policies in this field and asks, specifically, why the EU is using supply chain due-diligence measures to achieve this goal. The author argues that they are the response to enforcement problems of most existing multilateral and unilateral sanction regimes because of state weakness in the targeted regions. This approach results from a broader idea from the EU that transparency can improve resource governance and, therefore, safeguard both its political and economic interests in conflict zones, such as the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, when the issue becomes specific—as in the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation—translating this idea into concrete policies becomes more contentious as the EU institutions set different priorities for the final policy design.

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