The food sector is responsible for approximately 25% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with dairy production playing a significant role. As the global population approaches 10 billion by 2050, agricultural land is expected to expand by over 950 million hectares, intensifying environmental pressures. While sustainability efforts have primarily focused on the primary production stage, the industrial processing phase, particularly for high value-added products like ice cream, remains underexplored.
This study proposes an innovative methodology to assess eco-efficiency in the dairy value chain, focusing on the transformation of milk into ice cream. By combining Material Flow Analysis with Network Data Envelopment Analysis, the approach enables a holistic evaluation of both environmental and economic performance, identifying farms with strong transformation potential.
The analysis emphasizes standardization based on critical quality parameters, specifically protein and fat content, to determine their influence on the environmental and economic performance of ice cream production. While previous research has centered on the livestock phase, highlighting factors such as feed and animal welfare through tools like the Water–Energy–Food nexus and Life Cycle Assessment, this study extends the analysis to the industrial stage.
Expected outcomes include a comprehensive diagnosis of farm-level eco-efficiency, enabling the identification of optimal production profiles even at the individual animal level. The methodology will help reduce emissions and resource use, optimize farm profitability, and pinpoint key levers for improvement in feeding strategies, waste management, and input efficiency.
This dual environmental–economic perspective is essential to support the transition toward a more sustainable and competitive dairy sector, in line with circular economy principles.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, V.C.F., L.R.A., L.A.M. and S.G.G.; methodology, V.C.F. and S.G.G.; software, V.C.F. and S.G.G.; validation, L.R.A. and S.G.G.; investigation, V.C.F.; resources V.C.F. and S.G.G.; writing—original draft preparation, V.C.F.; writing—review and editing, L.R.A., L.A.M. and S.G.G.; visualization, L.R.A. and S.G.G.; supervision, S.G.G.; project administration, S.G.G.; funding acquisition, L.R.A. and S.G.G. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research has been partially supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Universities and Vocational Training as part of the industrial doctoral programme [17_IN606D_2024_3138700]; the LAZTEO project [IN856-2024/07] funded by the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN) and the Galician Institute for Economic Promotion (IGAPE), with funding from the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER); the LAKTIS project [REGAGE24e00071667711] by the Spanish Government and by the project CÓMBARO, which is being developed under the aid called by the Galician Food Quality Agency (Agacal) in 2023 for the execution of innovative projects of the operational groups of the European Innovation Association (EIP-Agri), co-financed with the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) within the framework of the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy (PEPAC) 2023–2027; and finally to the Cross-disciplinary Research in Environmental Technologies Center (CRETUS Research Center, ED431G 2023/12).
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
No new data were created or analyzed in this study. Data sharing is not applicable to this article.
Conflicts of Interest
Authors Victoria Carballeira Fernández, Leticia Regueiro Abelleira and Lucía Argiz Montes were employed by the company Medrar Smart Solutions S.L. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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