sustainability-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

The Environmental Footprint Family: Methodological Advancements, Synergies, and Case Studies

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2024 | Viewed by 18627

Special Issue Editors

Hot or Cool Institute, 10829 Berlin, Germany
Interests: sustainable lifestyles; ecological footprint; ecosystem services; wellbeing economy
Ecodynamics Group, DEEPS Department of Earth, Environmental and Physical Sciences, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Interests: sustainable lifestyles; ecological footprint; ecosystem services; wellbeing economy
Ecodynamics Group, DEEPS Department of Earth, Environmental and Physical Sciences, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Interests: sustainable lifestyles; ecological footprint; ecosystem services; wellbeing economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human activities are impacting the global environment through land-systems change, climate change, freshwater use, biodiversity loss, and the alteration of phosphorous and nitrogen cycles, among others. These anthropogenic impacts often share common causes, influencing one another through positive, negative, and complex feedback loops. The dynamic interactions of environmental impacts and their drivers call for integrated approaches to monitoring and assessing impacts at systems scale, evaluating risks, and designing effective solutions. Furthermore, they call for developing comprehensive methods that allow for assessing synergies and trade-offs between multiple impacts to facilitate decision making and policy formulation.

In this vein, the environmental footprint family provides a number of indicators that together can reveal the true extent of impacts from human activities across environmental and ecological domains. These indicators, which include the ecological footprint, carbon footprint, water footprint, land footprint, and phosporous and nitrogen footprint are, however, rarely used together or combined, compared, or included in a common framework.

This Special Issue aims at investigating methods for integrating environmental footprint family indicators for assessing multiple environmental impacts and relative solutions. We solicit both original research and review studies focused on applications and methological advancements of footprint indicators. Studies considered may cover (but are not limited to) one or more of the following points:

  • New insights and novel applications of one or more footprint indicators;
  • Methods and applications that address trade-offs and synergies between environmental pressures and impacts by means of footprint indicators;
  • Theoretical and empirical analysis that show how environmental footprint indicators can be used for informing decision and policymaking;
  • Development of common frameworks which include multiple environmental footprint indicators;
  • Use of environmental footprint indicators within existing frameworks such as the planetary boundaries or the Sustainable Development Goals;
  • Exploration of future scenarios of footrprint reductions and provision of original perspectives of changes needed in power dynamics, mental models, and at other levels of systems change.

Dr. Luca Coscieme
Dr. Nicoletta Patrizi
Dr. Valentina Niccolucci
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • envrionmental footprint family
  • water footprint
  • carbon footprint
  • land footprint
  • phosphorous footprint
  • nitrogen footprint
  • ecological footprint
  • sustainable development goals
  • planetary boundaries
  • sustainable consumption
  • sustainable production
  • life cycle assessment (LCA)

Published Papers (11 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Other

18 pages, 3586 KiB  
Article
The Coordinated Effects of CO2 and Air Pollutant Emission Changes Induced by Inter-Provincial Trade in China
by Peng Qi, Jianlei Lang, Xiaoqi Wang, Ying Zhou, Haoyun Qi and Shuiyuan Cheng
Sustainability 2024, 16(4), 1706; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041706 - 19 Feb 2024
Viewed by 390
Abstract
Inter-provincial trade leads to changes in CO2 and air pollutant emissions. However, there is a research gap regarding the coordinated effects (co-effects) between embodied CO2 and air pollutant emissions in trade. Understanding co-effects in inter-provincial trade is a prerequisite for driving [...] Read more.
Inter-provincial trade leads to changes in CO2 and air pollutant emissions. However, there is a research gap regarding the coordinated effects (co-effects) between embodied CO2 and air pollutant emissions in trade. Understanding co-effects in inter-provincial trade is a prerequisite for driving the green transformation of trade and achieving coordination between pollution and carbon reduction. Here, we calculated provincial-level CO2 and air pollutant emission leakage in 2012 and 2017 based on a modified input–output model and, for the first time, investigated the co-effects between CO2 and air pollutant emission leakage caused by emissions transfers in China. Three types of co-effects, categorized as co-benefits, trade-offs, and co-damage, were discovered and defined to reveal the provincial differences. Furthermore, combined with structural decomposition analysis (SDA), we calculated the interannual variation in trade-induced emissions and identified the key driving factors of provincial-level co-effects from 2012 to 2017. Optimizing the energy structure has led to the greatest co-benefits, while changes in the industrial structure and emission coefficients have led to limited co-benefits in specific provinces. Variations in trade volume have led to co-damages across all provinces, and changes in emission coefficients have led to trade-offs in the majority of provinces. The case analysis confirmed that identifying and adjusting the key driving factors of co-effects can promote the transformation from co-damage and trade-offs to co-benefits. The findings implied a new approach for the reduction in pollution and carbon through inter-provincial trade. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

26 pages, 26696 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Relationships between Land Surface Temperature and Its Influencing Determinants Using Local Spatial Modeling
by Ömer Ünsal, Aynaz Lotfata and Sedat Avcı
Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11594; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511594 - 27 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1198
Abstract
In recent years, a growing body of research has investigated the factors influencing land surface temperature (LST) in different cities, employing diverse methodologies. Our study aims to be one of the few to examine the socio-environmental variables (SV) of LST with a holistic [...] Read more.
In recent years, a growing body of research has investigated the factors influencing land surface temperature (LST) in different cities, employing diverse methodologies. Our study aims to be one of the few to examine the socio-environmental variables (SV) of LST with a holistic approach, especially in primate cities in developing countries, which are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In this context, the study preliminarily identifies the SV of LST while investigating the most vulnerable areas related to extreme LST at the neighborhood level. The combined 11 variables are analyzed using spatial modeling methods (GWR and MGWR). The MGWR model outperforms the GWR model with an adjusted R2 of 0.96. The results showed that: (1) the 65+ population is negatively associated with LST in 95% of neighborhoods; the socioeconomic index–LST relationship is negative in 65% of neighborhoods. (2) In 90% of the neighborhoods where the relationship between LST and the built environment ratio is positive, the socioeconomic level decreases while household size increases in 98% of the neighborhoods. (3) In 62% of the neighborhoods where the relationship between the 65+ population and LST is negative, the relationship between the socioeconomic level and LST is negative. This study aids decision-makers and planners in managing urban resources to reduce extreme LST exposure region by region and recommending multiscale policies to control determinant influences on LST. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 590 KiB  
Article
Is Hazelnut Farming Sustainable? An Analysis in the Specialized Production Area of Viterbo
by Elisa Biagetti, Barbara Pancino, Angelo Martella, Ilenia Maria La Porta, Clara Cicatiello, Tommaso De Gregorio and Silvio Franco
Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10702; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310702 - 07 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1000
Abstract
Specialized agricultural systems may have a strong environmental impact, thus affecting the sustainability of production. The aim of this study is to evaluate the overall environmental impact of the hazelnut production, focusing on the main Italian production area, which is located in the [...] Read more.
Specialized agricultural systems may have a strong environmental impact, thus affecting the sustainability of production. The aim of this study is to evaluate the overall environmental impact of the hazelnut production, focusing on the main Italian production area, which is located in the province of Viterbo (central Italy). The theoretical approach adopted in this study refers to the paradigm of ecological economics, recalling the concept of strong sustainability through the conservation of natural capital and its non-replacement with economic capital. This environmental sustainability of farming systems is assessed through the ecological balance (EB) tool by comparing the availability and use of natural capital in each farm scenario. This allows to understand the extent of the load generated on the environment by the different farm’s typologies, as well as the impact on the entire territory where hazelnut cultivation is predominant. For the assessment, local typical farm scenarios are assessed through a Delphi consultation of a panel of experts, thus characterizing the cultivation techniques most frequently adopted in the area. Three typologies of representative farms emerge, which mainly differ for cultivation method and dimension. Cultivation methods associated with the larger farms (both conventional and organic) generate a positive contribution to EB, whereas small farms (conventional) have a negative EB due to the high utilization of inputs. However, the positive balance of the large farms compensates for the negative balance of the small ones. This determines a total positive environmental balance of the specialized production area of Viterbo, equal to 9412 gha. This means that hazelnut farming at a territorial level is sustainable thanks to specific farm managements, which can be promoted by policy-makers. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

28 pages, 13406 KiB  
Article
Learning-by-Doing Methodology towards Urban Decarbonisation: An Application in Valletta (Malta)
by Matteo Maccanti, Romina D’Ascanio, Federica Di Pietrantonio, Michela Marchi, Jesús Vargas Molina, Riccardo Maria Pulselli, Andrea Poldrugovac, Diane Schembri Cassar, Lorenzo Barbieri, Josefina López Galdeano, Valentina Niccolucci, Carmela Gioia, Francesca Paola Mondelli, Jesmond Xuereb, Anna Laura Palazzo and Simone Bastianoni
Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5807; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075807 - 27 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1759
Abstract
Since approximately 75% of Europeans currently live in cities, and this number will rise, urban areas are the most important testbeds for energy transition, climate change adaptation measures, and decarbonisation models, on which studies and efforts for concrete change must focus. The teaching [...] Read more.
Since approximately 75% of Europeans currently live in cities, and this number will rise, urban areas are the most important testbeds for energy transition, climate change adaptation measures, and decarbonisation models, on which studies and efforts for concrete change must focus. The teaching of mitigation and adaptation measures to climate change and decarbonisation models has gradually taken up space within university courses. However, the complexity of the decarbonisation issue is raising awareness on the urgency of an interdisciplinary approach that can be conveyed by spatial planning. Currently, this approach is not widespread in Higher Education Institutions in Europe but is nonetheless necessary to let new professional profiles emerge who are able to coordinate different stakeholders, data, and information sources. The Erasmus+ project CITY MINDED (2020–2022) has worked in this direction, by developing and testing a methodology for the design of a structured ordinary practice for teaching urban decarbonisation to students in Higher Education. This practice (at the same time, interdisciplinary, collaborative, experiential, and place-based) aims to offer students a combination of different approaches and working methods to investigate and improve urban neighbourhoods and districts, resulting in the definition of an operative roadmap for decarbonisation in the medium-to-long-term. The aim of this article is to highlight the learning-by-doing experience developed by the project consortium, with reference to the testing of the methodology conducted within an Intensive Course in the City of Valletta (Malta). In particular, the paper illustrates how this experience succeeded in stimulating students with different academic backgrounds to establish connections across disciplines, in raising their awareness about the complexity of city decarbonisation processes. Overcoming the strict time and budget constraints of an EU-funded project, such an approach can be further developed, replicated on theoretical grounds, and implemented within different degree programmes dealing with urban sustainability. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 1527 KiB  
Article
Chemical Footprint as an Indicator of Health Impacts: The Case of Dioxins and Furans in Brazil
by Biagio Fernando Giannetti, Fábio Sevegnani, Feni Agostinho, Cecília M. V. B. Almeida, Pedro Henrique Bolanho Simões and Gengyuan Liu
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5314; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065314 - 16 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1179
Abstract
Humans are exposed to several chemical substances during their regular daily activities that can be harmful even in low quantities. Accounting for the mass of a given released chemical may not be appropriate for the assessment of its toxicological impact. To overcome the [...] Read more.
Humans are exposed to several chemical substances during their regular daily activities that can be harmful even in low quantities. Accounting for the mass of a given released chemical may not be appropriate for the assessment of its toxicological impact. To overcome the lack of a systemic perspective of mass-based assessments, methods such as the chemical footprint (ChF) are an alternative to account for a given chemical’s environmental and human toxicological impacts, a task that is considered essential in order to achieve the Agenda 2030 for sustainability. Among others, persistent organic pollutants (POP) should receive attention due to their high potential impact. Using the USEtox model to estimate indicators of human health impact, this study proposes an approach to calculate ChF for dioxins and furans and applies it to Brazil as a case study. The USEtox model quantifies human health impacts from the characterization of factors of a given chemical. Results show that ChF for dioxins and furans is approximately 620 DALY, representing a potential loss of 620 years of life in the Brazilian population. Social costs related to dioxins and furans emissions achieved USD 30 million, translating into monetary values not found in the existing literature. Besides highlighting the impacts of chemical emissions on the Brazilian population, this work contributes to the advances in methods for quantifying more appropriately such impacts beyond the exclusive use of mass units, in turn supporting sustainability-related public policies. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 3525 KiB  
Article
Sustainability Assessment of Intensification Levels of Brazilian Smallholder Integrated Dairy-Crop Production Systems: An Emergy and Economic-Based Decision Approach
by Vitória Toffolo Luiz, Rafael Araújo Nacimento, Vanessa Theodoro Rezende, Taynara Freitas Avelar de Almeida, Juliana Vieira Paz, Biagio Fernando Giannetti and Augusto Hauber Gameiro
Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4674; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054674 - 06 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1583
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the sustainability of integrated dairy–crop production systems by employing emergy and economic theory perspectives, and to identify strategies to improve the intensification of dairy production systems. A case study of a small Brazilian dairy production system (PROP) was [...] Read more.
This study aimed to evaluate the sustainability of integrated dairy–crop production systems by employing emergy and economic theory perspectives, and to identify strategies to improve the intensification of dairy production systems. A case study of a small Brazilian dairy production system (PROP) was created to assess dairy herd feed exchanges as a sustainability pathway. Three scenarios were proposed for the examination of a dairy production system: extensive (EXT); semi-intensive (SIS); and intensive (INT). The Interlink Decision Making Index (IDMI) was used to compare sustainability among them. The PROP demonstrated higher environmental performance than the other scenarios (ESI = 1.30, 0.65, 0.95, and 0.71, for PROP, INT, SIS, and EXT, respectively); however, PROP’s profitability was 1.6 times lower than that of SIS and INT, although PROP’s profitability was higher than that of the EXT scenario. Notably, the IDMI identified the SIS scenario as having the best sustainability among those studied. We concluded that the consideration of the energy contribution for feed ingredients yields a more equitable evaluation of environmental performance in integrated dairy–crop production systems, which leads us to propose the following suggestions: (i) target higher profit performance by changing extensive dairy systems to semi-intensive systems that utilize feed ingredients produced at the farm, and (ii) promote higher environmental performance by transforming intensive dairy systems to semi-intensive systems that are directed more toward maintaining environmental factors. In our view, public policies should focus on bonifications that upgrade dairy systems to promote and utilize best practices for dairy–crop integration. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 4298 KiB  
Article
Date Fruit Production and Consumption: A Perspective on Global Trends and Drivers from a Multidimensional Footprint Assessment
by Fabio Sporchia, Nicoletta Patrizi and Federico Maria Pulselli
Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4358; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054358 - 28 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2136
Abstract
Date production and consumption is mostly diffused in Middle East and Northern African countries. Date production is linked to the land and water footprint in countries where agricultural land and freshwater are scarce. We estimate the global land, green water, blue water, and [...] Read more.
Date production and consumption is mostly diffused in Middle East and Northern African countries. Date production is linked to the land and water footprint in countries where agricultural land and freshwater are scarce. We estimate the global land, green water, blue water, and water scarcity footprint at the country scale from a production perspective. We show that production trends are increasingly driven by foreign demand. By tracking the international trade dynamics of dates, we map the shift of environmental footprint from the producing to the consuming countries. We find that dates production and consumption are not yet decoupled from the associated environmental burden. Global dates consumption accounted for 1.4 million hectares of agricultural land, 5.8 Gm3 of green water, 7.5 Gm3 of blue water, and the related impact on water scarcity reached 358 Gm3 world equivalent in 2019. The primacy of the economic driver is revealed, indicating that in the case of dates, the environmental sustainability aspects are currently overlooked for the sake of the economic benefit. The time-series analysis provides informative results to support policymakers in the design of mitigation strategies that can help the achievement of the SDGs. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 2237 KiB  
Article
Bibliometric Analysis of Studies on Sustainable Waste Management
by Deniz Yalçıntaş, Suzan Oğuz, Eda Yaşa Özeltürkay and Murat Gülmez
Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1414; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021414 - 11 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1668
Abstract
Environmental issues have spread around the world as a result of rapidly evolving technology, industrialization, urbanization, and population expansion. Alongside this, wastes are produced as a result of rising manufacturing activities, the use of natural resources, and brisk consumption. Thus, waste management poses [...] Read more.
Environmental issues have spread around the world as a result of rapidly evolving technology, industrialization, urbanization, and population expansion. Alongside this, wastes are produced as a result of rising manufacturing activities, the use of natural resources, and brisk consumption. Thus, waste management poses a great danger to both our environment and future generations and is one of the most important environmental problems of our age. Sustainable waste management should be implemented effectively in order to protect rapidly depleted natural resources within the scope of sustainable waste management, prevent the negative effects of waste on the environment and human health, and to ensure their participation as an economic input. The aim of this study is to examine the studies on sustainable waste management between the years 2010–2021 with the visual mapping method. In this context, SSCI, SCI and ESCI indexes were selected in the Web of Science database, and a search was conducted with the concept of “sustainable waste management”. There were 599 publications found with the phrase “sustainable waste management” in the title. Later, these publications were visualized and interpreted through the VOSviewer mapping method. The most frequently used keyword in the findings was “sustainable waste management”. The author with the most publications was “Yong Sik Ok”, while the most cited author was “Daniel C.W. Tsang”. It was observed that the highest number of publications among the countries was in China. China was also identified as the country with the highest number of citations. The findings of the study can be graphically visualized to obtain the most relevant information to be applied in firms. Additionally, because doing a literature review requires a lot of time, it is believed that the researchers will find the findings of this study that compiles the literature useful. For policy makers can bring new perspectives about incorporating strategies in wastes and waste management. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 4048 KiB  
Article
Consumer Attitudes towards Fish and Seafood in Portugal: Opportunities for Footprint Reduction
by Adeline Murthy, Alessandro Galli, Catarina Madeira and Sara Moreno Pires
Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1363; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021363 - 11 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3427
Abstract
Fish and seafood are central to the Portuguese diet, comprising a significant portion of Portugal’s Ecological Footprint. Diversifying dietary preferences is important because it has the potential to reduce pressure on marine ecosystems. We explored this opportunity by coupling (1) an Ecological Footprint [...] Read more.
Fish and seafood are central to the Portuguese diet, comprising a significant portion of Portugal’s Ecological Footprint. Diversifying dietary preferences is important because it has the potential to reduce pressure on marine ecosystems. We explored this opportunity by coupling (1) an Ecological Footprint assessment of Portugal to quantify the environmental impacts of Portugal’s food consumption choices (particularly fish and seafood), with (2) a consumer survey to assess attitudes towards fish and seafood of Portuguese residents and their willingness to modify their preferences, thus shedding light on the potential for sustainable dietary choices in Portugal and the best strategies by which to achieve them. Ecological Footprint results confirm that Portugal is unique in the Mediterranean region in that its food Footprint is driven by fish and seafood consumption, while, for most other countries, the main driver is meat. Results from the consumer survey show that Portuguese fish and seafood preferences are characterized by a high frequency of consumption and a preference for high trophic level species. Age was the primary demographic factor influencing consumption habits in Portugal. Moreover, Portuguese consumers lack knowledge on sustainable fishing practices. Actions and strategies to increase sustainable dietary choices in Portugal will need to consider these factors. We recommend targeted outreach messaging for different age groups, more and better information on sustainable options, together with efforts to protect marine biodiversity. Future research needs to better understand the whole value chain and all relevant stakeholders of the fish and seafood sector for more effective incentives for Footprint reduction. Full article
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

10 pages, 735 KiB  
Article
The Ecological Footprint of Happiness: A Case Study of a Low-Income Community in the City of São Paulo, Brazil
by Biagio F. Giannetti, Rose Reis De Souza, Marcos J. Alves-Pinto, Jr., Cecília M. V. B. Almeida, Feni Agostinho and Luca Coscieme
Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12056; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912056 - 23 Sep 2022
Viewed by 1236
Abstract
An ecological footprint is an accounting tool that reports the balance between resource supply and demand to assess environmental sustainability. Among the many available indicators of social progress, happiness reflects how a person feels about their quality of life. We combined these two [...] Read more.
An ecological footprint is an accounting tool that reports the balance between resource supply and demand to assess environmental sustainability. Among the many available indicators of social progress, happiness reflects how a person feels about their quality of life. We combined these two approaches to assess the ecological efficiency of social performance in the low-income community of Felicidade, in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2019. We assessed the ecological footprint and gross domestic happiness (GDH) through questionnaires. We found that the community has a lower environmental footprint than higher-income communities in Brazil. However, the per capita ecological footprint in the community is still above what is available per person globally. We found that the community has a high level of life satisfaction (GDH = 0.86) and that the main contributor to happiness is health, time use, psychological wellbeing, education, good governance, and community vitality. The results suggest that other contributors unrelated to income are more robust determinants of happiness. In Brazil, despite higher footprints characterizing higher-income communities, further efforts in low-income communities are needed to reduce environmental footprints, ensure dignified income, and nurture the underlying conditions for high levels of happiness and social capital. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

10 pages, 1037 KiB  
Opinion
Beyond the IPCC for Food: An Overarching Framework for Food Systems Sustainability Assessment
by Dario Caro, Fabio Sporchia, Marta Antonelli and Alessandro Galli
Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14107; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914107 - 23 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1401
Abstract
Food systems are responsible for a large share of anthropogenic impacts. In recent debates, the need to strengthen the link between science and policy has emerged with the proposal to establish a new global science–policy interface for a sustainable food system. While the [...] Read more.
Food systems are responsible for a large share of anthropogenic impacts. In recent debates, the need to strengthen the link between science and policy has emerged with the proposal to establish a new global science–policy interface for a sustainable food system. While the clash between those who consider necessary and those who do not consider necessary the creation of this panel increases, this paper takes inspiration from this debate to highlight how strengthening the interactions between science and policy should be supported by increasing the informativeness of current sustainability assessments, regardless of the need for such a panel. In particular, we delve into this emerging topic by focusing on some critical aspects of the current sustainability assessments of food systems, which include the need for more comprehensive assessments, based on the joint use of multiple indicators. While sustainability assessments of food systems have been historically focusing on just one–two externalities at a time, the introduction of new multi-faceted indicators make it now possible to look at multiple externalities concurrently and at the trade-offs among them. Dietary contextualization becomes essential too, to avoid the provision of misleading information. An operative framework to improve sustainability assessments of food systems is presented here and discussed with the aim of promoting more informative approaches, which are crucial for transforming scientific knowledge into mitigation policies. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop