Search Results (18)

Problem: Agriculture in India faces pressing challenges related to water scarcity, excessive pesticide use, and inefficient energy consumption, impacting both economic sustainability and environmental health. Methodology: This study integrates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), Intelligent Management Models (IMMs), and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to assess the economic and environmental benefits of UAV-based spraying in Indian agriculture. Data were collected from UAV service providers and field trials in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Results: UAV spraying achieved a 70% reduction in water use, 40% reduction in pesticide consumption, and a 50% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to conventional spraying. DEA results showed higher efficiency scores for UAVs, while IMM optimization achieved 95% pesticide coverage and reduced drift by 80%. Implications: MCDA ranked government subsidies as the most effective policy intervention. These findings support UAV spraying as a viable, scalable solution for climate-smart agriculture in India, offering both productivity and sustainability gains. Full article

In recent decades, the construction industry in China has experienced significant growth, leading to substantial consumption of non-renewable natural resources and a large amount of construction and demolition waste (CDW). As a result, the effective utilization of CDW has become critically important in China. This study focuses on the processing of CDW to produce recycled fine aggregates (RFAs) and recycled coarse aggregates (RCAs), which were subsequently used to produce recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). A total of 12 RAC composites incorporating RFAs and RCAs were prepared, and their compressive strength was evaluated in detail. The life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was employed to assess the environmental impact of 1 m³ of RAC within a “cradle-to-gate” system boundary. Furthermore, the life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) method was applied to evaluate the economic benefits of RAC. The contributions of RCAs and RFAs were analyzed in detail. Lastly, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach was proposed to comprehensively compare the environmental and economic impacts of RAC and ordinary concrete. The results of the LCA and LCCA indicate that the inclusion of RCAs and RFAs in composite mixtures leads to significant environmental and economic benefits. The MCDA identified the optimized RAC mixture as one containing 70% RCA and 100% RFA, which demonstrated the best performance in terms of mechanical properties, environmental impact, and economic cost. The composite addition of RCA and RFA in RAC production can significantly reduce both environmental impacts and economic costs, thereby enhancing the sustainability of the concrete industry. Full article

Greek wines excel in quality and exports, but the viticultural sector faces significant challenges from complex supply chains, shifting European policies, and the growing need for sustainability amidst climate change and economic pressures. External environmental costs could affect significantly the decision-making process of farmers, reflecting a broader evaluation of sustainability in viticulture. This study evaluates the economic and environmental impacts of organic, integrated, and conventional viticulture management systems in Drama, Greece using a life cycle (LC) approach and data envelopment analysis (DEA) to determine efficiency, quantify environmental impacts in monetary terms, and incorporate these costs into the analysis. Organic management systems have lower energy consumption and emissions compared to integrated and conventional systems, with organic systems ranging from 4546 to 6573 kWh/ha in energy use and 1358 to 1795 kg CO₂ eq./ha in emissions, while integrated and conventional systems range from 9157 to 12,109 kWh/ha and 2961 to 3661 kg CO₂ eq./ha. The DEA analysis reveals that most organic systems perform efficiently when accounting for environmental costs, whereas conventional systems face significant efficiency declines, with only a few maintaining optimal performance. Policy-supported transitions based on the provider gets principle are crucial for balancing economic and environmental goals in viticulture, as the integration of shadow prices significantly impacts efficiency. Full article

The environmental impacts from energy consumption account for a high percentage of the environmental impacts of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) throughout their life cycle; therefore, controlling energy use in WWTPs could bring substantial benefits to the environment. In this study, according to the different percentages of electricity generation from renewable energy compared to fossil energy, the global warming, acidification, eutrophication, human toxicity, and photochemical smog, the environmental impacts of WWTP operation were considered. Furthermore, to explore a more sustainable way of operating WWTPs under the “dual-carbon” strategic decision, the environmental impacts and energy utilization efficiency of different power allocation scenarios at present and in the next 40 years were compared based on the LCA+DEA integrated model. The study revealed that in scenarios 1–5, as the proportion of renewable energy power generation gradually increased, all LCA results showed a gradual decrease, of which GWP decreased by 83.32% and human toxicity decreased by 93.34%. However, in scenarios 2–5, the contribution ratio (proportion) of gas and electricity to GWP and POCP gradually increased, reaching 77.11% and 59.44%, respectively, in scenario 5. The contribution ratio (proportion) of biomass generation to AP and EP gradually increased as well, reaching 65.22% and 68.75%, respectively, in scenario 5. Meanwhile, the combined technical efficiency in energy utilization in the five scenarios showed a decreasing trend; only scenario 1 was fully efficient, and the combined efficiency was 1. The values of combined technical efficiency in scenarios 2, 3, 4, and 5 gradually decreased and were 0.7386, 0.4771, 0.2967, and 0.1673, respectively. This study discusses whether the use of renewable energy in place of fossil energy power elicits an environmental impact in WWTPs. We explore the feasibility of achieving energy savings and emission reductions in WWTPs within the Tumen River Basin, to provide a theoretical basis for their sustainable development. Full article

The expansion of global tourism development has led to an increase in environmental burdens. This study aimed to assess the operational performance and the environmental impacts associated with food service establishments in Phuket, an international tourist island in Thailand. A joint application of life cycle assessment and data envelopment analysis was employed to evaluate environmental burdens and calculate the efficiency scores encompassing several inputs and outputs of each food service establishment. There are several characteristics of food service establishments that affect their operational and environmental performance. The results showed that location, opening hours, and surrounding conditions are key factors driving the performance of air-conditioned food service establishments, while the performance of non-air-conditioned ones is mainly decided by opening hours. However, these factors are not significant for the performance of street food service establishments. It is advised to carefully consider the characteristics of the included food service establishments based on their products and services to enhance their performance. As an effort to achieve a balanced connection between environmental quality and economic growth, it is essential to evaluate both operational and environmental performance. Attaining maximum operational efficiency does not necessarily ensure the same for eco-efficiency. Full article

The efficiency of the same vehicle can vary in different regions, posing unique challenges and implications for electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) within a country. However, most studies have regarded countries as single entities, and it is difficult to assess differences in efficiency between similar entities by simply using the life cycle analysis (LCA) method. To provide the specific environmental efficiency of vehicles in each region, in this study, we used data from 100 cities in 30 provinces in China (4 provinces are not discussed due to a lack of data) and constructed a new road congestion indicator that simulated different road conditions at different times and in different regions. A more effective method, which consisted of LCA, two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) and a slack-based model (SBM), was integrated to reflect the phases of LCA more clearly. The results show that the well-to-wheel (WTW) emission range of internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) is 288.28–217.40 CO₂-eq g/km, while it is 248.20–26.67 CO₂-eq g/km for EVs, which means the WTW carbon emissions of EVs are generally lower than those of ICEVs (except in Heilongjiang Province). Furthermore, it was concluded that provinces with a high proportion of hydropower and a high degree of power autonomy could adjust the proportion of thermal power and inter-provincial power transmission to enhance environmental sustainability, and this would not change provincial environmental efficiency. The analysis suggests that provinces should consider both environmental protection and electricity sustainability when planning their own power development, rather than only focusing on improving environmental efficiency. Full article

Eco-efficiency could be defined as the simultaneous ability to achieve acceptable economic results with the least possible environmental degradation. Its analysis in crop and livestock production systems has become a hot topic among politicians and scientists. Pig pasture production systems are in high commercial demand because they are associated with high quality and environmentally friendly products. This work aimed to assess the eco-efficiency of pig farms and subsequently explore the determinants of inefficiency in the dehesa ecosystem in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Farmers from 35 randomly selected farms were interviewed to obtain farm-level data. The eco-efficiency level was calculated through a joined data envelopment analysis (DEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. Subsequently, a truncated Tobit model was applied to determine factors associated with inefficiency. The results of the research revealed that Iberian pig farms are highly eco-efficient. The estimated average eco-efficiency score is 0.919 and ranges from 0.479 to 1, suggesting that the average farm could increase its value by about 8.1%. This means that the aggregate environmental pressures could be reduced by approximately this proportion (8%) while maintaining the same input level. The determinants related to social and demographic characteristics that positively affected eco-efficiency were the number of children, while years of farm activity and educational level had a negative effect. On the other hand, farm’s characteristics and the type of management, the percentage of own surface area, the percentage of livestock use, and the high proportion of pigs fattened in montanera, positively affected the eco-efficiency level. Full article

The eco-efficiency of rice production is an important indicator in the measurement of sustainable rice development. Scientific evaluation of the eco-efficiency of rice production facilitates accurate evaluation of the real level of rice ecosystems to realize efficient utilization of agricultural resources. This paper measured the eco-efficiency of farms growing rice using both the life cycle assessment (LCA) and the data envelopment analysis (DEA) methods based on survey data from 370 farms mainly growing rice conducted in 2020 in the Hubei Province, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in China. Then, sensitivity analysis and scenario analysis were carried out on the comprehensive index of the rice environmental impact and eco-efficiency of rice production, respectively. The results indicate that the comprehensive index of the rice environmental impact was 2.0971. Water toxicity, soil toxicity and eutrophication were the main influencing factors. The mean value of the eco-efficiency reached 0.51. More specifically, the proportion of farms in the low-, middle- and high-efficiency groups was 87.03%, 1.89% and 11.08%, respectively, with mean values up to 0.42, 0.86 and 1.14, respectively. A sensitivity analysis revealed that the pesticide sensitivity was higher than the fertilizer sensitivity in terms of the environmental impact sensitivity of rice systems. When comprehensively considering environmental and economic benefits, the fertilizer sensitivity was higher than that of pesticides. Moreover, reducing the application of both fertilizers and pesticides by 50% could promote the eco-efficiency of rice production systems by 6%, and the value could reach 0.54. Thus, reducing the application of fertilizers and pesticides and improving the utilization efficiency are effective ways to improve green rice production. Full article

Though increasing food supply in order to meet the rising demand for nutrition is a global social imperative, reducing the dependence on imports of essential food commodities is both an economic and a geo-political imperative for national governments. However, in light of the Sustainable Development Goals, although Zero Hunger (SDG2) and Good Health and Well-Being (SDG3) can be ensured within a country when the inhabitants are well-nourished and staple food items remain affordable to one and all, oftentimes, there are trade-offs in the process, with the environmental dimensions—SDGs 13 (Climate action), 14 (Life below water) and 15 (Life on Land). In this paper, using a combination of Environmental-Life Cycle Assessment (E-LCA) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), the authors have evaluated the eco-efficiency of 169 wheat cultivation systems in the Golestan province in the north of Iran. Benchmarking performance based on the best-performing wheat farms and optimizing (decreasing essentially) the consumption of resources, will enable an average reduction of between 10% and 16% in global warming, acidification, eutrophication, and non-renewable energy usage of the wheat cultivation systems in the case study region. The authors recommend the use of this combination not only for wheat cultivation in other regions of the world, but also for other agricultural systems. Full article

In recent years, the air transport sector has played a significant role in the economy of the areas served. The demand for air travel has doubled every fifteen years and has grown faster with respect to other industries. This is also due to the introduction of low-cost airlines (LCA). In the coming decades, more efficient management of airports will become an essential aspect to address. A clear understanding of the current airport structure based on the analysis of the operational efficiency will therefore be necessary. All air carriers seek to expand their operations at airports, which tend to operate efficiently in order to reduce costs. However, in carrying out their activities and maximizing operational efficiency, airports should simultaneously manage to increase their passengers’ satisfaction. All over the world, passengers are demanding higher levels of service and regulators are paying increasing attention to the provision of airport services and the quality of the services supplied. Starting from these considerations, the aim of this paper is to study the efficiency of an airport through joint analysis of the operational efficiency (with the Data Envelopment Analysis -DEA-model) for the airport manager (by maximizing the exploitation of existing infrastructures), taking into consideration the quality of airport services as perceived by the user. The original and added value of this work lies in the quantitative analysis of the main characteristics that determine the efficiency of main European airports, also taking into account the quality perceived by the users during their trips with the air mode. Thus, the efficiency of 103 European airports in 37 different countries, for the year 2018, were compared, highlighting the effect of low-cost airlines. This aspect, as far as the authors know, has not been treated in the literature. Indeed, this study represents a decision support system (DSS) tool for operational managers in the air sector for the identification of the characteristics that improve airport efficiency. This paper refers to the pre-COVID-19 period because it would not be useful to make an efficiency analysis influenced by the pandemic, since the latter represents a specific event. Therefore, this analysis provides interesting inputs for both researchers and practitioners to manage the issue of efficiency in ordinary contexts. Moreover, the airline industry is characterized by cut-throat competition, and it may be very useful in the close future to examine this issue to improve firms’ management in the industry. Full article

Manufacturing offers substantial opportunities for economic growth after COVID-19, as long as it delivers competitively priced goods while simultaneously reducing pressure on the environment. In this study, we present the methodological feasibility of the joint application of life cycle assessment (LCA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) for assessing eco-efficiency at the sector level. We employ this methodology to assess the environmental profiles of manufacturing in Poland in relation to their gross value added, and subsequently calculate the improvement targets for the eco-inefficient manufacturing industries. The study reveals that only the chemical industry is relatively eco-efficient, whereas the remaining industries have considerable room for improvement due to their very low eco-efficiency, and thus should follow the best practices established by the chemical industry. Although there are always individual paths for manufacturing industries to achieve the decoupling of economic growth from environmental pressure, activities such as the transformation of manufacturing methods to be less energy and material intensive and/or to be low-emission, the reincorporation of waste into the manufacturing processes, and the implementation of environmental management systems should become common targets of manufacturing in Poland. Full article

Eco-efficiency has become a cornerstone in improving the environmental and economic performance of farms. The joint use of life cycle assessment (LCA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA), known as LCA + DEA methodology, is an expanding area of research in this quest. LCA estimates the environmental impacts of the products or services, while DEA evaluates their efficiency, providing targets and benchmarks for the inefficient ones. Because energy consumption and environmental quality are highly interdependent, we carried out a study to examine energy efficiency and environmental emissions associated with rain-fed barley farms in Kermanshah Province, Iran. Fifty-four rain-fed barley farms were randomly selected, and production data were collected using questionnaires and interviews. DEA and LCA were used to quantify and compare environmental indicators before and after efficiency improvements were applied to the farms. To accomplish this, efficient and inefficient farms were identified using DEA. Then environmental emissions were measured again after inefficient farms reached the efficiency limit through management improvements. The results showed that by managing resource use, both energy consumption and environmental emissions can be reduced without yield loss. The initial amount of energy consumed averaged 13,443 MJ/ha while that consumed in the optimal state was determined to be 12,509 MJ/h, resulting in a savings of 934 MJ/ha. Based on the results of DEA, reductions in nitrogen fertilizer, diesel fuel, and phosphate fertilizer offered the greatest possibilities for energy savings. Combining DEA and LCA showed that efficient resource management could reduce emissions important to abiotic depletion (fossil fuels), human toxicity, marine aquatic ecotoxicity, global warming (GWP100a), freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, and terrestrial ecotoxicity. This study contributes toward systematically building knowledge about crop production with the joint use of LCA + DEA for eco-efficiency assessment. Full article

To promote sustainable agriculture worldwide, it is important to understand what constitutes eco-efficiency for rice, a staple food in many countries. This study examined whether expanding the scale of rice farming contributed to the improved eco-efficiency of intensive rice production in Japan. Both life cycle assessment (LCA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) were used to measure comprehensively the eco-efficiency of rice production. A DEA window analysis technique with two DEA inputs (global warming and eutrophication from the LCA results) and one DEA output (weight-based rice yield) was applied to the statistical data for 2005–2011 categorized by the size of rice farms. The results indicate that expanding the size of rice farms is an effective way of improving the eco-efficiency of intensive rice production in Japan. The important factors for improving eco-efficiency are the implementation of economies of scale, reduced outsourcing of farm work, and savings in chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Expansion of the size of rice farms through the recent abolition of the rice production adjustment program will also contribute to improving the eco-efficiency of Japanese rice production. Full article

This study presents a method that is based on the three-stage network Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to evaluate the sustainability of packaging systems for a product. This method facilitates the selection of better product packaging alternatives from an environmentally friendly point of view and it comprises the following four steps: (i) the definition of packaging sustainability indicator (PSI) based on environmental efficiency and impact indicator of three-stage in packaging life cycle, (ii) modeling a three-stage Network DEA model for a packaging system, (iii) computing PSI based on the DEA model, and (iv) result analysis. An empirical test has been progressed to prove the feasibility of the proposed method by selecting the three types of milk packaging systems. The results indicated that the PSI value of PrePack is the maximum and the Tetra Pak minimum. According to these results, the study provides an environmentally friendly evaluation method for product packaging systems, which is more intuitive than Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Full article

Feeding the world’s population sustainably is a major challenge of our society, and was stated as one of the key priorities for development cooperation by the European Union (EU) policy framework on food security. However, with the current trend of natural resource exploitation, food systems consume around 30% of final energy use, generating up to 30% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Given the expected increase of global population (nine billion people by 2050) and the amount of food losses and waste generated (one-third of global food production), improving the efficiency of food systems along the supply chain is essential to ensure food security. This study combines life-cycle assessment (LCA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) to assess the efficiency of Spanish agri-food system and to propose improvement actions in order to reduce energy usage and GHG emissions. An average energy saving of approximately 70% is estimated for the Spanish agri-food system in order to be efficient. This study highlights the importance of the DEA method as a tool for energy optimization, identifying efficient and inefficient food systems. This approach could be adopted by administrations, policy-makers, and producers as a helpful instrument to support decision-making and improve the sustainability of agri-food systems. Full article