Search Results (155)

The world’s food industry faces significant obstacles today as it strives to meet the nutritional needs of its rapidly expanding global population while also managing an immense amount of food processing waste (FPW) generated throughout the entire food supply chain. The widespread use of traditional disposal techniques for food waste (landfilling and incineration) regularly faces challenges related to environmental sustainability and economic efficiency. This manuscript reviews the necessary transition from a linear “take-make-dispose” approach to food production to a more circular model that recycles food waste into high-value intermediate chemicals and renewable energy through the development of biorefineries. The manuscript explores the biochemical composition of food waste, with carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and bioactive materials, making it a suitable feedstock for different multi-stage biorefinery operations. In addition, this review will evaluate a variety of existing conversion technologies for food processing waste, such as biological methods (e.g., anaerobic digestion and fermentation) and thermochemical methods (e.g., pyrolysis, gasification, and hydrothermal liquefaction), to create various platform chemicals, including organic acids, bio-alcohols and volatile fatty acids (VFAs), as well as the production of sustainable biofuels and biopolymers. The review also elucidates the three most determinative constraints on large-scale industrial implementation of food waste valorisation: feedstock variability, techno-economic feasibility, and the need for comprehensive life cycle assessments (LCAs). The alignment of food waste management strategies with the UN SDGs (in particular, SDG 12 ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’ and SDG 13 ‘Climate Action’) reflects the opportunity for food waste to serve as a foundation for a carbon-neutral, sustainable future. This review provides a strategic roadmap for academics, practitioners, and policymakers to tap into the full potential of food waste through a sustainable circular economy model. Full article

The agri-food sector generates significant quantities of by-products and waste biomass, representing both an environmental challenge and an opportunity for resource recovery within a circular bioeconomy. This study developed a decision-support framework for the sustainable valorization of major residues from the Italian agri-food sector. Following a Material Flow Analysis (MFA) of multiple Italian agri-food supply chains, tomato and grape supply chains were selected as representative case studies because they generated the largest quantities of valorizable by-products among the agri-food sectors evaluated, namely tomato pomace and grape marc. MFA based on FAOSTAT and PRODCOM data (2019–2023) was combined with a literature review to assess biomass availability and physicochemical characteristics. The analysis identified tomato pomace and grape marc as the predominant residues. Tomato pomace showed high moisture content (63.34%), balanced organic composition, and a favorable C/N ratio, supporting its suitability for anaerobic digestion with an average biomethane potential (BMP) of 0.143 m³ CH₄/kg TVS. Conversely, grape marc exhibited a carbon-rich lignocellulosic structure, with a carbon content of 47.67%, C/N ratio of 24.73, and BMP of 0.195 m³ CH₄/kg TVS, favoring thermochemical conversion pathways, particularly pyrolysis. The framework also highlights the importance of cascading strategies, prioritizing the recovery of high-value compounds, and pretreatment approaches to improve biomass conversion efficiency. Overall, this approach supports optimized resource recovery and sustainable agri-food waste management. Full article

Recently, the problem of food waste management has attracted the attention of producers, processors, retailers, and consumers due to economic, environmental, food safety, and sustainability consequences, affecting the entire food supply chain. This article reviews data on food waste of animal origin at different stages along the production and transformation systems, from an environmental, economic, or social perspective. Results show differences between developed and developing countries. While in developed countries, most waste occurs at the end of the food chain, in developing countries, most waste occurs in primary production and transportation. Food waste is very expressive in production and retail, but also in final consumption in households and food services. Mitigating measures include upcycling, i.e., recovering valuable food components for industrial use with economic and environmental benefits, and alternatives for food waste reutilization. The role of the consumer is unquestionable, particularly when shopping for food for the household or when consuming food in restaurants or canteens. Hence, it is crucial to understand the behaviours leading to food waste as a way to reduce it and implement strategies to effectively reduce food waste at various levels. The role of education, regulation, and policies is pivotal in achieving minimal food waste. Full article

Tourism destinations consume vast quantities of energy, water, food, and materials, yet these resource flows remain largely invisible in destination planning practice. The aim of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework that reconceptualises tourism destinations as industrial ecosystems and makes their material and energy flows visible, quantifiable, and amenable to destination-scale planning. Existing frameworks prioritise governance and demand management, leaving the material dimension of sustainability unaddressed. To this end, the paper proposes a multi-scale resource-flow framework grounded in industrial ecology. This is a conceptual framework paper: it develops analytical architecture for destination-scale resource accounting rather than reporting empirical measurements. The framework organises four analytical components—actors, flows, structural configurations, and feedback mechanisms—across macro, meso, and micro scales. Three planning capabilities are advanced: supply-chain-complete environmental accounting, resource hotspot detection, and policy design along the full causal chain from structural arrangement to environmental outcome. Material flow analysis, life cycle assessment, and industrial symbiosis mapping are presented as operational tools, illustrated through reference to high-intensity coastal tourism systems. Industrial symbiosis is positioned as a structural mechanism through which by-product valorisation reduces destination-level resource throughput. The study contributes a bridging framework between governance-oriented tourism planning and the material accounting rigour of industrial ecology, distinguishing it from circular economy models that supply a design principle but no material accounting, from urban metabolism approaches that assume temporally stable flows, and from regenerative development that is values-based rather than quantitative. The framework offers a foundation for more integrated and resource-efficient destination sustainability planning. Full article

The valorization of agri-food by-products generated during juice extraction represents a key strategy within circular economy frameworks, as it reduces the environmental impact of waste disposal while creating added value and improving the food supply chain. In this work, five betaine-based natural deep eutectic solvents (NaDES) differing in their hydrogen-bond donors, namely citric acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, glycerol, and ethylene glycol, were used for the green extraction of blueberry pomace, a largely underutilized by-product that is nevertheless rich in bioactive compounds. The extracts were characterized by liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array and tandem mass spectrometric detection, allowing targeted profiling of anthocyanins and non-anthocyanin phenolics, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, and phenolic aldehydes. The extraction performance of NaDES was benchmarked against conventional solvents (water and ethanol) to evaluate differences in selectivity and efficiency toward distinct phenolic classes. Antioxidant capacity was determined using DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays. Among the NaDES systems, the betaine–citric acid NaDES extract exhibited notable phenolic recovery together with marked radical scavenging activity. After evaluating its inhibitory activity against elastase and tyrosinase, enzymes involved in the skin aging process, the selected NaDES extract was incorporated into a natural-based antiaging cosmetic formulation, and its main physicochemical properties were assessed to verify suitability for topical application. This study demonstrated that the use of NaDES represents an environmentally friendly and sustainable approach to transform blueberry by-products into high-value, safe, and ready-to-use cosmetic functional ingredients without the need for solvent removal. Full article

Ensuring sustainable food production for a growing population requires robust tools like the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), despite the fundamental complexities characterising the agri-food sector. This study evaluates the environmental impacts of beer and bread production, two important sectors, within a circular economy framework using the LCA. The analysis focuses on innovative products: bread incorporating brewery-spent grain and beer brewed from unsold bread. The study follows a cradle-to-gate approach, covering the entire upstream supply chain, including cultivation, milling, malting, and ingredient production. Cultivation emerges as the primary environmental hotspot in both systems. In bread production, the bakery and proofing phases also show high impacts, while in brewing, packaging is the dominant contributor, followed by boiling and hopping. For co-product processing, drying and transport are critical hotspots. Compared with conventional products, innovative circular products generally show lower environmental impacts, with exceptions related to organic cultivation and allocation constraints. Circular strategies notably reduce land use and marine eutrophication in most organic cases. Overall, the fully circular scenario outperforms the Conventional System in 13 impact categories, supporting the environmental potential of circular approaches in both sectors. Full article

Food systems are currently challenged by a difficult balance: they rely heavily on natural resources while simultaneously generating significant volumes of waste, all under increasing pressure to decarbonize operations and close material loops. In this context, this study proposes strategic pillars for circular practices in the food industry, with an emphasis on the transformation of waste and by-products into high value-added resources through bio-based processes supported by biorefineries, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To underpin this proposal, a PRISMA-guided content analysis of the literature published between 2019 and 2024 (Scopus) identified 30 recurrent CE elements. These elements were systematized into five strategic pillars: valorization of residues and by-products; digitalization of the food supply chain; sustainable education and stakeholder engagement; strategic partnerships for circular business; and regenerative practices based on renewable resources. Together, these pillars point to practical pathways, including the reuse of residues to produce functional ingredients and nutraceuticals, the creation of innovative, sustainable packaging, the generation of renewable energy from biomass, the strengthening of local supply networks, and the use of digital technologies to enhance traceability and transparency. By integrating and organizing fragmented evidence, the proposed framework delivers effective guidance to food industry actors, helping overcome economic and operational barriers to circular practices while supporting collaboration with local partners and research institutions. In doing so, it additionally contributes to advancing key SDGs, particularly SDGs 2, 7, 9, 12, 13, and 17. Full article

Rising population pressures and growing resource consumption underscore the urgent need for sustainable strategies in resource management and waste valorization. Agriculture and the agri-food industry generate substantial biomass residues that, when effectively reused, can be transformed into high-value materials aligned with circular economy and bioeconomy principles. This study presents a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on the valorization of agro-industrial by-products, focusing on their potential to drive sustainable material innovation strategies. Using the Scopus database, 1063 publications (2015–2025) were analyzed through bibliometric, network and content analysis methods combined with a quantitative meta-analytical approach. The bibliometric analysis outlines research trends and identifies leading journals and disciplines, while network mapping reveals five thematic clusters and a transition toward integrated frameworks linking sustainability and industrial applications. The content analysis is performed through a quantitative meta-analytical approach that highlights that studies integrating multiple waste origins tend to achieve higher scientific visibility. Overall, results highlight a 27.5% annual growth in publication output and five dominant thematic areas: waste recovery, chemical recovery, systemic valorization, energy recovery and alternative fuels. Studies involving multiple waste sources display higher citation averages, highlighting the relevance of integrated valorization strategies. This review provides a solid foundation for future research on agro-industrial by-product management by contributing to the definition of sustainable supply-chain strategies. Full article

The transition toward sustainable food systems requires innovative approaches to managing perishable products, where inefficient inventory practices contribute significantly to global food loss and environmental degradation. This study develops a circular-economy-oriented inventory optimisation framework for dairy supply chains that integrates environmental externalities and waste valorisation pathways into operational decision-making. Departing from traditional linear “produce–consume–dispose” models, this study embeds three core sustainability mechanisms into a stochastic dynamic-programming framework: (1) progressive environmental cost internalisation aligned with EU Emissions-Trading System carbon pricing, capturing both waste-related emissions and cold-chain energy footprints; (2) circular-economy value-recovery channels that redirect near-expiry products to secondary applications (animal feed, biogas production, industrial processing) rather than disposal; and (3) deterioration-aware demand management that minimises resource throughput while maintaining service levels. Empirical calibration using Ukrainian dairy industry data demonstrates that sustainability-integrated inventory policies reduce waste generation by 4.8–10% relative to conventional approaches, with high-deterioration products showing the greatest potential for improvement. The authors identify a critical threshold in the circular economy: when salvage recovery rates exceed 35%, waste becomes an economic and ecological asset, fundamentally altering the sustainability calculus of inventory decisions. Environmental costs account for 4.6% of total operating expenses at current carbon prices, a share projected to increase substantially as climate regulations tighten. The findings provide actionable guidance for dairy supply chain stakeholders pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2, 12, 13): processors should establish circular-economy partnerships that achieve salvage rates above 35%, implement product-specific policies for high-deterioration items, and proactively integrate carbon pricing into inventory optimisation. The framework bridges sustainable operations theory and circular economy practice, offering a replicable model for transitioning perishable food supply chains toward closed-loop, low-waste configurations that simultaneously reduce environmental impact and enhance economic performance. Full article

The decarbonization of agri-food supply chains represents a critical challenge and an opportunity for achieving global climate targets and Sustainable Development Goals, extending beyond pure environmental mitigation to integrated sustainability management. This study focuses on the wine industry, a major global sector with significant macroeconomic weight and substantial potential for emission reductions. Through a systematic literature review, this research maps scientific trends and identifies strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the entire supply chain, from viticulture and winemaking to distribution and waste valorization. Analyzing 65 publications, this study identifies three thematic clusters: (i) agronomic and environmental practices (Cluster 1); (ii) innovation, social welfare, and corporate governance (Cluster 2); and (iii) energy transitions and methodological accounting tools (Cluster 3). The key findings highlight that while packaging and logistics remain primary emission hotspots, significant mitigation can be achieved through soil carbon sequestration, renewable energy adoption, and circular economy practices. This research contributes a cohesive set of sustainability-oriented operational strategies derived from previously fragmented technical mitigation strategies. By acknowledging that decarbonization strategies extend beyond ecological metrics, this framework address the intersecting socioeconomic and operational impacts experienced by local communities. The results reveal a disconnect between macro-level legislative frameworks, such as the European Green Deal, and micro-level operationalization. This review highlights the need for a shift toward harmonized governance and standardized metrics to reconcile competitiveness with climate stewardship. Full article

To address the mounting environmental burden caused by solid waste from the food supply chain—specifically agricultural residues and plastic packaging—this study systematically investigated the synergistic mechanisms and product regulation pathways in the co-pyrolysis of four representative food processing by-products—rice husk, pine wood, corn stover, and chestnut shell—with polypropylene, a common food packaging material. A comprehensive methodology integrating thermogravimetric analysis, kinetic modeling, and product characterization was employed. The results demonstrate that incorporating polypropylene into co-pyrolysis systems, such as those involving waste oil, significantly reduces the average activation energy, indicating a catalytic effect that enhances reaction kinetics. Notably, the co-catalytic interaction between corn stover and PP led to a substantial 54.90% reduction in oxygen content, underscoring PP’s role as an effective hydrogen donor that promotes deoxygenation and free radical reactions, thereby increasing hydrocarbon production. At an optimal pyrolysis temperature of 600 °C, product distribution was effectively regulated: the hydrocarbon yield in the CP (corn stover/PP) system increased from 39.8% to a maximum of 65.6%, reflecting a targeted conversion of oxygenated compounds into high-value hydrocarbons. Furthermore, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission calculation and techno-economic analyses indicate that a natural gas-assisted co-pyrolysis process (Scenario C) can generate a net daily profit of 1835 RMB while reducing annual CO₂ emissions by 6515 tons, demonstrating both economic feasibility and environmental benefits. This study provides a theoretical foundation for the circular economy in the food industry, offering a viable technical pathway for the simultaneous treatment of organic food waste and packaging plastics, thereby supporting the sustainable development of the agri-food sector. Full article

This paper presents a mathematical programming model to optimize the design and sustainability performance of the urban food–energy–water (FEW) nexus. The model incorporates a micro supply chain and addresses the supply-demand balance within existing and future FEW systems using performance indicators such as cost and carbon footprint. The problem allows for optimal discrete choices, such as investment in new assets, as well as continuous choices, including capacity of different units and produce exchange among urban farms. The model is applied to an urban agriculture network in South Florida that integrates renewable energy technologies (solar, wind, biomass), combined heat and power (CHP) units, reclaimed wastewater and stormwater for irrigation, and electric vehicles for produce transport. The optimization process identifies the most effective infrastructure investment decisions, resource allocation, and technology configurations to support circular economy practices and long-term sustainability objectives. The proposed framework enables reductions in carbon footprints, food waste, and improves food accessibility in food deserts and strengthens collaboration among urban farms. It supports the planning of resilient urban FEW systems by aligning resource use with social, economic and environmental sustainability objectives. The results provide a decision-support tool for urban planners and policymakers, offering practical insights to guide infrastructure investment and sustainability planning in other geographic regions. Full article

The olive oil sector is one of the most important agri-food chains, but it is also characterised by the production of large volumes of solid and liquid by-products which, if improperly managed, have a significant environmental impact. In this context, circular economy approaches have been increasingly proposed to improve sustainability through the valorisation of by-products. This study investigates whether it is possible to conceptualise a circular business model for the olive oil supply chain by integrating by-products into the production system itself. The research adopts a systematic review of the literature supported by bibliometric techniques. The results show that current studies focus mainly on the technological and environmental aspects of by-product valorisation, particularly chemical extraction processes and environmental impact assessment, while the organisational, supply chain and governance dimensions remain fragmented. Based on these findings, the study develops an emerging conceptual framework that integrates by-product valorisation, supply chain configuration and enabling conditions, such as partnerships and political support, into a circular business model perspective. The study concludes that a circular business model for the olive oil supply chain is conceptually and technically feasible, but its implementation requires a systemic and integrated approach at the supply chain level rather than isolated technological solutions. Full article

This study presents a systematic review of the role of key technologies in advancing sustainable logistics and supply chain management. Specifically, it explores the integration of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), logistics 4.0, and digital supply chains, focusing on technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), big data analytics (BDA), blockchain, cloud computing (CC), industrial internet of things (IIoT), machine learning (ML), robotics, virtual reality (VR), and internet of things (IoT). The aim is to examine how these technologies contribute to green logistics (GL), green supply chain management, sustainability, and the circular economy (CE). Data were collected from the Scopus database, covering studies published between 2019 and 2024. A total of 1471 publications were initially identified, and 39 studies met the selection criteria. The PRISMA approach was employed for the systematic review, revealing that leading research on I4.0 is concentrated in top-tier journals, with a significant number of publications from Italy focusing on digitalization in the agriculture and food sectors. Systematic literature reviews and resource-based theory are predominant, yet there is a notable gap in aligning research with the United Nations Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper provides insights into technological adoption trends and offers recommendations for industry leaders seeking to enhance sustainability, eco-friendliness, and alignment with the SDGs within their supply chains. Full article

Industrial Symbiosis (IS) represents a key strategy within the Circular Economy (CE) paradigm, enabling firms located near enhance competitiveness through the collective exchange and valorisation of resources. By fostering the reuse of water, energy, and materials, IS contributes to the sustainable optimization of manufacturing processes. Nevertheless, the implementation of IS, as a distinct business model, requires the active collaboration of heterogeneous stakeholders, which often generates critical challenges in aligning interests and achieving equitable benefits. This study explores an innovative approach to agri-food symbiosis by evaluating the incorporation of Olive Oil Mill Wastewater (OOMW), a by-product of olive oil production, into bread formulations. This strategy not only mitigates the environmental burden associated with OOMW disposal but also promotes resource efficiency within the olive oil supply chain. Bread samples were produced by varying the concentration of OOMW, and each formulation was assessed according to quality characteristics, consumer acceptability parameters, and sustainability aspects. The selection of the best-performing formulation was conducted through a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) framework, specifically applying the VIKOR method. The findings highlight how the integration of OOMW into bread production can generate a dual benefit, improving food quality while advancing sustainable practices in both the olive oil and bakery sectors. Full article