Environmental supply chain management in the seafood industry: past, present and future approaches

This review discusses and analyses previous results in identification, development and implementation of cleaner production strategies within the seafood industry. The relevant peer reviewed articles were identified from a structured keyword search and analysed by both supply chain stage (capture and aquaculture, transport, processing, storage and retail), and examination of the cleaner production strategies implemented. Results found entities along the seafood supply chain generally worked separately to improve cleaner production processes and outputs to grow their own businesses. Whilst this approach can be beneficial, it ignores the broader cleaner production potential benefits gained when applied across multiple supply chain entities. The most effective cleaner production strategies for improved environmental performance in each sector of the supply chain were identified with the potential to reduce unnecessary handling, energy usage, storage costs and waste production. To ensure the greatest reduction in environmental impact, a whole of supply chain management system that incorporates life cycle assessment modelling is recommended

Greenhouse gas emissions from a Western Australian finfish supply chain

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the form of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 - eq) from two Western Australian finfish supply chains, from harvest to retail outlet, were measured using streamlined life cycle assessment methodology. The identification of interventions to potentially reduce the GHG emissions was determined from the results obtained. Electricity consumption contributed to the highest GHG emissions within the supply chains measured, followed by refrigeration gas leakage and disposal of unused fish portions. Potential cleaner production strategies (CPS) to reduce these impacts included installing solar panels, recycling the waste, good housekeeping in refrigeration equipment maintenance, and input substitution of refrigeration gas. The results show a combination of these strategies have the potential to reduce up to 35% of the total GHG emissions from fillet harvest, processing and retail

Resources, Collaborators, and Neighbors: The Three-Pronged Challenge in the Implementation of Bioeconomy Regions

Over the last decade, the bioeconomy has become increasingly important and visible in international policy agendas, with several strategies being recently developed. The implementation of bio-based technologies mostly takes place on a regional scale. Therefore, from a regional perspective, a key question revolves around what main challenges are associated with technological developments that could catalyze the implementation of sustainable bioeconomy regions. In this study, a cross-cutting analysis was carried out to determine these challenges. First, interviews were conducted with industry practitioners and scientists working in the bioeconomy field. These interviews were supplemented with a literature review to determine the status quo of bioeconomy strategies and their implementation, particularly on a regional level. A multidisciplinary workshop was then organized to identify the most relevant challenges in the short- and mid-term associated with establishing bioeconomy regions. The results show that there is a three-pronged challenge in innovative technological development from a regional perspective: (1) Resources: The establishment of sustainable regional feedstock strategies and supplies for supporting the bio-industrial sector; (2) collaborators: The establishment of a regional “critical mass” by fostering supply chain clusters and networks; and (3) neighbors: Understanding the local dynamics of societal trends and preferences and social acceptance of bio-technologies and their representative bio-based products

Social life cycle assessment indices and indicators to monitor the social implications of wood-based products

Wood-based products will play a pivotal role in the development of German bioeconomy regions. This transition in production patterns should develop sustainably without negative effects to the environment and society. Therefore, appropriate assessment tools are required to measure and document (un)sustainable aspects. The use of life cycle thinking enables the assessment of sustainability issues relating to such wood-based products. However, life cycle assessment approaches assessing sustainability implications from a regional perspective have not been fully developed yet. A regional perspective is especially required when assessing products’ social implications as they are determined by the national and regional socio-economic conditions. In a previous work, we established the “RESPONSA” framework (i.e. a REgional SPecific cONtextualised Social life cycle Assessment) to assess a product's social performance from a regional perspective, directly accounting to the organisations behaviour and therefore providing specific information to support producers’ decision-making. This paper focuses on developing a set of social indices and related indicators applicable to wood-based production systems in Germany. This was done in four steps: 1) screening of global, German and wood related sustainability standards; 2) analysis of sLCA case studies; 3) conducting of stakeholder interviews. This allowed the preselection of social aspects relevant to the socio-economic context of interest (i.e. wood-based production chains in German bioeconomy regions). To set up the final set of social indices and indicators, the preselected sets of social aspects, in a fourth step, were further screened regarding their feasible implementation. The established set provides a starting point for assessing and monitoring social implications from wood-based production systems in a regional foreground

Sustainability issues of by-product and waste management systems, to produce building material commodities: A comprehensive review of findings from a Virtual Special Issue

This Virtual Special Issue1 (VSI) was accommodated in this journal to motivate prominent researchers to explore the relevance of addressing - and possibly interconnecting - those aspects for the assessment, improvement, encouragement and promotion of sustainability of by-product and waste management systems as involved in the production of building material commodities. Finally, this editorial arises with the aim of reviewing and building upon the papers that have been included in this VSI, to highlight main objectives and findings and so their contributions to the specialised literature