Development of a pragmatic framework to help food and drink manufacturers select the most sustainable food waste valorisation strategy

Food loss and waste management in the retail food supply chain: Methods and framework to achieve environmental sustainability

Food loss and waste (FLW) represents critical challenge to environmentally sustainable development, impacting food security, waste management, and climate change. One-third of the world's food is disposed of, with 13 % lost between harvest and the supply chain and 17 % wasted domestically and in food services. Food loss and waste (FLW) in retail supply chains is a critical issue demanding new frameworks due to its significant economic, social, and environmental impacts, including pollution, resource depletion, and climate change contributions. Effective operational and inventory management practices to reduce FLW can yield significant cost savings and increased economic and environmental performance of the retail supply chain. A new framework is needed to combine all aspects related to logistics, packaging, and management practices to comprehensively address the FLW issue in the retail chain. This study critically analyses empirical research from 2009 to 2025 to identify key research gaps and to propose strategies for FLW reduction. The research identifies three primary gaps: limited focus on FLW due to inefficient packaging strategies, insufficient information on logistical inefficiencies that cause FLW, and scarce literature on how management practices affect perishable food chain. By addressing these gaps, the study aims to enhance understanding of FLW reduction strategies, emphasizing the need for integrated approaches and cooperation across the supply chain. By examining the impact of packaging, logistics, and management practices, this research provides insights into improving operational performance through the reduction of FLW and development of sustainable waste management systems. The findings underscore importance of proactive actions and innovation from both public authorities and private sector in reducing FLW. Effective strategies for FLW reduction can lead to significant environmental, social, and economic benefits, contributing to a more sustainable and efficient food supply chain.

The complexities of decision-making in food waste valorization: A critical review

The efficient utilization of food waste (FW) resources through Food Waste Valorization (FWV) has received increasing attention in recent years. Various decision-making studies have been undertaken to facilitate FWV implementation, such as the studies on decision-making framework and FWV technology assessment. Food waste hierarchy is a widely discussed framework in FW management, but it was found too simplified and does not always contribute positively to environmental sustainability. Moreover, decision-making studies in FWV often focus on specific aspects of the food system and employ distinctive decision-making approaches, making it difficult to compare the results from different studies. Therefore, our literature review is conducted to provide a comprehensive understanding of FWV decision-making. This study identifies what decisions are needed, and three levels of decisions are revealed: system-level, FW stream-level, and FWV option-level. The assessment approaches and criteria used to support decision-making in FWV are also collected and analyzed. Building upon these findings, an hourglass model is synthesized to provide a holistic illustration of decision-making in FWV. This study untangles the complexities of FWV decision-making and sheds light on the limitations of current studies. We anticipate this study will make more people realize that FWV is a multidisciplinary issue and requires the collective participation of researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and consumers. Such collective engagement is essential to effectively address practical challenges and propel the transition of the current food system toward a more resource-efficient paradigm.

Appraisal of agroforestry biomass wastes for hydrogen production by an integrated process of fast pyrolysis and in line steam reforming

The pyrolysis and in line steam reforming of different types of representative agroforestry biomass wastes (pine wood, citrus wastes and rice husk) was performed in a two-reactor system made up of a conical spouted bed and a fluidized bed. The pyrolysis step was carried out at 500 °C, and the steam reforming at 600 °C with a space time of 20 gcatalyst min gvolatiles-1 and a steam/biomass ratio (S/B) of 4. A study was conducted on the effect that the pyrolysis volatiles composition obtained with several biomasses has on the reforming conversion, product yields and H2 production. The different composition of the pyrolysis volatiles obtained with the three biomasses studied led to differences in the initial activity and, especially, in the catalyst deactivation rate. Initial conversions higher than 99% were obtained in all cases and the H2 production obtained varied in the 6.7-11.2 wt% range, depending on the feedstock used. The stability of the catalysts decreased depending on the feedstock as follows: pine wood ≫ citrus waste > rice husk. A detailed assessment of the mechanisms of catalyst deactivation revealed that coke deposition is the main cause of catalyst decay in all the runs. However, the volatile composition derived from the pyrolysis of citrus waste and rice husk involved the formation of an encapsulating coke, which severely blocked the catalyst pores, leading to catalyst deactivation during the first minutes of reaction.

Sustainability in food service: A systematic review

The irrational functioning of the food sector can negatively impact the environment and resources for future generations. The aim of this study is to analyse the assessment of sustainability indicators related to meal production processes and waste in the food service through a systematic literature review. The hypothesis is that these indicators are still little explored. This review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols. The databases consulted were Lilacs, Science Direct, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, OpenGrey and Greylit. Six different search strategies were applied, combining the terms sustainability and food service, plus manual searches. The search took place until April 2020 and there was no language restriction of the studies. After removing duplicates, 770 publications were identified through the search process, with 44 having been included in this review. Most publications carried out the quantification of food waste (38/44), while in 7/44 there were questionnaires, checklists and water footprint assessments. Most studies identified high indicators of waste, as well as little awareness of sustainability. Factors such as controlled portioning, omnivorous menus and dissatisfaction with the menu were reported to have caused the greatest losses in the process. This review identified a restricted assessment of sustainability in food service, countering the need to deepen these indicators and the effect of meal production processes on sustainable development.

Sustainable approach for valorization of solid wastes as a secondary resource through urban mining

The incessant population has increased the production and consumption of plastics, paper, metals, and organic materials, which are discarded as solid waste after their end of life. The accumulation of these wastes has created growing concerns all over the world. However, conventional methods of solid waste management i.e., direct combustion and landfilling have caused several negative impacts on the environment (releasing toxic chemicals and greenhouse gases, huge land use) besides affecting human health. Therefore, it is requisite to determine sustainable alternative technologies that not only help in mitigating environmental issues but also increase the economic value of the discarded solid wastes. This process is known as urban mining where waste is converted into secondary resources and thereby conserves the natural primary resources. Thus, this review highlights the technological advancements in the valorization process of discarded wastes and their sustainable utilization. We also discussed several limitations of the existing urban mining processes and further the feasibility of valorization techniques was critically analyzed from a techno-economical perspective. This paper recommends a novel sustainable model based on the circular economy concept, where waste is urban mined and recovered as a secondary resource to support the united nations sustainable development goals (SDGs). The implementation of this model will ultimately help the developing countries to achieve the target of SDGs 11, 12, and 14.

Emerging waste valorisation techniques to moderate the hazardous impacts, and their path towards sustainability

Due to the recent boom in urbanisation, economy, and global population, the amount of waste generated worldwide has increased tremendously. The World Bank estimates that global waste generation is expected to increase 70% by 2050. Disposal of waste is already a major concern as it poses risks to the environment, human health, and economy. To tackle this issue and maximise potential environmental, economic, and social benefits, waste valorisation - a value-adding process for waste materials - has emerged as a sustainable and efficient strategy. The major objective of waste valorisation is to transit to a circular economy and maximally alleviate hazardous impacts of waste. This review conducts bibliometric analysis to construct a co-occurrence network of research themes related to management of five major waste streams (i.e., food, agricultural, textile, plastics, and electronics). Modern valorisation technologies and their efficiencies are highlighted. Moreover, insights into improvement of waste valorisation technologies are presented in terms of sustainable environmental, social, and economic performances. This review summarises highlighting factors that impede widespread adoption of waste valorisation, such as technology lock-in, optimisation for local conditions, unfavourable regulations, and low investments, with the aim of devising solutions that explore practical, feasible, and sustainable means of waste valorisation.

Sustainability assessment of organic waste management in three EU Cities: Analysing stakeholder-based solutions

This study focuses on a comprehensive sustainability assessment of the management of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste in Ghent (Belgium), Hamburg (Germany) and Pécs (Hungary). A sustainability assessment framework has been applied to analyse social, environmental, and economic consequences at the midpoint level (25 impact categories) and at the endpoint level (5 areas-of-protection). For each case study, the reference scenario was analysed, along with three solutions to improve the sustainability performance, which were selected and developed with the collaboration of local stakeholders. The solutions focus on food waste prevention, collection (increasing separate collection and household composting) and/or valorisation treatment (insect breeding, bioplastic production and improvement of centralised treatment). The results show that food waste prevention results in substantial improvements in all areas of protection when a significant quantity of food is saved. Solutions proposing innovative treatments such as insect breeding do not show clear improvements at the endpoint level, given current technology development level, but appear promising for some categories such as Revenues, Ecotoxicity, Land Use or Particulate Matter if the substituted products compensate the impact of the treatment (e.g., energy and water use). Enhancing the separate collection of organic waste can improve sustainability, but trade-offs may arise, e.g., decreased environmental savings from energy recovery at incineration. For this, the influence of the electricity mix (more or less decarbonised) should be carefully considered in future studies. The application of the solutions proposed to other cities should also consider potential bottlenecks such as legislation barriers, public acceptance, or management costs.

The food nitrogen footprint for African countries under fertilized and unfertilized farms

Although nitrogen (N) is a limiting factor for food production (FP) in Africa, and African food security is seriously threatened by the phenomenon of soil N depletion, there is a dearth of information that shows the points to focus on throughout the chain of FP and food consumption (FC) in all African countries to minimize N loss while securing food N supply. Food N footprint (NF) is an indicator for tracing the losses of reactive N (Nr) with regard to the FP and FC chain. This is the first study to calculate the food NF for all African countries under fertilized and unfertilized farms, by calculating two sets of virtual N factors (VNFs; kg Nr released to the environment kg^-1 N in consumed product): one for unfertilized farms (the unfertilized scenario) and one for fertilized farms (the fertilized scenario). The fertilized and unfertilized VNFs were utilized to calculate a weighted average set of VNFs (the combined scenario). From the percentage of farms that utilize N fertilizer, and the N percentage in production that comes from soil depletion, the proportion used for the combined scenario was determined. Soil N depletion factors (SNDFs; kg N taken from the unfertilized soil kg^-1 N in food consumed) were also computed to identify the quantity of N extracted from the soil for food production. We have also provided the changes in N inputs, N outputs, and N use efficiency (NUE) for North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) during the last 57 years. The average total N input to croplands increased from 24 and 19 kg N ha^-1 yr^-1 in 1961-1965 to 100 and 42 kg N ha^-1 yr^-1 in 2010-2017 for North Africa and SSA, respectively. The NUE declined from 109% and 67% (1961-1965) to 47% and 63% (2010-2017) for North Africa and SSA, respectively. The total average per-capita food NF was 11 and 5.8 kg N cap^-1 yr^-1 in unfertilized farms; 21 and 14 kg N cap^-1 yr^-1 in fertilized farms; and 19 and 7.5 kg N cap^-1 yr^-1 under the combined scenario for North Africa and SSA, respectively. Vegetable-fruit and beef have the highest SDNFs in Africa. FP in Africa contributes approximately 70% of the total food NF. Therefore, if possible, the best way for Africans to reduce soil N depletion and N emissions is to encourage the production and consumption of livestock and crops products with less VNF and SNDF. However, African people do not have this luxury of choice because of poverty and ignorance. Therefore, African policy-makers must adopt integrated approaches that provide effective tools to control the production of animals and crops in conjunction with the improvement of NUE. Trying to completely change the African agricultural system is impossible, but strategies must be developed to reduce soil depletion in a gradual way, as well as a shift towards low-VNF foods.

Quantitative sustainability assessment of household food waste management in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

Food waste represents the largest fraction of the municipal solid waste generated in Europe and its management is associated to suboptimal performance in environmental, health, and social dimensions. By processing detailed multi-fold local data as part of a comprehensive and broadly understandable sustainability framework, this study quantifies the environmental and socio-economic impacts of household food waste management in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area based on priorities set by local stakeholders. Five alternative short-term management options have been assessed against the current system, relying on poor separate collection and incineration. Four options involve separate collection of food waste followed by biological treatments (home/centralised composting and anaerobic digestion) while one involves a mix of separate collection and centralised mechanical-biological treatment followed by anaerobic digestion. Among these, separate collection followed by anaerobic digestion coupled with effective nutrient and energy recovery is, according to our findings, the preferred option to improve the sustainability of the current system in all dimensions considered, except for the economic pillar due to the collection costs. Home and centralised composting as well as mechanical-biological treatment are associated to more adverse impacts based on our findings. The study informs local stakeholders and authorities on the potential consequences of their options, thereby allowing them to make sound choices for a future waste and circular economy strategy.

Modalities for conversion of waste to energy - Challenges and perspectives

The United Nation is achieving its sustainable development objectives by focusing on the greener technologies for waste to energy (WTE) conversion. This necessitates the exploration of every conceivable sustainable route in different sectors. Among these, sustainable bio-economy, electricity, and waste management are the most dynamic areas. However, till now sustainability judgments for the generation of electricity from waste-to-energy supply chain (WTE-SC) technologies have been restricted in scale with respect to the three-dimensional sustainability structure (social, environmental, and economic). In most of the cases, the assessments were controlled by various environmental factors/indicators, via overlooking the economic and social indicators. In this review, we have tried to summarize a variety of state-of-the-art WTE technologies including biological and thermal treatment, landfill gas utilization and biorefineries technologies etc. These technologies can be implemented by various policy makers and agencies to deal with the communities fear before spreading and executing the relevant rules and regulations. The implementation of these rules and regulations for WTE-SC were scheduled to decide the barriers and challenges from the perspective of finance, institution, technology, and regulation.

Taguchi Optimisation of Cast Geometries for A356/Organic Particulate Aluminium Alloy Composites Using a Two-Phase Casting Process

The A356 alloy is widely known to exhibit an extremely superior casting, machining, mechanical, and corrosion resistance properties. Despite these, it constitutes an environmental nuisance at its improper disposal for worn-out engine blocks. Also, organic reinforcements have the potentials to reduce the environmental impacts of composites. Consequently, there exits significant research potential to fuse A356 alloy with organic materials to obtain enhanced composite properties. In the area of aluminium matrix, as melting and solidifications of materials are done the accuracy of measurements is driven by the huge array of process parameters and the geometrical aspect of cast components is important. For these reasons, we attempt to solve the problem of optimising the geometry of casts in a complicated scenario with the use of the robust Taguchi's methods. To optimise the framework, the significant process parameters are identified and their effects studied in a route using Taguchi, Taguchi-Pareto and Taguchi–ABC methods. Parameters such as the volume of the cast, length, weight, density, height, width, breadth, weight loss and the total weight of organic materials infused into the melting process were studied for parametric changes, interactions and optimisation with L27 orthogonal array. The analysis of variance for the A356 alloy cast revealed that the density parameter of cast 1 had the highest and major significant effect on the casting process with a variance of 333573, followed by weight parameter of casts 1 and 2, total weight of organic material parameters and weight loss with the variance values of 0.007, 0.005, 0.001 and 0.004, respectively. The variance of other parameters was insignificant to the A356 alloy cast.