Treatment of winery wastewater by physicochemical, biological and advanced processes: A review

Over the last decade, the unsustainability of the current economic model, based on the so-called take-make-dispose paradigm, has emerged. In particular, the agro-food sector (AFS) has been severely affected by such problems as resource scarcity and food loss and waste generation along the supply chain. In addition, climate change and biodiversity loss have helped to define an imperative paradigm shift towards a circular economy. Recently, with the publication of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the scientific research examining the adoption of circular economy (CE) models and tools has increased. In this context, the importance of shifting towards a circular economy has become urgent. In this paper, a systematic literature review (SLR) was performed to investigate the state-of-the-art research related to the adoption of circular economy models and tools along the agro-food supply chain. Furthermore, this review highlights that, due to the complexity of the agri-food supply chain, it is almost utopian to define a unique circular economy model for the whole sector. In addition, it emerges that future researches should be concentrated on the integration of different stages of the supply chain with circular economy models and tools in order to create a closed-loop agri-food system.

Towards Circular Economy in the Agri-Food Sector. A Systematic Literature Review

Open innovation in the manufacturing industry: A review and research agenda

Sustainability experiences in the wine sector: toward the development of an international indicators system

The adoption of an “open sustainability innovation” approach in business could be a strategic advantage to reach both industry objectives and sustainability goals. The food sector is facing a constant increase in competition. In order to address the high competition that involves the food industry, sustainability and innovation practices can be strategically effective, especially with an open sustainability innovation approach. In the literature, we found many examples of open innovation applications and their implications for sustainable strategy. These applications are important for reducing cost and time to market, as well as for a company’s impact on the environment and food security. In this paper, the authors show the evidence of these implications. In particular, starting from the state of the art of the food sector, we highlight the empirical results of ten case studies. By analyzing these cases, we can gain a better awareness on how and why these approaches are currently being applied by food sector companies.

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/7/7/8067/pdf

Evidence and Experience of Open Sustainability Innovation Practices in the Food Sector

The agri-food sector is one of the key sectors where the action is needed to ensure the transition to a more sustainable development model in line with the principles of the circular economy (CE). The use of indicators to monitor progress and areas for action is a key element in the shift of companies, regions, and countries toward a circular model. This study aims to create a dashboard that can be used at various spatial levels to guide the agri-food sector toward a CE and sustainable development. Starting with the relevant literature, we identified 102 indicators classified according to three areas of sustainability (environmental, economic and social) and spatial dimensions (macro‑meso-micro) within 8 scopes. The dashboard provides a toolbox for directing decision-making processes and strategies through the targeted use of indicators with respect to the context in which the CE is applied. In addition, the dashboard allows us to highlight missing aspects related to (1) new indicators not covered by the tool; (2) new scopes not yet explored in the literature; and (3) the need to adopt cross-sectional indicators. For this last aspect, the analysis revealed only 17 such indicators. A future step is to define the most suitable configurations among the indicators in which CE is generated, starting from the test of the indicators at the micro level to validate their applicability and consider the impacts they may have at the macro or meso levels.

Evaluating the transition to the circular economy in the agri-food sector: Selection of indicators

The transition of the European agri-food sector towards a sustainable production and consumption model is a key element of the Green Deal. The new European “Farm to Fork” strategy aims to make the food system fair, healthy, and environmentally friendly. The consolidation and development of the organic model are two of the main objectives. In Italy, this development can be achieved through the Bio-District model. This model, which was born in the last ten years in Italy, is characterized by innovative multi-actor governance. From an explorative perspective, this study analyses the background literature on Bio-Districts and the context of the development of the Etruscan Roman Bio-District to understand the potential and the factors that allow the application of the principles of the Circular Economy. It focuses on multiple comparative analyses by using a qualitative–quantitative approach. The analysis of the context highlights the potential for expansion linked to an integrated short supply chain through three scenarios.

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/9/4718/pdf

Multi-Actor Governance for a Circular Economy in the Agri-Food Sector: Bio-Districts

Among the different hi-tech content domains, the telecommunications industry is one of the most relevant, in particular for the Italian economy. Moreover, Near Field Communication (NFC) represents an example of innovative production and a technological introduction in the telecommunications context. It has a threefold function: card emulator, peer-to-peer communication and digital content access, and it could be pervasively integrated in many different domains, especially in the mobile payment one. The increasing attention on NFC technology from the academic community has improved an analysis on the changes and the development perspective about mobile payments. It has considered the work done by the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association) and the NFC Forum in recent years. This study starts from an analysis of the scientific contributions to Near Field Communication and how the main researches on this topic were conceived. Our focus is on the diffusion rates, the adoption rates and the technology life cycle. After that, we analyze the technical-economical elements of NFC. Finally, this work presents the state of art of the improvements to this technology with a deeper focus on NFC technologies applied to the tourism industry. In this way, we have done a case analysis that shows some of the NFC existent applications linked to each stage of the tourism value chain.

https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7080/2/3/143/pdf

Near Field Communication: Technology and Market Trends

The environmental planning and the current policy initiatives in European Union are aimed at continuous improvement of the productive fabric, heading toward a system in which the "quality" of products will no longer regardless of their environmental impacts. In this context, the methodology of LCA (life cycle assessment) is certainly one of the most innovative methods in the field of environmental protection as it allows evaluating the environmental burdens associated with a product, process or activity by identifying and quantifying material and energy consumption and environmental emissions. The objectives focus on finding the main impacts of the wine life cycle, as well as identifying crucial activities/stages in the wine production which establish the largest impacts. This paper's objective is to expose the advantages resulting from the use of the LCA method in the wine production sector, with a specific application to wine production in the Tuscany region.

Olimpia Martucci

Papers

Evidence and Experience of Open Sustainability Innovation Practices in the Food Sector

Evaluating the transition to the circular economy in the agri-food sector: Selection of indicators

Multi-Actor Governance for a Circular Economy in the Agri-Food Sector: Bio-Districts

Near Field Communication: Technology and Market Trends

Analysis of Sustainability Based on Life Cycle Assessment: An Empirical Study of Wine Production