Abstract
PurposeIt is increasingly accepted in the food and drink manufacturing sector that there is a need to manage unavoidable food waste more sustainably. Yet to do so requires careful balancing of environmental, social and economic performance of any given treatment method alongside its technological maturity and alignment with that company’s wider business goals. The purpose of this article is to apply a novel Sustainable Waste Valorisation Identification (SWaVI) framework which considers these criteria to a case study with Molson Coors to identify whether the current strategy of using In Field Barley Straw Residue as animal feed is the most sustainable.MethodsData was collected via a series of interviews with Molson Coors in spring 2017. Data analysis used a hybrid approach combining Cost–Benefit Analysis and Life-Cycle Assessment with a weighted summation variant of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis to facilitate comparison of supercritical CO2 extraction of wax from straw, with the current strategy of selling that straw as animal feed.ResultsApplication of the SWaVI framework suggests that supercritical CO2 extraction of wax from straw offers a slightly worse Net Present Value compared to sale as animal feed (£89.1 million compared to £95.3 million) but superior social impacts, technological maturity and alignment with company goals making it superior overall.ConclusionsWhilst the supercritical CO2 extraction of wax offers the best sustainability and business case performance for Molson Coors, a range of other factors such as long-term market demand, alignment with relevant legislation, and displacement effects on supply chain stakeholders must be considered.Graphic
Highlights
It is a well-known fact that approximately one third of all food produced globally for human consumption is lost or wasted
This paper presents the application of the Sustainable Waste Valorisation Identification (SWaVI) framework in assessing the most sustainable valorisation options for the management of in-field barley straw waste (IFBSW) in the UK
As outlined in the Methodology Section, the case study proceeded in the form of a step-wise application of each of the SWaVI stages, beginning with conceptual modelling of the target food waste
Summary
It is a well-known fact that approximately one third of all food produced globally for human consumption is lost or wasted. In the UK food and drink sector whilst there were 6700 micro, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2017, 97% of these accounted for just 19% of the sector’s turnover, indicating the tight profit margins faced in a supply network dominated by a small number of large manufacturers (and the large retailers they supply) [4]. The majority of these SMEs are involved in the food and drink manufacturing sector, which in 2015 accounted for 2.4 Mt of food waste and surplus (including both unavoidable and avoidable waste/surplus) [5]. It is easy to understand why a number of companies have signed up to the voluntary Courtauld Commitments organized by WRAP with the aim of reducing food waste in the UK supply chain via a combination of techniques such as measuring waste, training staff, improving inventory management and changing packaging [7]
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