Social performance and impact assessment of an autonomous system in the meat processing sector

Abstract

Abstract Purpose The automation of pork processing through robotics raises important societal concerns regarding working conditions of slaughterhouse workers and impacts on local communities. This article aims to evaluate the social performance and impacts of implementing an Autonomous Robotic System (ARS) for meat processing, comparing pre- and post-implementation scenarios. Methods The methodology of Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) was applied to the European pork processing sector, focusing on stakeholder categories Workers and Local Community. These were assessed with nine social subcategories in total and 22 corresponding indicators, which were scored to assess the technology in question against a reference scale where each score level has clearly established criteria. The data collection strategy combined a survey, individual interviews, and focus group interviews as well as secondary data collected from desktop research and database data. Results and discussion The results suggest a considerable improvement in social performance and impacts when moving from the conventional meat processing scenario to the ARS. All subcategories from both stakeholder categories scored higher in the post-ARS scenario. The most improved social subcategories were Health and safety and Access to immaterial resources. A considerable improvement was identified in social subcategories Working hours, Freedom of association and collective bargaining, and Fair salary. A modest improvement was identified in social subcategories Equal opportunities and discrimination, Employment relationship, and Migration and delocalisation. The ARS is anticipated to mitigate injury risks that workers are exposed to in a conventional meat factory and to reduce sick leave but will also necessitate training and close collaboration between unions and management teams. Conclusions Using a reference scale approach, we identified an improvement of the social performance in the pork processing industry post-ARS implementation, both for Workers and Local community. It is important to pay attention to social impacts and performances when introducing new technology such as automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence to ensure that these do not have unintended social impacts and/or poor social performance. Graphical Abstract