Regionalized Strategies for Food Loss and Waste Management in Spain under a Life Cycle Thinking Approach
Daniel Hoehn,
Jara Laso,
Jorge Cristóbal,
Israel Ruiz-Salmón,
Isabela Butnar,
Aiduan Borrion,
Alba Bala,
Pere Fullana-i-Palmer,
Ian Vázquez-Rowe,
Rubén Aldaco,
María Margallo
Affiliations
Daniel Hoehn
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Cantabria, Avda, De Los Castros, s.n., 39005 Santander, Spain
Jara Laso
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Cantabria, Avda, De Los Castros, s.n., 39005 Santander, Spain
Jorge Cristóbal
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Cantabria, Avda, De Los Castros, s.n., 39005 Santander, Spain
Israel Ruiz-Salmón
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Cantabria, Avda, De Los Castros, s.n., 39005 Santander, Spain
Isabela Butnar
Institute for Sustainable Resources, University College of London, Central House, 14 Upper Woburn Place, London WC1H 0NN, UK
Aiduan Borrion
Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (CEGE), University College London, London WC1E 6DE, UK
Alba Bala
UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change, Escola Superior de Comerç International (ESCI-UPF), Pg. Pujades 1, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Pere Fullana-i-Palmer
UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change, Escola Superior de Comerç International (ESCI-UPF), Pg. Pujades 1, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Ian Vázquez-Rowe
Peruvian Life Cycle Assessment and Industrial Ecology Network (PELCAN), Department of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Av. Universitaria 1801, San Miguel, Lima 15088, Peru
Rubén Aldaco
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Cantabria, Avda, De Los Castros, s.n., 39005 Santander, Spain
María Margallo
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Cantabria, Avda, De Los Castros, s.n., 39005 Santander, Spain
Food loss and waste (FLW) has become a central concern in the social and political debate. Simultaneously, using FLW as a bioenergy source could significantly contribute to closing the carbon cycle by reintroducing energy into the food supply chain. This study aims to identify best strategies for FLW management in each of the 17 regions in Spain, through the application of a Life Cycle Assessment. To this end, an evaluation of the environmental performance over time between 2015 and 2040 of five different FLW management scenarios implemented in a framework of (i) compliance and (ii) non-compliance with the targets of the Paris Agreement was performed. Results revealed savings in the consumption of abiotic resources in those regions in which thermal treatment has a strong presence, although their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a scenario of compliance with climate change targets are higher. In contrast, scenarios that include anaerobic digestion and, to a lesser extent those applying aerobic composting, present lower impacts, including climate change, suggesting improvements of 20–60% in non-compliance and 20–80% in compliance with Paris Agreement targets, compared to the current scenarios.
