Development of an eco-design tool for monitoring environmental sustainability in the food system: the case study of the bread supply chain

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the standardized method (ISO 14040 and ISO 14044) for calculating the environmental impact of a product, process, or service. LCA provides a comprehensive view of the environmental performance of food businesses and can guide efforts to reduce environmental impacts in the food system and support decision-making for sustainable development. Calculating environmental impacts through LCA analysis is a complex process carried out by experts in the sector. It is rarely available to companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). They therefore rely on environmental tools to monitor their production, which are easy to use but often too simplistic to capture the real situation of the company. To support decision-making along the entire food chain, it is essential to develop eco-design tools based on a scientific approach, covering processes, products, and services. Considering the complex relationship between food packaging eco-profile and food waste reduction due to the technical performances of the packaging, it must be taken into consideration that such balances highly depend on the food contained in the packaging.