Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Rocsana Bucea-Manea-Tonis, Oliva Maria Dourado Martins, Dragan Ilic, Madalina Belous, Radu Bucea-Manea-Tonis, Cezar Braicu, Violeta-Elena Simion
Summary: Green Public Procurement (GPP) is seen as an efficient tool to achieve EU environmental policy goals, requiring public authorities to integrate it into a complex process across various fields. Scientific studies on GPP implications have been conducted between 2017 and 2020, identifying barriers and ways to overcome them. This article also highlights the importance of good practices and international standards in the implementation of green procurement.
Article
Agronomy
Kelly Parsons, David Barling
Summary: Public food procurement policy has the potential to drive sustainable food consumption and production, but there are currently barriers preventing its realization. By considering the interactions between different policy instruments and placing public food procurement policy within a broader policy system, these barriers can be addressed and the potential can be maximized.
Article
Development Studies
Meng Ye, Yanlin Ma, Junqi Liu
Summary: This study, based on the Chinese background, focuses on the driving factors of green public procurement practiced by the public sector. It identifies five configurations that can induce high-level GPP practice. The holistic perspective contributes to a better understanding of GPP practice and offers a new explanation for conflicting conclusions in existing studies.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Adrian Morley
Summary: This paper discusses the potential impact of public procurement on encouraging more sustainable forms of food production and how it can steer business change within food businesses. Through qualitative interviews, the study explores the influence of public procurement on small food producers and advocates of sustainable procurement.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Sthephany Rayanne Gomes de Souza, Diogo Vale, Hortencia Ingreddys Fernandes do Nascimento, Juliano Capelo Nagy, Antonio Hermes Marques da Silva Junior, Priscilla Moura Rolim, Larissa Mont'Alverne Juca Seabra
Summary: The purchase of food from family farming in public institutions in Brazil has been boosted by the implementation of public call modality. However, there are still hindrances in the participation of small farmers, reducing their involvement and the availability of food products. This study analyzed the profile of family farmers participating in public calls, identified the required food, and examined the processing level of food in these documents.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Laura Montalban-Domingo, Cristina Torres-Machi, Amalia Sanz-Benlloch, Eugenio Pellicer, Keith R. Molenaar
Summary: Green Public Procurement (GPP) is an alternative for public agencies to purchase goods and services with reduced environmental impact. This study analyzed the inclusion of environmental criteria in public works procurement and found that most projects only include environmental criteria in the technical specifications and contract performance clauses. However, the study provides guidance for procurement professionals and researchers on how to incorporate environmental criteria in the procurement process based on infrastructure type and project characteristics, which are necessary for governments interested in improving their performance towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Business
Yanlin Ma, Yuting Liu, Andrea Appolloni, Junqi Liu
Summary: This study explores the relationship between GPP market pressure and firm's environmental certification practice using institutional theory and upper echelons theory. It finds that GPP market pressure is positively associated with environmental certification practice, and top management support partially mediates this relationship. The study provides new insights and practical implications for firm managers and government administrators.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Seulgi Son
Summary: The main objective of transformative food actions is to effect fundamental changes in the institutional structures that shape current food practices. For those actions to gain constant momentum, it is necessary to understand the types of operations and the mechanisms through which they can permanently impact conventional food systems. This study examines the decades-long evolution of South Korea's public food procurement policy as an empirical operationalization of the Multi-level Perspective framework, highlighting the interplay between niche movements, landscape pressure, and institutionalization in policy paradigm shifts.
ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION AND SOCIETAL TRANSITIONS
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Anne Dahl Lassen, Anne Vibeke Thorsen, Ellen Trolle
Summary: Public food procurement is seen as a powerful tool to promote a healthier and more sustainable food system, but there is still much progress to be made. This study investigated the practices and opportunities for sustainable and healthy public food procurement in Danish municipalities and regions. The findings showed variations in policy support and goals for sustainable food procurement, with some focus on reducing food waste and valuing local food. However, efforts to reduce climate impact and shift towards plant-based menus were still in early stages. The study highlights the importance of local government policies in promoting healthy and sustainable food procurement.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Becca B. R. Jablonski, Paul Milbourne, Siobhan Maderson, Kevin Morgan
Summary: City, national, and multinational governments are increasingly using nutrition program spending to achieve various goals, particularly through policies that require or incentivize local procurement. However, these policies often involve tradeoffs that are not fully considered by government officials, planners, and advocates.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Management
Hanna Lindstrom, Sofia Lundberg, Per-Olov Marklund
Summary: This paper analyzes the implementation of a voluntary green public procurement policy in Sweden, finding that the establishment of local political goals has a positive impact on the share of organic food purchases, and adopting a local policy leads to a substantial increase in per capita expenditures on organic food.
JOURNAL OF PURCHASING AND SUPPLY MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Hasan A. M. Hamdan, Luitzen de Boer, Daniela Baer
Summary: In the context of sustainable neighborhood developments, the neighborhood scale is suggested as a successful scale to realize cross-sector, inter-organizational collaborations, but the complexity of multifaceted goals and resulting interdependencies challenges the promise of sustainable transition, creating a gap between what is promised as sustainable neighborhoods and what is actually delivered.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Lilliana Stefanovic
Summary: Alternative food systems, including organic food systems, play a crucial role in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there is a lack of empirical evidence regarding the contribution of organic food systems to SDGs. This study used a territorial approach to assess the performance of local organic food systems in addressing SDGs and found that sustainable public procurement has the potential to leverage other SDG targets.
Article
Public Administration
Carsten Daugbjerg
Summary: There has been a recent scholarly interest in policy capacity. This paper analyzes the independent impact of policy capacity on policy performance through a case study of Denmark's organic food program. The findings indicate that policy capacity can compensate for weak policy instruments and achieve performance beyond expectations.
Article
Agricultural Economics & Policy
Adrian Morley, Kevin Morgan
Summary: This paper examines the role of municipal food policy in reform, using a case study of Oldham Educational Catering service to highlight the potential of a foundational economy approach and new municipalism, particularly in the provision of school meals. It emphasizes the need for multilevel action to stimulate sustainable foodscapes and recognizes the criticality of food, as seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, for more progressive and impactful food policy reform.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Michael Martin, Sjoerd Herlaar
Summary: This study tracks the valorization process of discarded wool from a sheep farm in Sweden to produce a wool sweater in order to highlight important environmental and social hotspots. The results show that valorizing waste wool significantly reduces environmental impacts and supply chains involving primarily European producers have lower social risks.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2021)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Steve Harris, Michael Martin, Derek Diener
Summary: The concept of Circular Economy is gaining global attention, with a focus on scientific evidence-based implementation to improve environmental performance. Current research primarily focuses on the micro-level, lacking connections between micro and macro levels. Industrial symbiosis shows potential at the meso-level, but further research is needed to assess its environmental contribution.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2021)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Tova Billstein, Anna Bjorklund, Tomas Rydberg
Summary: The environmental impact of Industry 4.0 and related technologies is relatively unknown, with little research focused on sustainability aspects and a lack of consensus on how to assess it. This study identified eight key challenges related to system boundaries, data collection methods, energy intensity metrics, transparency, data availability, age of data, allocation procedures, assumptions, and limited coverage of impact categories. Several approaches to address these challenges are suggested, along with the need for further investigation in certain areas.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Johan Nilsson, Michael Martin
Summary: Animal husbandry contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly through the methane emissions from ruminants. Recent studies have shown that adding seaweed feed can greatly reduce methane emissions. However, scaling up production remains a challenge. A life cycle assessment of a land-based seaweed production system was conducted, and the results showed that salt sourcing and thermal energy demand were the major contributors to environmental impact. It is suggested to explore alternative thermal energy sources and reduce reliance on excess heat from the petrochemical industry.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Nadia Akhtar, Syed Atif Bokhari, Michael Alan Martin, Zafeer Saqib, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Arif Mahmud, Muhammad Zaman-ul-Haq, Sarah Amir
Summary: Industrial symbiosis-based collaborations are more prevalent in developed regions and larger industries, while less focused in developing regions and small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A study in Pakistan explores the potential for symbiotic collaborations among SMEs and finds that most collaborations are bilateral and driven by economic gains. However, informal networks of recyclers and a lack of a stringent regulatory regime hinder formal/informal exchanges between firms. Additionally, lack of awareness and inconsistent supply of by-products act as barriers for such partnerships in developing countries. Proactive engagements and facilitations from state institutions are needed to overcome these barriers.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Maryna Henrysson, Asterios Papageorgiou, Anna Bjorklund, Fedra Vanhuyse, Rajib Sinha
Summary: This study examines the potential of the EU Circular Economy Monitoring Framework as a monitoring tool for urban areas and evaluates data quality for urban-level application.
SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Michael Martin, Elin Bengtsson, Laura Carotti, Kristin Orrestig, Francesco Orsini
Summary: This study aims to assess the environmental performance of a horticultural greenhouse in Sweden producing herbs. Different scenarios are analyzed using life cycle assessment, showing that past measures reduced GHG emissions by 32% per kg edible portion, and future measures such as increasing biofueled logistics, switching to LEDs, and densifying production can further reduce emissions and other environmental impacts.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2023)
Editorial Material
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Syed Mithun Ali, Andrea Appolloni, Fausto Cavallaro, Idiano D'Adamo, Assunta Di Vaio, Francesco Ferella, Massimo Gastaldi, Muhammad Ikram, Nallapaneni Manoj Kumar, Michael Alan Martin, Abdul-Sattar Nizami, Ilhan Ozturk, Maria Pia Riccardi, Paolo Rosa, Ernesto Santibanez Gonzalez, Claudio Sassanelli, Davide Settembre-Blundo, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Marzena Smol, Georgios Archimidis Tsalidis, Irene Voukkali, Nan Yang, Antonis A. Zorpas
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Michael Martin, Mugahid Elnour, Aina Cabrero Sinol
Summary: A study in Sweden analyzed the environmental performance of a large commercial vertical farm producing packaged lettuce. The results showed that the vertical farm had lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional sources, but may have larger environmental impacts in other areas due to high electricity demand.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Laura Carotti, Alessandro Pistillo, Ilaria Zauli, Davide Meneghello, Michael Martin, Giuseppina Pennisi, Giorgio Gianquinto, Francesco Orsini
Summary: Vertical farms are indoor facilities that use artificial lighting to control all environmental conditions independently from the external climate. This study compared two different growing systems, ebb-and-flow and high pressure aeroponics, and found that the aeroponic system had a higher water use efficiency than the ebb-and-flow system.
AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Michael Martin, Till Weidner, Charlie Gullstrom
Summary: Vertical farms have expanded rapidly in urban areas, but many of them still rely on external sources for material and energy. This study, using a hypothetical urban farm, explores the potential of integrating vertical farming with building energy systems, utilizing residual material and energy streams, and implementing a local pick-up system. The results show that these synergies can improve the environmental performance and resource efficiency of urban vertical farms.
FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Michael Martin, Maria J. Bustamante
Summary: To ensure sustainable food systems, new approaches are needed like modular growing systems, which offer personalized services and are being implemented in various settings such as restaurants, residential spaces, and supermarkets. Using the GSS method, firms are developing unique business models to meet consumer demands and challenges in urban agriculture.
FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
(2021)