RT Journal Article
T1 Integrating circularity as an essential pillar of dairy farm sustainability
A1 Entrena-Barbero, Eduardo
A1 Tarpani, Raphael Ricardo Zepon
A1 Fernández Redondo, Mario
A1 Moreira Vilar, María Teresa
A1 Gallego Schmid, Alejandro
K1 Life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA)
K1 Circular economy
K1 Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA)
K1 Composite index
K1 Milk production
K1 Agricultural sector
AB Given the complex and often negative interactions between humanity and nature, methodologies and frameworks for assessing the concepts of circularity (C) and sustainability (S) have become the focus of many studies in the last decade. However, C and S have developed partially independently, impairing the interpretation of their intricate relationships. In this context, there is still no regulatory framework on how to assess them in an integrated manner through simple but robust indicators. To fill this gap, this study proposes an evaluation framework that allows the holistic integration of C and S indicators (integration of CIrcularity and SUstainable indicators – CISU methodology) taking the dairy sector as a case study. For this purpose, 50 Spanish dairy farms have been selected to estimate a Composite Dairy Farm index (CDFi) as a result of the integration of 9 C indicators and 21 S indicators. The results obtained showed a relative homogeneity among dairy farms as well as some room for improvement, with the CDFi (scores from 0 to 100) varying from 36 to 64 points. The results indicate that minimising reliance on external cow feed, use of own-produced fodders, and suitable field management are essential to achieve a circular and sustainable milk production system. This manuscript contributes with the proposal of a novel framework that can be adapted to different companies and products to assess the implementation of CE principles to achieve sustainable development. However, the integration of additional aspects, such as industrial symbiosis, or its applicability at meso level appear as challenges in order to implement sustainable development throughout the supply chain
PB Elsevier
SN 0959-6526
YR 2024
FD 2024-06-15
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10347/34886
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10347/34886
LA eng
NO Journal of Cleaner Production 458 (2024) 142508
NO This research was co-founded by CEPES (118.831059.02), the EAPA_576/2018 NEPTUNUS project, supported by Interreg Atlantic Area and the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for funding under the grant number EP/ V042130/1. E.E.B. and M.T.M. belong to the Galician Competitive Research Groups (GRC) ED431C-2021/37, co-funded by Xunta de Galicia and FEDER (EU). E.E.B is funded by Xunta de Galicia PhD Grant (ED481A-2021/164)
DS Minerva
RD 23 abr 2026