Sustainability is of course a wide term, covering many segments. But energy efficiency is something that most food producers thrive to achieve, and that means that (at least) part of those efforts will be transferred to manufacturers of technology equipment.
Still, the question is: where do you draw the line between being sustainable and being efficient? Or better even, should that line even be drawn? As technology equipment sums up so many parts, it’s sort of difficult to pinpoint exactly where those small gains should be made, because even if you manage to create a highly efficient motor, that still has to be cased inside parts designed by a different division.
Another issue that springs up in virtually every conversation about sustainability is food waste. Here, the responsibility lies with even more parties, as transport and the whole supply chain, in general, play their part. Figures by The World Counts show that greenhouse gas emissions are released into the atmosphere throughout every stage of the food supply chain. Energy is consumed during the cultivation, storage, processing, transportation, and cooking of food.
Moreover, the disposal of discarded food in landfills also contributes to emissions. Notably, meat production, particularly beef, generates substantial amounts of methane gas due to the digestive process of cows, which results in them releasing methane through flatulence. Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas, with a global warming potential 84 times higher than that of CO2 over 20 years.
The global food system is responsible for as much as 30% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Within this system, food waste plays a significant role. It is estimated that food waste alone contributes to the release of 3.3 billion tons of CO2 equivalents into the atmosphere annually, further exacerbating the carbon footprint.
So, it does seem that sustainability must be seen as a shared responsibility, and all parties involved should acknowledge this, even more than they have so far. Let me know your thoughts at bogdan.angheluta@trade.media.