Life cycle assessment and relations with triple bottom line in meat production: a systematic approach about cleaner production

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of the present research was to carry out a scientific map about life cycle assessment (LCA) and triple bottom line (TBL) at slaughterhouse areas, looking for Cleaner Production practices aiming at recognizing strategic themes for maintaining the sustainability of productive systems, according to the development of sustainable practices and production evolution in slaughterhouse areas.

Design/methodology/approach

The literature analysis was based on general approach, with steps adapted of study phases and activities of preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analyses (PRISMA) recommendation guide to do systematic literature review. Activities were subdivided to discuss the results in two kinds of analysis: quantitative and qualitative.

Findings

The main findings of our study reinforce the LCA importance in slaughterhouses to promote Cleaner Production, so that the main measures suggested and/or adopted by different authors include the substitution of raw materials by feeding, with the adoption of grains, protein supplements with less environmental impact in the composition of the feed and changes in the processes seeking for better energy efficiency and optimization of water consumption in meat processing.

Research limitations/implications

There is another action of sustainability considering LCA and Cleaner Production practices in the industrial meat area that should also be considered. These actions are restricted to documents of business circulation, with limited access since they involve issues regarding innovations in economic and technological aspects of slaughterhouses, as well as industrial confidentiality. Furthermore, in patent bases it is possible to advance the studies looking for how the digital transformation has been carried out in this industrial branch, since the 4.0 transformation industry tends to use clean technologies.

Originality/value

There are LCA models with a systemic approach to measure the level of sustainability of a process, comprising analysis of impacts related to different areas: environmental, social and economic although in terms of the meat production chain, the impact analysis focuses mainly on the environmental area. So, future works should be developed in meat production chain to assess social and economic impacts, i.e. a sustainable LCA addressing the three areas to consolidate models and standardize metrics with a scientific basis.

Citation

Fritsch Denes, Q.R., Schneider, R.d.C.d.S. and Kipper, L.M. (2022), "Life cycle assessment and relations with triple bottom line in meat production: a systematic approach about cleaner production", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 33 No. 6, pp. 1528-1552. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-09-2021-0206