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Bunge AC, Wood A, Halloran A, Gordon LJ. A systematic scoping review of the sustainability of vertical farming, plant-based alternatives, food delivery services and blockchain in food systems. NATURE FOOD 2022; 3:933-941. [PMID: 37118205 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-022-00622-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Food system technologies (FSTs) are being developed to accelerate the transformation towards sustainable food systems. Here we conducted a systematic scoping review that accounts for multiple dimensions of sustainability to describe the extent, range and nature of peer-reviewed literature that assesses the sustainability performance of four FSTs: plant-based alternatives, vertical farming, food deliveries and blockchain technology. Included literature had a dominant focus on environmental sustainability and less on public health and socio-economic sustainability. Gaps in the literature include empirical assessments on the sustainability of blockchain technology, plant-based seafood alternatives, public health consequences of food deliveries and socio-economic consequences of vertical farming. The development of a holistic sustainability assessment framework that demonstrates the impact of deploying FSTs is needed to guide investments in and the development of sustainable food innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Charlotte Bunge
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Amanda Wood
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Afton Halloran
- Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- GLOBE Institute, Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- World Health Organization, European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Line J Gordon
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Adoption and Usage of E-Grocery Shopping: A Context-Specific UTAUT2 Model. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13084144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
In order to determine how sustainable online grocery shopping is as a practice, it is crucial to have an in-depth understanding of its drivers. This paper therefore validates the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) in the context of e-grocery and enriches it with five constructs. We exploit a self-administered survey among 560 customers of two Belgian supermarkets and test the model by means of hierarchical multiple regression analysis. We do so not only for the full sample, but also for users and non-users separately. For the full sample, four of the five proposed context-specific constructs—namely, perceived risk, perceived time pressure, perceived in-store shopping enjoyment, and innovativeness—help better explain the intention to adopt or continue to use e-grocery services. In the subsamples, only perceived time pressure and innovativeness add explanatory power, and this only for non-users. In other words, the additional constructs primarily help discriminate between users and non-users. In addition, while the extended model outperforms the original UTAUT2 model for all three samples, the added value of the extended model does not so much lie in a higher explained variance, but rather in a more correct identification of the drivers of BI.
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Gee IM, Heard BR, Webber ME, Miller SA. The Future of Food: Environmental Lessons from E-Commerce. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:14776-14784. [PMID: 33186012 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c01731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Our food system is experiencing dramatic changes as the expansion of e-commerce, introduction of new products, and innovations in supply chain structures all pose to transform how we buy, sell, and distribute food. However, the environmental impacts of these transformations remain unclear. This feature reviews existing literature on environmental implications of e-commerce, discusses relevant trade-offs, and identifies pressing gaps in research. Some trade-offs discussed are those between centralized and decentralized delivery service types, those unique to a rural landscape, and those within the interplay of transportation and consumer behavior. The impacts of fulfillment centers, of refrigerated logistics, of e-commerce on consumer shopping and food waste habits, and of e-commerce services in rural regions are identified as pressing knowledge gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella M Gee
- Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Brent R Heard
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Michael E Webber
- Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Shelie A Miller
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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The Impact of E-Commerce-Related Last-Mile Logistics on Cities: A Systematic Literature Review. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12166492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
E-commerce-related last-mile logistics have a great impact on cities. Recent years have seen sustained growth in e-commerce in most developed countries, a trend that has only been reinforced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The perceived impact of this phenomenon varies depending upon the perspective of the players involved: individual members of the public, companies, or the public administrations. Tackling the issue from these perspectives, the goal of this article is to explore the kinds of impact this phenomenon has and will have. We use as the basis for their classification the so-called triple bottom line (TBL) of sustainability, encompassing people, planet, and profit; we complement this with the impact classification used by the European Science Foundation’s impact assessment working group. After performing a systematic review of the literature following PRISMA guidelines, our results show that, albeit to different degrees, the four impact dimensions analyzed (economic, social, environmental, and technological) have only received incipient coverage in the existing literature. Given its ever-growing importance, we believe that greater attention needs to be paid to this phenomenon, especially with regard to those aspects having the greatest impact upon urban systems and the different stakeholders involved. Only in this way can the public policies needed to mitigate these externalities be properly implemented.
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Engström G, Gars J, Jaakkola N, Lindahl T, Spiro D, van Benthem AA. What Policies Address Both the Coronavirus Crisis and the Climate Crisis? ENVIRONMENTAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS 2020; 76:789-810. [PMID: 32836841 PMCID: PMC7394048 DOI: 10.1007/s10640-020-00451-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus pandemic has led many countries to initiate unprecedented economic recovery packages. Policymakers tackling the coronavirus crisis have also been encouraged to prioritize policies which help mitigate a second, looming crisis: climate change. We identify and analyze policies that combat both the coronavirus crisis and the climate crisis. We analyze both the long-run climate impacts from coronavirus-related economic recovery policies, and the impacts of long-run climate policies on economic recovery and public health post-recession. We base our analysis on data on emissions, employment and corona-related layoffs across sectors, and on previous research. We show that, among climate policies, labor-intensive green infrastructure projects, planting trees, and in particular pricing carbon coupled with reduced labor taxation boost economic recovery. Among coronavirus policies, aiding services sectors (leisure services such as restaurants and culture, or professional services such as technology), education and the healthcare sector appear most promising, being labor intensive yet low-emission-if such sectoral aid is conditioned on being directed towards employment and on low-carbon supply chains. Large-scale green infrastructure projects and green R&D investment, while good for the climate, are unlikely to generate enough employment to effectively alleviate the coronavirus crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustav Engström
- Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Box 50005, 10405 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johan Gars
- Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Box 50005, 10405 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Niko Jaakkola
- Department of Economics, University of Bologna, Piazza Scaravilli 2, 40 126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Therese Lindahl
- Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Box 50005, 10405 Stockholm, Sweden
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Kräftriket 2B, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Daniel Spiro
- Department of Economics, Uppsala University, Box 256, 75105 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Arthur A. van Benthem
- The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 327 Vance Hall, 3733 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 United States
- National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, United States
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