ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY FACTORS IN THE FOOD SECTOR

Sustainability is not just a media "ornament" by which companies advertise their advances in Corporate Social Responsibility; True progress means strategic positioning, but that should be respected and properly implemented by all links in the business chain, from management to all employees and especially transmitted to the audience as company stakeholders.

This implies insight into what are the terms and concepts that we must act, in this case under environ-mental parameters, in order to ensure strict compliance with sustainability objectives that entail the least resource consumption and lower harmful emissions developed after production processes.

First we estimate the environmental sustainability as a balancing between the resources employed, in which the balance is tending to zero in the relationship between spending and the issue, specifically applied to the exploitation of a resource always below the limit of renewal same. Thus, in a company (regardless of sector), this concept can be transferred to the ratio of consumption of non-renewable raw materials and emission of pollutants or waste recycling difficult.

For example, the concept of carbon footprint, was the first to be estimated under a strict regulatory framework. After the Kyoto Protocol on climate change in 1997, the 187 industrialized countries that ratified it to a considerable reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) undertook to estimate the directions of the scientific community who were threatening stability environment on the planet through global warming. Interestingly the largest emitter of GHGs is Unidados States which did not sign the protocol ... The carbon footprint is identified with all GHGs emitted by direct or indirect effect of an individual, organization, event or product.

Moreover, particularly in the agricultural sector, the consumption of fresh water takes dramatic levels, both in its overall appearance (in Spain, about 20% of water is used cosumida in agricultural irrigation practices, rising to 34% by including other treatments throughout the food processing sector), as under the qualitative indicator encompassed under the term water footprint. The water footprint can be fácimente measurable, the estimated volume of water used directly and indirectly to the development of products and services consumed in a year by the inhabitants of a particular country or territory. Thus, the water footprint per inhabitant per year in Spain 2,288 m3/inhab./year being needs water to keep the consumption of Spanish means 6269 liters per capita per day.

Logically, the term water footprint can be extrapolated to any commodity, being for instance in 16,000 of water needed to produce a kilo of beef or 140 liters for a cup of coffee. This shows the great imbalance of resources used, besides estimating that about 40% of the Spanish water footprint impact beyond our borders, less aquatic resources directly to other producing countries.

Our company is thus "forced" to calculate the carbon and water  footprint impacted both in their production processes and the suppliers of materials and services needed, including marketing processes. And entrecomillamos the term, it may be considered by regulatory developments in the sector, soon we informationally indicate the percentage of water footprint in each of our products, becoming business certification (in studio, under ISO 10446) and regulations more forward. The regulation on companies for the issuance and processing of toxic or noxious gases, also including wastewater treatment, including as part of the Plans defined Environmental Impact of mandatory wording in many cases, have long been standard in the industry, albeit with varying degrees of compliance.

And precisely the term that defines all of the environmental impacts of a product or service during all stages of its useful life (including ideation, manufacturing, destruction or recycling), is called Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) whereby the use of resources (energy, raw materials and water) and the emissions generated as waste at all stages of life of the product or service is quantified. This net assessment "inputs" and "outputs", including other intangibles related to social sustainability and influenced by the rise of eco-design and new green consumer cultures, make an innovation tool ACV first order to be implemented efficiently in the food sector. The Environmental Manager, integrated into the company or as an external consultant, begin to form a daily part of the production processes of our companies.

+ info:

• Carbon Footprint: http://carbonzero.es/huella-de-carbono/?gclid=CNKuvOesiL4CFUTMtAodETQADw
• Water Footprint: http://www.aec.es/c/document_library/get_file?p_l_id=237641&folderId=997154&name=DLFE-13339.pdf 
• Life Cycle Analysis: http://www.ismedioambiente.com/programas-formativos/analisis-del-ciclo-de-vida-conceptos-y-metodologia