Enhancing Energy Efficiency in Cold Food Supply Chains Key to Sustainable Future

Research conducted by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences has highlighted the critical role that energy efficiency plays in the cold food supply chain. According to the study, cold food supply chains consume 19% of the energy used in the food processing industry, emphasizing the need for enhanced energy efficiency to mitigate environmental sustainability and reduce costs. The study employed a hybrid method, combining expert interviews and marginal abatement cost curves (MACCs) to identify practices and quantify the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction potential and costs for two selected cold supply chains: fruit and vegetables, and dairy products.

Key Takeaways:

• The cold food supply chain consumes 19% of the energy used in the food processing industry, highlighting the need for energy efficiency to reduce environmental sustainability and costs.
• A systemic approach, emphasizing optimizations along the entire supply chain, is most effective in enhancing energy efficiency rather than optimizing individual entities.
• The study identified 24 green practices, including refrigerated production and warehousing practices that are generally cost-effective.
• Findings reveal a 50-70% GHG emission reduction potential for the fruit and vegetable supply chain and 16-19% for the dairy supply chain.
• The research concluded that practices in refrigerated transport are typically less cost-effective due to high investment costs in alternative technologies.
• A practice-based and supply-chain practice approach was used to evaluate the effectiveness of intra-and inter-organisational measures to reduce GHG emissions across different stages and structures of cold supply chains.

Statistics:

• 19% of the energy used in the food processing industry is consumed by cold food supply chains.
• 24 green practices were identified in the study.
• 50-70% GHG emission reduction potential for the fruit and vegetable supply chain.
• 16-19% GHG emission reduction potential for the dairy supply chain.
• Refrigerated transportation practices are typically less cost-effective due to high investment costs in alternative technologies.

Sources:

• Marginal Abatement Cost Curves for Cold Food Supply Chains - a Hybrid Adoption of the Practice-based and Supply-chain Practice View. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2025;518.
• Journal of Cleaner Production can be contacted at: Elsevier Sci Ltd, 125 London Wall, London, England. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Journal of Cleaner Production - www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-cleaner-production/)
• Maike Scherrer, Wina Crijns-Graus, and Ernst Worrell are additional authors for this research.