Environmental value chain management of laundry detergents in the use phase

Environmental value chain management is concerned with the environmental aspects of products and services along the whole value chain, from raw material and energy acquisition to waste management. The use phase in the value chain remains an understudied subject, despite considerable consumption-related environmental impacts. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the use phase of laundry detergents in households. Our empirical data consist of interviews in the laundry rooms of 299 Finnish households. Consumers’ environmental awareness, use of dosage measuring devices and actual doses of laundry detergents are studied in the empirical part of the study. The results show that consumers do no…

Product-related information for sustainable use of laundry detergents in Finnish households

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to report on research on how product-related information can guide sustainable product use in the context of laundry detergents. More precisely, the purpose of the study was designed to analyse how the detergent package information and dosing instructions are read, understood and followed in the Finnish households. Data collection methods included interviews in 340 Finnish households in 2004 and 299 households in 2005 with a standardised questionnaire. Results show that the majority of respondents did not know if the washing water is hard or soft, which indeed has a direct effect on dosing amounts. However, package information per se was found to be eas…

Developing a matrix framework for protein transition towards more sustainable diets

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to propose a matrix framework to understand the interdependencies of domains and scales of protein transition towards diets based on plants and alternative sources of proteins.Design/methodology/approachThe abductive research approach is used in building the framework, and the proposed framework is illustrated using the regional food system in Central Finland as an example. Focus groups and interviews were used to collect qualitative data from 28 respondents.FindingsThis study provides a framework for protein transition, with five domains and five scale levels. Interactions between public and private governance activities at different scales, domains and …

Consumers’ Sustainability Perceptions of the Supply Chain of Locally Produced Food

This article is based on a qualitative focus group study regarding consumer perceptions about the sustainability of locally produced food supply chains. Sustainability perceptions were analyzed through thematic content analysis, where the most important economic, environmental and social themes of the supply chain were emphasized. According to the research findings, the socio-cultural aspects encompassing locally produced food form the most important sustainability dimension for consumers. Although the sample size is small, consisting of 19 consumers and limited to Central Finland, the findings suggest that the sustainability of local food should be promoted via socio-cultural arguments alo…

Insights into food system exposure, coping capacity and adaptive capacity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider the concepts of exposure, coping capacity and adaptive capacity as a multiple structure of vulnerability in order to distinguish and interpret short-term coping responses and long-term strategic responses to food system vulnerability. Design/methodology/approach This paper applies an abductive approach for qualitative analysis of data, which were collected through 18 semi-structured interviews among Finnish food system actors. Findings The findings suggest that coping capacity and adaptive capacity are indeed two different concepts, which both need to be addressed in the examination of food system vulnerability. Public and private food syste…

Food Security Is None Of Your Business? Food Supply Chain Management In Support Of A Sustainable Food System

Food security is the principal outcome of any given food system and it can be defined in terms of a sustainable food system where the core goal is to feed everyone sustainably, equitably and healthily. A sustainable food system addresses needs for availability, affordability and accessibility, is diverse, ecologically-sound and resilient, and builds the capabilities and skills necessary for future generations. This paper identifies the essential elements of food supply chain management in support of a sustainable food system, which ultimately enhances food security. The existing food supply chain and food system literature is synthesized in order to study the correspondence between public i…

Reilu ruokamurros : Polkuja kestävään ja oikeudenmukaiseen ruokajärjestelmään

Ruokajärjestelmämme kärsivät monista yhteen kietoutuneista kestävyysongelmista. Ongelmia ei korjata yksittäisillä teknologisilla ratkaisuilla, vaan muutoksia tarvitaan läpi koko ruokajärjestelmän. Muutosten laajuuden vuoksi on syytä puhua järjestelmän perustavanlaatuisesta muuttamisesta eli ruokamurroksesta. Tässä julkaisussa tarkastelemme, miten ruokajärjestelmän ilmastopäästöjä voitaisiin vähentää Suomessa siten, että ruokaturva ei vaarannu. Arvioimme ilmastotoimien toteutusta eri murrospoluilla, jotka keskittyvät maankäytön, ruokavalioiden, maatalous- ja ruokateknologioiden muutoksiin. Arvioimme eri murrospolkujen vaikutuksia maatalouteen eri alueilla ja eri väestöryhmien ravitsemukseen.…

Täsmäratkaisuja kestävään tulevaisuuteen : suosituksia planetaarisen hyvinvoinnin tukemiseen poliittisessa ohjelmatyössä

Peer reviewed

Building resilient food supply chains for the future

This article has no abstract. nonPeerReviewed

Yritysten kansainvälistymisvalmiudet ja ympäristöasiat kansainvälistymisessä

Ruokajärjestelmän haavoittuvuus koronaviruspandemialle

Matrix sustainability : applying input-output analysis to environmental and economic sustainability indicators : case: Finnish Forest Sector

Pre-requisite for all sustainability actions in business is accurate measurement of economic, environmental and social performance. Sustainability indicators, or indicator sets, are then the tools, which simplify the complex sustainability information applicable for management processes, decision-making and communication. Measuring business sustainability is not an easy task, especially while simultaneously considering macro-level sustainability. Indicators should somehow capture the corporate/ industry contributions to sustainability and increase the understanding on the link between business performance and macro-level concerns. Hence, traditional macro-level tools from the field of econo…

Climate Change Adaptation and Food Supply Chain Management : An overview

This article has no abstract. nonPeerReviewed

Measuring Vulnerability in the Food System

Food system vulnerability is an emerging concept for food security policies and food supply chain management. Hence, measuring food system vulnerability is necessary for developing appropriate food security policies and managing food supply chain vulnerabilities. In this paper, we aim to clarify the development process of food system vulnerability indicators. We conducted an abducted qualitative content analysis based on public documents of various Finnish organizations, including ministries and administration, interest organizations, NGOs, food sector enterprises, and a church. We analysed the engagement level of various organizations in food security and identified vulnerability aspects i…

Vulnerability matrix of the food system : operationalizing vulnerability and addressing food security

Food security is the major desired outcome of any food system, but its realization may be prevented by vulnerabilities in a food system. By shifting the focus of their vulnerability analysis from the discrete components of the food system to the food system as a whole, the authors of this article were able to develop a qualitative food system vulnerability matrix. The objective of the research was to make the concept of food system vulnerability operational by identifying vulnerability drivers, vulnerable systems and vulnerable subclasses in light of food security. The vulnerability matrix was set up with five classes of vulnerable systems (‘Vulnerability of what?’) on the horizontal axis a…

Recognizing definitive stakeholders in corporate environmental management

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present four examples of stakeholder relationships related to issues of corporate environmental management (CEM) and analyze them based on the model of Mitchell et al. (1997).Design/methodology/approachSecondary data are used in the case studies.FindingsThe four cases presented show that basically any stakeholder can become definitive over time in the complex network of stakeholders with mutual relationships. The definitive stakeholders in CEM are no longer merely the NGOs and policymakers but now include many diverse groups such as customers, locals and suppliers.Research limitations/implicationsThese case studies cannot be generalized, but they could…

Innovations for sustainable protein systems

Purpose: Introduction of new, alternative protein sources and products for replacing conventional animal products requires many innovations at the product level and the system level. However, less attention has been given to analyzing the emergence of entrepreneurial and business responses to sustainable protein system. The purpose of the paper is to analyze the opportunities and challenges in food processing related to sustainable protein systems from the perspective of sustainable innovations and sustainable entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach: Thematic qualitative interviews were conducted in Finnish food manufacturing companies during the first half of 2018. Nineteen (19) inte…

Food processing companies, retailers and climate-resilient supply chain management

This article has no abstract. nonPeerReviewed

Stakeholder perceptions of alternative food entrepreneurs

This paper focuses on rural entrepreneurs' perceptions of their stakeholders with respect to their influence towards the economic success of farms and environmental issues, as well as their trustworthiness. There is special emphasis on the comparison of perceptions between suppliers of alternative food supply chains and suppliers of conventional supply chains. Survey research, with a final sample size of 522 rural entrepreneurs in Central Finland, was used as a research method. The results showed that 28% of the respondents could be defined as alternative food entrepreneurs. Significant differences between alternative and conventional food entrepreneurs were related to perceptions towards c…

Reilua ruokaa tänään ja huomenna : suosituksia kestävän ruokajärjestelmän luomiseksi

Social Acceptance of Climate Change Adaptation in Farms and Food Enterprises : a Case Study in Finland

This article identifies perceived climate change risks and adaptation aspects among farms and food processing enterprises using a case study in Finland. In addition, the article pinpoints key factors that contribute to the social acceptance of climate change adaptation and mitigation policies in the food system. The purpose is to study the willingness of farms and food enterprises to accept and adapt to different climate policy implementation. The research data consists of 27 thematic interviews conducted in 2012 and 2013. The main research questions were: 1. What risks does climate change pose to farms and food enterprises? 2. What adaptation features can be identified in farms and food en…

Multilevel Governance for Climate Change Adaptation in Food Supply Chains

The vulnerability of food supply chains to climate change is higher compared to other industries due to its dependency on climatic conditions, temperature and water supply. As a robust response to the vulnerability of food supply chains, it is essential to find ways of linking the concepts of sustainable development, climate change adaptation and risk governance into one paradigm. The risk governance of food supply chains is conducted by and across both private and public spheres. Hence, in this chapter, we introduce a dual system of governance to match the objectives of climate change adaptation, and discuss the multiplicity and potential integration of both corporate-led private governanc…

Towards sustainable farming practices and food security: study about vulnerability of Finnish farms

The aim of this paper is to discuss food security in the context of sustainable farming practices in Finland. There are two research questions: 1) How are the Finnish farms vulnerable from the viewpoint of food security? 2) How could they increase their resilience for guaranteeing food security in the future? The paper is based on a qualitative study for which 15 Finnish food system specialists were interviewed in 2015. According to the results, three types of vulnerabilities are discovered: 1) market vulnerabilities, 2) continuity of farms, and 3) environment changes. For reducing vulnerabilities, the re-evaluation of policy instruments is needed. At the same time, new knowledge and skills…

Kohti reilua ruokajärjestelmää : ruokajärjestelmän toimijoiden näkemyksiä ilmastopolitiikan keinojen oikeudenmukaisuudesta

Haavoittuvuusmatriisi

Matriisi liittyy 2020 julkaistavaan Elintarvike ja terveys -lehden artikkeliin. peerReviewed