Implication of SDGs on LCA based sustainable design of milk powder’s dairy factory

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda are challenging targets that can drive productions processes to improve their environmental performance. This paper proposes a new methodology, based on a LCA approach in Food Supply Chain to support managers in the decision-making process with the goal to address complex sustainability challenges. As case-study, this goal-oriented design methodology is applied to the design process of a milk powder factory to be established in Sardinia. In this study, 5 SDGs indicated by the UN 2030 Agenda have been selected and the effect of different design options on their achievement has been evaluated by using the weights resulting from a specific LCA assessment. Different supply chains in terms of feedstocks (sheep milk and wheat) and energy supply options (photovoltaic, wind turbines and Combined Heat and Power plants) are considered and compared. The results demonstrate that the proposed SDG-oriented design method can be a useful tool to drive design choices towards more sustainable food production systems and operations.