New article published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, based on a study conducted in the context of IEA Bioenergy Task 43 (Biomass Supply).
The sustainability of biomass supply chains is a controversial topic, especially given their important role in the growing bioeconomy. The use of biomass, in its various forms, has consequences on several dimensions, from, among others, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to consequences for the local economy. Although several existing methodologies exist to evaluate the overall sustainability profile of biomass supply chains, these typically use criteria grouped into three main categories: economic, social and environmental, each with additional sub-criteria. However, a crucial question is to determine how important these criteria and sub-criteria are considered relative to each other.
This study aims identify the most preferred criteria when evaluating the sustainability of biomass supply chains. The data includes the ratings of 122 international experts from 23 countries, who provide their ratings via a questionnaire.
The criteria were weighted using the analytical hierarchy process approach (AHP). For each expert, the relative priority of each criterion and sub-criterion was determined as a percentage. To combine the ratings of all individual experts, consensus regions (areas where answers from different experts coincide) were identified using kernel methods (Figure 2). By defining consensus regions rather than a single aggregated value, it is possible to better reflect the complexity of comparing various criteria while providing viable recommendations to policy makers. The responses showed that a large majority of experts belong to two different priority groups: an environmentally oriented group (N = 78) and an economically oriented group (N = 21). The relatively lower rating of social criteria may be due to a lack of understanding of their long-term effects or a lack of relevant literature on the subject, and it is possible that new social problems will arise in parallel with the development of the field.
Regardless of the estimated priorities of the main criteria, experts agree that among others, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, using local resources efficiently, revitalizing rural areas and protecting ecosystems and biodiversity are the factors that deserve special attention when assessing the sustainability of biomass supply chains and should be given particular emphasis when planning biomass supply chains.
Source: www.ieabioenergy.com
