Modelling supply chain optimisation in the food and beverages industry: Helping SMEs in South West England work towards the circular economy

这个为期两年的跨学科研究项目由埃克塞特大学商学院领导，将探索英格兰西南部食品和饮料制造业(FBM)行业的中小型企业(SME)如何走向循环经济(CE)、转型的好处以及进步的推动因素和障碍。循环经济的定义是在使用过程中最大限度地从资源中提取价值，消除可避免的废物，重新利用或回收不可避免的废物。鉴于地球提供资源和吸收废物的能力有限，人们认为，与传统的资源开发、制造、消费和处置的线性商业模式相比，CE更可取。作为一个不断完善的过程，推动创新和竞争力，行政长官的概念正在许多国家和行业获得吸引力。但是，到目前为止，在FBM行业内很少探索实现CE的原则和实践。由于其对经济、环境和社会的各种影响，该行业的机会是巨大的。这些问题包括土地、水、能源和原材料的使用；有毒排放；以及包装和食物垃圾的产生，包括整个供应链的产品和价值的重大损失。与此同时，该行业容易受到许多外部因素的影响，从不断变化的气候、土地使用和季节性，到原材料、能源、水、劳动力和其他投入的成本和可用性的扰动。许多创新现在已经可用，或正在开发中，以减轻这些影响，并帮助制造商在其流程中保留价值。这些办法包括将废物、副产品和剩余物再加工成新产品；包装创新；安装可再生热和能源技术；以及先进的信息技术系统，以简化供应链。但几乎96%的FBM企业是微型到中型企业(FDF，2016)，由于财务、技术和其他资源有限，大多数企业无法获得这些创新并从中受益。我们的研究将考察英格兰西南部11家FBM中小企业面临的挑战，该地区FBM在就业和总附加值方面具有重要意义。我们的合作伙伴，从一家只有一名女性的微型企业到拥有200名员工的中型公司，为地区、国内和国际客户生产乳制品、烘焙和肉类产品，通过多种渠道(包括传统零售和在线)销售，从而提供了该行业的宝贵快照。这些公司致力于实现CE，共同承诺为这项工作提供约64,000 GB的实物支持。一个由可持续供应链专家、数学建模专家、社会科学家和工程师组成的研究团队将与这些企业密切合作，探索和测试新技术、新工艺、新工具和新产品设计。一个亮点将是由埃伦·麦克阿瑟基金会开发的“圆度指示器工具”在FBM部门的第一次应用。除了与我们的合作伙伴一对一的合作外，我们还将在项目过程中将他们聚集在一起参加3个研讨会，分享想法，解决问题，并确切地阐明CE对FBM中小企业意味着什么。我们的项目合作伙伴面临的挑战并不是该地区独有的，我们的调查结果将适用于全国。除了学术成果外，我们还将通过在地区美食节、威斯敏斯特与跨党派议会可持续资源小组的活动、食品行业媒体上的文章和大型食品行业颁奖典礼上的公开研讨会，最大限度地提高我们的研究成果的影响。我们将推出一个网站，撰写案例研究(包括技术研究和非专业读者)，制作关于案例公司的网络视频，并发布定量和定性的数据集，使其他人能够探索与FBM有关的CE。

This two-year interdisciplinary research project, led by the University of Exeter Business School, will explore how small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the food and beverage manufacturing (FBM) industry of South West England can move towards the circular economy (CE), the benefits of the transition and enablers and barriers to progress. The circular economy is defined as one in which maximum value is extracted from resources during use, avoidable waste is eliminated and unavoidable waste reused or recycled. Given the planet's finite capacity to provide resources and absorb wastes, CE is thought preferable to the traditional linear business model of resource exploitation, manufacture, consumption and disposal. A continuous improvement process, driving innovation and competitiveness, the CE concept is gaining traction in many countries and industries. But, until now, the principles and practices for achieving CE have been little explored within the FBM industry. The opportunities are substantial in this industry due to its various economic, environmental and social impacts. These encompass use of land, water, energy and raw materials; toxic emissions; as well as packaging and food waste arisings, including significant losses of product and value across the supply chain. At the same time, the industry is vulnerable to many external factors from changing climates, land use and seasonality to perturbations in cost and availability of raw materials, energy, water, labour and other inputs. Many innovations are now available, or in development, to mitigate these impacts and help manufacturers retain value in their processes. These approaches include the reprocessing of waste, by-products and surpluses into new products; packaging innovations; the installation of renewable heat and energy technologies; and sophisticated IT-based systems to streamline supply chains. But almost 96% of FBM businesses are micro- to medium-sized (FDF, 2016) and most are unable to access, and benefit from these innovations, due to limited financial, technical and other resources. Our research will examine the challenges faced by eleven FBM SMEs in South West England, a region where FBM is significant in terms of employment and gross value added. Our partners, varying from a one-woman micro-business to a medium-sized firm of 200 employees, make dairy, bakery and meat products for regional, national and international customers sold through multiple channels (including traditional retail and online), and thus offer a valuable snapshot of the industry. These companies are committed to achieving CE, together pledging some £64,000 of in-kind support towards the work. A research team of sustainable supply chain experts, mathematical modellers, social scientists and engineers will work closely with these businesses, exploring and testing new technologies, processes, tools and product designs. A highlight will be the first application within the FBM sector of a 'circularity indicators tool' developed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. In addition to one-to-one collaborations with our partners, we will bring them together for 3 workshops over the course of the project, to share ideas, solve problems and elucidate exactly what CE means to FBM SMEs. The challenges faced by our project partners are not unique to the region and our findings will apply nationwide. In addition to academic outputs, we will maximise the impact of our research through public workshops at regional food festivals, an event with the All-Party Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group at Westminster, articles in the food industry trade press and at a major food industry awards ceremony. We will launch a website, write case studies (both technical and for the lay reader), produce web-based videos about the case companies and publish quantitative and qualitative datasets enabling others to explore the CE as it pertains to FBM.