Simplified environmental impact tools for agri-food system: A systematic review on trends and future prospective

Environmental impact mitigation is a challenge for the agri-food system, and companies are continuously asked to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Solutions provided by policies tried to simplify Life Cycle Assessment procedures via schemes and guidelines. At the same time, simplified tools and calculators invaded this production chain proposing a simpler and faster approach to environmental sustainability evaluation. This review aims at studying the field of simplified environmental impact tools (SimpEI tools) used in the agri-food chain and examines and categorizes the currently available solutions to support stakeholders in the choice of the most appropriate tool according to different qualitative aspects. The review proposes a critical, multivariate and systematic analysis of the SimpEI tools found, investigating collectively rather than individually and discussing. In addition, a critical analysis of the tools' current state and a prediction of their future were provided. To reach the goal a hybrid search, i.e. systematic review of scientific literature and commercial web research, was performed identifying 79 SimpEI tools. Hence, quality parameters and relative classes were defined and used as input for multivariate analysis (Principal Component Analysis, PCA) to explore the correlation between tools and intended users. The review findings highlighted a clear separation between the simpler tools characterized by high usability, low data input requirements, and accessibility, and more complex ones described by transparency and results presentation. Finally, strengths and weaknesses of the currently available SimpEI tools in the agri-food system and a discussion on the new frontiers in the development of SimpEI tools were proposed. The development of new SimpEI tools should begin with a shared and unambiguous vision of sustainability, with an effort to understand user needs and a continuous communication process to improve methodological choices and better integrate the needs of the end user into the tool. This would entail creating streamlined, but TaylorMade environmental impact tools.