Social Life Cycle Assessment of an organic soil improver recovery production system from slaughterhouse waste

Nowadays, there is a lack of in-depth social impact assessment of circular practices in the agri-food sector. This study assessed the social performance of an Italian microenterprise that uses an innovative technology to recover organic soil improver from animal by-products, adopting the Social Life Cycle Assessment approach. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected by interviews, questionnaires, and business reports. The Reference Scale Assessment method (-2 representing starkly below compliance level, 0 indicating compliance with Performance Reference Points, and +2 representing ideal performance) was used and developed on national regulations, statistical data, and relevant scientific literature. Five stakeholder groups were considered: Workers, Local community, Value chain actors (suppliers), Consumers (farmers), and Society. The impact categories considered were: Health and Safety, Human Rights, Working Conditions, Socio-economic repercussions, and Governance. They were assessed using twenty impact subcategories and a total of twenty-seven performance indicators. Positive social performance showed in local employment, product quality for farmers, participation in partnerships in research and development, while social risks were identified in Governance, Working Conditions and Health and Safety. Specifically, odour exposure from slaughterhouse waste and organic soil improver constitutes a social concern that impacts Workers, the Local community, and Consumers. Possible strategies to improve the social issues identified may be to (i) develop further odour containment technologies at the production stage, (ii) increase attention to social and environmental sustainability certifications to guarantee better control and safety from the animal by-products management chain to the bio-based fertiliser consumer, and (iii) policymakers' intervention on issues concerning wage adjustment.