Multi-objective expansion analysis for sustainable agro-industrial value chains based on profit, carbon and water footprint

• Published in: Journal of cleaner production 2021-03, Vol.288, p.125117, Article 125117
• Main Authors: Rajakal, Jaya Prasanth, Ng, Denny K.S., Tan, Raymond R., Andiappan, Viknesh, Wan, Yoke Kin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agro-industrial value chain; Carbon and water footprints; Fuzzy optimisation; Multi-objective optimisation model; Sustainable expansion
• ISSN: 0959-6526; 1879-1786
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125117

A sustainable agro-industrial value chain is essential for sustained food security. This requires optimised planning of operations and new expansions along the value chain. In this work, a fuzzy-based multi-objective approach is developed for planning sustainable new expansions of agriculture lands. Also, the expansion and capacity of post-harvest and production facilities and operations of logistics in the agro-industrial value chain are optimised. The model is a mixed-integer linear program (MILP) which takes profit, carbon footprint, and water footprint into account during optimisation. The expansion plan is optimised based on the expected increase in the demand for a particular agro-industrial product. To illustrate the proposed model, a palm value chain case study is solved. A scenario with a projected increase in palm oil demand is considered to demonstrate the model. The results for the case study showed a distinctive difference in the expansion strategy compared to single-objective optimisation, exhibiting trade-off between profit and carbon, water footprints. •Optimisation of land use change for agricultural expansions towards reducing environmental impact.•Optimisation of expansion in the downstream units and the logistics in agro-industrial value chain.•Fuzzy optimisation considering profit, carbon emissions and water footprint.•A palm value chain is solved as case study and the results discussed.•0.0013 tCO2 will be emitted and 1.84 m3 of water will be consumed per unit of profit.