Integrated data, sustainability indicators and artificial intelligence can improve the energy and water efficiency of production processes in the food supply chain. This is the key finding from the results of the European CLARUS project, coordinated by the Department of Management Engineering at Politecnico di Milano and funded by the Horizon Europe programme. Specifically, emissions were reduced by up to 9.5% and water efficiency was improved by more than 21%.

Led by Roberto Rocca and Gabriella Monteleone, the project developed a digital platform capable of monitoring and optimising the use of resources along the food supply chain, integrating artificial intelligence models, sustainability assessment tools based on the Green Deal Index (GDI), and an infrastructure for the secure sharing of data between companies and research centres. The solutions developed were then tested in real-world industrial settings.

“At Ardo, a company operating in primary food processing – states a statement from the Politecnico – the optimisation of refrigeration systems and the monitoring of processes have contributed to measurable improvements in the sustainability indicators used in the GDI, including a reduction in CO₂-equivalent emissions of up to 9.5% and an improvement inwater efficiency of 21.6%. In the case of the Finnish company Honkajoki, which specialises in the valorisation of food by-products, on the other hand, the use of artificial intelligence models helped to achieve improvements in logistics and process efficiency, resulting in an 8.3% reduction in material transport time and improved energy efficiency”.

“Thanks to a modular architecture and the use of open standards – the statement continues – the solutions developed can also be replicated in other resource-intensive industrial settings, thereby contributing to the digital and green transformation of European manufacturing”.