Applying blockchain to the agri-food supply chain, as part of a virtuous path of circular economy is the challenge taken up by the Distretto Produttivo Agrumi di Sicilia (Citrus Production District of Sicily), which was chosen as the only partner in the sector, as part of the European Union-funded H2020 project called TRICK, which will end in October 2024.
Pastazzo
The operational group is made of 31 partners from eight different EU and three non-EU countries. In addition to the many companies in the textile sector, it includes also the Citrus Productive District of Sicily, the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna of the University of Pisa, the Customs Agency, research organizations such as ENEA and CNR. The project coordinator is F.lli Piacenza S.p.A., an Italian company specialized in luxury textiles.
The TRICK project, inspired by EU principles on traceability, circular
economy, and health and social assessment, aims to prove the feasibility of a pilot information system, based on the collection of data from each individual process step where each textile product is created, and the integration of these with a marketplace of specific services: assessment, certifications, PCO, PEF, anti-counterfeiting systems. An information system that would make all stages of the supply chain traceable, from the production to the marketing of the product to its recycling and the placing of new products on the market.
The Sicilian citrus district, therefore, is expected to replicate the information system from the citrus supply chain, capitalizing on previous experience gained by working in collaboration with research institutions and the University of Catania, on circular economy projects with the focus on the use of the pastazzo, the by-product of the food processing industry consisting of the waste from lemons and oranges that have been pressed.
"In addition, our effort within the Trick project will be to take advantage of blockchain technology," explained the president of the district, Federica Argentati, who is also an agronomist and expert in cooperation, marketing and finance for the agribusiness supply chain system. "The district has already been working on the introduction of blockchain technology for some time now, with training courses and member companies already able to guarantee QR-Code labels to ensure traceability and detectability. Now it aims to apply this method within circular economy paths.”
Pastazzo
"The added value of blockchain, even in circular economy paths, is considered fundamental," stressed Argentati, "which increases the perception of reliability and trust by the entire community made up of consumers, but also those other individuals who look for more certainty, around the protection of the environment, resources, and the overall economy of the entire production process.
As part of the TRICK project, the Citrus Production District of Sicily has also included the Eurofood processing associate company, the Assoro Biomethane Agricultural Society and the Meat Supply Chain Consortium. The tracking of the production process in the citrus supply chain starts from the production and harvesting of citrus fruits, and goes through the storage stage, where fruits are selected to be supplied as fresh produce or to processing industries. From the latter, the tracking of the subsequent stages continues, which include the use of so-called by-products and, specifically, pastazzo, which is made up of peels, seeds, and pulp. Pastazzo is distinguished into organic and conventional. The former is intended for organic livestock feed companies.
"The Meat Supply Chain Consortium has already launched a traceability system for livestock farms that use fresh citrus pastazzo and a production line of dried citrus pastazzo for the feed supply chain, with a view to also enhancing the Sicilian Region's QS Qualità Sicura certification."
President of the Sicilian Citrus District, agronomist and agribusiness expert Federica Argentati
On the other hand, conventional pastazzo is destined for biomethane production companies. "The transition from a linear economy to a circular economy, one in which the rate of recycling is almost total, is a topic of great discussion and of fundamental importance for truly respecting the environment," emphasized Federica Argentati, "but this transition requires transparency and documentation of all the stages in the value chain, to certify its effectiveness and not incur the risk of so-called greenwashing, as well as convenience in terms of energy, now more than ever, plays a decisive role as it directly impacts production costs.
"It's easy to talk about a circular economy, but this must be truly implemented and cost-effective for the entire supply chain. In Sicily we have everything we need to start this virtuous path, and the district will try to provide the supply chain with operational tools and useful data to move from a technical-scientific study phase to an operational one, with significant benefits for supply chain operators,” concluded Argentati.