Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Modern Research in Social Sciences
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Social Footprint of Seaweed Based Functional Food Production
Tamilazhaki L, Gomes L, Pereira M, Vicos P, Ferreira G
ABSTRACT:
The paradigm shift of the food industry towards sustainability requires fair and equal consideration of all the three dimensions of sustainability. The current study assesses the social sustainability of the innovations in algae based functional food production from the NOVAFOODIES EU project. Aquaculture being a labour-intensive industry, it would be a weak sustainability if the human capital is ignored while focusing on economic and nature capital. Social Life Cycle Assessment (s-LCA) will provide meaningful interpretation for the social and socio-economic impacts all along the product and service life cycles. The study focuses on seaweed production in Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems in different global locations. The state of social and human concerns in aquaculture was studied through an intensive literature review. The s-LCA database used for the assessment is the PSILCA (Product Social Impact Life Cycle Assessment) database v3. The stakeholders and the indicator categories for the assessment were chosen by inquiring into the literature and the PSILCA database. The preliminary assessment of social risk using the database will be complemented by collecting site specific foreground information from the companies involved in the innovations. The bibliographic review aided in discovering the social challenges in aquaculture such as precarious and temporary nature of employment, low unionisation rates and occupational hazards. The exploration of the PSILCA database identified workers and local community as the stakeholders experiencing maximum social risk. Health and safety, working hours and fair salary of the workers were established as the critical indicator categories from the database investigation. The identified risk levels for each category will be complemented by the site-specific data from the companies and the potential risks will be identified and evaluated. This research demonstrates the importance of assessing the social wellbeing of the stakeholders involved in the product development. This assessment not only helps in the identification of the social issues pertaining to them but also strives to minimise social risks thereby enhancing socio-economic sustainability. Future efforts will focus on further integrating the specific inputs from the industry, contributing to more specificity, and reinforcing the importance of human capital to long-term sustainability.
keywords: Sustainability, human capital, health, workers, social risk