A survey analysis on sustainable practices in cold supply chains

Due to their peculiarities, certain goods require specific storage and distribution conditions. For instance, fruits and vegetables as well as dairy products, fresh meat, frozen or pharmaceutical products must be stored and transported in controlled temperature conditions. This involves the use of refrigerated facilities and trucks that consume large quantities of energy and are responsible of huge emissions. Consequently, the so-called cold supply chains have drawn attention with regards to their sustainability perspective both during the design and management phases. In line with that, the present work aims at presenting some preliminary results from a survey analysis carried out in Italy on thirteen companies operating in this specific field, investigating their sustainability practices. Among the main findings brought out, for instance, it emerged that investments in recycled building materials (considered of low-quality) are (still?) not considered by companies, as well as the usage of alternative fuels for transports; moreover, the use of intermodal transport is rather lacking. Overall, there is great room for improvement from the sustainability perspective of cold supply chains.