The Implementation of the Guidelines for Environmental Labels and Declarations in Agri-Food SMEs

Abstract

In order to test the implementation of the guidelines for environmental labels and declarations in agri-food SMEs, a firm which operates in the pasta chain was chosen as it was considered representative of the Sicilian economic system. After a brief description of the sector and the pilot firm, the path followed by the firm towards the choice of a voluntary environmental labelling system which suited its peculiarities will be reported. Following the iterative procedural steps and making use of decision support instruments, the organisation has given to its distributors and consumers the necessary information for a conscious choice of eco-compatible products and the relevant information connected with the phases of the productive process, the product itself and the performance in terms of environmental impact. The experience resulting from the application of the guidelines proposed to the pilot firm has shown how it is possible to choose the voluntary communication system, closer to the business reality, by starting from the analysis of the company activities and of the expectations of the management, the stakeholders and their environmental awareness.