Evaluación de la sostenibilidad socio ambiental del sector de panificación: comparación intersectorial entre conglomerados de las ciudades de Latacunga y Ambato

Abstract

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate the socio-environmental sustainability of the baking sector through an intersectoral comparison between conglomerates in the cities of Latacunga and Ambato. The proposed methodology covers environmental and social aspects immersed in the bread productive chain. For the evaluation of the sustainability indicators, the IASA evaluation framework and the LCA method were used. The evaluation instrument used was a structured survey with demographic, environmental and social variables. Information was collected from 52 bakeries belonging to the city of Latacunga and from 78 bakeries established in the city of Ambato. The results obtained were analyzed by means of an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a multiple linear regression analysis. The bakeries in the city of Latacunga have a better environmental performance, unlike the bakeries in the city of Ambato, which have a better social performance. Diesel and industrial gas are the fossil fuels that greatly affect the environmental performance of bakeries in both cities. Family labor was predominant in the bakeries, causing little generation of employment, therefore, affecting their performance. Based on the results found, it can be deduced that the bakeries that show the best environmental and social performance are the ones that present the greatest sustainability in the sector.