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AMS Nest Supply Chain Audit

University of British Columbia. Alma Mater Society; University of British Columbia. Vancouver School of Economics; University of British Columbia. Campus and Community Planning

The AMS Nest serves food for over 60,000 students each year, yet there are few studies that can be applied to estimate the Nest’s carbon footprint and target policies towards emissions reduction. This paper uses two multivariate regression models to estimate the impact of international sourcing and travel distances on the GHG emissions generated by the Nest’s food supply chain. Using a sample of 61 food products ordered by the AMS over 8 months (UBC’s winter session), we find that 1) sourcing products from outside British Columbia contributes the most to transportation emissions, and 2) consuming animal-based products contributes the most to total emissions, increasing by 6.5 tonnes of GHGs per animal-based product type. Simulating an adjusted supply chain by switching product sources to viable foodservice sources within BC reduced transportation emissions by 56%. Based on our results, we recommend new procurement policies that source products within BC in the short-term and reduce consumption of animal-based products in the long-term in order to effectively mitigate carbon emissions generated by the Nest’s supply chain. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”

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UBC Social Ecological Economic Development Studies (SEEDS) Student Report; University of British Columbia. ECON 490

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0421583

Arts, Faculty of; Vancouver School of Economics

Undergraduate

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