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The inclusion of sustainability in higher education courses has been debated in recent decades and has gained particular emphasis throughout the COVID-19. This paper aims to show how the context of the pandemic, which demanded the transition from in-person classes to virtual classes, was used to illustrate better the concepts of life cycle assessment (LCA) for Production Engineering students in a Brazilian University.

The research strategy used was action research. Throughout the discipline offering, the environmental impacts resulting from in-person and remote classes were comparatively assessed through a practical activity using LCA. Students’ behaviour and perception of the activities were recorded by the professor and discussed with the other researchers on the team. At the end of the course, students answered a questionnaire to assess their satisfaction with different aspects of the discipline, and these data were analysed via Fuzzy Delphi.

The results focus on discussing the pedagogical aspects of this experience and not the environmental impacts resulting from each class modality. It was possible to notice a greater engagement of students when using a project that directly involved their daily activities (food, transportation, use of electronics, etc.) compared to the traditional approach of teaching LCA concepts. In this traditional approach, the examples focussed on the industrial sector, a more distant context from the reality of most students. Student feedback demonstrated great acceptance by them regarding the approach adopted.

This study contributes to expanding debates about sustainability insertion in higher education and the training of professionals more aligned with the sustainable development agenda.

The purpose of this paper is to overview the literature about the environmental performance of additive manufacturing (AM) and to evaluate the use of life cycle assessment (LCA) on these studies.

This study was based on the systematic literature review.

The investigation found that most authors were concerned about the energy consumption of the AM equipment, which is the subject studied by 87% of articles. In addition, 25% of the studies used LCA at least in some level, making a global environment assessment to evaluate the environmental impacts of AM. By analyzing research studies, it was possible to find signs that AM could be a lower environmental impact process, when compared with traditional manufacturing. However, this assumption is not valid in all cases because there are many variables that may affect environmental results.

Due to the increase on the usage of this type of technology by industries, studies on the environmental performance of this process became relevant.

This study aims to implement Lean and Green principles within the agribusiness sector, focusing specifically on employing Environmentally Sustainable Value Stream Mapping (Sus-VSM) to assess critical indicators for both present and future states of an orange farm. The objective is to enhance value while simultaneously mitigating environmental impacts.

Employing a mixed-method research design, this study integrates both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. It adapts Sus-VSM and introduces inventory analysis frameworks for application within the agricultural domain, conducting a case study on an orange farm located in Sergipe, Brazil. This research seeks to provide actionable insights into the application of Lean and Green principles in agribusiness and introduces the Overall Lean-Green Effectiveness (OLGE) as an innovative decision-making tool for managers.

The study underscores the efficacy of Sus-VSM in the agricultural sector, albeit noting the necessity for certain process modifications to ensure successful implementation. Upon comparison of the two states, it is observed that the current state incurs 70.55% higher impacts on climate change (0.47 tCO₂eq./ha), whereas the future state could yield a 4.08% increase in aggregated value. Improvements from the current to the future scenario can primarily be achieved through enhanced management of in-field inventory of inputs, given that OLGE in this case study is significantly influenced by efficient inventory management.

The adaptation of VSM for agricultural operations, coupled with the integration of environmental sustainability indicators, represents an innovative strategy for enhancing agricultural processes while minimizing environmental impacts. The proposition of a new Lean and Green indicator, the OLGE, aims to facilitate the interpretation of results and guide improvements.

Using an Integrative Literature Review (ILR), this study aims to investigate the components defining the Safe and Just Operating Space (SJOS) within food systems and assess their applicability in decision-making for public food procurement (PFP).

Data concerning SJOS implementation in food systems and the criteria used in PFP were retrieved from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol.

The analysis of the literature highlights that climate change (n = 31; 17%) and water use (n = 29; 16%) are the primary focus areas regarding Planetary Boundaries (PB), followed the nitrogen cycle, land use, biodiversity loss and the phosphorus cycle. In PFP, key criteria linked to PB encompass climate change (n = 19; 7.2%), water use (n = 17; 6.44%) and chemical pollution (n = 17; 6.44%). The social and ethical dimensions underscore labour (n = 18; 6.82%), water (n = 17; 6.44%), income (n = 16; 6.06%) and energy (n = 16; 6.06%).

Despite the strengths of this study, certain limitations should be acknowledged. Although the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the reviewed articles were clearly defined, it is possible that relevant literature was unintentionally excluded. Expanding the scope to include grey literature – such as government documents, reports, policy statements and statistical reports – could provide additional insights and broaden the scope of the findings. Moreover, the search was limited to the Web of Science and Scopus databases, which may have resulted in the omission of relevant studies, particularly those published in non-English languages or not indexed journals.

The identified procurement criteria can help public administrators develop guidelines and tools for food procurement that consider the SJOS.

This paper offers an understanding of the connection between planetary processes and human well-being in the context of PFP.

This pioneering research lays the groundwork for future agendas in this field and encourages reflection on critical factors essential for selecting methods and standards applied in practical public procurement.