Abstract

The joint use of life cycle assessment and data envelopment analysis (LCA + DEA approach) for eco-efficiency assessment is a growing research area in which different environmental impacts scores can be used. When LCA + DEA is focused only on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, i.e., carbon footprint (CF), the approach is called CF + DEA. In this study, we propose a new CF + DEA method for eco-efficiency assessment that uses a network DEA approach. This approach assumes that an organization contains subprocesses or stages that are interrelated through intermediate products, reflecting a more realistic situation. In this paper, we use a two-stage network structure and a corresponding network DEA model (the general networks slacks-based inefficiency model - GNSBI) for assessing the eco-efficiency of 26 Chilean beekeepers. Moreover, four scenarios are evaluated that consider different objectives from policymakers. This new CF + network DEA method provides more detailed managerial insights for operational and environmental performance, including a broad identification of inefficiency sources. In addition, an improvement plan based on the best practices identified in each process is presented. With this method, an efficient use of resources and greater CF reduction may be achieved.