45. A system dynamic approach to map by-products’ flows: an application to a dairy cooperative in Italy

Among other objectives, the principles of circular economy aim to reduce waste production along the supply chain, which results particularly important within the agri-food sector. The dairy sector, specifically cheese production, generates several by-products and in particular a large amount of whey per kilogram of processed milk. Therefore, the provision of a holistic analysis of the dairy supply chain is important to improve the management efficiency and reduce the unnecessary waste. This study aims at the development and validation of a system dynamic (SD) model for the description of the production system of cheese factories. The model analyses the production flow of a specific cheese factory located in Veneto Region. The results confirm that the SD model can accurately estimate the output in terms of byproducts production.