Konstadinos Abeliotis

• PhD
• Professor at Harokopio University of Athens

Environmental performance of food and beverages is inextricably linked to the sustainable management of water resources. Water consumption is thoroughly analysed by calculating direct and indirect water usage through the water footprint model, particularly for products that are meant for export. Whilst the water-intensive grape growing industry has...

Incorporating findings from 74 meticulously selected studies, this analysis delves into the complex challenge of measuring food waste (FW) in the food service industry (FSI). The objectives are to aggregate findings on FW quantities, scrutinize quantification methods, identify research gaps, and outline key areas for future exploration. The analysi...

The RETASTE Conference has established itself as a critical platform for advancing science and innovation on food waste management within the framework of circular economy practices. This editorial summarises the key themes and research presented at the first two RETASTE meetings, which focused on strategies such as the valorisation of food process...

In today’s race toward a more circular economy, optimization of tariff design is important for minimizing the environmental impact and costs of municipal waste management. This study examines the overlap of an incentive-based tariff method and the unit pricing system. We address whether this overlap impacts the effectiveness and efficiency of waste...

Plastic generation exacerbates the challenge of solid waste management. Moreover, plastics emit substantial amounts of microplastics, which infiltrate the environment and food chain, posing significant environmental risks. Compounded by their production from fossil fuels, such as crude oil and natural gas, plastics present a formidable environmenta...

Electrical and electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste stream worldwide. This paper aims to investigate the socioeconomic determinants of e-waste employing a panel dataset of 19 Eurozone countries over the period 2009–2018. The empirical analysis contributes by estimating the short and long-term relationship between e-waste collection and glo...

It is estimated that European households are responsible for 55% of food waste generation. Key factors contributing to household food waste generation include food spoilage, confusion over expiration dates, overbuying, and inadequate shopping planning. Thus, food waste prevention at the household level depends heavily on food supplies monitoring an...

Purpose This study aims to the perceptions of the administration of Greek universities on sustainable development and the role of the administration in the implementation of corresponding practices. Specifically, it examines management’s perception and contribution to sustainable development and assesses the sustainability initiatives taking place...

The European Union's circular economy action plan places a high priority on addressing food waste and transitioning to a more sustainable model of production and consumption. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges posed by food waste, further research is needed to examine various factors associated with this global issue, which imp...

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) is a growing concern in many urban areas, as improper management and disposal of HHW can have negative impacts on human health and the environment. In this respect, and within the framework of the Life Integrated Project “Circular Economy Implementation in Greece” (LIFE18 IPE/GR/000013, www.circulargreece.gr), a pilo...

Food loss and wastage appear to be a phenomenon that has been little investigated in quantitative terms, due to the lack of homogeneous, standardized, and comparable measurement systems. Given the significant environmental and economic impacts, the prevention of food waste and the need to adopt a more sustainable production and consumption model is...

The increasing amount of food waste and its reflection on the consequences entailed, are points of interest for the academic community and beyond. Several studies have focus on measuring quantities, as it is not possible to take prevention practices for something that has not been measured. It is understood that knowledge of the total quantity of f...

The present manuscript describes a case study on the viewpoints of tourism stakeholders on the effect of waste management on a destination′s image. In particular, the study aims to analyze the problems that arose during the summer of 2018 in the touristic image of Corfu because of the waste management on the island. The qualitative method approach...

The present study investigates the relationship between economic growth, globalization, population density, energy consumption, trade openness, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions under the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) framework for selected highly cross-correlated countries (Middle East and North Africa-MENA) from 1994 to 2014. The control var...

Food loss and waste (FLW) is a global concern that has adverse environmental, social, and economic impacts [...]

Food waste valorization via its transformation into animal feed is a viable alternative for improving food security and the diversion of organic waste from landfills. The manuscript presents the environmental impact assessment of the construction and operation of a novel solar food waste drying unit on the island of Crete in Greece, which is treati...

Wholesome food wasted results in resource depletion, challenges for human health, GHG emissions, water pollution, and loss of opportunity to recover energy, organic matter, minerals, and water (Lasaridi et al., 2017). Due to the magnitude of these effects, prevention initiatives and sustainable management of food waste (FW) are essential if the UN...

The increased social concern for reduced environmental burden creates the need to identify indicators and factors related to enterprises’ improved environmental performance. This need is more emergent in areas with large numbers of enterprises, such as industrial estates. The current research identifies relevant factors by examining data collected...

This study deals with the environmental impact assessment resulting from the cultivation and processing of a protected designation of origin product, namely the “Currants of Vostizza.” Currants are dried ripe fruits of the vine plants. The cultivation of the currant has a long history in Greece and has played a key role in the development of the co...

Objectives: Healthy and sustainable eating should be encouraged in children. The study aims at creating, applying and evaluating the effectiveness of a specifically designed, school based educational programme, aiming at promoting healthy and sustainable eating, in children. Design: This is a pilot, school based educational intervention, aiming at...

Food waste prevention is globally an urgent policy priority. Multiple studies have demonstrated that in the developed world, households are the main producers of food waste along the food supply chain, being responsible for about half of the edible food wasted. This study aims to analyse consumers’ food waste behaviour and identify the factors that...

The present paper investigates the contribution of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) to the Sustainable Regional Development of the Cyclades Regional Unit. In order to achieve any form of development, the consumption of electricity is necessary and therefore, the problem that concerns every society is the generation of this form of energy. This paper...

Repair and preparing for reuse are included among the alternatives for the prevention of the generation of waste from electrical and electronic equipment, a stream that is a rapidly rising environmental issue globally. The main goal of this research was to identify and report the structure and operational problems faced by the electrical and electr...

Food loss and waste account for a significant part of the food production, estimated to about 1/3 of the total food produced worldwide. The wide body of literature on the subject, which has been developed mainly in the last decade, highlights the significant environmental and economic impacts of food wastage. Assessing the scale of the problem is a...

Σκοπός της εργασίας είναι η καταγραφή των απόψεων των κατοίκων των περιοχών της Ελλάδος – Δυτική Μακεδονία και Πελοπόννησος (ευρύτερη περιοχή της Μεγαλόπολης) – στις οποίες αναμένεται να έχει καθοριστική επίδραση η εφαρμογή της Ευρωπαϊκής Πράσινης Συμφωνίας του 2019. Για τους σκοπούς της έρευνας, πραγματοποιήθηκε, κατά τους θερινούς μήνες του 2020,...

Heat pumps are mechanical devices that can be used for the sustainable generation of heating and cooling energy. However their construction generates also environmentalburdens. The aim of this manuscript is the identification of the environmental hot spots of a air/water heat pump via means of life cycle assessment. Inventory data were collected by...

Soilless agricultural techniques such as aeroponics are considered innovative agricultural strategies that can help to mitigate global warming. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the greenhouse gas emissions from aeroponic lettuce cultivation in an automatic greenhouse in Greece utilizing the life cycle assessment methodology. Three aerop...

A diary was compiled and given to 101 urban households in various areas of the country. The participants were asked to weigh and write down in the diary every food item wasted in their households for two full weeks (i.e., 14 days). The total per capita food waste generation in Greece is estimated to be 76.1 (±68.3) kg/inh-y. This figure is divided...

Floriculture is an intensive type of agriculture with an income per unit area much higher than any other branch of agriculture. Urban floriculture can be a more sustainable and socially acceptable alternative to urban food production as the latter is exposed to high levels of urban generated contaminants. Urban floriculture may also decrease the ca...

Over the past couple of decades, urban agriculture has increasingly gained recognition as a viable intervention strategy for the urban poor to earn extra income throughout the world. Greece is now entering the seventh year of an economic crisis, and urban agriculture in abandoned municipal urban spaces is seen as a means for fighting the poverty of...

The widespread as well as the injudicious use of antimicrobial agents has generated an intense ecological imbalance through the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant microorganisms, pathogenic or non-pathogenic. Agricultural use of sewage sludge bears numerous beneficial aspects, but it may also pose a potential threat for the environment an...

Food wastage is a societal, environmental and financial problem that takes places along the entire food supply chain. Therefore, prevention of the food wasted is a key goal towards sustainable development. Consumers, as a very active stakeholder of the food supply chain, affect food waste generation directly and indirectly via a multitude of behavi...

Introduction: Healthy and sustainable eating behaviors should be encouraged in children. Purpose: The purpose of the study was the creation, application and evaluation of a specifically designed, educational programme, for children 5-11 years old, aiming at encouraging sustainable and health eating patterns. Materials: The three-month, pilot, schoo...

Περίληψη Σκοπός Σκοπός της μελέτης ήταν η δημιουργία, εφαρμογή και αξιολόγηση ενός ειδικά διαμορφωμένου πιλοτικού σχολικού εκπαιδευτικού πακέτου για παιδιά ηλικίας 5-11 ετών, που είχε ως στόχο την προαγωγή της βιώσιμης και υγιεινής διατροφής. Το πρόγραμμα επεδίωξε τη βελτίωση της διατροφής των παιδιών, με τέτοιο τρόπο που να συνδέει τα διατροφικά π...

Breakfast is identified as the most important meal of the day. The goal of the present study is the comparative environmental assessment of three locally offered breakfast trays in three touristic areas of Greece (namely Chalkidiki, Cyclades and Crete) and the typical continental breakfast. These areas have been chosen due to their unique character...

Food wastage is receiving much research and policy attention worldwide, especially during the past decade, due to the environmental, economic, and social implications that it is related to. Prevention of food wastage is a key factor in the battle against starvation on the global scale. If food wastage is halved globally by the year 2025, almost 1 b...

Food waste is a stream that becomes increasingly important in terms of its prevention potential. There is a large number of behaviours that can be associated with food waste generation and the efforts towards food waste prevention. A questionnaire study was carried in order to study consumer behaviour related to food provision and wastage in Greece...

This chapter first discusses key aspects of waste prevention in a multidisciplinary context. It then defines the term “waste prevention” and discusses its importance in relation to sustainability. Next, the chapter presents the policy framework of the European Union (EU), the United States (U.S.), and selected countries that have taken important st...

To identify key features in the perception of consumer satisfaction of washing performance, a survey among detergent users from five European countries was run. Respondents from each country were volunteers recruited through the Internet without previous selection criteria. The size of the sample (over 4,000 participants) and the wide geographical...

Diet modifications are explored for the mitigation of greenhouse gases emissions worldwide. The current paper aims at estimating the carbon footprint of the diet of the Greek consumers in 2011. Based on food items consumption data, equivalent CO2 emission factors, the total carbon footprint associated with the per capita Greek diet patterns is calc...

Εισαγωγή Αγαπητοί γονείς και κηδεμόνες, Στα χέρια σας κρατάτε έναν πρακτικό οδηγό για τη βιώσιμη διατροφή των παι- διών σας, που δημιουργήθηκε στο πλαίσιο του προγράμματος «Υγιή παιδιά, υγιής πλανήτης» του WWF Ελλάς, με τη συνδρομή του Χαροκόπειου Πανεπιστημίου. Στόχος του προγράμματος είναι να εκπαιδεύσει τα παιδιά της χώρας για να υιο- θετήσουν...

Αγαπητοί εκπαιδευτικοί, Το εγχειρίδιο αυτό αποτελεί μέρος του υλικού που ετοιμάσαμε στο πλαίσιο του προ- γράμματος «Υγιή παιδιά, υγιής πλανήτης». Πρόκειται για ένα πρόγραμμα του WWF Ελλάς με τη συνδρομή του Χαροκόπειου Πανεπιστημίου. Στόχος του προγράμματος είναι να εκπαιδεύσει τα παιδιά της χώρας να υιοθετήσουν δι- ατροφικές συνήθειες που κάνουν κ...

Environmental citizenship is specifically concerned with understanding the nature of global issues and taking an active role in addressing them. The aim of the present paper is the identification of the characteristics that constitute the environmental citizen among high school students in Greece. Literature review revealed the characteristics that...

Megatrends are global changes in individual, social and technological structures that shape our lives. The aim of this paper is the identification of trends that will shape laundry washing by 2030, and their effects on it, based on the expert judgment of the members of the Board for Washing Excellence. The conclusions indicate that the demand for w...

Home composting is a waste prevention measure related to the management of the household's food waste, garden trimmings, and other smaller organic household waste streams. Thus, home composting is an alternative way of exploitation of the “biomass” generated from the households. It is an alternative to centralized composting. Biomass utilization is...

Waste prevention is the highest ranked priority in the European Waste Framework Directive. The aim of this paper is to present the design, development and main features of a web-based tool that enables local authorities to select and implement optimum waste prevention programmes for their local conditions and to prepare their Waste Prevention Plans...

Food waste is becoming an increasingly significant global issue due to its economic, social and environmental implications. In addition, food waste relates to climate change since food originates from agriculture and ends up as waste while energy is consumed during its life cycle stages. The aim of this paper is the estimation of the GHG emissions...

Cut flowers represent a globalised economic sector that is associated with various environmental impacts. The aim of this research is the presentation of the results of the application of life cycle assessment in the environmental assessment of the greenhouse farm cultivation of carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) in Greece. The scope of the pres...

Floriculture has been developed in a fast growing industry, characterised by significant changes in the worldwide distribution structure. Floriculture is an intensive type of agriculture with an income per unit area much higher than any other branch of agriculture. The move from traditional regionally located industrial western countries to other r...

Booklet: Οδηγός Καλύτερης Διατροφής στο πλαίσιο του Προγράμματος Καλύτερη Ζωή Ι

Environmental Management Systems (EMS) offer a structured framework for the improvement of the environmental performance of a company. Moreover, organized industrial estates can offer synergies among industrial companies. The aim of the research was to identify some of the factors that affect the EMS implementation by the companies and particularly...

An important aspect of compost quality is its stability and maturity. Stability refers to the extent to which readily biodegradable organic matter has decomposed, whereas maturity concerns the fitness of compost for a particular end use. Stability may also be used as a process evolution index. A data survey and study of composts in the Greek market...

Food waste is an increasingly important stream due to the ethical, financial and environmental implications that it relates to. Food waste is generated throughout the life cycle of food, from the field or farm to the consumer’s household and it is reported to be sector- and country- specific. Actual data on the quantification of food waste generati...

Home composting can be considered as one of the most feasible options for bio-waste avoidance, granted that its end-product (the compost) fulfills certain quality criteria. In order to assess home composting process and compost quality, the integrated application of independent methodologies is needed. The present study reports on assessing compost...

Food waste prevention as a tool for climate change mitigation: A case study from Greece K. Abeliotis*, K. Lasaridi, V. Costarelli, K. Anagnostopoulos, C. Chroni Harokopio University, School of Environment, Geography and Applied Economics, El. Venizelou 70, 17671 Athens, Greece *Corresponding author: Tel. +302109549363, e-mail: kabeli@hua.gr Abs...

ESTIMATED CARBON DIOXIDE EQUIVALENTS EMISSIONS IN GREECE, FOLLOWING DIFFERENT TYPES OF DIETS By ANAGNOSTOPOULOS K1, KALOGEROPOULOS N2, COSTARELLI V1. & ABELIOTIS K1., Department of Home Economics and Ecology1, Department of Nutrition & Dietetics 2 Harokopio University, El. Venizelou 70, 176 71, Athens, Greece Background and objectives: Dietary cho...

Environmental citizenship is specifically concerned with understanding the nature of global issues and taking an active role in addressing them. The aim of the present paper is the identification of the characteristics that constitute the environmental citizen among high school students in Greece. Literature review revealed the characteristics that...

Food waste is a waste stream with serious economic, environmental and social implications. The emphasis of the reported research is on the food waste generated by households in Greece. A structured questionnaire was utilised in order to identify the attitudes of the respondents and investigate the prevalence of certain behavioural good practices th...

Packaging is a key stage of the life cycle of a product regarding its environmental impact. Also, the contribution of the households in the success of packaging recycling programs is well documented. The aim of this paper is the presentation of the development of a computer-aided tool that assists consumers in minimising their everyday environmenta...

Translating the gained knowledge about waste management into strategies, attitudes and processes that maintain resources and minimise negative environmental impact constitutes a challenging but inevitable goal. Focusing especially on biodegradable waste, the New Paradigm for sustainable waste management carries an increasing demand for biological t...

Wind energy installations in Greece are increasing rapidly as a means to achieve the national goal for increasing the renewables' share in the country's energy balance. However, wind farm installations are not impact free from the environmental standpoint. The present study examines the cradle-to-grave impacts of a wind farm in central Greece compo...

Green chemistry as a new paradigm of chemistry ac-complishes a fundamental and principal role that is essen-tial to the critical pathway towards sustainability, that of prevention. Education is a key vehicle for the introduction of the twelve green chemistry principles in the general pub-lic. Thus, emphasis has to be placed on the introduction of t...

According to the revised European Union (EU) Directive on Waste (2008/98/EC), widely known as Waste Framework Directive (WFD), waste prevention embraces all the measures taken before a substance, material or product has become waste, that reduce the quantity of waste, the adverse impacts of the generated waste on environmental and human health, and...

Biomass is a renewable energy source that is routinely used for cooking in the developing world, especially in rural areas. The World Health Organization estimates that about 2.5 billion people globally rely on biomass, such as wood, agricultural waste and animal dung to meet their energy needs for cooking utilising traditional low-efficiency cooks...

The “WASP Tool project” (LIFE10 ENV/GR/622) has been developed, in order to investigate, demonstrate and optimise the waste prevention potential at the Local Authority (LA) level, in Greece and Cyprus. The core of the Project is the development of a web-based tool, namely the WASP-Tool, that will enable LAs to select and implement the optimum waste...

The aim of this cradle-to-farm-gate LCA study is the comparison of the impacts generated by different modes of cultivation of beans in the Prespa National Park in Greece. More specifically, three different bean varieties have been assessed based on three different cultivation practices: conventional, integrated and organic. Moreover, the cultivatio...

Green Chemistry is a new approach of chemistry that aims to satisfy the global concerns and demand for sustainability. Green Chemistry is guided by twelve very specific principles of chemical practice. Among them, the seventh one promotes the use of renewable raw materials and feedstock, such as biomass. The widespread application of Green Chemistr...

Washing the dishes, which comes at the expense of natural resources consumption, is one of the cornerstones of hygiene in modern households. Dishwashing can be performed either manually or by the use of dishwashers. Even though machine dishwashing has clear advantages over manual, the latter is still used by a great portion of the households. The a...

The aim of this paper is the application of Life Cycle Assessment to the operation of the MBT facility of Ano Liossia in the region of Attica in Greece. The region of Attica is home to almost half the population of Greece and the management of its waste is a major issue. In order to explicitly analyze the operation of the MBT plant, five scenarios...

The purpose of this study is the contribution of photovoltaic systems to the Sustainable Development of the region of Thessaly in Greece. The aim is to explore both the potential for further installation of PV systems in the region and to record the opinions, knowledge and attitudes of residents about them. To document the theoretical data was carr...

Abstract The aim of this paper is to analyse the factors affecting consumers' preferences towards the ownership of household appliances. The study is based on 186 survey responses from Cypriot households, and they are analysed econometrically using regression techniques. The analysis is based on a theoretical framework, which takes into account bot...

Academics and practitioners in Europe and elsewhere have attempted to pinpoint the key urban freight transport problems and identify potential sustainable solutions. In this framework, the aim of this study is the evaluation of the environmental outcomes derived from the development of an alternative transport option for the management of Municipal...

Blended learning has been recognized as the most promising emerging trend in higher education, offering new capabilities, as it may significantly enhance the interaction and communication between instructors and students. The challenge of blended learning is to balance weaknesses and strengths of face-to-face and e-learning teaching environments an...

Our research aims to investigate the approaches that Greek parents use to raise their children’s environmental awareness. The study, conducted via closed-type questionnaires, focused on 435 parents with children attending the last grade of primary school in the greater Athens urban area. The results indicate that parents accept environmental awaren...

Sustainable consumption is one of the major goals of the affluent European societies in their quest for sustainable development. A key player in sustainable consumption is the sustainable or green consumer. The aim of this study was to examine the profile of the Greek green consumer based on the study and empirical analysis of engagement in selecte...

Decision support systems (DSS) are used to aid at solid waste management, a tedious problem with many technical, economic and social constraints. The main DSS available are briefly presented and the development of a novel system, ReFlows, is described. The novelty of the developed DSS consists of the detailed analysis of the collection subsystem an...

Blended learning is widely applied in academic institutions. To explore the utilization of blended learning features in an academic environment, a study was conducted in Harokopio University of Athens over a period of three years. If blended learning is to be successful, interrelations between stakeholders involved in it should be effectively explo...