Per una storia della Merceologia in Italia: Pavia

EVOLUTION AND PERSPECTIVES OF COMMODITY SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PAVIA

Vincenzo RIGANTI*, Vittorio VACCARI**, M. Laura GIAGNORIO***, Cristina CORDONI***
* Università degli Studi di Pavia, Dip. di Chimica Generale, Via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia. Telephone: +390382987345, fax: +390382528544, e-mail: riganti@unipv.it
** Università degli Studi di Pavia, Dip. di Ricerche Aziendali, Via San Felice 5, 27100, Pavia, telephone: +390382986250, fax: +390382986228, e-mail: vittorio.vaccari @unipv.it
*** Università degli Studi di Pavia, Dip. di Ecologia del Territorio, , Via S. Epifanio 14, 27100, Pavia
Telephone: +390382984851, fax: +39038234240, e-mails: marialaura.giagnorio@unipv.it; cristina.cordoni@unipv.it
Abstract: This article describes and analyses the introduction and the subsequent development of Commodity Science at the University of Pavia. The past and ongoing changes both of research themes and of courses being offered shows that the discipline has and it still experiencing a continuous evolution. This has been achieved by embracing other topics other than the quality of goods, and adopting a synergic integration of economic, environmental and social issues in parallel with the recently and universally adopted approach of sustainable development.
Keywords: Commodity Science, Integration of Environmental tools, Corporate Social Responsibility, Management systems

1. The development of Commodity Science at the University of Pavia
When at the young Faculty of Economics and Commerce of the University of Pavia, the first course of Commodity Science was introduced, this discipline was still strictly anchored to the precepts of Prof. Villavecchia (Rome University, 1859-1937): describing goods, analysing its adulterations, evaluating their diffusion in geographical terms. The evolution that will be conveyed by Walter Ciusa (Bologna University, 1906-1989) - almost a revolution, to propose the discipline as technological, environmental and economic at the same time - was at the beginning being sensed only by the most talented scholars.
It is thus not surprising if at the University of Pavia, the first one to be interested at this “new” Commodity Science was a Chemist: Giorgio Renato Levi (1895- 1965), who from the Brazilian exile, because of the racial laws, had carried out an intense industrial activity. When he came back, as Head of the Chemistry Institute, decided to introduce his most brilliant disciple, Renato Curti Magnani, to this new application path
At the Faculty of Economics and Commerce presided successively by Carlo Maria Cipolla (1922 – 2000), Napoleone Rossi (1914-1972) and Riccardo Argenziano (1913 - 2005) there was not place for a Chair of Commodity Science but only for a course: the teaching of this course was awarded to Renato Curti Magnani who taught it for about a decade. He enriched the newly born Faculty by transmitting to a discipline, already in evolution, the contribution derived from his multidisciplinary scientific activity until 1976, when he obtained the Chair of Commodity Science in Chemistry at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences. Always vigilant to the progress of scientific thought, he used concepts to teach a research methodology, to stimulate the desire to get deeper and to widen knowledge: in a long and prolific career, from the first post obtained in 1937 to the last lecture in 1979, in more than 40 years he knew and educated thousands of pupils.

In the Faculty of Economics and Commerce his successor, as appointed lecturer, was his pupil Vincenzo Riganti (1932 - ) who read the course of General and Inorganic Chemistry in the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences but who had already oriented his scientific production towards the field of Commodity Science. Vincenzo Riganti continued the style and the teaching method established by his predecessor Prof. Curti Magnani with a an increased open approach to the interaction between production and environment; in 1985, Prof. Riganti was called back to his Faculty of origin and the teaching of Commodity Science was attributed to Vittorio Vaccari (1942 -), engineer and scholar of Technology of Production Cycles.
From then on, the Commodity Science discipline at the University of Pavia adopted two different paths, different but convergent regarding the technological-environmental vision.
In the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences, after a brief period where Commodity Science was taught by Michela Specchiarello (1951 -), pupil of Prof. Riganti who now holds the Chair of Technology of Production Cycles at the University of Lecce, Vincenzo Riganti, having won the competition for the post, became the lecturer from 1985. As Full Professor of Commodity Chemistry he also organised the research laboratories of the General Chemistry department and retired from University in 2003. Currently the Commodity Science disciplines are taught by Marco Baldi (Technology of Production Cycles, Quality and Safety), confirmed researcher and again by Vincenzo Riganti (Standardisation and Certification) as lecturer with teaching contract.
Vittorio Vaccari, who won the competition for the Technology of Production Cycles Chair in 1999, is at present the Head of the Business Department of the Faculty of Economics and teaches the courses of “Theory and Techniques of Quality and Certification” and “Integrated Management of Quality, Environment and Safety”. Maria Laura Giagnorio, confirmed researcher from 1996 has been the lecturer for the courses of “Technology of Production Cycles” from 1997 to 1999 and of “Integrated Product Policy” from 2003 to 2009 within the Economics and Management of Organisations graduate degree.
From what previously described, it is evident that, although with the expected differences, the Commodity Science disciplines have had in both Faculties a similar evolution. It should be noticed that some subjects of the Commodity Science area are taught also in other Faculties of the University of Pavia: the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences and the Medical School. Vittorio Vaccari has succeeded Vincenzo Riganti in the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery as lecturer of Commodity Science for the “Dietetics” degree. In the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences, Cristina Cordoni, Doctor in Commodity Science lectures the course of Integrated Waste Management from 2003 and Applied Economics from 2004, while Maria Laura Giagnorio lectures the course of Environmental Certification for the students of the Science and Technology for Nature degree.
2. Main research topics in Commodity Science
The Italian Academy of Commodity Science organises every two years a National Conference where the main research results of its members (approximately 200) are presented and discussed. Analysing the papers presented in the last two conferences (Terracina, 2007 and Turin, 2009), it is possible to classify the Italian Commodity Science research in the following topics:
1) Innovation and agro-food sector: quality of products, labels of nutritional values, legislation issues, production and sustainable consumption, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
2) Markets and made in Italy: labels of origin, territorial valorisation, districts innovation and products
3) Environment and production activities: waste, management systems instruments, water, production, industrial areas, sustainable transport
4) Current challenges of the energy system: thermal valorisation, renewable sources, bio-ethanol, thermal solar, photovoltaic, liquid biofuels,
5) Quality and certification: Environmental and quality certification diffusion, Ethical certification, green certificates, new production techniques
6) Globalisation: internationalisation strategies for organisations, challenges and issues of international trade
7) Systems: integrated management systems, corporate social responsibility (CSR)

This research areas have experienced major changes during the last two decades matching the evolution of the discipline, which also at the National context has followed the same pattern earlier described at the University of Pavia.
2.1 The research of the Commodity Science group at the University of Pavia
The Commodity Science group is based both at the Faculty of Economics (Department of Business) and at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences (Department of Territorial Ecology). Its members are the following:
· Prof. Vittorio Vaccari - Head of the group, Full Professor, Chair of Commodity Science, Department of Business studies, Faculty of Economics
· Vincenzo Riganti, retired Full Professor of Commodity Chemistry and lecturer with teaching contract, Department of General Chemistry
· Dr. Maria Laura Giagnorio - confirmed Researcher (eq. Assistant Professor), Department of Territorial Ecology
· Dr. Cristina Cordoni - PhD in Commodity Science, Lecturer, Department of Territorial Ecology
· Dr. Immacolata Manco – PhD in Chemistry, Post-doctoral scholarship, Department of Business studies
· Antonella Valvassori, PhD student in Commodity Science, Research partner in the Department of Business studies
The strategic objectives of the group can be summarized as follows:
Ø Quality of processes and of products within a framework of economic and environmental sustainability; labels and certification instruments
Ø Environmental Management systems for territorial valorisation
Ø Implementations of guidelines for editing environmental or sustainability reports as the fifth element of corporate budget
Ø Planning of integrated waste management in order to optimise the cycle and minimise the environmental impact
Ø Energy valorisation of biomass, promotion of renewable energies and the abatement of greenhouse gases
These goals have been positively satisfied by means of a series of projects developed within the group that have produced results presented in several conferences and/or publications in scientific journals. These projects are in constant evolution and we expect that they will progress in parallel with the environmental challenges of the future:
1) The promotion of renewable energies – Projects in this area have been developed considering the present necessity of satisfying both the prescriptions of the Kyoto Protocol and securing, at the same time, the economic advantages deriving from the adoption of renewable energies [V. Vaccari et al, 2008a, pp. 800-804]. The main ongoing projects in this field have been:
Ö Biogas production by transforming dejections from livestock breeding in specific environmentally compatible facilities [C.Cordoni, 2008, pp. 5-22] This gives as result a significant reduction of greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4), the possibility of producing and selling electrical and thermal energy and, finally the recovery of materials and energy from waste.
Ö Biodiesel production by means of simple innovative technologies, using a low energy heating source (like microwaves) for the reaction and low cost feedstock (discarded cooking oils, restaurant waste and animal fat) while producing also reusable by-products.
Ö Evaluation of the environmental and economic sustainability of the National incentives for the diffusion of photovoltaic technology [Giagnorio M.L. et al., 2007, pp. 39-58]. Particular attention is given to electricity production on a small scale (micro-generation) thus reducing losses that derive from energy transport over long distances
Ö To develop wind turbines that can function even with low intensity and uneven winds, This relatively simple technology is a renewable energy source particularly adaptable for diffuse micro-generation that could induce positive socio-economic effects
2) Sustainable Production – Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) from “cradle to grave” becomes a fundamental element to determine effective sustainability. The LCA method allows comparison of alternative processes/products/services in order to detect the one that presents the lowest environmental impact. By means of this instrument, it is envisaged to optimise the choice of waste fractions to be selectively collected, setting also an economically sustainable limit to the level of selective collection desired. This is part of an efficient Integrated Waste Management to improve the quality and the economic efficiency of the different phases of the waste treatment and recovery [C.Cordoni, 2005, URL and CD] [C.Cordoni, 2006, pp. 161-163]. As a whole this translates into a reduction of costs for the Community and a minimisation of environmental impacts [V. Vaccari et al, 2005, pp. 23–32].
3) Sustainability Report and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – The Sustainability Report has become the main instrument for corporate reporting, to join at the purely economic vision presented by the Annual management Budget. Those two documents complement each other and together can provide, to stakeholders, the whole framework about the results, reports, impacts and the company involvement in its area of action [V. Vaccari et al., 2007, pp. 433-439]. The Sustainability Report is evolving, in order to understand all the community sensitive issues and it is transforming its vision from triple bottom line (economic, social and environmental) to a multi stakeholder approach [V. Vaccari et al, 2008b, pp. 418-429].
4) The diffusion of Environmental instruments: tools for territorial development – The diffusion of Environmental Certification based on Environmental Management systems standards (ISO 14000, EMAS) [M.L.Giagnorio et al., 2008, pp. 354-362] and of ecological labels [M.L Giagnorio, 2006, pp. 166-169] represent powerful instruments to support the regional development of marginalised areas that possess an important naturalistic value (e.g. the Lomellina area or some Alpine valleys) [C.Cordoni et al, 2004, pp. 145-158]. Consequently, there will be an increase of eco-tourism activities that could improve the natural habitat [M.L Giagnorio et al., 2004, pp. 87-102] and at the same time, maximise the potential of local human resources and of traditional products and skills [V. Vaccari et al, 2008c, pp. 889-892] [C.Cordoni et al, 2009, pp. 17-36].
5) In the Chemistry Department the main areas of research have been related to technical innovation [M. Baldi, et al, 2001, pp. 3-16] [V. Riganti et al, 2007, pp. 1-16] and standardisation applied to drinking and waste water supply issues [D. Giardella et al, 2003, pp. 25-41], to health and hazard criticalities, and to different types of waste management, [V. Riganti et al, 2004, pp. 31-47].
3. Commodity Science courses at the University of Pavia
This paragraph presents a list of the courses offered by the Commodity Science group at the University of Pavia, the corresponding degrees where they are included and a brief description of each course, during the last 20 years:
1980 - 1995 –
Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences:
Chemistry in Commodity Science
Faculty of Economics and Commerce:
Commodity Science

1995 - 2002 –
Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences:
Chemistry in Commodity Science
Faculty of Economics:
Technology of Production Cycles

Commodity Science
The technical and economic analysis of processes and materials, break-even point, evaluations and priorities for products substitution and/or innovation. The chemical, physical and biological characteristics of water related to the quality and costs of drinking and waste water, both for domestic and for industrial uses. The economic and energy content of waste were as important parameters for its valorisation, different types of collection and recovery. An overview of Standardisation: economic aspects, international, regional and national standards organisations, its importance for European integration. Quality control: quality of goods, legislative aspects, procedures for quality control, reliability of industrial products.

Technology of Production Cycles
Technical economic analysis of processes: analysis of the oil and steel production cycles. Energy sources, traditional power stations, non-traditional energy sources. Physical transformations and thermodynamic cycles. Standardisation, quality control, safety and working environment. Integrated water management: territorial organisation of the service, quality of supplied water, characteristics and purification of wastewater. Sources of air pollution and impacts. Waste definition and management: modalities of collection, transport, disposal and recovery. Principles and examples of Environmental Impact assessment

2002 – 2009 –
Faculty of Economics:
-Undergraduate degrees in “Marketing and e-Business”, “Administration and Contro”l, “Economics and Management of Public Services”
Theory and techniques of Quality and Certification, V. Vaccari
-Graduate degree in “Economics and Management of Organisations
Integrated Management of Quality, Environment and Safety, V. Vaccari
Integrated Product Policy, M. Laura Giagnorio

Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences:
-Undergraduate degree in “Science and Technology for Nature”
Environmental Certification, M. Laura Giagnorio
Integrated waste management, C. Cordoni
-Undergraduate degree in “Chemical technologies for environment and resources”
Technology of Production Cycles, M. Baldi
Management of Quality and Safety, M. Baldi
-Graduate degree in “Science of Nature”
Applied economics, Dr. C. Cordoni
Graduate degree in “Chemical Technology”
Standardisation and Certification, V. Riganti

Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
-Undergraduate degree in “Dietetics”
Commodity Science for Dieticians, Prof. V. Vaccari

Theory and techniques of Quality and Certification
The course analyses the evolution in the concept of Quality as a tool to achieve excellence and simultaneously, the sustainable development of production processes throughout the complete Life Cycle of goods and products. During this cycle, we evaluate the factors that may cause environmental impacts, consider the technological choices as essential instruments for the implementation of quality standards and study their characteristics, pointing out their interactions and synergic relationship.

Integrated Management of Quality, Environment and Safety
The course analyses the basic principles and characteristics of Integrated Management systems for quality, environment, health/safety and ethics. The topics examined are the following: evolution of the concept of Quality, principles and applications of Total quality management (TQM), International standards (ISO 9000:2000), Environmental Management Systems (EMS), Health and Safety standards (OHSAS 18001, the Regulation 626/94 and the “Machine directive”), principles, implementation and diffusion of ethical certification (SA 8000) and of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Integrated Product Policy
The course analyses the key characteristics of the Integrated Product Policy (IPP), an environmental directive recently adopted by the European Commission. The fundamental concepts and the IPP approach are explored, showing that it is fundamental to support the interaction and the collaboration between policy makers and all the stakeholders of environmental policies. The instruments for an efficient development of IPP are thus explored in detail: Environmental management systems (ISO 14000, EMAS) Environmental labelling, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Green Public procurement and other voluntary instruments.

Environmental Certification
The course analyses the evolution in the concept of Quality and the role of Total Quality Management (TQM) systems, in particular ISO 9000. The concept of sustainable development is then analysed in detail, with an emphasis on the instruments that can be used to achieve simultaneously economic progress and environmental compatibility. Such instruments are: Environmental Management Systems (EMS), Eco-labels, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and voluntary agreements. Their application to natural and protected areas, in particular their diffusion as instruments for an efficient development of eco-compatible tourist activities are also highlighted.

Integrated waste management
The course analyses the important issues and perspectives in the sector of Waste management within the framework of environmental compatibility and sustainable development.
The reference legislation is considered followed by economic and technological strategies geared towards the recovery of energy and materials, thus converting waste in a resource.
The course then evaluates the different phases of the Waste technological cycle, from collection to final disposal, always pointing out the economic and environmental compatibility of the current alternatives. A final point deals with the remediation of contaminated areas.

Technology of Production Cycles
The first part of the course evaluates the different elements of a chemical production cycle, the various aspects related to supply, storage, and transport modalities of raw materials, of intermediate and final products. The second part analyses the production cycle of the oil industry, the unit operations within a refinery, the phases required to transform the gaseous fractions and to optimise the liquid products (petrol, diesel, fuel oils, etc)

Management of Quality and Safety
The first part explores the concept, the legislation and the standards that establish the quality of goods and of production cycles. The particular case of an assurance procedure in a chemical-pharmaceutical facility is examined. The second part evaluates the different aspects related to hazards and safety, the standards for reducing accidents in the various phases of production, transport and use of chemical products. The third part of the course explores the different strategies that the corporate management needs to adopt in order to guarantee the quality of procedures and products, by complying with environmental standards.

Applied economics
The course evaluates the environment and the territory in general as a natural resource to sustain and valorise becoming also an economic resource. The objective is to outline economic instruments for the improvement of the complex natural and human assets, which characterizes the most sensitive ecosystems. The strategy to achieve such objectives requires a multi-disciplinary approach for the programming and coordination of the territorial potentials.
The course is finalised with the study of specific case studies for areas with significant environmental value, focusing on the relation existing between nature and economic issues.

Standardisation and Certification
The first part of the course examines standardisation, the international, European and Italian organisations that define technical norms (ISO, CEN, UNI), and analyses in detail the Italian certification system. The second part describes some of the laws that present a major interest for the industrial sector: environmental protection, Machine directive, safety at work, etc.

Commodity Science for Dieticians
Evolution of the European and of the Italian agro-food system: characteristics, innovation, supply and demand, price definition, markets. Packaging characteristics: legislation environmental quality and LCA. Standardisation. Quality control: its legislative aspects, procedures for quality control. Certification: types and advantages, processes and territorial certification, BRC Food Standard. Quality labels: definition and function, PDO, PGI, guaranteed traditional speciality, traceability. Integrated Management systems: definition, principles of quality, environment and safety, BAT for the ABL sector

From 2009 there has been a thorough reorganisation in the courses being offered in order to comply with a curricular change prescribed by the Italian Ministry of Education, of University and of research. It should be noticed that no major changes are envisaged for the courses previously described in the degrees of “Chemical technologies for environment and resources”, “Chemical Technology” and” Dietician studies”. The new courses are the following:
2009 - onwards
Faculty of Economics:
-Undergraduate degree in Management
Governance and valorisation of natural resources, V. Vaccari
-Graduate degree in “Economics and Management of Organisations:
Corporate Social Report (CSR) and instruments for Integrated Management, V. Vaccari
-Graduate degree in International Business and Management
Integrated Certification Policies & CSR, M. Laura Giagnorio (in English)

Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences:
-Undergraduate degree in “Science and Technology for Nature”
Quality of the Environment, C. Cordoni
Foundations of Renewable energies, M. Laura Giagnorio
-Undergraduate degree in “Chemical technologies for environment and resources”
Technology of Production Cycles, M. Baldi
Management of Quality and Safety, M. Baldi
-Graduate degree in ”Sustainable management of natural resources”
Applied economics, C. Cordoni
-Graduate degree in” Environmental Biology and Biodiversity”
Instruments for quality and for the environment, M. Laura Giagnorio
Graduate degree in ”Chemical Technology”
Standardisation and Certification, Prof. V. Riganti

Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
-Undergraduate degree in “Dietetics”
Commodity Science for Dieticians, Dr. C. Cordoni

Governance and valorisation of natural resources
The course introduces the concept of environment in its multiple facets, with particular attention to the strategic role of natural resources for a planning policy both at the organisational and at the systemic levels. The first part provides the framework of development pathways within the current sustainability theories by means of the implementation of a broad range of certification instruments. Furthermore, corporate choices are related to the need of buying/selling green or white certificates and CO2 quotas.
The current economic context requires a detailed examination and evaluation of the energy resources, both traditional and renewable, with particular focus towards the environmental impact and energy savings related to the use of the most recent technologies.

Corporate Social Report (CSR) and instruments for Integrated Management
The course will examine, within the framework of CSR, the Social Responsibility report as an information instrument of the qualitative and quantitative results of the organisation. These results take into account economic, environmental and social issues supplying information to different categories of stakeholders, followed by the analysis of various existing structures and their respective contents;
The second part should provide a cultural approach that aims at the integration of quality management systems, analysing these systems and their correlation with the social responsibility report, also as an instrument for technological innovation, for corporate reorganisation and for conformity to current standards.

Integrated Certification Policies & CSR (in English)
The course analyses the basic principles and characteristics of integrated management systems, including an assessment of the current standards, their relationship and the evaluation of corporate strategic choices and reorganisation required in order to achieve an integrated certification. The international current standards (ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14000, EMAS, OHSAS and SA 8000) will be examined in detail.
The last part of the course should examine how to align corporate culture with social responsibility strategies measuring its impact on the organisation. This includes a details study of Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) models that could become sustainable development decision-making tools, applicable to different operational environments.

Quality of the Environment
TThe course analyses the evolution in the concept of Quality and the role of Total Quality Management (TQM) systems, in particular ISO 9000. The evolution of quality management systems, of environmental management systems, of ecological labels is considered in order to examine their integration for the implementation of an Integrated Product Policy. Applications will focus on different aspects of ecotourism and protected Natural areas.
The last part of the course will evaluate different phases of the Waste technological cycle, from collection to final disposal, always highlighting the economic and environmental compatibility of the current alternatives.

Foundations of Renewable energies
The current economic context requires a detailed examination and evaluation of the energy resources, both traditional and renewable, with particular focus towards the environmental impact and energy savings related to the use of the most recent technologies.
The course will determine the essential elements that characterise the renewable energy resources analysisng their potential, assets and limits. Particular attention is given to most consolidated renewable resources but also to the possibility of energy recovery from discarded biomass and to innovative and sustainable pathways for the valorisation of natural resources.

Applied economics
The course introduces the fundamental concepts and the basis of Business Economics, thus providing the necessary elements to examine evolved economic models. To achieve such objective entails a selection of instruments particularly suitable for the sustainable and cost-effectively profitable management of natural areas. The definition of the core competences requires standard methodologies such as BEP and SWAT analysis to allow the economic interpretation of the resources linked to the natural patrimony, based on the Resource based view. The second part of the course presents a series of specific case studies where such economic instruments and methodologies have been applied for the sustainable management of areas possessing environmental assets.

Instruments for quality and for the environment
The course analyses the evolution of the Quality concept that has induced the adoption of Total Quality management (TQM), describing the standardisation and certification procedures for ISO 9000 as a guarantee of the Quality of organisations. The wider concept of quality requires other types of quality management such as: environmental quality, health and safety, social responsibility and their possible integrations. Finally, environmental labelling and its applications to various sectors are considered. Particular attention is dedicated to the policies to assure the quality of services, in particular the Health sector and analytical laboratories.

4. Conclusions
The description of the courses listed previously provides evidence of the wide range of issues that the Commodity Science area embraces at the University of Pavia and of the evolution that the discipline has experienced. The ongoing projects and the newly designed courses of the Commodity Science group at the University of Pavia show that the discipline, from a traditional approach dealing mainly with the quality of goods and their markets, has evolved into a synergic integration of economic, environmental and social issues in parallel with the recently and universally adopted approach of sustainable development. This is obvious, in particular, for significant and challenging current issues such as: energy policies to stimulate renewable energy sources, environmental management and labelling for territorial development, integration of economic and environmental instruments and sustainable consumption. In future, the survival of the discipline lies in its ability to grasp and interpret new types of interactions in order to satisfy a wider range of stakeholders.
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