FROM ORBIT TO TABLE: SUSTAINABLE SPACE FOOD FOR ASTRONAUTS AND EVERYDAY CONSUMERS

1.1 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to analyze the importance of the open innovation, particularly in the food sector, aimed to develop a more sustainable approach. The research is focused on Argotec case study, specifically its space food, a product intended for astronauts during missions to outer space. The open innovation is based on the concept that the enterprises should collect both external and internal ideas and be connected both through exterior and interior channels to the markets, in order to improve their technological skills. It is already consolidated in many industries, as well as the food sector, for which the technological requirements are always more complex and rich. The dissertation is structured on 5 chapters. -Chapter 1 introduces the topics analyzed and presents Argotec S.r.l. -Chapter 2 is about the external opportunities caught by the firm in question to develop its food products. Specifically, subchapter 2.1 recognizes the importance of the increased interest in sustainability, while the 2.2 identifies the legal requirements that are valid for the whole EU’s food products, adding information about the European sustainability agendas. -Chapter 3 analyses the sustainable approach of the ReadyToLunch’s space food. It is produced in the respect of the environment (subchapter 3.1), it can give advantages to the society, mainly in terms of health and time saving (3.2), and it is truly affordable (3.3). -Chapter 4 evidences the added values deriving from an open innovation system and a multistakeholder synergy, referring to the case study. -Chapter 5 concludes the dissertation.