A framework for using the handprint concept in attributional life cycle (sustainability) assessment

Handprint refers to the good society does for the environment, but this definition gives room for different interpretations. While in life cycle (sustainability) assessment (LC(S)A) its use is still at infancy, the effective communication potential of Handprint terminology gives room for increasing its application in the future. The objective of this article is to propose a framework to distinguish and classify various types of handprint, when they are intended to be used in LC(S)A studies. Building on the current structure of LC(S)A regarding the cause-effect chain, from flows to impacts, a framework to allow understanding the beneficial, adverse and net effects various flows can cause to different actors is created. Based on that, three handprint types are proposed, i.e., Direct, Indirect and Relative. These types can be subdivided into more specific/complex types of handprint, e.g., Indirect Relative Handprint (adverse). Illustrations with case studies (fictive and from literature) are used to suggest some guidance. With this proposal, a first step to consistently introduce the handprint concept into LC(S)A is achieved, but future challenges still exist (e.g., development of quantitative methods for beneficial impacts from product’s functionality, in footprint-consistent units)

Integration of environment and nutrition in life cycle assessment of food items: opportunities and challenges

This report is the outcome of a consensus-building project to agree on best practices for environmental and nutritional Life Cycle Assessment (nLCA) methodology, and identify future research needs. The project involved 30 nutritional and environmental LCA researchers from 18 countries. It focused on the assessment of food items (as opposed to meals or diets).Best practice recommendations were developed to address the intended purpose of an LCA study and related modeling approach, choice of an appropriate functional unit, assessment of nutritional value, and reporting nLCA results. An nLCA study should report the quantities of as many essential nutrients as possible and aim to provide information on the nutritional quality and/or health impacts in addition to nutrient quantities. Outstanding issues requiring further research attention include: defining a minimum number of nutrients to be considered in an nLCA study; treatment of nutrients to limit; use of nutrient indexes; further development of Impact Assessment methods; representation of nutritional changes that may occur during subsequent distribution and food preparation in cradle-to-gate nLCA studies; and communication of data uncertainty and variability. More data are required for different regions (particularly developing countries); for the processing, distribution, retail, and consumption life cycle stages; and for food loss and waste. Finally, there is a need to extend nLCA methodology for the assessment of meals and diets, to consider further how to account for the multi-functionality of food in a sustainability framework, and to set nLCA studies within the context of environmental limits.These results provide a robust basis for improving nLCA methodology and applying it to identify solutions that minimize the trade-offs between nourishing populations and safeguarding the environment

How to integrate nutritional recommendations and environmental policy targets at the meal level : a university canteen example

Nurturing the global population without exceeding the carrying capacity of the earth is a challenge. Linking nutritional quality and environmental objectives is of high importance in a sustainable food context. Meals are not usually evaluated and classified based on their contribution to health and, especially, to environmental sustainability. Therefore, we propose a methodology for the classification of meals based on environmental policy targets and nutritional recommendations. As a case study, we analyzed 100 hot meals served in a university canteen in Belgium. Every meal contained three meal components (protein, vegetable, and carbohydrate). A life cycle assessment and a nutritional assessment, based on the Weighted Nutrient Density Score, were performed to evaluate the environmental impact and the nutritional value, respectively. To classify the meals, we introduced three reference values for both the environmental impact and the nutritional value. This corresponded to four environmental and four nutritional classes which results in 16 classes in total. The environmental reference values were based on the 2020 and 2030 European Commission targets on greenhouse gas emission reduction. The nutritional reference values were based on food recommendations from national public health authorities. Meals with fish had the best overall score and meals with ruminant meat had the worst score. Vegetarian meals had the best environmental score and, similarly to ruminant meat meals, the worst nutritional score. Further studies are needed to test the classification methodology for other meals and food items. Future research may focus on further optimization of the combined environmental and nutritional assessment, especially for the classification of reference values. To conclude, we developed a novel nutritional and environmental classification for meals based on environmental policy targets and nutritional recommendations

Impact of consumer behaviour on the environmental sustainability profile of food production and consumption chains : a case study on chicken meat

The relationship between consumer behaviour, food-packaging system, and food loss and waste (FLW) has often been overlooked within environmental sustainability assessments of food products. The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to quantify the food and packaging flows of the combination of four packed chicken products and four types of household behaviour using material flow analysis, and (2) to assess the environmental profile of these combinations through life cycle assessment (LCA) within a Flemish (Belgian) context. The household behaviours described different household chicken meat waste percentages and particular household actions (e.g. storage location). The life cycle stages entailed chicken farm, poultry processing, meat cutting and packaging, distribution, retail, consumer, and end-of-life. The impact assessment method was the Environmental Footprint (2.0). The food yield-the ratio of the food amount consumed by its intended user and that entering meat cutting and packaging-of all combinations was 79.1-97.3%. The behaviour of major wasters increased the environmental impact of the food chain by 8.4% compared to the non-wasters. The impact of the product with the worst score, i.e. diced chicken breast 0.5 kg, rose 9.6% compared to the product with the best score, chicken breasts 0.5 kg. In case of the major wasters, the impact of FLW was higher by a factor of ten higher than those of the packaging materials. The single score of the average Flemish consumer or weighted average was 2.3-4.0% higher than non-wasters depending on the chicken product. These results highlight the importance of including household behaviour, FLW and packaging within food LCA research

Analysis of the cultured meat production system in function of its environmental footprint : current Status, gaps and recommendations

Cultured meat has been presented as an environmentally friendlier option to conventional meat, but due to the limited data, the studies related to its performance are scarce and based on hypothetical production processes. This work provides a short literature review of the published environmental assessments of cultured meat. The main findings of this critical analysis showed that the lack of real data related to cultured meat decreased the level of accuracy of each study. The missing environmental profile of the process itself, including the proliferation and differentiation phases in bioreactors, along with key ingredients such as growth factors and other recombinant proteins, increase the difficulty of achieving reliable conclusions. In order to bridge the highlighted gaps, a complete production system is modelled and analysed from an engineering and life-cycle perspective. Furthermore, an overview of the supply chains of different products used in the process is provided, together with recommendations on how they should be considered in future life-cycle assessments. In essence, this work provides a structured pathway for upcoming consistent environmental assessments in this field, with the objective of setting the basis to understand the potential of cultured meat

Integration of environment and nutrition in life cycle assessment of food items: opportunities and challenges

This report is the outcome of a consensus-building project to agree on best practices for environmental and nutritional Life Cycle Assessment (nLCA) methodology, and identify future research needs. The project involved 30 nutritional and environmental LCA researchers from 18 countries. It focused on the assessment of food items (as opposed to meals or diets).Best practice recommendations were developed to address the intended purpose of an LCA study and related modeling approach, choice of an appropriate functional unit, assessment of nutritional value, and reporting nLCA results. An nLCA study should report the quantities of as many essential nutrients as possible and aim to provide information on the nutritional quality and/or health impacts in addition to nutrient quantities. Outstanding issues requiring further research attention include: defining a minimum number of nutrients to be considered in an nLCA study; treatment of nutrients to limit; use of nutrient indexes; further development of Impact Assessment methods; representation of nutritional changes that may occur during subsequent distribution and food preparation in cradle-to-gate nLCA studies; and communication of data uncertainty and variability. More data are required for different regions (particularly developing countries); for the processing, distribution, retail, and consumption life cycle stages; and for food loss and waste. Finally, there is a need to extend nLCA methodology for the assessment of meals and diets, to consider further how to account for the multi-functionality of food in a sustainability framework, and to set nLCA studies within the context of environmental limits.These results provide a robust basis for improving nLCA methodology and applying it to identify solutions that minimize the trade-offs between nourishing populations and safeguarding the environment

Integration of environment and nutrition in life cycle assessment of food Items: opportunities and challenges

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