IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/envsyd/v43y2023i1d10.1007_s10669-022-09874-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

LCA as decision support tool in the food and feed sector: evidence from R&D case studies

Author

Listed:
  • Denise Ott

    (EurA AG)

  • Shashank Goyal

    (EurA AG)

  • Rosmarie Reuss

    (EurA AG)

  • Herwig O. Gutzeit

    (Technical University of Dresden)

  • Jens Liebscher

    (Bio.S Biogas GmbH)

  • Jens Dautz

    (TERRA URBANA GmbH)

  • Margo Degieter

    (Ghent University)

  • Hans Steur

    (Ghent University)

  • Emanuele Zannini

    (University College Cork)

Abstract

Biomass waste and waste-derived feedstocks are important resources for the development of sustainable value-added products. However, the provision and preparation of biomass as well as all possible downstream processing steps need to be thoroughly analyzed to gain environmentally sound and economically viable products. Additionally, its impacts are substantially determined by decisions made at early development stages. Therefore, sustainability assessment methods can support to improve the production process, reduce waste, and costs and help decision-making, at the industrial as well as policy levels. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an analysis technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all product's life cycle stages. It is a well-established tool to drive development towards a sustainable direction, however, its application in the earlier research phase is surrounded by practical challenges. The overall objective of this paper is to provide an understanding of the environmental issues involved in the early stages of product and process development and the opportunities for life cycle assessment techniques to address these issues. Thus, herein two LCA case studies are presented, dealing with novel approaches for food and feed supply through implementing the valorization and upcycling of waste and side-streams, respectively. In both case studies, LCA is used as a decision support tool for R&D activities to launch environmentally sound products to market, as well as to highlight the usefulness of LCA for identifying environmental issues at an earlier stage of development, regardless of product, process, or service.

Suggested Citation

  • Denise Ott & Shashank Goyal & Rosmarie Reuss & Herwig O. Gutzeit & Jens Liebscher & Jens Dautz & Margo Degieter & Hans Steur & Emanuele Zannini, 2023. "LCA as decision support tool in the food and feed sector: evidence from R&D case studies," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 129-141, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:envsyd:v:43:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s10669-022-09874-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10669-022-09874-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10669-022-09874-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10669-022-09874-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Matthias Buyle & Amaryllis Audenaert & Pieter Billen & Katrien Boonen & Steven Van Passel, 2019. "The Future of Ex-Ante LCA? Lessons Learned and Practical Recommendations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-24, October.
    2. Abhishek Chaudhary & Denis Tremorin, 2020. "Nutritional and Environmental Sustainability of Lentil Reformulated Beef Burger," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-18, August.
    3. Nijdam, Durk & Rood, Trudy & Westhoek, Henk, 2012. "The price of protein: Review of land use and carbon footprints from life cycle assessments of animal food products and their substitutes," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 760-770.
    4. Shashank Goyal & Denise Ott & Jens Liebscher & Dennis Höfling & Ariane Müller & Jens Dautz & Herwig O. Gutzeit & Dirk Schmidt & Rosmarie Reuss, 2021. "Sustainability Analysis of Fish Feed Derived from Aquatic Plant and Insect," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-14, July.
    5. Rickard Arvidsson & Anne‐Marie Tillman & Björn A. Sandén & Matty Janssen & Anders Nordelöf & Duncan Kushnir & Sverker Molander, 2018. "Environmental Assessment of Emerging Technologies: Recommendations for Prospective LCA," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 22(6), pages 1286-1294, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nils Thonemann & Anna Schulte & Daniel Maga, 2020. "How to Conduct Prospective Life Cycle Assessment for Emerging Technologies? A Systematic Review and Methodological Guidance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-23, February.
    2. Julian Grenz & Moritz Ostermann & Karoline Käsewieter & Felipe Cerdas & Thorsten Marten & Christoph Herrmann & Thomas Tröster, 2023. "Integrating Prospective LCA in the Development of Automotive Components," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-26, June.
    3. Westhoek, Henk & Ingram, John & van Berkum, Siemen & Hajer, Maarten, 2015. "The European food system and natural resources: Impacts and Options," 148th Seminar, November 30-December 1, 2015, The Hague, The Netherlands 229279, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Adam A. Prag & Christian B. Henriksen, 2020. "Transition from Animal-Based to Plant-Based Food Production to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agriculture—The Case of Denmark," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-20, October.
    5. Morena Bruno & Marianne Thomsen & Federico Maria Pulselli & Nicoletta Patrizi & Michele Marini & Dario Caro, 2019. "The carbon footprint of Danish diets," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 156(4), pages 489-507, October.
    6. Huangling Gu & Yan Liu & Hao Xia & Zilong Li & Liyuan Huang & Yanjia Zeng, 2023. "Temporal and Spatial Differences in CO 2 Equivalent Emissions and Carbon Compensation Caused by Land Use Changes and Industrial Development in Hunan Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-20, May.
    7. Helen Harwatt & Joan Sabaté & Gidon Eshel & Sam Soret & William Ripple, 2017. "Substituting beans for beef as a contribution toward US climate change targets," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 143(1), pages 261-270, July.
    8. Dominic Lemken & Mandy Knigge & Stephan Meyerding & Achim Spiller, 2017. "The Value of Environmental and Health Claims on New Legume Products: A Non-Hypothetical Online Auction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-18, July.
    9. Peter Scarborough & Paul Appleby & Anja Mizdrak & Adam Briggs & Ruth Travis & Kathryn Bradbury & Timothy Key, 2014. "Dietary greenhouse gas emissions of meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans in the UK," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 125(2), pages 179-192, July.
    10. Johannes Morfeldt & Daniel J. A. Johansson, 2022. "Impacts of shared mobility on vehicle lifetimes and on the carbon footprint of electric vehicles," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    11. Thorn, Alexandra M. & Baker, Michael J. & Peters, Christian J., 2021. "Estimating biological capacity for grass-finished ruminant meat production in New England and New York," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    12. Chantal Le Mouël & Anna Birgit Milford & Benjamin L. Bodirsky & Susanne Rolinski, 2019. "Drivers of meat consumption," Post-Print hal-02175593, HAL.
    13. Anna Furberg & Rickard Arvidsson & Sverker Molander, 2022. "A practice‐based framework for defining functional units in comparative life cycle assessments of materials," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(3), pages 718-730, June.
    14. Oriana Gava & Fabio Bartolini & Francesca Venturi & Gianluca Brunori & Alberto Pardossi, 2020. "Improving Policy Evidence Base for Agricultural Sustainability and Food Security: A Content Analysis of Life Cycle Assessment Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-29, February.
    15. Jennifer A. Jay & Raffaella D’Auria & J. Cully Nordby & David Andy Rice & David A. Cleveland & Anthony Friscia & Sophie Kissinger & Marc Levis & Hannah Malan & Deepak Rajagopal & Joel R. Reynolds & We, 2019. "Reduction of the carbon footprint of college freshman diets after a food-based environmental science course," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 154(3), pages 547-564, June.
    16. Carlos Pablo Sigüenza & Bernhard Steubing & Arnold Tukker & Glenn A. Aguilar‐Hernández, 2021. "The environmental and material implications of circular transitions: A diffusion and product‐life‐cycle‐based modeling framework," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(3), pages 563-579, June.
    17. Helin, Janne & Weikard, Hans-Peter, 2019. "A model for estimating phosphorus requirements of world food production," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    18. Kjersti Wergeland Krakhella & Marjorie Morales & Robert Bock & Frode Seland & Odne Stokke Burheim & Kristian Etienne Einarsrud, 2020. "Electrodialytic Energy Storage System: Permselectivity, Stack Measurements and Life-Cycle Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-26, March.
    19. Mohamed E. Abd El-Hack & Manal E. Shafi & Wed Y. Alghamdi & Sameh A. Abdelnour & Abdelrazeq M. Shehata & Ahmed E. Noreldin & Elwy A. Ashour & Ayman A. Swelum & Ahmed A. Al-Sagan & Mazen Alkhateeb & Ay, 2020. "Black Soldier Fly ( Hermetia illucens ) Meal as a Promising Feed Ingredient for Poultry: A Comprehensive Review," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-31, August.
    20. Gaspard Philis & Friederike Ziegler & Lars Christian Gansel & Mona Dverdal Jansen & Erik Olav Gracey & Anne Stene, 2019. "Comparing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Salmonid Aquaculture Production Systems: Status and Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-27, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:envsyd:v:43:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s10669-022-09874-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.