Relating life cycle assessment indicators to gross value added for Dutch dairy farms

2009 ◽  
Vol 68 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 2278-2284 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Thomassen ◽  
M.A. Dolman ◽  
K.J. van Calker ◽  
I.J.M. de Boer
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Gross Value Added

scholarly journals A partial life cycle assessment approach to evaluate the energy intensity and related greenhouse gas emission in dairy farms

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (2s) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lelia Murgia ◽  
Giuseppe Todde ◽  
Maria Caria ◽  
Antonio Pazzona
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Dairy Farming ◽  
Feeding Management

Dairy farming is constantly evolving towards more intensive levels of mechanization and automation which demand more energy consumption and result in higher economic and environmental costs. The usage of fossil energy in agricultural processes contributes to climate change both with on-farm emissions from the combustion of fuels, and by off-farm emissions due to the use of grid power. As a consequence, a more efficient use of fossil resources together with an increased use of renewable energies can play a key role for the development of more sustainable production systems. The aims of this study were to evaluate the energy requirements (fuels and electricity) in dairy farms, define the distribution of the energy demands among the different farm operations, identify the critical point of the process and estimate the amount of CO2 associated with the energy consumption. The inventory of the energy uses has been outlined by a partial Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, setting the system boundaries at the farm level, from cradle to farm gate. All the flows of materials and energy associated to milk production process, including crops cultivation for fodder production, were investigated in 20 dairy commercial farms over a period of one year. Self-produced energy from renewable sources was also accounted as it influence the overall balance of emissions. Data analysis was focused on the calculation of energy and environmental sustainability indicators (EUI, CO2-eq) referred to the functional units. The production of 1 kg of Fat and Protein Corrected Milk (FPCM) required on average 0.044 kWhel and 0.251 kWhth, corresponding to a total emission of 0.085 kg CO2-eq). The farm activities that contribute most to the electricity requirements were milk cooling, milking and slurry management, while feeding management and crop cultivation were the greatest diesel fuel consuming operation and the largest in terms of environmental impact of milk production (73% of energy CO2-eq emissions). The results of the study can assist in the development of dairy farming models based on a more efficient and profitable use of the energy resources.

scholarly journals Validation of Sustainability Benchmarking Tool in the Context of Value-Added Wood Products Manufacturing Activities

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cagatay Tasdemir ◽  
Rado Gazo
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Base Points

The primary objective of this study was to validate the sustainability benchmarking tool (SBT) framework proposed by the authors in a previous study. The SBT framework is focused on benchmarking triple bottom line (TBL) sustainability through exhaustive use of lean, six-sigma, and life cycle assessment (LCA). During the validation, sustainability performance of a value-added wood products’ production line was assessed and improved through deployment of the SBT framework. Strengths and weaknesses of the system were identified within the scope of the bronze frontier maturity level of the framework and tackled through a six-step analytical and quantitative reasoning methodology. The secondary objective of the study was to document how value-added wood products industries can take advantage of natural properties of wood to become frontiers of sustainability innovation. In the end, true sustainability performance of the target facility was improved by 2.37 base points, while economic and environmental performance was increased from being a system weakness to achieving an acceptable index score benchmark of 8.41 and system strength level of 9.31, respectively. The social sustainability score increased by 2.02 base points as a function of a better gender bias ratio. The financial performance of the system improved from a 33% loss to 46.23% profit in the post-improvement state. Reductions in CO2 emissions (55.16%), energy consumption (50.31%), solid waste generation (72.03%), non-value-added-time (89.30%), and cost performance (64.77%) were other significant achievements of the study. In the end, the SBT framework was successfully validated at the facility level, and the target facility evolved into a leaner, cleaner, and more responsible version of itself. This study empirically documents how synergies between lean, sustainability, six-sigma and life cycle assessment concepts outweigh their divergences and demonstrates the viability of the SBT framework.

Assessing the eco-efficiency of different poultry production systems: an approach using life cycle assessment and economic value added

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 181-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielli Martinelli ◽  
Everton Vogel ◽  
Michel Decian ◽  
Maycon Jorge Ulisses Saraiva Farinha ◽  
Luciana Virginia Mario Bernardo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Poultry Production ◽  
Economic Value Added

<i>Life cycle assessment of different dairy farms considering building materials for barns, milking parlors and milking tanks </i>

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Hijazi ◽  
Maria Haslbeck ◽  
Mona Maze ◽  
Mohamed Samer ◽  
Maximilian Treiber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Dairy Farms

A life cycle assessment of seasonal grass-based and confinement dairy farms

2012 ◽  
Vol 107 ◽  
pp. 33-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donal O’Brien ◽  
Laurence Shalloo ◽  
Joe Patton ◽  
Frank Buckley ◽  
Chris Grainger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Dairy Farms

scholarly journals The Life-Cycle Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Life-Cycle Costs of E-Waste Management in Thailand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aweewan Mangmeechai
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Electronic Waste ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Value Added ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Waste Products ◽  
Air Conditioners ◽  
Recycling Industry

Abstract There is no clear direction in the management of electrical and electronic waste products (e-waste), as there are no regulations on ways to do so. This research attempts to understand the trade-off between economic value and environmental effects of the current disposal of e-waste to find ways to optimize waste management, focusing on cellphones, television CRTs, desktop computers, and air conditioners. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool that can analyze various influences, e.g., environmental, costs, and value added. Under the e-waste management status quo, most household e-wastes are kept in houses because owners do not know where to discard them. In addition, informal sectors, such as domestic farmers or workers, have been involved actively for more than a decade, leading to poor management standards for both health and the environment. The logistics are inefficient because the dismantling communities and recycling industry are far apart. Most e-waste is generated, and most recycling industries are located, in the Central region (the richest areas), while the dismantling communities are located in the Northeastern region (the poorest areas). Further, LCA and LCC of e-waste are sensitive to transportation, and not all e-waste parts can be recycled within the country. High-tech mineral extraction cannot be practiced in the country, and thus, circuit boards and batteries are exported for recycling. To promote a circular economy, e-waste management regulations should be implemented and a full recycling industry should be established in the country.

scholarly journals Cattle feed or bioenergy? Consequential life cycle assessment of biogas feedstock options on dairy farms

GCB Bioenergy ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 1034-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Styles ◽  
James Gibbons ◽  
Arwel Prysor Williams ◽  
Heinz Stichnothe ◽  
David Robert Chadwick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Consequential Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Cattle Feed

scholarly journals Dairy Farms and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): The Allocation Criterion Useful to Estimate Undesirable Products

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4354
Author(s):  
Elio Romano ◽  
Rocco Roma ◽  
Flavio Tidona ◽  
Giorgio Giraffa ◽  
Andrea Bragaglio
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Analysis Of Variance ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Conventional System ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Allocation Criteria

In this study, the life cycle assessment (LCA) principle was performed to estimate the environmental impact of three dairy farms that operate using different farming systems, namely, conventional (CON), organic (ORG), and high-quality (HQ) modes. In Italy, the typical style of high-quality (HQ) farming is commonly included in the conventional system but is more strictly regulated by the Decree of the Italian Ministry of Health N° 185/1991. Although the farms are not fully representative of each conduct, they showed intrinsic peculiarities, e.g., the cow-culling rate of each system. This rate requires a quantification as it may be related to loss of income. Allocation criteria were applied to attribute the quantities of pollutants to the co-products: wheat, involved in the congruence and number of cows culled, the latter being undesirable and therefore necessary to quantify. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) highlighted that the no-dairy products significantly mitigated (p < 0.05) some of the impacts’ categories. The allocation of culled cows decreased the impacts of the CON and particularly those of the ORG farms when the mass mode was adopted. HQ showed values similar to the results without allocation. Overall, the objective of identifying a “marker” of undesirable products, estimated by the culling rate, was partially achieved.

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