Life Cycle Assessment of Dietary Patterns in the United States: A Full Food Supply Chain Perspective

A tiered hybrid input–output-based life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to analyze potential environmental impacts associated with current US food consumption patterns and the recommended USDA food consumption patterns. The greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) in the current consumption pattern (CFP 2547 kcal) and the USDA recommended food consumption pattern (RFP 2000 kcal) were 8.80 and 9.61 tons CO2-eq per household per year, respectively. Unlike adopting a vegetarian diet (i.e., RFP 2000 kcal veg or RFP 2600 kcal veg), adoption of a RFP 2000 kcal diet has a probability of increasing GHGEs and other environmental impacts under iso-caloric analysis. The bigger environmental impacts of non-vegetarian RFP scenarios were largely attributable to supply chain activities and food losses at retail and consumer levels. However, the RFP 2000 vegetarian diet showed a significant reduction in the environmental impacts (e.g., GHGEs were 22% lower than CFP 2547). Uncertainty analysis confirmed that the RFP 2600 scenario (mean of 11.2; range 10.3–12.4 tons CO2-eq per household per year) is higher than CFP 2547 (mean of 8.81; range 7.89–9.95 tons CO2-eq per household per year) with 95% confidence. The outcomes highlight the importance of incorporating environmental sustainability into dietary guidelines through the entire life cycle of the food system with a full accounting of the effects of food loss/waste.

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Life Cycle Assessment of Households in Santiago, Chile: Environmental Hotspots and Policy Analysis

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13052525 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 2525

Author(s):

Camila López-Eccher ◽

Elizabeth Garrido-Ramírez ◽

Iván Franchi-Arzola ◽

Edmundo Muñoz

Keyword(s):

Global Warming ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Household Income ◽

Resource Scarcity ◽

Life Cycles ◽

The Impact ◽

Freshwater Eutrophication

The aim of this study is to assess the environmental impacts of household life cycles in Santiago, Chile, by household income level. The assessment considered scenarios associated with environmental policies. The life cycle assessment was cradle-to-grave, and the functional unit considered all the materials and energy required to meet an inhabitant’s needs for one year (1 inh/year). Using SimaPro 9.1 software, the Recipe Midpoint (H) methodology was used. The impact categories selected were global warming, fine particulate matter formation, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, freshwater ecotoxicity, mineral resource scarcity, and fossil resource scarcity. The inventory was carried out through the application of 300 household surveys and secondary information. The main environmental sources of households were determined to be food consumption, transport, and electricity. Food consumption is the main source, responsible for 33% of the environmental impacts on global warming, 69% on terrestrial acidification, and 29% on freshwater eutrophication. The second most crucial environmental hotspot is private transport, whose contribution to environmental impact increases as household income rises, while public transport impact increases in the opposite direction. In this sense, both positive and negative environmental effects can be generated by policies. Therefore, life-cycle environmental impacts, the synergy between policies, and households’ socio-economic characteristics must be considered in public policy planning and consumer decisions.

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The carbon footprint of dietary guidelines around the world: a seven country modeling study

Nutrition Journal ◽

10.1186/s12937-021-00669-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Brittany Kovacs ◽

Lindsey Miller ◽

Martin C. Heller ◽

Donald Rose

Keyword(s):

The Netherlands ◽

Carbon Footprint ◽

The United States ◽

Dietary Guidelines ◽

Consumption Patterns ◽

Consumption Pattern ◽

Carbon Footprints ◽

Country Level ◽

The Us ◽

The World

Abstract Background Do the environmental impacts inherent in national food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) vary around the world, and, if so, how? Most previous studies that consider this question focus on a single country or compare countries’ guidelines without controlling for differences in country-level consumption patterns. To address this gap, we model the carbon footprint of the dietary guidelines from seven different countries, examine the key contributors to this, and control for consumption differences between countries. Methods In this purposive sample, we obtained FBDG from national sources for Germany, India, the Netherlands, Oman, Thailand, Uruguay, and the United States. These were used to structure recommended diets using 6 food groups: protein foods, dairy, grains, fruits, vegetables, and oils/fats. To determine specific quantities of individual foods within these groups, we used data on food supplies available for human consumption for each country from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s food balance sheets. The greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) used to produce the foods in these consumption patterns were linked from our own database, constructed from an exhaustive review of the life cycle assessment literature. All guidelines were scaled to a 2000-kcal diet. Results Daily recommended amounts of dairy foods ranged from a low of 118 ml/d for Oman to a high of 710 ml/d for the US. The GHGE associated with these two recommendations were 0.17 and 1.10 kg CO2-eq/d, respectively. The GHGE associated with the protein food recommendations ranged from 0.03 kg CO2-eq/d in India to 1.84 kg CO2-eq/d in the US, for recommended amounts of 75 g/d and 156 g/d, respectively. Overall, US recommendations had the highest carbon footprint at 3.83 kg CO2-eq/d, 4.5 times that of the recommended diet for India, which had the smallest footprint. After controlling for country-level consumption patterns by applying the US consumption pattern to all countries, US recommendations were still the highest, 19% and 47% higher than those of the Netherlands and Germany, respectively. Conclusions Despite our common human biology, FBDG vary tremendously from one country to the next, as do the associated carbon footprints of these guidelines. Understanding the carbon footprints of different recommendations can assist in future decision-making to incorporate environmental sustainability in dietary guidance.

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Environmental impacts of roundwood supply chain options in Michigan: life-cycle assessment of harvest and transport stages

Journal of Cleaner Production ◽

10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.04.040 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 76 ◽

pp. 64-73 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Robert M. Handler ◽

David R. Shonnard ◽

Pasi Lautala ◽

Dalia Abbas ◽

Ajit Srivastava

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Supply Chain ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impacts

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Integrating Protein Quality and Quantity with Environmental Impacts in Life Cycle Assessment

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11102747 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 2747 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Andrew Berardy ◽

Carol S. Johnston ◽

Alexandra Plukis ◽

Maricarmen Vizcaino ◽

Christopher Wharton

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Protein Quality ◽

Consumption Patterns ◽

Biological Value ◽

True Value ◽

Indispensable Amino Acid ◽

Amino Acid Score ◽

Material Extraction

Life cycle assessment (LCA) evaluates environmental impacts of a product from material extraction through disposal. Applications of LCA in evaluating diets and foods indicate that plant-based foods have lower environmental impacts than animal-based foods, whether on the basis of total weight or weight of the protein content. However, LCA comparisons do not differentiate the true biological value of protein bioavailability. This paper presents a methodology to incorporate protein quality and quantity using the digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) when making comparisons using LCA data. The methodology also incorporates the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) reference amounts customarily consumed (RACCs) to best represent actual consumption patterns. Integration of these measures into LCA provides a mechanism to identify foods that offer balance between the true value of their protein and environmental impacts. To demonstrate, this approach is applied to LCA data regarding common protein foods’ global warming potential (GWP). The end result is a ratio-based score representing the biological value of protein on a GWP basis. Principal findings show that protein powders provide the best efficiency while cheeses, grains, and beef are the least efficient. This study demonstrates a new way to evaluate foods in terms of nutrition and sustainability.

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An Environmental Evaluation of the Cut-Flower Supply Chain (Dendranthema grandiflora) Through a Life Cycle Assessment

Revista EIA ◽

10.24050/reia.v16i31.747 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (31) ◽

pp. 27-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Carmen Alicia Parrado Moreno ◽

Ricardo Esteba Ricardo Hernández ◽

Héctor Iván Velásquez Arredondo ◽

Sergio Hernando Lopera Castro ◽

Christian Hasenstab --

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Supply Chain ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Raw Material ◽

Cut Flowers ◽

Environmental Evaluation ◽

Fertilizer Use ◽

Transport Phase

Colombia is a major flower exporter of a wide variety of species, among which the chrysanthemum plays a major role due to its exporting volume and profitability on the international market. This study examines the major environmental impacts of the chrysanthemum supply chain through a life cycle assessment (LCA). One kg of stems export quality was used as the functional unit (FU). The study examines cut-flowers systems from raw material extraction to final product commercialization for two markets (London and Miami) and analyzes two agroecosystems: one certified system and one uncertified system. The transport phase to London resulted in more significant environmental impacts than the transport phase to Miami, and climate change (GWP100) category was significant in both cities, generating values of 9.10E+00 and 2.51E+00 kg CO2-eq*FU for London and Miami, respectively. Furthermore, when exclusively considering pre-export phases, the uncertified system was found to have a greater impact than the certified system with respect to fertilizer use (certified 1,448E-02 kg*FU, uncertified 2.23E-01 kg*FU) and pesticide use (certified 1.24 E-04 kg*FU, uncertified 2.24E-03 kg*FU). With respect to the crop management, eutrophication (EP) and acidification (AP) processes imposed the greatest level of environmental impact. Strategies that would significantly reduce the environmental impact of this supply chain are considered, including the use of shipping and a 50% reduction in fertilizer use.

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Life Cycle Assessment and Eco-Design of a Wireless TV/VCR Remote

Volume 2A: 33rd Computers and Information in Engineering Conference ◽

10.1115/detc2013-12484 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Yang Hu ◽

Gaurav Ameta

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Waste Treatment ◽

Raw Materials ◽

The United States ◽

Raw Material ◽

Alkaline Batteries ◽

Improve Product

The focus of this paper is to present life-cycle assessment (LCA) of a TV/VCR remote, including alkaline batteries, and to compare the environmental impacts with a redesigned remote consisting of a solar cell. LCA is a very helpful tool in identifying the most important factors for improving product sustainability. The remote considered in this study can control both television and video cassette recorder. This remote is manufactured in Malaysia and exported to the United States. Its life-cycle system includes raw material, parts, shipment, use phase and waste treatment; its life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA) is performed using SimaPro 7.1 and employing the TRACI method. LCA uncertainty analyzing is performed for both remotes utilizing Monte Carlo simulation in SimaPro 7.1. LCA result shows use of alkaline battery affects most obviously in environmental impacts. In Eco-design remote model, both energy type and raw materials changed. Environmental impacts reduce in five categories in redesigned remote. This paper: 1) presents a prototype design for product using solar cell; 2) presents a novel method for designers to determine raw materials to improve product sustainability in designing stage; 3) provides suggestions for manufacturers to improve product sustainability through reuse of solar cell or a leasing strategy.

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A Comparative Life-Cycle Assessment of Briquetting Logging Residues and Lumber Manufacturing Coproducts in Western United States

Applied Engineering in Agriculture ◽

10.13031/aea.12378 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 11-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Sevda Alanya-Rosenbaum ◽

Richard D. Bergman ◽

Indroneil Ganguly ◽

Francesca Pierobon

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Timber Harvest ◽

The United States ◽

Western United States ◽

Forest Residues ◽

Post Harvest ◽

Forest Residue

Abstract. Timber harvest activities in the western United States have resulted in large volumes of low- to no-value logging (forest) residues. Alternatives to pile-and-burning are needed to best utilize this material and to mitigate the resultant environmental impacts. Briquetting (densifying) forest residues near-woods is one such option and is the focus of this study. This study presents a cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessment (LCA) performed to evaluate the overall environmental impacts associated with briquetting post-harvest forest residues and dry sawmill residues (sawdust) in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) region of the United States. Environmental impacts resulting from the two briquette production systems were compared with firewood and propane production, which are common residential heating sources in rural areas of the PNW, on a per 1 MJ of useful energy for domestic heating. In the briquetted post-harvest forest residue system, the feedstock preparation stage had the largest share in global warming (GW) impact, mainly resulting from the drying process (69.5%), followed by transportation. Valorization of post-harvest forest residues, in combination with a briquetter, to produce a bioenergy carrier was revealed to be advantageous in smog, acidification, and eutrophication impact categories, with considerable environmental benefits from avoided pile-and-burn emissions. With all scenarios investigated, briquette production from post-harvest forest residues with high dryer efficiency showed lowest GW impact compared to briquetting sawmill residues and firewood supply chain. For a scenario analysis, LCA showed that using a diesel generator to support the forest residue briquetter operation resulted in 45% higher GW impact compared to use of a wood-gas-powered generator. Keywords: Bioenergy, Biomass densification, Briquette, Forest residues, Life-cycle assessment, Sawdust.

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Life Cycle Assessment of Aquaculture Stewardship Council Certified Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12156079 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (15) ◽

pp. 6079 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jesse Sherry ◽

Jennifer Koester

Keyword(s):

Global Warming ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Supply Chain ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Salmo Salar ◽

Global Warming Potential ◽

Ozone Depletion ◽

Salmon Aquaculture ◽

Certification Standards

Salmon aquaculture has grown rapidly and is expected to continue to grow to meet consumer demand. Due to concerns about the environmental impacts associated with salmon aquaculture, eco-labeling groups have developed standards intended to hold salmon producers accountable and provide a more sustainable option to consumers. This study utilized life cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify the environmental impacts of salmon raised to Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification standards in order to determine if ASC certification achieves the intended reductions in impact. We find that environmental impacts, such as global warming potential, do not decrease with certification. We also find that salmon feed, in contrast to the on-site aquaculture practices, dominates the environmental impacts of salmon aquaculture and contributes to over 80% of impacts in ozone depletion, global warming potential, acidification, and ecotoxicity. Based on these findings, we recommend that eco-labeling groups prioritize reducing the environmental impacts of the feed supply chain.

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