LCA Food 2012 in Saint Malo, France! - Manifestations et colloques ...

PARALLEL SESSION 4A: CARBON FOOTPRINT 8 th Int. Conference on LCA in the
Agri-Food Sector, 1-4 Oct 2012
products, including plants, production, flowers, fruits, nuts, vegetables, nursery trees and orchards, for assessment
of their inherent/associated greenhouse gas emissions. This PAS 2050-1 is suited for ‘cradle-togate’
assessment, formerly designated as “B-2-B” (“business to business”) approach. For cradle-to-grave
assessments of horticultural products/production to the final consumer, the first part of the assessment is
supported by the PAS 2050-1 (hort; March, 2012) and the second latter part by the PAS 2050 (2011). Overall,
the following life cycle processes are included (BSI, 2011).
Seed or young plant production;
Storage of young plantlets before planting
Crop cultivation (e.g. fertiliser, plant protection, cultivation, harvest)
Storage of crop products
Transport (from and to the field);
Waste management (at farm level)
Annual crops are defined as plants sown or planted during one production season, which is the minimum
reporting period for carbon footprint assessment.
Perennial crops with harvests over several productive seasons require a reporting time of at least 3 years
(rolling average), which includes all developmental stages in proportion. In fruit or nut trees (or sugar cane,
bananas, asparagus), these include the juvenile phase without yield and ageing phase of lesser yields.
Carbon sequestration, as part of a horticultural production scheme, is calculated over the last 20 years and
considered under land use change (LUC). An Excel tool for LUC calculations is provided, which includes
the relevant worldwide data, e.g. for most horticultural crops as well as deforestation. LUC results are included
in the overall carbon footprint values, but are not separated from the carbon footprint value as in the
World Business Council for Sustainable Development/World Resource Institute (WBCSD/WRI) Standard,
since they may have a great contribution to the calculated values.
Table 2. Features of the PAS 2050-1
Feature Previous approach New approach in PAS 2050-1
Wording/ designation a Product Category Rule -PCR Supplemental Requirements (SR)
Only B to B approach PAS 2050 2011 for B to C PAS 2050-1 (hort) for B to B
Perennial crops n.a. minimum 3 years (rolling average) to proportionally
include all developmental stages (e.g. juvenile
phase without yield)
Annual crops n.a. minimum 3 years or at least 3 productive cultivation
cycles
Carbon sequestration Separate entity Integrated in L U C
LUC values 100 years approach based on the last 20 years and integrated
in overall CF value
Biogenic carbon (if for food or feed) Not included Offset against horticultural production
Biogenic carbon (if not for food or feed- e.g. Included Offset against horticultural production
tree trunk for timber/furniture production)
Capital goods Excluded Excluded in carbon footprint (e.g. greenhouses
and superstructures for polytunnels)
Consumables Included Materials (film and foils etc.) given as examples,
which are replaced regularly are included
Fertiliser Single crop assessment Crop rotation
Calculation tools Not provided Calculation tools in Excel with data basis provided
for both L U C and allocation of fertiliser (incl.
organic) for crop rotation systems
2.2 Biogenic carbon
Biogenic carbon, i.e. the carbon contained in the harvested product exported outside the system boundary
(out of the farm gate), is offset in the PAS 2050-1 against the carbon emissions during horticultural production,
if used for food or feed. Similarly, biogenic carbon not used for food or feed, e.g. tree trunks for the
timber or furniture industry, can be offset against horticultural production (BSI, 2012) (Table 2).
Capital goods in horticulture such as greenhouse support structures for poly-tunnels, buildings, grading
facilities and cold stores are defined and excluded from the Carbon Footprint calculations in PAS 2050-1.
Consumables, which are replaced on a regular basis, such as plastic foils for plant covering and growing
substrates, are included. Similarly, fertilisers and plant protection compounds are included in the product
carbon footprint.
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