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
We considered four meat types distinguished by the agricultural circuit from which they are obtained:
Conventional agriculture: use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides for the production of feeds is
allowed, as is the use of standard antibiotics for pigs;
Label Rouge: approved production that conforms to specifications for the production of superior
quality meat according to a specific recipe;
Organic farming: no synthetic fertilisers or pesticides, strict restriction of the use of conventional
veterinary medicine;
Bleu-Blanc-Cœur: pigs are fed a finishing phase feed with traditional and high-Omega 3 plant
sources (grass, linseed, alfalfa, lupin, etc.).
We considered also the following 3 packaging types:
Tin can;
Aluminium can;
Glass jar with tin plate lid.
2.3. Scope and functional unit
Since the objective was to find hotspots throughout the supply chain, we chose a Life Cycle Assessment
(LCA) methodology. The life cycle considered for pâté production is shown in Figure 1. The scope of the
study included complete product life-cycle, from the production of raw materials in the agricultural phase
(including the production of animal feed), all the raw material and finished product transport phases, the pâté
production processes, consumption and end of life. The functional unit studied was a 78 g-equivalent pâté
product eaten, with refrigeration for 24 hrs in the consumer's home included for products in excess of 180 g.
Figure 1. Representation of the life cycle studied.
2.4. Software and data used
The study was conducted by Bluehorse Associates in collaboration with Ecole Centrale Paris.
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