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

PARALLEL SESSION 5A: FOOD LABELLING 8 th Int. Conference on LCA in the
Agri-Food Sector, 1-4 Oct 2012
2.2 Calculating the aggregate environmental label
Although not a common practice for LCAs (ISO 14044, 2006), data aggregation is the selected methodology
in this case because the environmental label is intended for the general public. Display of environmental
information based on multiple criteria can affect customers or even cancel out the potential benefits of an
environmental labelling scheme for products by allowing consumers to select between different environmental
impact categories. In order to facilitate consumer interpretation of the environmental performance of
a product and help customers in their decision-making process, LCAs resulting in weighting-aggregation
methods can be used.
The three LCA indicators are compared to the environmental impacts of the average French consumer
and then aggregated into a single indicator, so that the environmental label can be readily understood by customers.
2.2.2 Normalisation of the indicators
To make it easily accessible for customers, each indicator is first normalised so that it displays the environmental
impact of 100 g of product compared with the environmental impact of total daily food consumption
of a French consumer.
The three reference indicators are calculated for total French food consumption. They are calculated per
year and then brought down to a per day basis for one French person. The GHG emissions of the global food
consumption, including cooking impacts as well as their production, transport, distribution and end of life
cycle, are the results of a research project led by BIO IS on the environmental impact of French food consumption
(Oudet, 2011). Global water consumption is based on the water footprint of households, at a
macro-economical level. It takes into account direct and indirect water consumption (as irrigation, cooling of
nuclear installations, etc.). Eutrophication is evaluated by the quantity of fertilisers (N, P) used in France for
food products. (The sources for global water footprint and global eutrophication are confidential.)
The environmental label is meant to provide consumers with a level of information similar to the nutritional
labelling on food products. The nutrition label which is calculated per 100g of product (or in some
cases, per portion) provides information on the nutritional value, contributing to better informed food
choices.
The analogy with the nutrition label is relevant: to help customers opt for healthy/sustainable foods.
This principle is mirrored for the Environmental Index as it aims at proposing clear and objective information,
enabling customers to form a choice that considers the impacts of global daily food consumption. The
information expressed in percentage form reflects an impact and gives the size of this impact. Customers can
evaluate their purchases according to the latter and their desire to have a sustainable shopping approach.
2.2.1 Aggregation method chosen
Once normalised, the three indicators are combined using specific weights defined in the PRIOR®
method (Labouze, 2006). The aggregation method was elaborated by BIO IS and recognised by the ADEME
and the French Ministry of Environment (MEDDTL) but never officially published. It consists in normalising
results (per habitant equivalent, but here with the criteria detailed above) and then applying weighting
coefficients elaborated with a panel of experts considering the French context. The output of this operation is
a score without dimension.
Six aggregation methods were studied and tested during the project: methods based on the opinion of an
expert panel (PRIOR®, Eco-Indicator 99 and “third” method), monetisation methods (Damage cost and Ecotax
2002) and End point method Indicators calculation (Recipe). Although each one has its strong and weak
points, the PRIOR® method was chosen. This choice was based on the acceptable degree of subjectivity, the
importance allocated to the national and/or international recognition of the method, implementation feasibility
(availability of data especially for the three indicators) and customer understanding.
3. Results
3.1 An environmental label designed for customers
Currently, the Environmental Index is available for more than 160 product references. The environmental
label is displayed on-pack, for use as a real decision factor for purchasing. According to the consortium, a
single score display placed directly on product packaging is a relevant and effective way for an environ-
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