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

PARALLEL SESSION 7C: FOOD CHAIN AND FOOD WASTE 8 th Int. Conference on LCA in the
Agri-Food Sector, 1-4 Oct 2012
Figure 2. Energy use associated with packaging made of 100% virgin materials (plastic container, pouch and
carton) and a typical recycled content (aluminium can, glass jar, steel can) (bars indicate minimum and
maximum values for total packaging type) (Oswald, 2011)
4. Discussion
The results reveal the great diversity of energy requirements and product embedded energy values. This
diversity suggests that no single approach is possible to reduce energy use in the agri-food supply chain and
that the best measure to promote energy efficiency will be directed at specific sectors or products. For most
products, primary production requires the most energy; both for simple crops, such as potatoes, and for complex
processed multi-ingredient foods such as pizza. Processing is the second most energy-intensive stage of
the food supply chain and for some products it is an area in which energy-saving initiatives can be undertaken.
The increasing popularity of highly processed multi-ingredient foods, manufactured across different
countries and regions, is likely to increase the embedded energy content of these food types. Consequently, it
will be more difficult to reduce product energy requirements and successful initiatives will require the cooperation
of different stakeholders in multiple countries. It is not the sole responsibility of farmers to improve
the energy efficiency of their production; it is also for processors, retailers and consumers to support change
and to enable change by designing more energy efficient products.
Meat and dairy products have some of the highest embedded energy values which could be used to drive
an increase in consumption of more fruit and vegetables; and changes to diet towards less meat and more
fruit and vegetables have been shown to bring health benefits to the consumer and environmental benefits to
the planet (UN Human Rights Council, 2011). Additionally, the promotion of local and seasonal food can
reduce the energy required in the transport and storage of food. In these areas, consumers have the ability to
influence the agri-food supply chain through their purchasing choices.
The results also show that packaging can have an important role in reducing energy use so it is important
to understand how different raw materials, manufacturing processes and waste management (the percentage
recycled, sent to landfill or incinerated) are related to overall energy use. However, this stage of the agri-food
supply chain is very complex because it has several limitations. Firstly, packaging types are restricted by
product types (drinks tend to be in aluminium cans rather than cartons whilst nuts can easily be packed in a
stand-up pouch rather than a glass jar). It would require changes to processing procedures, shelf life, storage
requirements and customer perceptions to enable changes to packaging types to be introduced. However, it is
likely that improving technology will still achieve energy efficiencies. Secondly, product packaging is
strongly influenced by product safety but it can also be affected by social conceptions. For example, even if
switching pasta sauces to soft pouches could lower product embedded energy values, and be acceptable to
customers, it is possible that concerns over safety would prevent manufacturers making the switch. Finally,
the embedded energy of packaging can be influenced by the end-user through recycling options. Companies
that use recycled material and promote recycling, for example, Coca-Cola (Coca-cola, 2012) can increase the
use of recycled material in their packaging. A continuous increase in the content of recycled material in their
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