Product Environmental Footprint in the Olive Oil Sector: State of the Art

Russo, Carlo; Cappelletti, Giulio Mario; Nicoletti, Giuseppe; Michalopoulos, George; Pattara, Claudio; Palomino, Juan Antonio Polo; Tuomisto, Hanna L.

doi:10.30638/eemj.2016.218

Cited by 20 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…There is a plethora of research papers that deal with LCA and the environmental impacts of the agricultural sector [9,17,19,20,[33][34][35]. However, few of the studies report all the impact categories that are required by the PEFCR methodology [19].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the research, polytunnel or conventional systems had lower environmental impact than greenhouse or organic (open field) cultivation, respectively. PEF has been also studied for olive oil [20], during the PEFCR pilot for the product, to provide a benchmark for further research. This research highlighted the complexity of such studies (mainly due to the different agricultural systems and farming techniques).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sustainable Viticulture: First Determination of the Environmental Footprint of Grapes

et al. 2020

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We present for the first time the environmental footprint (EF) of grapes following the methodology proposed by the EU and life cycle assessment (LCA). We used data from three different production systems, conventional high- or low-input and organic from vineyards on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The life cycle inventory (LCI) data were retrieved from the recently released AGRIBALYSE database, and the EF was determined with the Open LCA software. The system boundary was from “cradle to winery door” and the functional unit was 1 ton of grapes delivered to the winery. Organic grape production had the lowest values for most of the 16 EF impact categories. Machinery, fuel, and sulfur production and use were identified as EF hotspots for organic grapes. Fertilizer production and use were identified as EF hotspots for high-input grape production. The EF impact category values for low-input grapes showed similarities with organic production. Future research needs to enrich the LCI databases with data more applicable to the methods and inputs applied in Mediterranean agriculture.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Viticulture: First Determination of the Environmental Footprint of Grapes

et al. 2020

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“…However, too many requirements for primary data could become a barrier for using the PEF method, as access to primary data is limited for some product groups, e.g., packaging materials and chemicals (Golsteijn et al, 2018). Besides, book-keeping data is not directly usable as life cycle inventory data as it needs to be processed, transformed, or completed using literature data or calculation models (Six et al, 2017), which also makes the use of primary data costly (Russo et al, 2016). The costs of collecting primary data are mainly an issue for SMEs, and therefore the future use of PEF depends on the assurance that it will be as easy for SMEs as for larger companies to use PEF to make LCA (Russo et al, 2016).…”

Section: Data Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges with product environmental footprint: a systematic review

Pedersen

Remmen

2022

Int J Life Cycle Assess

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Purpose: This paper aims to review the current literature on PEF to answer the following questions: 1) What methodological issues have been dominant in the discussion of PEF, and how do the suggested updates address them? 2) What are the challenges of using PEF in policies and how can these be resolved? Method:The research questions were answered through a structured literature review of publications on the PEF method. The search was conducted in three databases: Scopus, ProQuest, and ScienceDirect using the search words: "Product Environmental Footprint," "Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules," and PEFCR. Results and discussion:The methodological issues in the PEF method have caused ongoing discussions. Some of the identified issues have been addressed by a subsequent update of the PEF guidance, but there are still some open questions. These are: The defined functional units in the PEFCR are inadequate to ensure a fair comparison of products, impact categories for biodiversity and indirect land-use change are still being developed, secondary data is not available in an easy-to-use format, the existing and new PEFCR need to adopt a benchmarking method, uncertainty exists about how the costs of making an LCA study are affected by PEF, and it is unclear how the results of a PEF study should be communicated. Conclusion:The PEF method could play an essential role in developing a market for green products, but it has met substantial critique from academia. Some of the issues identified in the critique are addressed by the updated PEF method, but there are still open questions that should be addressed to improve the PEF method.

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“…To test the process for developing product-and sector-specific PEFCR, a series of pilots (https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/smgp/PEFCR_OEFSR_en.htm, accessed on 15 May 2021) study were implemented for various products including olive oil, producing a screening report (PEFCR-OO) [64]). However, some issues still limit a systematic inclusion of biogenic carbon of olive tree biomass in LCA-based procedures due to some differences in olive grove cultivation systems among the main producing countries (i.e., Spain, Italy, Greece) [65,66] and due to issue(s) not covered by the PEFCR-OO. For example, olive cropping systems might vary according to the plantation density and in turn differ in terms of carbon sequestration capability and lifespan duration.…”

Section: Product Environmental Footprint: the Uniqueness Of The Olive Sectormentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon Fluxes in Sustainable Tree Crops: Field, Ecosystem and Global Dimension

et al. 2021

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Carbon (C) budget at cropping systems has not only agronomic but also environmental relevance because of their contribution to both emissions and removals of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Ideally, sustainable orchards are expected to remove atmospheric CO2 at a rate greater than that of the emissions because of (i) optimized biology of the system and (ii) reduced on-site/offsite inputs sourced by the technosphere. However, such a computation might produce inconsistent results and in turn biased communication on sustainability of the cropping systems because C accounting framework(s) are used under unclear context. This study examined the sustainability of orchards in terms of impact on GHGs focusing its significance at the field, ecosystem and global dimension analyzing some operational aspects and limitations of existing frameworks (e.g., net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB), life cycle assessment (LCA)). Global relevance of sustainable orchard was also discussed considering the C sequestration at cropland as instructed by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The uniqueness of olive tree lifespan duration and C sequestration is discussed within the Product Environmental Footprint of agrifood product. The paper also highlighted overlapping components among the NECB, LCA and IPCC frameworks and the need for an integrated C accounting scheme for a more comprehensive and detailed mapping of sustainability in agriculture.

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Product Environmental Footprint in the Olive Oil Sector: State of the Art

Cited by 20 publications

References 0 publications

Sustainable Viticulture: First Determination of the Environmental Footprint of Grapes

Sustainable Viticulture: First Determination of the Environmental Footprint of Grapes

Challenges with product environmental footprint: a systematic review

Carbon Fluxes in Sustainable Tree Crops: Field, Ecosystem and Global Dimension

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