ARTICLE 28 F&A Alternative Proteins Edition October 2023 In the context of the global environmental condition, it is the responsibility of any company to examine the environmental impact of their products and services. At Sprÿng—the pet food arm of Ÿnsect—we have performed a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) for our range of pet food ingredients. Here, we share the methodology, and what it shows us about our current performance as well as directions for future product development. An LCA is a systematic analysis of potential environmental impacts of products during their entire life cycle. All stages of product development are implicated, and the “potential impacts” cover both inputs (such as use of water, land, and fossil and non-fossil resources) and outputs (emissions into air, water and soil, including GHG emissions, pollutants, pesticides and plastics). An LCA is often referred to as a “cradle to grave” analysis; or, in the case of BtoB brands such as Sprÿng, a “cradle to farm gate” analysis: our products are not an end in themselves but an input to the pet food manufacturing process, and as such the LCA of our ingredients will be used by those pet food manufacturers to calculate the LCA of their products. An LCA provides the consumer with a degree of transparency, and a means by which to compare the environmental credentials of ingredients within a given sector. For the companies themselves, the LCA identifies areas where there is room for improvement—so-called “environmental hotspots”— and hence informs product development. Guidelines for carrying out an LCA are outlined in ISO standard 14044:2006; however, practitioners have the flexibility to interpret the guidelines as they deem most appropriate for their study. A more structured framework for the guidelines is currently being piloted: called PEF (Product Environmental Footprint), its aim is to improve comparability of results, particularly between similar products. Although not mandatory, we, at Sprÿng, have carried out the LCA of our products in adherence to this particular PEF framework. We have also had our analyses peer-reviewed by an external company, which has verified our methodology and calculations. BREAKDOWN OF THE LCA METHODOLOGY The production process for Sprÿng products is illustrated in Figure 1, which is based on our vertical mealworm farm at Amiens, France. The first stage is rearing the mealworms: our LCA must account for not only everything that occurs during this stage — principally consumption of electricity and gas — but also everything that occurs upstream of this stage. ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPARENCY: A LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS OF SPRŸNG’S PRODUCT LINE Maximilien Jouy Impact Manager at Sprÿng powered Ynsect
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