SPECIAL STORY 42 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE June 2023 Life cycle assessment of feed ingredients: WHERE WE ARE FOR TRACE MINERALS? “Even if trace minerals represented only 0.78% of total feed ingredients consumed in Europe, they showed the highest contribution to freshwater and marine ecotoxicity, due to their high toxicity potential when emitted into soils and waters, and to metal depletion, due to the fact that they are non-renewable resources. This high contribution demonstrates the importance of the sustainable use of trace minerals in terms of source and dose used in animal nutrition.” Axel Minetto Product Manager Animine Alessandra Monteiro R&D Animine Improving sustainability of the livestock sector is essential. Life cycle assessment (LCA) studies have shown that feed production accounts for 70% of the carbon footprint of animal products which makes it an important element to account when considering mitigation options. Improved knowledge of the environmental impact of feed ingredients is fundamental to inspire a positive change. The idea of a comprehensive environmental LCA was conceived in the USA in the late 1960s/early 1970s. In 1969, the Coca Cola Company commissioned the first LCA study to examine the complete environmental impact of a package, focusing on sustaining the use of high value recyclable materials and reusable packages. Around 1973, the interest turned to energy mainly due to the oil crisis. In 1988, interest returned to solid waste, but this was quickly replaced by a more balanced concern about the areas of resource use and environmental emissions. In 1991, concerns over the inappropriate use of LCAs to make marketing claims by product manufacturers, led to the development of the LCA standards in the International Standards Organization (ISO) 14000 series. In 2002, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) joined forces with the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) to launch the Life Cycle Initiative, an international partnership to improve the supporting tools through better data and indicators.
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