SPECIAL STORY FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE June 2023 43 FOUR PHASES OF AN LCA STUDY As required by ISO 14040, four phases are involved in an LCA study and they include: (i) goal and scope definition, (ii) inventory analysis, (iii) impact assessment, and (iv) interpretation. The results of an LCA study can be calculated using different impact assessment methods, which give different detail levels of the cause-effect chain. Considering the cause-effect chain for a trace mineral, a midpoint method looks at a point in the cause-effect chain, i.e., the increased concentration of trace minerals in soil, while an endpoint method looks at environmental impact at the end of this cause-effect chain, i.e., the extinction of species due to the emission of such a mineral (Figure 1). Among midpoint and endpoint approaches, the environmental effect of system inputs can be expressed into different LCA impact categories. Some of them have been widely addressed since the first LCA studies, such as climate change or carbon footprint. Over the years, other categories raised environmental concerns, such as acidification, eutrophication, and energy use. Others were neglected for several years but are currently being highlighted, such as toxicity-related issues and biodiversity. Whatever the impact category considered, the knowledge of the environmental impact of the process and/or products is important to achieve a global sustainable development. That is why environmental footprint (EF) initiatives have been developed worldwide to move towards a sustainable economy. STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE SUSTAINABILITY In the past, traditional environmental themes, such as protecting species and improving the air/ water quality were the major environmental concerns facing the world. Nowadays, more systematic approaches that consider the links between various themes and their global dimension are required. A multi-stakeholder initiative named LEAP (Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance Partnership) has been created by FAO. It develops guidance and methodology for understanding the environmental performance of livestock supply chains, in order to shape evidence-based policy measures and business strategies. In 2016, LEAP published a guideline for the assessment of environmental performance of animal feeds supply chains, based on LCA. Feed additives, such as minerals, are considered as feed ingredients in these guidelines; however, detailed guidance regarding their production is outside its scope. In 2018 in Europe, the product environmental footprint category rules (PEFCR) were approved by the EU commission. The EU feed industry was the first sector to have its PEFCR, based on LEAP guidelines. It provides a more detailed and comprehensive technical guidance on how to conduct a PEF study, with the objective of delivering more sustainable consumption and production, by ensuring more environmental friendly products on the EU market. Besides that, PEFCR presented the LCA results for one ton of animal feed, representing the average composition Endpoints Human health Natural enviroment Natural resources Midpoints Inventory Elementary flows Climate change Ozone depletion Human toxicity Acidification Eutrophication Ecotoxicity Land use Resource depletion Ionizing radiation Emissions of trace minerals (TM) into soil Increased concentration of TM in soil Extinction of species CAUSE-EFFECT CHAIN Figure 1. The cause-effect chain.
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