Analisi degli impatti sul clima della filiera lattiero casearia al fine di definire delle regole di categoria di prodotto sulla base della recente UNI CEN ISO/TS 14067
Author(s)
Valentino, Fiamma
Date Issued
April 10, 2017
Type
Doctoral Thesis
Abstract
Globally greenhouse gas emissions increased by 46% between 1992 and 2015. Dairy production, especially livestock farming, contributes substantially to GHG emissions and dairy companies are adopting voluntary programs to reduce their impacts and to communicate their commitments to consumer. To date, the UNI CEN ISO TS 14067, the technical reference standard for quantification of the carbon footprint (CF) of product, not automatically allows comparative assertions, as it is necessary to have Product Category Rules that standardize the quantification of the CF for products performing the same function. This study assessed the CF of the dairy supply chain, analyzing 13 case studies of product such as high quality milk, UHT milk, semi-skimmed milk, organic milk, mozzarella, soft cheese of 4 selected companies, for a total of 73 dairy farms. The key requirements of the different methodologies applied by firms for the analysis have been compared in detail, seeking shared solutions with stakeholders, in order to solve the main bottle-necks related to the carbon footprint analysis of dairy products. This allows to define Product Category Rules concerning respectively bovine raw milk, processed liquid milk, cheese and dairy products that can be used as a methodological reference for the characterization of carbon footprint analysis of national dairy production as well as to support the choices of policy makers when such tools will become mandatory.
Product Category Rules represent an important first step to ensure a harmonized approach to calculate dairy sector carbon footprint with the aim of comparing results, which will be possible when common emission factors databases will be available.
The analysis of the case studies showed that, regardless of the methodology applied, livestock farming has the most significant impact on the carbon footprint in all the products analyzed, with an average contribution of 70.37% on the total GHG emissions. Through the analysis of the existing literature it has been tried to identify if different production systems (organic vs. conventional, extensive vs. intensive) can reduce final product carbon footprint, but to date, it is not possible to draw robust conclusions on this subject.
The carbon footprint, even though it is a crucial environmental indicator, applied to the dairy sector and to agri-food industry in general, has limitations, since, for the multi-functionality of the sector (landscape management, cultural heritage enhancement, social and economic aspects, animal welfare, quality of the final product), impacts should be assessed not only through environmental indicators, such as carbon footprint, but also by seeking a balance between different models within the broader concept of sustainable development.
Additional information
Dottorato di ricerca in Ecologia forestale
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