Volume 87, 15 January 2015, Pages 188–196
Carbon footprint of truffle sauce in central Italy by direct measurement of energy consumption of different olive harvesting techniques
Highlights
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- Carbon footprint of truffle sauce has been calculated.
- •
- Product carbon footprint was determined based on ISO 14067.
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- Allocation on mass, economic value and system expansion are compared.
- •
- Sensitivity analysis and uncertainty analysis have been performed.
Abstract
The
contribution of the European food sector to the total amount of
greenhouse gases emissions is equal to 15%. The main environmental
impact is due to the cultivation phase while the transformation has
limited consequences. The sustainability of the food sector can be
traced using an important indicator: Product Carbon Footprint. In this
framework this paper presents the case of a traditional product: truffle
sauce, which is a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and truffle. Its
carbon footprint has been calculated based on ISO 14067, through the use
of specific Product Category Rules, able to describe theoretical
pre-requisites and practical rules to be followed during the analysis in
order to make results comparable with other studies. Different
allocation techniques have been analyzed: system expansion has been
compared with allocation based on mass and economical value. It was
shown that 3% variation in the mass yield of olive oil implies 2%
variation in the final carbon footprint. Different harvesting techniques
were considered and their energy consumption was measured on site.
Final carbon footprint for truffle sauce, assuming allocation based on
system expansion, is equal to 1.93 kg CO2eq/kg. Truffle sauce
has a lower impact compared to other similar commodities (extra virgin
olive oil for example). The final result of the Product Carbon Footprint
is not the only scientific value added by this paper, because Product
Category Rules can be used by other researchers to calculate emissions
released during truffle sauce or olive oil life cycle in other
particular environments. Knowing the value of these emissions, reduction
measures can be designed. The limits of this study are represented by
the fact that these values are deeply influenced by seasonal
variability, so this aspect should be evaluated by further studies.
Graphical abstract
Keywords
- Truffle sauce;
- Carbon footprint;
- LCA;
- Product category rules;
- ISO 14067
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