This report evaluates the sustainability of various used for biofuel production. The assessment covers ten different feedstocks, including Used Cooking Oil (UCO), Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) oil, Spent Bleach Earth (SBE) oil, soap stock acid oils, animal fats, Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) bottoms, brown grease, sewage, and food waste. The key aspects analysed for each feedstock include overall sustainability concerns, plausible global volumes, competing industries, potential risks of indirect land use change (iLUC), geographical dependencies, and potential mitigating actions.
Our collaboration with Arla began in 2011 with a carbon footprint of Arla’s milk production in Denmark and Sweden. This work has since expanded and been updated through several iterations into an advanced dairy LCA model. Arla uses this model for baselines and benchmarks of its sustainability goals, as well as a tool for individual farmers to understand where their emissions originate.
Today, the dairy LCA model powers Arla’s FarmAhead™ Check tool, which enables 7,986 farmers across seven European countries to calculate the exact GHG footprint of 1 kg of raw milk from their specific farm.
The tool accounts for over 200 farm inputs, including cow feed, fertiliser use, cattle breeds, manure treatment technologies such as biogas, and energy and fuel consumption. These inputs are combined in the LCA model to produce a farm-specific carbon footprint of the milk.
We continuously update and maintain the LCA model to improve the level of detail in the background data and models, as well as incorporating the best techniques for mitigating GHG emissions in milk production.
This design offers Arla full transparency and data autonomy.
The FarmAhead™ Check tool allows Arla to monitor the progress of its climate strategy and assist farmers in reducing emissions by spotting the most effective reductions.
81% of Arla’s total corporate emissions come from its farmers,[1] and the LCA tool provides unprecedented data transparency into where the emissions originate and how top-performing farmers can lead the way for others to do the same.
By 2022, 99% of Arla’s owner milk volume had been assessed by the FarmAhead™ Check tool. The tool makes it possible for Arla to create a data driven and personalised action plan for each farmer to reduce their climate footprint even further.
Our model includes new GHG mitigation technologies as they become relevant for the farmers, including manure acidification and nitrification inhibitors.
[1] https://www.arla.com/49b894/globalassets/arla-global/sustainability/climate-ambition/arla-climate-ambitions-2030-and-2050-2023.pdf p. 7
This report presents a summary of a detailed life cycle assessment (LCA) study of palm oil production at United Plantations Berhad (Teluk Intan, Malaysia). LCA is a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the life cycle stages of a product or service from ‘cradle to grave’. The current study is a desk‐study performed on the distance, carried out January to March 2024, and it builds on top of six other large studies carried out for United Plantations in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2020, and 2023. The study in 2008 was the first LCA of palm oil ever, which is fully compliant with and critical reviewed according to the international standards on LCA: ISO 14040 and 14044.
The environmental impact of palm oil is presented as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, i.e. carbon footprint, as well as for a number of other impact categories such as biodiversity, respiratory effects and toxicity. The environmental impacts relate to the life cycle of palm oil from cultivation to the gate of the refinery, including all upstream emissions, e.g. from the production of fertilisers, fuels and machinery. The results are shown per kg of refined palm oil, as well as for United Plantations total product portfolio (corporate GHG footprint).
Over the last decades, United Plantations Berhad has worked intensively in reducing their environmental impacts. The effect of this work is illustrated by tracking the carbon footprint for the company’s production of palm oil from 2004 to 2023.
The primary purpose of the LCA is to document and assess the environmental impacts from the production of palm oil at United Plantations Berhad. Secondly, the purpose is to follow over time the GHG emissions from the production of palm oil at United Plantations Berhad. Thirdly, to quantify the absolute impact of United Plantations’ product portfolio, fourthly, to compare United Plantation’s production of palm oil with average Malaysian/Indonesian palm oil and other major vegetable oils, and fifthly, to analyse improvement options for United Plantation’s production of palm oil.
The LCA tool makes it possible for horticultures in Denmark to calculate the environmental impacts from each crop. The intended application for Danish Horticulture (Dansk Gartneri), was to identify impacts and hotspots and use the outcome to substantiate their ongoing work on reducing the impacts from the Danish horticultural production. The tool is prepared for both organic and conventional cultivation practices. Furthermore, there are both greenhouse and free range production methods included.
The horticulture-specific calculator includes impacts for the production and upstream in the life cycle, including relevant processing and packaging. Results are given per ton crop at the greenhouse gate using Stepwise as method or as impacts pr. hectare or as a total for each holding studied.
This project is representative of the type of tools we customise for the our clients, who want multiple producers within the same sector to get reliable and accurate impacts for their individual production. Hence, the results are useful for decision making in future strategies and goals for each primary producer as well as the organisation, Danish Horticulture.
This project developed a methodology and data for calculating the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, nitrogen and phosphate leached to water, and phosphate leftover in the soil, related to the cultivation of crops. The GHG emissions include dinitrogen monoxide, ammonia, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide. These emissions, leaches, and leftovers were calculated using a model described by the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC). The calculations are summarised in a report (Schmidt J and Sørensen J I (2022). LCA Crop Database Methodology Report), where the inputs and the outputs of the model are also outlined.
One Planet Foundation developed this publication in 2020, as a contribution to the UNEP project titled “Addressing Land Use Changes Leakage in Sustainable Land Use Financing and ‘Deforestation Free’ Claims” of the UNEP Life Cycle Initiative. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Environment Programme. We regret any errors or omissions that may have been unwittingly made.
The boundaries and names shown, and the designations used on any map used in this publication do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. For general guidance on matters relating to the use of maps in publications please go to https://www.un.org/geospatial.
Mention of a commercial company or product in this document does not imply endorsement by the United Nations Environment Programme or the authors. The use of information from this document for publicity or advertising is not permitted. Trademark names and symbols are used in an editorial fashion with no intention on infringement of trademark or copyright laws.
Tropical peatland stores a large amount of carbon. In the last 20 years, drainage of Asian peat soil has increased to satisfy the demand of land for plantation agricultures. Industrial oil palm plantations occupy large areas of peatland in Indonesia and Malaysia, with associated GHG emissions and biodiversity loss, here referred to as nature occupation impact. This study performs a detailed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of 1 kg of palm oil for two case studies: PT SMART's Hanau and Sungai Rungau facilities in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The objective is to quantify the reduction in GHG emissions and nature occupation that has been achieved by implementing the following industry-driven measures: reducing the area of cultivated peat soil, reducing the peat drainage depth, and setting aside part of the land-bank for nature conservation. The results show that 1 kg of palm oil causes 2.72 and 2.25 kg CO2-eq./kg palm oil from Hanau and Sungai Rungau facilities respectively. These are 20%–34% lower than average RSPO certified palm oil and 49%–58% lower than average non-certified palm oil. Sungai Rungau achieves the reduction mainly due to a completely peat soil-free supply base. Hanau's peat emissions are instead 0.28 kg, compared to the 0.77 and 2.36 kg CO2-eq for RSPO certified and non-certified palm oil respectively, due to a very low drainage depth (18–25 cm compared to 57–73 cm in average of RSPO certified and non-certified respectively) and an overall lower share of oil palms on peat land. The impact on nature occupation is 24%–43% lower in Hanau and Sungai Rungau compared to non-certified oil and 4%–29% lower compared to RPSO certified respectively. About 8% of the total land bank of the Hanau supply-base has been set aside for nature conservation, reducing GHG emissions by 2% and nature occupation by 9%. Both Hanau and Sungai Rungau could also significantly reduce GHG emissions in the palm oil milling stage, by implementing biogas capture in palm oil mill effluent (POME) treatment.
LCA is a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the life cycle stages of a product or service from ‘cradle to grave’. Over the last decade, United Plantations Berhad has worked intensively to reduce their environmental impacts and this ongoing project is part of the underlying research.
The primary purpose of the project is to document and assess the environmental impacts from the production of palm oil at United Plantations Berhad. Secondly, the purpose is to follow over time the GHG emissions from the production of palm oil at United Plantations Berhad. Thirdly, to compare United Plantation Berhad’s production of palm oil with average Malaysian/Indonesian palm oil and other major vegetable oils, and fourthly, to analyse improvement options for United Plantation Berhad’s production of palm oil.
This project currently consists of eight studies carried out for United Plantations Berhad in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. The study in 2008 was the first LCA of palm oil ever, which was fully compliant with and critical reviewed according to the international standards on LCA: ISO 14040 and 14044.
The environmental impact of palm oil is presented in the reports as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, i.e. carbon footprint, as well as for a number of other impact categories such as biodiversity, respiratory effects and toxicity. The environmental impacts relate to the life cycle of palm oil from cultivation to the gate of the refinery, including all upstream emissions, e.g. from the production of fertilisers, fuels and machinery.
Recent reports:
LCA of palm oil at United Plantations Berhad 2023 (Results 2004-2022)
LCA of palm oil at United Plantations Berhad 2022 (Results 2004-2021)
LCA of palm oil at United Plantations Berhad 2021 (Results 2004-2020)
LCA of palm oil at United Plantations Berhad 2020 (Results 2004-2019)
LCA of palm oil at United Plantations Berhad 2019 (Results 2004-2018)
LCA of palm oil at United Plantations Berhad 2017 (Results 2004-2016)
LCA of palm oil at United Plantations Berhad 2014 (Results 2004-2013)
