Global changes, triggered by increased anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases, are the main problem of modern ecology.Carbon Footprint (CF) is generic indicator of GHG emissions during lifetime of the product. CF is based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology: the calculation of emissions that take place throughout the life cycle of a product. Unit of CF is kg of CO2 equivalent (kg CO2 e.) per kg of product. Five phases of the LCA are discussed:1-feed production; 2-livestock production; 3-meat processing; 4- meat retail; 5-consumption and waste management.By assessing LCA in Russian conditions, we’ve obtained following results of CF per phases: 1st phase 1,35 kg CO2 e kg-1 of live weight, 2nd phase 4,75 kg CO2 е kg-1 of live weight (at farm gate CF is 6 kg CO2 e kg-1 of live weight), 3rd phase 13,99 kg CO2 e kg-1 of meat (including CF of offal and non edible parts), 4th phase 16 kg CO2 e kg-1 of meat (including CF of product losses in retail), 5th phase 16,3-17,2 kg CO2 e kg-1 of meat. The mitigation options are based on reduction of N2O and CH4 emission in phases 1 and 2, cutting the losses of product in retail and optimisation of meat consumption by consumers.
Project # 11.G34.31.0079