What the European Commission is proposing
The European Commission is planning to label the sustainability of food products. To measure the environmental score, the Commission favors the LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) method, a tool that calculates the environmental impacts based on yields, i.e. per kg or per liter of finished product.
LCA gives a significant advantage to the most intensive production methods and measures very poorly the impacts of pesticides on health, soil, air or water quality.
In the end, an environmental labelling based on LCA would encourage production methods using pesticides and chemical fertilizers the most and would penalize extensive productions such as organic farming or open-air rearing whose positive impacts on biodiversity and animal welfare are not accounted for.
What we want
We are proposing to the European Commission the Planet-score method which makes it possible to correct the flaws and biases of the Life Cycle Assessment.
Developed in France by ITAB and its partners, the Planet-score combines an aggregate score and 3 sub-indicators (on pesticides, biodiversity and climate), plus an indicator targeting the method of production of animals.
The score orients towards an agroecological transition scenario and accounts for progress initiatives in total transparency. It is in tune with the goals of the Farm to Fork strategy, especially the target of halving the pesticide use by 2030.
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We are proposing to the European Commission the Planet-score method which makes it possible to correct the flaws and biases of the Life Cycle Assessment.
Developed in France by ITAB and its partners, the Planet-score combines an aggregate score and 3 sub-indicators (on pesticides, biodiversity and climate), plus an indicator targeting the method of production of animals.
The score orients towards an agroecological transition scenario and accounts for progress initiatives in total transparency. It is in tune with the goals of the Farm to Fork strategy, especially the target of halving the pesticide use by 2030.
The need for a deep ecological transition of our consumption habits and of our modes of production is no longer debated. The sustainability labelling planed in the EU Farm to Fork strategy can act as a powerful lever for this purpose. The labelling should provide reliable, easy-to-understand information and must include the carbon footprint of course but also biodiversity conservation, the balance of the ecosystems (air, water, soil) and animal welfare. To assess these impacts the life cycle analysis method is well suited for industrial processes but it gives a misleading picture of the environmental footprint of food and agriculture products. Indeed, by construction, the LCA is a product based approach and will never cope with the challenges of living ecosystems. Moreover, the LCA is not scientifically neutral. It conveys the insight of a transition oriented towards the intensification of agricultural practices, relying on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. An environmental labelling favorable or neutral to the intensification of agriculture production would be nonsense. Considering the short deadlines, a sensible and operational labelling relying on a farm to fork LCA, absolutely needs to complement the LCA with external references. It is precisely what the Planet-score has achieved and it is the way public authorities should take (https://youtu.be/Gua-nnackBw). Forged in France by ITAB and its partners, the Planet-score combines an aggregate score and 3 sub-indicators on pesticides, biodiversity and climate, plus an indicator on the method of production for animal based ingredients. Unlike a single aggregate score, it allows for consumers to understand the dimensions of the environmental impact. Many studies show that among other labelling formats, the Planet-score is greatly preferred (http://itab.asso.fr/activites/planet-score.php). The Planet-score orients towards an agroecological transition scenario and accounts for progress initiatives in total transparency. It is in tune with the goals of the Farm to Fork strategy, especially the target of halving the pesticide use by 2030.