How understanding lifecycles improves sustainability in the food and feed industry.
“Life cycle thinking” is a key concept guiding decision-makers looking to produce more sustainable food and feed systems. By quantifying the environmental, economic and social impacts of how our food is made across its entire life cycle, we are uncovering new ways to make more targeted improvements. At the heart of life cycle thinking is the life cycle assessment (LCA), which provides the understanding by which we can move toward a more sustainable food system.
LCAs measure the environmental impact of a product from “cradle to grave,” or “cradle to cradle,” in the case of an upcycled product within a circular supply chain. Measurements account for all resources used – energy, water, emissions, waste – in creating, using and disposing of the product. Green Field Solutions repurposes food materials, which means we compare the environmental benefits of reusing existing materials with a minimal amount of processing.
Lara Moody, Executive Director of the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) joined GFS’s Director of Sustainability, Jennifer Luchte, to talk about the role LCAs play in sustainability and its commitment to LCA harmonization.
Lara, what is IFEEDER?
The Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) is the research and education organization that supports the U.S. animal food industry. Our mission is to advance understanding and trust in the sustainable animal feed and pet food supply chain through research and education. For us, sustainability means supporting what we commonly think of as sustainability efforts across feed and pet food in the supply chain, but it also means the long-term viability and sustainability of the industry.
We have projects that look like classic sustainability efforts, working on resources, developing harmonization around LCAs, and adding new ingredients to LCA databases. But we also have projects where, for example, we’re updating our ingredient consumption report and doing an analysis of the feed ingredients that are utilized in the feed industry. I put those in the sustainability space because it is about the long-term viability of the industry and understanding what trends are taking place.
Jen, what is the value in partnering with IFEEDER?
International Ingredient Corporation (IIC) and Green Field Solutions see a lot of value in the life cycle analysis work that IFEEDER does. We’re getting more and more requests to quantify the sustainability of our ingredients, especially from the pet food industry. When I have conversations with major pet food suppliers, they are starting to ask about LCAs Working with IFEEDER allows us access to information that is that is validated by the feed industry.
We also appreciate the credible information IFEEDER provides about how the feed industry is working to be a solutions-provider for a sustainable food source. Having a broader conversation is really important, and I use that data to talk about that
Lara, what exciting projects are underway for IFEEDER?
First, we just published our annual update, which gives snippets for every project that is underway. I’m going to talk more about some of them, but that’s one easy place to learn more about what IFEEDER is doing.
We are just wrapping up the second phase of work for the sustainability road map. This summer, we added content to our Animal Food Industry Sustainability Toolkit, it included materials to help individuals who are in the process or considering doing a materiality assessment for their organization. The resources describe 16 different material issue areas around three pillars – People, Planet and Governance and include industry examples. We’re just preparing to release a collective of items supporting LCA efforts; we’ll roll those out the week of the Sustainable Agriculture Summit in November. At the Summit, IFEEDER will be hosting a panel on harmonization of feed LCAs. We thought it would be a great time to release IFEEDER’s our newest resource, which is a how-to guide, or rather, a where-to-start guide, on LCAs.
Annual Update
Sustainability Road Map
Jen, what is your role in the road map?
I had the privilege of representing GFS and IIC on the Sustainability Road Map Advisory Committee, made up of multiple disciplines representing the animal food industry. We reviewed and helped shape a body of work designed to advance sustainability in the industry. It provides practical tools for companies to implement in their own sustainability programs. And as Lara mentioned, it continues to expand with additional resources.
It is these kinds of practical resources that companies like ours employ every day to make our organization and services more sustainable. We appreciate having a seat at the table to engage with other industry leaders in improving the sustainability of protein supply chains and advising best practices.
Lara, what's next for IFEEDER?
We have two projects that are taking place right now that will help inform various elements of our sustainability work. One is the Pet Food Report and the other is the Feed Ingredient Consumption Report.
The Pet Food Report uses product sales data and product labels for various pet food brands and assesses the ingredients within those products. The researchers will quantify ingredients by protein sources (plant versus animal versus other categories), and we’ll look at circularity relative to co-products and by-product uses. We’ll also quantify the on-farm value. That report will be released during the 2025 AFIA Pet Food Conference.
The other project is the Feed Ingredient Consumption Report. We look at livestock and poultry numbers by state and animal rations by production cycle. Obviously, a piglet eats different than a farrowing pig, different than a finishing pig, different than a sow. The ingredient consumption report will look at 48 ingredients by state, by animal type, and by ingredient type. We’re also looking at it from a circularity standpoint. That, will be released at the 2025 International Production & Processing Expo.
Pet Food Report
Animal Feed Ingredient Consumption Report
Lara, how can companies partner with IFEEDER?
It is important to have industry members participating in our projects because we need their perspective. When creating resources, we want the resources to be applicable and practical for industry members. If somebody is looking to get involved, it’s easy. Become a contributor. There is no minimum contribution level. There are also a number of ways people can learn more about what IFEEDER is doing via the website, IFEEDER Fodder blog, newsletter and LinkedIn.
Life Cycle Thinking
A deeper understanding of how our food is made across its entire life cycle is driving innovations and sustainability in the food and feed industries. Green Field Solutions repurposes food materials, keeping food waste out of landfills and instead reusing existing materials. Contact GFS to learn more about about life cycle thinking, using data to improve sustainability or Scopes 1-3 emissions.
