Environmental footprint of roses: representative product study (original) (raw)
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LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) of Roses and Cyclamens in Greenhouse Cultivation
2008
The flower market of the Terlizzi agro-industrial district (Bari, Italy) represents the 20% of the Italian production, which is the second in Europe after the Netherlands. The main products are cut flowers and plants in vase, in particular roses and cyclamens. In this framework the European Project "Ecoflower Terlizzi" was carried out to support the implementation of a sustainable environmental policy in the Terlizzi district. The project was aimed at defining the criteria of environmental quality of the flowers produced in this area and includes both the definition of an EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) programme and of a local eco-label (type I). To reach this objective environmental analyses and LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) studies were carried out on a sample of seven enterprises representative of the Terlizzi's production systems. They were analysed on the basis of on-site data collection including materials and components for structures and equipments, energy and water consumption, fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals used in the cultivation phase. Three farms produce roses with soilless cultivation systems, two produce roses in soil and two produce cyclamens' pots. In this paper the main issues concerning the application of the LCA methodology to the production of roses and cyclamens and the results obtained will be presented. Thermal energy consumption gives the main contribution to the environmental impacts of the roses' life cycle. For the cyclamens' pots the main contribution comes from the seedlings production. For both productions, electricity consumption, structures and equipments give a significant contribution to the environmental impacts.
Environmental Impact of Edible Flower Production: A Case Study
Agronomy
Nowadays the heightened awareness of the critical trend in resource depletion impels to improve the eco − sustainability of any productive process. The research presented in this paper aims to quantify the environmental impact of the emerging productive process of edible flowers, focusing on two model species, i.e., Begonia x semperflorens − cultorum hort and Viola cornuta L., and two types of product, i.e., flowering potted plants sold in plastic vases and packaged flowers ready to be consumed. The study was carried out in an Italian nursery located in Tuscany, interviewing the owners in order to complete the Life Cycle Inventory, assessing the value of the impact categories, and using the “cradle to gate” approach. The information about the production of flowering potted plants and packaged flowers were inserted in a database and elaborated by the appropriate software. The results of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis referred to 1 g of fresh edible flowers and were expresse...
Hortifootprint Category Rules : Towards a PEFCR for horticultural products
2020
The demand of consumers and retailers for sustainably produced horticultural products is increasing. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), or environmental footprint analysis, is a widely acknowledged methodology to assess, benchmark and monitor the environmental impact. Therefore, all supply chain partners are increasingly asking for footprint calculations of horticultural products. Because no harmonised methodology is available, the footprint calculations based on various methodological choices make those difficult to interpret. The project is carried out in the framework of a Public-Private Partnership project called ‘Methodology for environmental footprint’. This report delivers the set of methodological rules for calculating the environmental footprint of horticultural products and is primarily meant for professionals with moderate knowledge of LCA. The development of the methodology follows as much as possible the most recent Guidance for developing Product Environmental Category Rules...
Understanding Carbon Footprint in Production and Use of Landscape Plants
HortTechnology, 2019
Understanding carbon footprint (CF) terminology and the science underlying its determination is important to minimizing the negative impacts of new product development and assessing positive or negative cradle-to-grave life-cycle impacts. Life cycle assessment has been used to characterize representative field-grown and container-grown landscape plants. The dominant contributor to the CF and variable costs of field-grown trees is equipment use, or more specifically, the combustion of fossil fuels. Most of that impact is at harvest when heavy equipment is used to dig and move individual trees. Transport of these trees to customers and the subsequent transplant in the landscape are also carbon-intensive activities. Field-grown shrubs are typically dug by hand and have much smaller CFs than trees. Plastics are the major contributor to CF of container-grown plants. Greenhouse heating also can be impactful on the CF of plants depending on the location of the greenhouse or nursery and the...
Comparison of Greenhouse Energy Requirements for Rose Cultivation in Europe and North Africa
Agronomy
The ornamental plant production in greenhouses is widespread. A quantitative assessment of greenhouse energy consumption and its variability in space and time is strategic to improve the sustainability of the cultivation. The specific environmental features of the cultivation areas can strongly affect the sustainability of the production. A dynamic simulation model of greenhouse energy balance with an hourly time step was developed and parameterized for a state-of-the-art greenhouse to evaluate the heating requirements for cut-flower roses. This ornamental crop has been used as model species for its high energy requirement for flower production. The energy demand for rose production has been analyzed with an energy balance model with an hourly time step. After a preliminary analysis on the period 1973–2019, the final analysis was carried out on the 30-year period (1990–2019), representative of the current climate. Results show a gradient southwest–northeast of energy needs with rele...
Evaluation of Existing Research Concerning Sustainability in the Value Chain of Ornamental Plants
European Journal of Sustainable Development, 2017
In recent years the concept of "Sustainable Development" has become increasingly relevant in society as well as for the economy. Like in other consumer spending areas, sustainability is getting an increasing role in the ornamental plant production, marketing and consumption. Research in the production area has been focused on achieving a better quality and longevity of ornamentals at point of sale and also on environmental aspects as part of sustainability. The maintenance of the quality and longevity of the plants until the point of sale have been the objectives of post-harvest handling and distribution. At consumer level studies show that the well-being and the indoor quality improvement are the main reasons for having ornamentals. However the concept of sustainability has not been investigated throughout the entire ornamental plant value chain. Economic and interdisciplinary factors play a role in this lack of studies. By analysing the existing literature, the paper evaluates in which areas of the value chain the concept of sustainability have not been considered and identifies potential future steps to reach a more sustainable complete lifecycle of ornamentals.
Environmental Footprinting for Agricultural Products: The GLOBAL 2000 Approach
This briefing presents the GLOBAL 2000 environmental performance assessment and measurement approach for agricultural products and their production (value chain). The aim of the GLOBAL 2000 approach is to get a comprehensive understanding of the life cycle (field to shelf) environmental impacts of a certain types of agricultural production behind these products. Furthermore, it creates incentives for all participants of the production chain to adopt a more sustainable production practices and to help consumers make deliberative consumption choices, by informing and benchmarking the environmental impacts of products along the lifecycle. The GLOBAL 2000 method is currently being used by the Austrian retailer group REWE International, and the REWE Pro Planet label as part of the REWE International Sustainability Program
HortScience, 2018
Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to analyze the production system components of a 20-cm Chrysanthemum grown for the fall market in the north Atlanta region of the United States. The model system consisted of 2 weeks of mist in a greenhouse followed by 9 weeks on an outdoor gravel bed equipped with drip irrigation. The carbon footprint, or global warming potential (GWP), was calculated as 0.555 kg CO2e and the variable costs incurred during the modeled production system (from rooting purchased cuttings to loading the truck for shipment) totaled $0.846. Use of plastics was important in terms of GWP and variable costs with the container contributing 26.7% of the GWP of the product and 12.2% of the variable costs. The substrate accounted for 44.8% of the GWP in this model but only 12.1% of the variable costs. Consumptive water use during misting was determined to be 3.9 L per plant whereas water use during outdoor production was 34.8 L. Because propagation is handled in various ways...
Soil Sustainable Management in Rose Integrated Production
An Integrated Production System consists of exploring land for the production of food and other high-quality products through the use of natural resources and regulatory mechanisms to minimize the use of polluting inputs, thus ensuring sustainability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the production of 'Carolla' rose, grown under different soil management systems in Integrated Production System. 'Carolla' rose graftings were grown in soil in a greenhouse. The experimental design was randomized complete block in split plot arrangement in space, with eight treatments and four replicates. The treatments consisted of four percentages (25, 50, 75 and 100%) of chemical fertilizer, based on recommended rose fertilization for the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, versus presence and absence of green manure (Calopogonium mucunoides) grown intercropped with the rosebush. Treatments that did not receive 100% of chemical fertilizer have been incremented with two types of bio-fertilizers monthly applied: Bokashi (16 g/plant in the soil) and Supermagro (5% in foliar application). The assessments were conducted three times a week during one year. The crop management was carried out in accordance with the rules of integrated production. It was observed that in the presence of green manure, the number of stems produced per plant (7.16), leaf dry weight (4.55 g) and total dry weight (12.06 g) were lower when compared with plants grown without green manure (7.98, 5.01 and 12.90 g, respectively). For the other parameters evaluated (stem length and flower bud length, stem base diameter and flower bud diameter, stem and flower bud dry weight), no significant differences were observed. In the first year of evaluation, it was found that it is possible to produce high-quality roses using smaller percentages of mineral fertilizers, since the production and quality of plants were similar even with reduced fertilization.