BASF Devices Eco-Efficiency Analysis for Fruit and Vegetable Retailing
The entire life-cycle of the apple from the tree to the shelf in a German supermarket, including all the resources and materials required for this, was evaluated in terms of environmental impact and costs.
16/01/09 Is it ecologically responsible to buy an apple from overseas? Shouldn’t people as a rule choose fruit from national or local producers? Such questions play an every greater role in consumers’ buying decisions. Yet our gut feelings can be misleading. Approaches, such as BASF’s eco-efficiency analysis, make it possible to carry out an objective assessment.
BASF’s eco-efficiency analysis for fruit and vegetables: REWE Group and BASF Crop Protection determine the governing factors for sustainability in apple growing and trading
BASF has devised for REWE an eco-efficiency analysis that determines which apple offered by a German REWE supermarket performs better in terms of its cost and environmental impact.
Examined and evaluated were apples of the Braeburn variety in November and April from the growing regions of Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina.
The entire life-cycle of the apple from the tree to the shelf in a German supermarket, including all the resources and materials required for this, was evaluated in terms of environmental impact and costs. A holistic approach was especially important for this. Along with the energy and resource consumption, emissions into the air, water and soil, the acreage requirement and the potential for toxicity and risk were included for the first time in such an analysis.
The results were surprising and expected in equal measure: It makes no difference in eco-efficiency whether the apples come from Germany or Italy. But Braeburn apples purchased from overseas in April can perform better than their European counterparts in terms of their environmental impact.
The reason: less energy is converted in shipping the apple from overseas then by placing the European apple in cold storage. The targeted use of fertilizer and crop protection products improves the eco-efficiency: Higher yields reduce the acreage requirement and the burden on the environment.
Actions for improving the process in terms of cost and ecology can be derived from the eco-efficiency analysis. Beyond that, it facilitates strategic decisions in purchasing.
The method developed by BASF SE and certified by TÜV technical standards tests measures the economic and ecological impact for the entire life-cycle and has already been applied successfully more than 350 times for BASF and external customers. The decisive adjustments for improving the sustainability of a product along the value chain have been identified with it. All participants along the purchasing chain are involved in the improvement process with this analysis. Similar products or processes can be compared with the help of the eco-efficiency analysis. “Only with such an all-embracing examination can the best balance be found among the requirements of business, society and the environment,” says Klaus Welsch, director of the BASF business unit Crop Protection Europe.
