Discussing Sustainability and Innovation in the Food and Wine Industries

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At the 14th LCAFood 2024 International Conference, the world’s leading forum on sustainable food, I had the opportunity to present two posters showcasing the outcomes of two distinct projects in which the UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change at ESCI-UPF participates. The conference provided an exceptional platform for further discussions on sustainability and innovation in the food and wine industries.

Project 1: Wine Packaging and Environmental Impact in Spain

Spain, the world’s leading vineyard, accounts for 13% of global wine production. However, the environmental impact of wine packaging is significant, contributing to 30-40% of the wine industry’s climate change footprint (PEFCR, 2020). In response to this, the EU Directive (EU) 2018/852 emphasizes reuse as a key strategy for enhancing resource efficiency and reducing environmental impact. Spain is adopting this directive by promoting the reuse of glass packaging in the wine sector.

Our research aimed to provide Spanish wineries with a tool to compare the environmental performance of reusable glass bottles versus single-use ones. The REBO2VINO project is currently running pilot tests at MIGUEL TORRES and BODEGA GONZÁLEZ BYASS JEREZ, S.L.U. (BGBJ) wineries, focusing on the introduction of reusable glass packaging into wine production and distribution via the HORECA channel.

Key partners in this initiative include:

• FEV (Spanish Federation of Winemakers)

• Verallia, a global leader in glass container manufacturing

• Indra (Minsait), a top IT company in Spain and Europe

• UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change at ESCI-UPF

Esta actuación cuenta con una ayuda de 563.721,90€ financiada íntegramente por el Fondo Europeo Agrícola de Desarrollo Rural (FEADER) de la Unión Europea, en el marco del Programa Nacional de Desarrollo Rural 2014-2022, con fondos procedentes del Instrumento de Recuperación Europeo (EU Next Generation).

Project 2: Environmental Cost of Animal and Plant-Based Proteins

With the global population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, ensuring both adequate and nutritious food within natural resource limits is critical (UN, 2017). The IPCC reports that 21-37% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from the food system (IPCC, 2022). While many studies have explored the environmental impacts of animal-based and alternative proteins, a comprehensive evaluation of their environmental costs has been lacking.

Our study fills this gap by analyzing the environmental cost of 1 kg of 79 animal- and plant-based protein sources, across eight different groups, from production to the supermarket shelf. This research aims to guide more sustainable food choices by comparing the environmental impact of various protein sources.

The project is conducted under the supervision of Dr Alba Bala and Dr Pere Fullana, with the collaboration of Dr Laura Batlle and Ilija Sazdovski.