Methodology Overview
Eaternity uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to calculate the environmental impact of food products. This scientific approach evaluates impacts across all stages of a product's life.
Life Cycle Assessment
Life Cycle Assessment is a quantitative material flow analysis used to evaluate environmental impacts from raw material extraction through production, use, and disposal.
System Boundaries
The Eaternity Score encompasses cradle-to-grave assessment across all lifecycle stages:
Included Lifecycle Stages
Agricultural Production (Cradle)
- Land use and land use change
- Fertilizer production and application
- Pesticide manufacturing and use
- Irrigation water consumption
- On-farm energy use
- Livestock methane and manure emissions
- Soil carbon changes
Processing & Manufacturing
- Ingredient transport to facility
- Manufacturing energy (electricity, gas, steam)
- Process water consumption
- Wastewater treatment
- Refrigeration and climate control
- Waste management
- Co-product allocation
Packaging
- Raw material extraction (oil, minerals, wood)
- Packaging material production
- Printing and labeling
- Transport of packaging to manufacturer
Distribution
- Finished product transport
- Mode-specific emissions (truck, ship, rail, air)
- Refrigerated vs. ambient transport
- Warehouse storage
- Last-mile delivery
Retail & Consumer Phase
- Retail refrigeration/freezing
- Consumer shopping transport
- Home storage (refrigerator, freezer, pantry)
- Cooking and preparation
- Food waste
End of Life (Grave)
- Packaging recycling
- Packaging landfill/incineration
- Food waste disposal
- Methane from organic waste decomposition
Cut-Off Criteria
Following ISO 14044 and PEF guidelines, system boundary cut-offs are applied to exclude flows with negligible environmental contribution:
- Mass criterion: Flows contributing less than 1% of total mass may be excluded
- Energy criterion: Flows contributing less than 1% of total energy inputs may be excluded
- Environmental significance: Flows contributing less than 1% of any impact category may be excluded
- Cumulative limit: Total excluded flows must not exceed 5% of any impact category (per PEF requirements)
Systematically excluded flows include minor administrative activities, employee commuting, and capital goods depreciation where data quality is insufficient.
Example: Pork Loin Steak
A life cycle assessment reveals which phases have the highest potential for CO₂ optimization. For 125g of pork loin steak producing 1800g CO₂eq:
| Stage | Description | Impact Factors |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Production | Land, fertilizers, pesticides, seeds | Farming inputs |
| Animal Feed | Corn, wheat, soy fed to livestock | 900 tons imported to Switzerland daily |
| Livestock Farming | Electricity, fuel, heat, farmland | Breathing, digestion, manure emissions |
| Processing | Products processed, packaged | Preparation for retail |
| Consumption | Shopping, refrigeration, cooking | Waste disposal |
All CO₂ values from Eaternity use exclusively scientifically substantiated CO₂ equivalents (CO₂eq).
Functional Unit
All impacts are normalized to enable fair comparisons:
- Per serving — Based on product-specific serving sizes
- Per kilogram — Standard mass-based comparison
- Per Daily Food Unit (DFU) — Nutritionally-equivalent portions
The functional unit choice depends on the use case. For consumer communication, per-serving is most intuitive. For supply chain comparisons, per-kilogram enables direct comparison of ingredients.
Key Aspects of Food LCA
In the context of the Environmental Operating System (EOS), LCA is applied specifically to food products:
- Scope: Covers the entire food supply chain including agriculture, processing, packaging, transportation, and waste management
- Impact Categories: Focuses on greenhouse gas emissions (carbon footprint) and water usage, with additional indicators
- Data Integration: Combines data from EDB, Ecoinvent, real-time user inputs, and partner systems
- Calculation Engine: Processes LCA data for real-time environmental impact assessments
- Gap-Filling: When data is missing, Gap-Filling Modules (GFMs) ensure comprehensive assessments
Life Cycle Inventory
The inventory in LCA refers to the comprehensive collection and quantification of inputs and outputs. This includes:
- Raw materials extraction and processing
- Manufacturing and production processes
- Distribution and transportation
- Use phase
- End-of-life disposal or recycling
For food products, the inventory includes:
- Agricultural inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, water)
- Energy consumption in food processing
- Packaging materials
- Transportation emissions
- Food waste and its management
Standards Alignment
Eaternity's methodology aligns with major international standards:
ISO 14040/14044
The foundation of LCA methodology:
- ISO 14040:2006: Principles and framework (goal, scope, system boundaries, functional unit)
- ISO 14044:2006 + Amd 1:2017 + Amd 2:2020: Requirements and guidelines (inventory analysis, impact assessment, interpretation)
PAS 2050:2011
Product carbon footprint standard:
- 100-year global warming potential (GWP100, using IPCC AR6 characterization factors)
- Comprehensive emissions accounting
- Economic allocation for co-products (e.g., meat and dairy from livestock systems)
Product Environmental Footprint (PEF 3.0)
European Commission methodology:
- Multi-indicator environmental assessment
- Product category-specific rules (PEFCRs)
- Normalized and weighted impacts
GHG Protocol Product Standard (2011)
World Resources Institute framework:
- Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions categorization
- Primary data prioritization
- Monte Carlo uncertainty quantification
For detailed standards documentation, see Standards Compliance.
Impact Categories
EOS calculates multiple environmental impact categories:
- Global Warming Potential (GWP100) — CO₂ equivalents over 100 years using IPCC AR6 characterization factors
- Water Scarcity — Regional water consumption impact
- Land Use — Agricultural land transformation
- Eutrophication — Nutrient enrichment in ecosystems
- Acidification — Soil and water acidification potential
Uncertainty & Data Quality
Sources of Uncertainty
Environmental impact calculations involve inherent uncertainties from multiple sources:
| Source | Description | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|
| Parameter uncertainty | Variability in emission factors and input data | ±10-30% |
| Model uncertainty | Simplifications in LCA models | ±5-20% |
| Scenario uncertainty | Assumptions about origins, transport, production | ±10-50% |
| Temporal variability | Seasonal and year-to-year variations | ±5-15% |
Uncertainty Quantification
EOS addresses uncertainty through:
- Data quality indicators — Each data point is scored on reliability, completeness, temporal relevance, geographic relevance, and technological relevance (see Data Quality Standards)
- Conservative defaults — When specific data is unavailable, assumptions err toward higher impact estimates
- Sensitivity analysis — Key parameters are tested to identify which inputs most affect results
- Confidence intervals — Where sufficient data exists, results include uncertainty ranges
Communicating Uncertainty
For consumer-facing applications (Eaternity Score, menu labels), results are presented as:
- Letter grades (A-E) rather than precise numbers, acknowledging inherent uncertainty
- Relative comparisons ("better than average") rather than absolute claims
- Rounded values to avoid false precision
For professional applications (corporate reporting, supply chain analysis), detailed uncertainty information is available upon request.
The rating system is designed so that typical uncertainties do not change a product's rating category. A product rated "B" would need significant data errors to actually be an "A" or "C".
Functional Unit: Daily Food Unit
To enable fair comparisons between different foods, Eaternity uses the Daily Food Unit (DFU) — a standardized unit representing ⅓ of daily nutritional requirements.
Next Steps
- Daily Food Unit (DFU) — Understanding our functional unit
- Climate Benchmarks — How we rate food products
- Data Sources — Scientific foundation
- Data Quality Standards — Data tiers and quality scoring
Product-Specific Methodology
For detailed methodology documentation specific to each product:
- Score Methodology — Environmental scoring methodology with standards compliance
- Gastro Scoring — Restaurant-specific scoring details
- Ratings Overview — Environmental indicator documentation