Environmental Footprint Initiative - Agricultural Working Group Milestone 5
Biodiversity impacts in LCA
The Environmental Footprint (EF) methods, recommended by the European Commission, offer a framework for assessing the environmental impact of various sectors. This report outlines the findings from the Agricultural Working Group (AWG), Milestone 5, focusing on the evaluation of methods to better reflect biodiversity impacts within the EF. It addresses the need to integrate biodiversity as a distinct category due to its critical importance in ecosystem stability and provision of services. The proposed options include adopting endpoint or midpoint methods and developing a biodiversity indicator through normalisation and weighting. The report highlights the importance of capturing multiple drivers of biodiversity loss, such as land use and climate change, to provide a holistic understanding of environmental impacts. The policy relevance of this work is reflected in its potential to improve EF methods, ensuring they remain scientifically robust and aligned with sustainability goals, thereby supporting better decision-making in environmental policy and management.
GARCIA HERRERO Laura;
DE LAURENTIIS Valeria;
SINKKO Taija;
GUERRIERI Valentina;
BIGANZOLI Fabrizio;
LISTORTI Giulia;
SALA Serenella;
2025-10-01
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC142437
978-92-68-32059-4 (online),
1831-9424 (online),
EUR 40471,
OP KJ-01-25-497-EN-N (online),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC142437,
10.2760/9118063 (online),
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