Abstract
Large amounts of phosphorus resources, such as mineral fertilizers and manure, are mobilized globally to produce the food consumed in cities. Accounting for the use of these resources can allow cities to plan for interventions that reduce related pressures in their hinterlands, conserve resources, and lead to more circular food systems. In this study we calculate a resource-based phosphorus footprint for the food consumption in Brussels Capital Region and use it to compare different strategies towards increased circularity: waste reuse, waste reduction, dietary changes and shifts to locally produced food. The P footprint of an average inhabitant in Brussels is 7.7 kgP cap yr−1, 10 times higher than the physical P consumption of 0.7 kgP cap yr−1. About 60% of the total P inputs into food production are through manure, and the rest through mineral fertilizers; almost 80% of the inputs occur outside Belgium. Most of these inputs are related to the cultivation of feed for livestock, which is why a shift to vegetarian and vegan diets can reduce the footprint down to 4.8 kgP cap yr−1 and 0.9 kgP cap yr−1. To the contrary, consuming only food produced in Belgium would increase the footprint to 12 kgP cap yr−1, mostly as a result of the high manure use in the north of the country. A reduction in the P footprint signifies an absolute reduce in total resource use that can alleviate pressures in the hinterland and promote a city’s transition towards circularity.
Highlights
What food we consume, and how this food is produced, affects the environment in many ways
In this study we developed a P footprint approach that combines P flows up- and downstream the city, focuses on resource use, rather than emissions, and accounts for both primary and secondary P inputs into the food system
In this study we developed a resource-based P footprint for an urban diet and used it to quantify the P embodied in the food consumed in Brussels Capital Region
Summary
How this food is produced, affects the environment in many ways One of these is by altering the nutrient cycles: excess use of mineral fertilizers and poor management of manure and human excreta have led to aquatic eutrophication at levels beyond the planetary boundaries for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) at the global (Kahiluoto et al 2015, Steffen et al 2015) and European level (EEA and FOEN 2020). A better management of P resources, including a more efficient agricultural use of P fertilizers, the circularization of P flows and even the reconfiguration of the role of P in the food chain, could lead to more circular and sustainable phosphorus and food systems (Withers et al2015, 2018) and less pressure onto ecosystems and resources. Focusing solely on reuse can lead to rebound effects, where the use of secondary (reused) P increases without a parallel decrease in total resource use (Zink and Geyer 2017)
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