Climate Smart Regenerative Agriculture to Produce Sustainable Beauty Products: The Case Study of Snail Secretion Filtrate (LX360®)

Agata Novara,Salvatore Sampino,Fernando Paternò,Saskia Keesstra

doi:10.3390/su14042367

Abstract

In the last years, the environmental impacts of cosmetics production have received growing interest from consumers, industries and the scientific community. Therefore, the selection and evaluation of more sustainable ingredients for cosmetic preparations need greater attention. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the environmental impact of snail secretion filtrate (LX360®), which could be used as an alternative cosmetic ingredient. The Carbon Footprint (CF) was used to quantify the kgCO2eq per liter of the LX360® produced in a rearing system farm that follows circularity economy and regenerative agriculture principles. The study computes the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock change due to the implementation of regenerative agricultural practices. The CF of the production system was up to 1.76 kg CO2eq L−1, where the extraction stage contributed most. Findings on SOC stock showed a significant increase compared to the previous land-use. The net sequestered CO2 into the soil amounts to 2.07 kg CO2eq L−1; therefore, the production of LX360® showed a positive carbon balance (0.31 kg CO2eq L−1). The application of regenerative agriculture in snail rearing systems positively affects SOC sequestration, and it should be considered as a best management practice for the restoration of degraded land.

Highlights

IntroductionPublished: 18 February 2022In recent years, heliciculture (snail farming) has spread in several European countries.It has proven to be a profitable market activity, both for the production of food and for cosmetics (Forte et al, 2016) [1]
Published: 18 February 2022In recent years, heliciculture has spread in several European countries.It has proven to be a profitable market activity, both for the production of food and for cosmetics (Forte et al, 2016) [1]
A notable benefit of snail farming is that snails require lower inputs to grow and produce the same amount of protein-rich meat compared to cows, pigs, and poultry, and particular attention has been paid to snail farming in recent years since it could be an alternative protein source with a lower environmental impact

Summary

Introduction

Published: 18 February 2022In recent years, heliciculture (snail farming) has spread in several European countries.It has proven to be a profitable market activity, both for the production of food and for cosmetics (Forte et al, 2016) [1]. Heliciculture (snail farming) has spread in several European countries. The authors estimated that the carbon footprint of snail meat is 0.7 kg CO2 per 1 kg of edible meat, while for 1 kg of beef, values range from 14 to 51 kg CO2 per 1 kg in relation to the production system [3,4]. These values are lower than other protein production [1,5], the impact of snail farming

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