Abstract
Nowadays the heightened awareness of the critical trend in resource depletion impels to improve the eco − sustainability of any productive process. The research presented in this paper aims to quantify the environmental impact of the emerging productive process of edible flowers, focusing on two model species, i.e., Begonia x semperflorens − cultorum hort and Viola cornuta L., and two types of product, i.e., flowering potted plants sold in plastic vases and packaged flowers ready to be consumed. The study was carried out in an Italian nursery located in Tuscany, interviewing the owners in order to complete the Life Cycle Inventory, assessing the value of the impact categories, and using the “cradle to gate” approach. The information about the production of flowering potted plants and packaged flowers were inserted in a database and elaborated by the appropriate software. The results of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis referred to 1 g of fresh edible flowers and were expressed in four impact categories. Global Warming Potential (GWP) values ranged from 24.94 to 31.25 g CO2 eq/g flowers, Acidification Potential (AP) ranged from 8.169E − 02 to 1.249E − 01 g SO2 eq/g flowers, Eutrophication Potential (EP) ranged from 3.961E − 02 to 5.284E − 02 g PO43 − eq/g flowers, and Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential (POCP) ranged from 8.998E − 03 to 1.134E − 02 g C2H4 eq/g flowers. Begonias showed lower emissions than violas in the GWP and POCP indexes, whereas violas showed lower values in the AP and EP impact categories. The most impactful phase was the propagation, accounting on average for 42% of the total emissions. Overall, the findings highlighted a higher environmental load for the production of both begonias and violas packaged flowers, especially if in small containers, rather than as potted plants, with an emission percentage increase from 8% to 17% among the impact categories.
Highlights
The globalization in the floricultural sector and the leadership of the Netherlands’ floriculture system [1] create more competition, challenging the innovation and the reorganization of the floricultural sector
This paper aims to fill this gap by analyzing a model production system located in central Italy (Tuscany), and by being a partner of the project Interreg − Alcotra Antea (Innovative activities for the development of the cross − border edible flower supply chain) n. 1139, which is working on edible flowers, and one of the first and biggest realities of edible flower cultivation born and developed in the country
This study provided information about the environmental impact of edible flowers’ production chain
Summary
The globalization in the floricultural sector and the leadership of the Netherlands’ floriculture system [1] create more competition, challenging the innovation and the reorganization of the floricultural sector. Thereby, some ornamental horticultural nurseries have recently started to look at flowers as food products, like a new type of vegetables [4], both to react to the crisis in the sector by diversifying their product, and to satisfy the increasing demand for more attractive and high quality foodstuff [5,6,7]. Agronomy 2020, 10, 579 have been growing in recent years. There are more than 700 studies from 2011 to date, with a growing number in the last three years, showing an increasing interest in edible flowers (Scopus database). Since many of the edible flowers contain healthy components, they have a potential to be developed as a new crop with health benefits [11,12,13]
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