Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing for the Production of Hydrangeas in Antioquia—Colombia

Abstract

In the floriculture sector, it has been identified that the use of agrochemicals, fuels, and various raw materials has a significant impact on the environment, and, from an economic point of view, their use improves the quality of life of the people involved in the activity, and at the same time contributes to the development of the territories. Therefore, in order to address these issues, sustainability-oriented solutions have been proposed. This study focuses on the performance of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of hydrangea production, addressing its environmental and economic dimensions, using the conventional method according to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards. The functional unit was defined as one kilogram (1 kg) of hydrangea stems from a 36-week production cycle in three different crop sizes, as follows: small (0.45 ha), medium (1.20 ha), and large (2.99 ha). The boundaries of the gate-to-gate system were used, including the stages of growing and transporting of the flowers, to delivery to the marketer. The results showed significant environmental impacts in the areas of climate change, human toxicity, and acidification, resulting from phytosanitary management; use of fertilizers, fuel, and raw materials for infrastructure; and packaging of flowers for delivery to the marketer. In addition, from an economic point of view, it was shown that the most significant internal costs were associated with the cultivation phase, while the external costs were associated with CO2 emissions. The return on investment was less than 0.15 years, with human productivity more than 73%, and infrastructure investment less than 16%. These results highlight the need to implement effective measures to mitigate negative impacts and promote more sustainable practices in floriculture to further strengthen the sector, as hydrangeas are an export product.