Abstract
The application of life cycle assessment method (LCA) to animal production is a methodological option to assess the potential impact of products, services, or production processes in a comprehensive way as it considers both the quantity and quality of water in the life cycle approach. In this paper, the water footprint of jumping sport horses’ production has been determined using the LCA methodology for the first time ever. The results of this paper show that the production of medium- and high-performance sport horses uses a large amount of water. However, modifications to the diet (type and percentage of oils in the supplement, place of origin of feed, etc.) and in the management and destination of waste (animal box beds) can result in a reduction of the water requirement and the environmental impact of production. This type of studies should be developed in different farms in the future in order to give producers management alternatives that improve the sustainability of productions.
Highlights
The interest in water footprint stems from the acknowledgment that human impact on water systems may be related to human consumption and to the fact that certain issues such as water shortage and contamination may be better understood and managed considering the production and distribution chains in its entirety.The problem of water is one of the most feasible causes of potential global crisis in the coming decades [1,2].The United Nations in its sustainable development goals (SDGs) recognizes the water issue as one of the most relevant in the world
One of the tools used worldwide is the life cycle assessment method (LCA), applicable to the productive system, which was standardized in accordance with ISO 14046: “Environmental management—Water footprint—principles, requirements and guidelines” (2014)
Farm water physicochemical parameters show the following average figures: pH: 6.81; conductivity: 852 μS/cm; total hardness: 213 mg/L; chlorides: 28 mg/L; and nitrates: 2.5 mg/L. These figures show that farm water is of relatively good quality nitrates level is over guideline levels proposed by Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines (CEME) (
Summary
The United Nations in its sustainable development goals (SDGs) recognizes the water issue as one of the most relevant in the world. This issue is transversal to all the SDGs [3,4]. The life cycle approach has proven to be a promising way to analyze the social, economic, and environmental impacts of bio-based products along the whole value chain. This method represents a valuable framework the transdisciplinary nature of which clearly demonstrates the importance of its integration with economic models, and with ecological and social theories [5,6]
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