The environmental impact of a Sardinian wine by partial Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this study was to evaluate the environmental emissions associated with the production of a typical white wine produced in Sardinia, with particular reference to CO2 emissions. The main objective is to determine the main environmental impacts of the overall production process and to identify what steps have the greatest level of criticity. MethodsAn attributional and partial Life Cycle Assessment analysis was used with GaBi software. ResultsThe analysis shows that the main problems were the production and combustion of diesel in the viticulture phase, above all during the vine planting phase, and the production of glass bottles in the phase of wine bottling within the winery processes. Conclusions and recommendationsTo overcome these critical points, some suggestions come from the most recent literature, such as the use of biofuels in the first case and the use of lighter bottles in the second. More in-depth analysis is needed to compare these alternatives in order to assess the effective reduction of environmental emissions.