National scan-level carbon footprint study for production of US swine

The National Pork Board commissioned the University of Arkansas’ Applied Sustainability Center to conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the US pork supply chain, with primary focus on defining greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GHG emissions are commonly defined in terms of the cumulative global warming potential (GWP) of all greenhouse gases emitted for a system or product, and in this case across the supply chain necessary to provide pork products to the consumer. The GHG of primary concern are carbon dioxide (CO2); methane (CH4); nitrous oxide (N2O); and common refrigerants. The GWP for a system is reported in terms of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) derived by converting non-CO2 gas emissions to an equivalent ‘global warming potential’ quantity of CO2. The analysis was carried out for the functional unit of the consumption of one serving (4 ounces) of boneless pork. The system study boundaries encompassed feed production; swine production; delivery to processor; processing; packaging; distribution; retail; and consumption/disposal. The primary time frame for the study was 2009.