Blonk Consultants

Our colleague Davide Lucherini recently attended an expert workshop in Matera, Italy, that shed light on the challenges in climate-smart agriculture: nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions. 💡 Hear it from Davide on some of the key insights:   🌎 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗼𝗶𝗹 𝗡𝗶𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗚𝗛𝗚 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗖𝗔 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 ➡️ N₂O is far more impactful than CO₂, yet its soil emissions are highly variable and challenging to measure in agricultural operations. ➡️ Most Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) still use Tier 1 emission factors (largely modelled data with little or no local activity data available), offering limited accuracy and not reflecting mitigation practices or local conditions ➡️ There's growing momentum around process-based models for more accurate nitrogen emission estimates, though these require extensive data and are still being validated. ➡️ Collaboration with soil scientists as key partners—their expertise can improve LCA accuracy through guidance on model selection, parameterization, and the development of region-specific emission factors. ➡️ The emphasis could shift toward Tier 2 and 3 approaches in the future, coupled with uncertainty analysis, to determine the true added value of complex modeling.   The workshop in Matera laid an important foundation for collaboration, with outcomes expected to support initiatives like 𝗖𝗥𝗖𝗙 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴. Thank you Valeria De Laurentiis , Daniele De Rosa, Laura García Herrero and JRC, for organizing this workshop!

🎓 Learn from our experts: 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐋𝐂𝐀 & 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 🌱 Want to deepen your understanding of LCA of crop cultivation systems? Whether you're working with horticulture, arable crops, or orchards – this training is for you. Join our expert trainers, Eline Disselhorst and Davide Lucherini, for a practical, hands-on session covering: 🌿 Key LCA principles for crop cultivation systems, from direct emissions modelling to impact assessment methods and primary data collection ✅ Relevant Footprinting standards and tools, such as FreshProduce shadow PEFCR, and Hortifootprint Category Rules ✍ Case studies and exercises 📅 13 May 🕑 Half-day (afternoon, CEST) 📍 Online Save your spot now: https://lnkd.in/eF_UBvaF #LCAtraining #footprinttraining #plantproductionsystems #LCAcropcultivation

𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Join Nicolò Braconi as a guest speaker at a webinar by our client Adisseo. Together with Thomas Marques, Nicolò will be sharing insights on the environmental footprint assessment of feed additives in animal production systems. Find the registration details below 👇

While formal guidance on incorporating Land Use Change (LUC)-free and deforestation-free certifications into LCA is still under development, our experts have some key insights to share with you 👇

Join us April 28th-30th at booth 3021 with 🐾Petfood Forum Events and discover the latest in pet nutrition. Meet our team of experts and make sure you don't miss out as they present on trending topics in the industry. Monday, April 28th Marty Heller: Petfood Essentials: Demystifying life cycle assessment for the pet food industry Janjoris van Diepen: Petfood Essentials: Standardizing the environmental footprints of pet food ingredients: A case study with rendered animal byproducts https://hubs.ly/Q03fzMrv0 #foodsafety #PetfoodForum #Sustainability

𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 : Daniel Egas Galarza 𝗮𝘁 "𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿" 𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 Last week, our colleague Daniel from Spain represented Mérieux NutriSciences | Blonk at the seminar "New Paradigms for the Food Sector" by Mérieux NutriSciences España alongside professionals from the food industry. Daniel highlighted the importance of LCA and Environmental Footprinting as key tools to measure and demonstrate the sector's progress toward sustainability. He also engaged in insightful discussions with Amaia Barredo, Minister of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture, and Fisheries of the Eusko Jaurlaritza - Gobierno Vasco, exploring strategies for sustainable development in the Agri-Food sector of the Basque Country. A special mention to our colleagues at Mérieux NutriSciences España, @Anna Torrent & Javier Gamboa for their expertise and knowledge to drive sustainable development and innovation in the industry. #LCA #environmentalfootprinting #agrifood

👉 Job alert - We’re looking for an HR Business Partner! As an HR Business Partner, you’ll play an important role in supporting our HR and recruitment efforts, focusing on developing our talent and attracting new talent. You’ll work alongside our teams and leadership to build a workplace where people feel engaged, supported, and inspired to grow. If you’re passionate about contributing to a thriving workplace culture, we want to hear from you! Ready to take the next step in your career? Apply today and join us: https://lnkd.in/eYxrwE4N #job #HRjob #duurzamevacature #vacature #HRbusinesspartner

Meet our colleague Daniel Egas Galarza at the annual Mérieux NutriSciences España seminar in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain on March 27. In this seminar on "New Paradigms for the Food Sector", Daniel will discuss the key aspects of understanding the EU Green Claims Directive - mandatory implementation expected by the end of 2026. Meet Daniel and the Mérieux NutriSciences team in Spain! 👉 Register Here: https://lnkd.in/dyewQCAc #sustainability #LCA #GreenClaimsDirective

📊 Collecting primary data at scale may seem daunting and time-consuming, but it can offer long-term benefits such as deeper insights to drive decision-making and better reporting outcomes. Read on to discover how FastCropᵀᴹ Footprint tackles this challenge. #primarydata #environmentalfootprint #fastcrop

🐾 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗘𝗙𝗖𝗥 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲! Kudos to Davide Lucherini, Lana Liem & Mariem Maaoui from our team for their contribution and collaboration with FEDIAF - The European Pet Food Industry, European Commission, the review panel, and the PEF Technical Secretariat for this update! 💡 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘄? ✅ 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: transition from 𝗘𝗙𝟮 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝗙𝟯.𝟭, significantly impacting the results for representative products. ✅ 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆: inclusion of 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 as a major impact category, which was previously not considered ✅𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: enhanced requirements for more accurate and reliable assessments ✅ 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 👉 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e2wyyAj2 #petfood #PEFCR #LCA