Methodology Overview

Eaternity uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to calculate the environmental impact of food products. This scientific approach evaluates impacts across all stages of a product's life.

Life Cycle Assessment

Life Cycle Assessment is a quantitative material flow analysis used to evaluate environmental impacts from raw material extraction through production, use, and disposal.

System Boundaries

The Eaternity Score encompasses cradle-to-grave assessment across all lifecycle stages:

Included Lifecycle Stages

Agricultural Production (Cradle)

• Land use and land use change
• Fertilizer production and application
• Pesticide manufacturing and use
• Irrigation water consumption
• On-farm energy use
• Livestock methane and manure emissions
• Soil carbon changes

Processing & Manufacturing

• Ingredient transport to facility
• Manufacturing energy (electricity, gas, steam)
• Process water consumption
• Wastewater treatment
• Refrigeration and climate control
• Waste management
• Co-product allocation

Packaging

• Raw material extraction (oil, minerals, wood)
• Packaging material production
• Printing and labeling
• Transport of packaging to manufacturer

Distribution

• Finished product transport
• Mode-specific emissions (truck, ship, rail, air)
• Refrigerated vs. ambient transport
• Warehouse storage
• Last-mile delivery

Retail & Consumer Phase

• Retail refrigeration/freezing
• Consumer shopping transport
• Home storage (refrigerator, freezer, pantry)
• Cooking and preparation
• Food waste

End of Life (Grave)

• Packaging recycling
• Packaging landfill/incineration
• Food waste disposal
• Methane from organic waste decomposition

Example: Pork Loin Steak

A life cycle assessment reveals which phases have the highest potential for CO₂ optimization. For 125g of pork loin steak producing 1800g CO₂eq:

Stage	Description	Impact Factors
Agricultural Production	Land, fertilizers, pesticides, seeds	Farming inputs
Animal Feed	Corn, wheat, soy fed to livestock	900 tons imported to Switzerland daily
Livestock Farming	Electricity, fuel, heat, farmland	Breathing, digestion, manure emissions
Processing	Products processed, packaged	Preparation for retail
Consumption	Shopping, refrigeration, cooking	Waste disposal

info

All CO₂ values from Eaternity use exclusively scientifically substantiated CO₂ equivalents (CO₂eq).

Functional Unit

All impacts are normalized to enable fair comparisons:

• Per serving — Based on product-specific serving sizes
• Per kilogram — Standard mass-based comparison
• Per Daily Food Unit (DFU) — Nutritionally-equivalent portions

The functional unit choice depends on the use case. For consumer communication, per-serving is most intuitive. For supply chain comparisons, per-kilogram enables direct comparison of ingredients.

Key Aspects of Food LCA

In the context of the Environmental Operating System (EOS), LCA is applied specifically to food products:

• Scope: Covers the entire food supply chain including agriculture, processing, packaging, transportation, and waste management
• Impact Categories: Focuses on greenhouse gas emissions (carbon footprint) and water usage, with additional indicators
• Data Integration: Combines data from EDB, Ecoinvent, real-time user inputs, and partner systems
• Calculation Engine: Processes LCA data for real-time environmental impact assessments
• Gap-Filling: When data is missing, Gap-Filling Modules (GFMs) ensure comprehensive assessments

Life Cycle Inventory

The inventory in LCA refers to the comprehensive collection and quantification of inputs and outputs. This includes:

• Raw materials extraction and processing
• Manufacturing and production processes
• Distribution and transportation
• Use phase
• End-of-life disposal or recycling

For food products, the inventory includes:

• Agricultural inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, water)
• Energy consumption in food processing
• Packaging materials
• Transportation emissions
• Food waste and its management

Standards Alignment

Eaternity's methodology aligns with major international standards:

ISO 14040/14044

The foundation of LCA methodology:

• ISO 14040: Principles and framework (goal, scope, system boundaries, functional unit)
• ISO 14044: Requirements and guidelines (inventory analysis, impact assessment, interpretation)

PAS 2050

Product carbon footprint standard:

• 100-year global warming potential (GWP-100)
• Comprehensive emissions accounting
• Economic allocation for co-products

Product Environmental Footprint (PEF)

European Commission methodology:

• Multi-indicator environmental assessment
• Product category-specific rules
• Normalized and weighted impacts

GHG Protocol Product Standard

World Resources Institute framework:

• Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions categorization
• Primary data prioritization
• Monte Carlo uncertainty quantification

For detailed standards documentation, see Standards Compliance.

Impact Categories

EOS calculates multiple environmental impact categories:

• Global Warming Potential (GWP) — CO₂ equivalents over 100 years
• Water Scarcity — Regional water consumption impact
• Land Use — Agricultural land transformation
• Eutrophication — Nutrient enrichment in ecosystems
• Acidification — Soil and water acidification potential

Functional Unit: Daily Food Unit

To enable fair comparisons between different foods, Eaternity uses the Daily Food Unit (DFU) — a standardized unit representing ⅓ of daily nutritional requirements.

Next Steps

• Daily Food Unit (DFU) — Understanding our functional unit
• Climate Benchmarks — How we rate food products
• Data Sources — Scientific foundation

Product-Specific Methodology

For detailed methodology documentation specific to each product:

• Score Methodology — Environmental scoring methodology with standards compliance
• Gastro Scoring — Restaurant-specific scoring details
• Ratings Overview — Environmental indicator documentation