Presentation at the "” Multi Stakeholder Forum on Environmental Claims. EU-Commission DG SANCO (Consumer & Health). Brussels, Belgium

1. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Life Cycle Based Ecolabeling for Agricultural
Products in Austria
the GLOBAL 2000 adaptive labeling approach for
agricultural products
Martin Wildenberg, Tanja Altaparmakova, Kewin Comploi, Dominik Frieling
12/1/2012 1
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

2. Sustainability
Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Assessment , Solutions and Applied
Research
Structure of the talk
Some thoughts on green claims
Who we do it
The system
Results
Success factors
12/1/2012 2
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

3. Sustainability
Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Assessment , Solutions and Applied
Research
What is a green product?
A product that is environmentally friendly
according to resource use and emissions
along the whole life cycle and is produced
under fair conditions.
2/5/2012
12/1/2012 6
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

4. Sustainability
Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Assessment , Solutions and Applied
Research
First Challenge:
Sustainability is
complex
Comple
x
2/5/2012
12/1/2012 7
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

5. Sustainability
Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Assessment , Solutions and Applied
Research
First Challenge:
Simple
marketing relies on simple
massages
2/5/2012
12/1/2012 8
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

6. Sustainability
Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Assessment , Solutions and Applied
Research
Second Challenge:
1+1 = ∫(x) =
Sustainability SUSTAINABILITY
Different views on
sustainability exist
2/5/2012
12/1/2012 9
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

7. Sustainability
Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Assessment , Solutions and Applied
Research
Third Challenge:
Requires trust –
that easily can be
destroyed by
others
2/5/2012
12/1/2012 10
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

8. Sustainability
Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Assessment , Solutions and Applied
Research
Fourth Challenge:
Some times
messages are
Consume less
really simple but
do not go along
with marketing
strategies
2/5/2012
12/1/2012 11
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

9. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
The GLOBAL 2000 adaptive labeling approach for sustainable
agricultural products
Aim:
• set incentives for farmers, distributors and retailers to adopt
a more sustainable production mode
• inform consumers about environmental impacts of their
choices.
12/1/2012 13
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

10. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Use case: Pro Planet – Austria fruit vegetable and
eggs
The Label
In Germany & Austria
- Identify & resolve social and ecological hot-spots
in the production chain
In Austria:
For fruits, vegetables and eggs:
Cooperation between Caritas, REWE International AG &
GLOBAL 2000
12/1/2012 14
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

11. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
The building blocks of the program
Ecological Sustainability
Indicator set
Rules and regulations
Stakeholder process Pesticide Monitoring
Consumer Safety
GRASP & SA 8000
Good Agricultural
Social Practice
Global Gap
Practice
Caritas
PRP
12/1/2012 15
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

12. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
The focus of our indicator system
12/1/2012 16
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

13. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Farm based indicators
N-balance
P-balance Calculated by INL
Humus-balance using the model
REPRO (Hülsbergen
Pesticide use et al 2003)
Energy intensity
12/1/2012 17
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

14. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Per service unit indicators:
Carbon-footprint
Biotic Material Input
A-biotic Material Input
Water input
Area used
Field to shelf
12/1/2012 18
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

15. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Data needed:
Field records (machine use etc.)
Pesticide use
Yields
In case of fruit rotation the data
should cover at least three years
Data on other inputs (energy &
materials) collection via
standardized form
Calculated by using factors from
the EcoInvent Database
12/1/2012 19
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

16. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Transparency over production chain
Information about CO2 footprint of apple juice at proplanet-label.at
12/1/2012 21
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

17. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
The Soft side of Labeling:
Involvement
Knowledge exchange
Education
= Participation
12/1/2012 23
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

18. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Stakeholder Process
Participants:
•Producer
•Distributor
•Producer-organization
Benchmarking •Quality Management
Regulations •Experts
Hotspots
•GLOBAL 2000
•Caritas
12/1/2012 24
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

19. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Results
After starting with the labeling of Austrian open-land
strawberries in June 2010…
• Over 500 farms have submitted data in 2012
• 25 product groups have been screened from which
• 17 products labeled.
• 50+ stakeholder workshops have been conducted
12/1/2012 25
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

20. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Comparing production systems
12/1/2012 27
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

21. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
3.5
3
2.5 Tomato Greenhouse AUT
2 (Gas-heating)
1.5 Tomato Greenhouse AUT
(comunity heating)
1
Cocktail Tomato ESP
0.5
(tunnel)
0 Tomato ESP (tunnel)
Tomato AUT (tunnel)
12/1/2012 28
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

22. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Comparing products:
Pesticide use index
18 16
16 15 15
14
12
10 9
7
8
5 5
6 5 5
4
4 2
1 2
2
0
Pro-Planet product
12/1/2012 29
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

23. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Comparing producers:
Variation in Pesticide Index in 138 apple producers
Pflanzenschutz-Index
Häufigkeit und Menge von Pestizid-Anwendungen 2011
40,0
35,0
30,0 Pf lanzenschutzindex Pro Planet-Äpf el
Ihr Betrieb (Mittelw ert aller Schläge)
Optimumgrenze
Pflanzenschutz-Index
25,0 Toleranzgrenze
20,0
15,0
10,0
5,0
0,0
12/1/2012 30
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

24. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Ten Success factors
1. Largely relying on data that is available and recorded anyway
2. Indicators point at hotspots
3. Indicators cover resource use, emissions & health
4. Improvements can be quantified & communicated
5. Indicators are relevant for producers
6. Life cycle approach – transparency and responsibility over production chain
7. Third party assessments
8. Stakeholder involvement
9. Cooperation with important stakeholders: supermarket-chain, GlobalG.A.P.
and farm management software
10. Constant evaluation, adaptation and further development
12/1/2012 33
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

25. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Vision for green labeling:
1. GDA for environmental impact (combination
of general and product specific indicators)
2. Make use of labeling & certification process
3. Easy access of environmental product
information for customers (low barriers from label to
product information)
Impact = i
12/1/2012 35
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at

26. Sustainability
Assessment , Solutions and Applied Research
Thank You!
12/1/2012 36
28/11/2012 MDEC - DG SANCO martin.wildenberg@global2000.at