Brazil is among the ten largest egg producers in the world. The domestic consumption of Brazilian eggs is 99.6%, the rest being exported to more than 82 countries, with an expectation of growth in the foreign market. The Brazilian egg industry has evolved considerably in recent decades, incorporating new technologies and smart practices. However, there is no assessment of how production could become more sustainable over the years. The LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) approach aims to recognize the polluting potential, identify the environmental impacts generated and reduce these impacts throughout production. On a global scale, researchers approach LCA as a constructive and quantitative technique, and there is great interest in implementing an LCA for the Brazilian egg production sector. With the aim of introducing the LCA methodology to the Brazilian egg industry, this review presents the concept and accounting structure of LCA through LCI (Life Cycle Inventory) and LCIA (Life Cycle Impact Assessment), based on the ISO 14040 and 14044:2006 standards, to quantify the environmental performance of production and identify areas for future improvement, thus promoting the environmental footprint of the Brazilian egg industry.

Brazil stands as one of the world’s leading producers of animal protein, ranking sixth in global egg production. However, estimated growth in production demand, along with environmental impacts, represents a potential threat to the sustainability of the food system. Methods for assessing and quantifying the environmental impacts generated by Brazilian egg production remain scarce, lacking current reports on comparative effects or guiding standards. The objective of this study was to conduct a life cycle assessment from cradle to farm gate, adhering to ISO 14040 and 14044 standards, for the battery cage egg production systems and associated products in Brazil, with the aim of supporting and promoting sustainability improvements in the Brazilian egg industry. The entire life cycle modeling and process sustainability analysis were executed using the openLCA software, integrated with the Ecoinvent database. Emissions related to egg production yielded results of 65.06 kg SO₂ eq., 27.74 kg N eq., 3086.71 kg CO₂ eq., 75,152.66 CTUe, 2.75 × 10⁻⁵ CFC-11 eq., and 10,044.68 kg MJ eq. per ton of eggs produced. These findings can serve as comparative benchmarks for future studies and for analyzing data across different egg production systems in Brazil.

Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) is considered a qualitative study because it describes the environmental impacts of a product or process. This perception allows us to identify the potential effects and resources used, allowing us to structure sustainable ideas, identifying and developing innovative solutions. Establishing the life cycle of a product requires planning and understanding the stages of the production chain, the continuous assessment of processes and their environmental functions, from the extraction of raw materials, transportation, manufacturing process, delivery to the customer and final disposal. Although LCT is considered a philosophy, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a quantitative scientific method that allows you to express this thought. Through life cycle concepts and tools, it becomes possible to define the stages of a product's life cycle, assist decision makers in data analysis and implement sustainability with appropriate strategies and actions. However, the objective of this review is to describe concepts and definitions about LCT and LCA. It is hoped that researchers will be able to guarantee true sustainability in production, which will require careful assessment and multiple considerations based on an in-depth reflection on the product's life cycle. El pensamiento del ciclo de vida (PCV) se considera un estudio cualitativo porque describe los impactos ambientales de un producto o proceso. Esta percepción le permite identificar los efectos potenciales y los recursos utilizados, permitiéndole estructurar ideas sostenibles, identificando y desarrollando soluciones innovadoras. Establecer el Ciclo de Vida de un producto requiere planificar y comprender las etapas de la cadena productiva, evaluación continua de los procesos y sus funciones ambientales, desde la extracción de la materia prima, el transporte, el proceso de fabricación, la entrega al cliente y la disposición final. Aunque la PCV se considera una filosofía, el Analisis del Ciclo de Vida (ACV) es un método científico cuantitativo que permite expresar este pensamiento. A través de conceptos y herramientas del ciclo de vida, es posible definir las etapas del ciclo de vida de un producto, ayudar a los tomadores de decisiones en el análisis de datos e implementar la sostenibilidad con estrategias y acciones apropiadas. Sin embargo, el objetivo de esta revisión es describir conceptos y definiciones sobre PCV y ACV. Se espera que los investigadores puedan garantizar una verdadera sostenibilidad en la producción, lo que requerirá una evaluación cuidadosa y múltiples consideraciones basadas en una reflexión profunda sobre el ciclo de vida de un producto. O Pensamento do Ciclo de Vida (PCV) é considerado um estudo qualitativo por descrever os impactos ambientais de um produto ou processo. Esta percepção permite identificar os potenciais efeitos e recursos utilizados, permitindo estruturar idéias sustentáveis, identificando e desenvolvendo soluções inovadoras. Estabelecer o Ciclo de Vida de um produto requer planejamento e compreensão das etapas da cadeia produtiva, a avaliação contínua dos processos e suas funções ambientais, desde a extração da matéria-prima, transporte, processo de manufatura, entrega ao cliente e disposição final. Embora o PCV seja considerada uma filosofia, a Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida (ACV) é um método científico quantitativo que permite expressar esse pensamento. Por meio de conceitos e ferramentas de ciclo de vida, torna-se possível definir as etapas do ciclo de vida de um produto, auxiliar os tomadores de decisão na análise de dados e implementar a sustentabilidade com estratégias e ações adequadas. Contudo, o objetivo desta revisão é descrever conceitos e definições sobre PCV e ACV. Espera-se que os investigadores consigam garantir uma verdadeira sustentabilidade na produção, o que exigirá uma avaliação detalhada e múltiplas considerações baseadas numa reflexão aprofundada sobre o ciclo de vida de um produto.