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Nathan Pelletier
Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia Okanagan, 340-3247 University Way, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada

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Journal article
Published: 03 August 2021 in Sustainability
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Analysing production systems from a circular economy (CE) perspective helps to pinpoint interventions to mitigate the environmental footprint by improving resource use efficiency, waste recovery, and prolonged product usage, recycling and reuse. Few studies exist on the measurement of CE at the micro-level. Additionally, available metrics/indicators address only certain aspects of the CE’s socio-economic metabolism, ignoring important components of the CE concept. Other frameworks propose a single indicator that aggregates and summarizes several facets of CE. This study develops a holistic approach for designing indicators with a structured methodology and an analytical framework to assess CE at the micro (unit of production) level in agriculture. The proposed approach is based on the ECOGRAI method for indicator development, and on validation of the methods with experts and final users via an application to egg production in Canada. Twenty-five performance indicators (PI) were generated for 11 decision variables that were selected as important for the sector. This resulted in a practical tool that proposes fourteen actions to improve the economic circularity (EC) of egg farms. Our methodological approach could be replicated to assess CE performance in other agricultural sectors.

ACS Style

Roger Rukundo; Stéphane Bergeron; Ibrahima Bocoum; Nathan Pelletier; Maurice Doyon. A Methodological Approach to Designing Circular Economy Indicators for Agriculture: An Application to the Egg Sector. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8656 .

AMA Style

Roger Rukundo, Stéphane Bergeron, Ibrahima Bocoum, Nathan Pelletier, Maurice Doyon. A Methodological Approach to Designing Circular Economy Indicators for Agriculture: An Application to the Egg Sector. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (15):8656.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Roger Rukundo; Stéphane Bergeron; Ibrahima Bocoum; Nathan Pelletier; Maurice Doyon. 2021. "A Methodological Approach to Designing Circular Economy Indicators for Agriculture: An Application to the Egg Sector." Sustainability 13, no. 15: 8656.

Review article
Published: 13 July 2021 in Agricultural Systems
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Agricultural crop and livestock production systems are complex, essential to human well-being, and fraught with sustainability challenges. In light of intrinsic variability in agricultural production systems and the high number of decision variables, decision support for optimization of sustainability outcomes should be supported by rigorous operations research. Several operations research (OR) methods such as evolutionary algorithms, multi-objective optimization, and data envelopment analysis (DEA) have been applied to optimization in agricultural contexts, taking into account different objective functions and decision variables, and life cycle-based evaluation of environmental outcomes in agriculture have become widespread. The current review evaluates the methods used for optimization of agricultural and livestock systems for life cycle-based environmental sustainability goals. A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) systematic review method and three complementary search strategies were used to identify relevant articles. Strengths, weaknesses, and performance issues for each method are considered and compared. Farm benchmarking, output prediction and resource use management are the three most commonly considered decision types in crop-livestock production systems. To guide selection and implementation of appropriate OR methods, a framework (decision tree) is proposed. The proposed decision tree provides an indication of necessary method-specific methodological choices. Methodological choices with respect to each method are discussed.

ACS Style

Mohammad Davoud Heidari; Ian Turner; Amir Ardestani-Jaafari; Nathan Pelletier. Operations research for environmental assessment of crop-livestock production systems. Agricultural Systems 2021, 193, 103208 .

AMA Style

Mohammad Davoud Heidari, Ian Turner, Amir Ardestani-Jaafari, Nathan Pelletier. Operations research for environmental assessment of crop-livestock production systems. Agricultural Systems. 2021; 193 ():103208.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mohammad Davoud Heidari; Ian Turner; Amir Ardestani-Jaafari; Nathan Pelletier. 2021. "Operations research for environmental assessment of crop-livestock production systems." Agricultural Systems 193, no. : 103208.

Journal article
Published: 25 June 2021 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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Net zero energy buildings (NZEBs) are energy efficient buildings that incorporate renewable energy generation systems so as to produce sufficient renewable energy to at least offset the total amount of non-renewable energy used by the building on an annual basis. NZEB technologies have widespread commercial and residential application, but their feasibility and efficacy in the livestock sector in support of sustainable intensification have received little attention. This study quantifies the potential for such technologies to improve sustainability outcomes in the livestock sector based on an ISO 14044-compliant life cycle assessment of a pilot net zero energy laying hen facility in Alberta, Canada compared to a conventional facility. It was found that direct energy inputs account for 6.47% and 31.64% of the life cycle cumulative energy use of egg production in NZE and non-NZE hen housing, respectively. Average infrastructure-related contributions to the life cycle impacts of egg production are only 4.34% and 1.94% for the NZE and non-NZE barns, but NZE technologies reduce the net impacts of egg production by 0.89–64.82%. The environmental impact payback time for the NZE barn (30-year lifespan) ranges from 1.38 to 20.66 years, considering the largely fossil fuel-based electricity grid in Alberta, which indicates that non-trivial environmental benefits would accrue across impact categories considered. However, this could vary considerably elsewhere depending on the types and amounts of green energy utilized in regional grid mixes. The type and availability of renewable energy resources that are integrated into NZE barns will similarly be important in determining the potential of such technologies to support sustainable intensification in this sector.

ACS Style

Yang Li; Karen Allacker; Haibo Feng; Mohammad Davoud Heidari; Nathan Pelletier. Net zero energy barns for industrial egg production: An effective sustainable intensification strategy? Journal of Cleaner Production 2021, 316, 128014 .

AMA Style

Yang Li, Karen Allacker, Haibo Feng, Mohammad Davoud Heidari, Nathan Pelletier. Net zero energy barns for industrial egg production: An effective sustainable intensification strategy? Journal of Cleaner Production. 2021; 316 ():128014.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yang Li; Karen Allacker; Haibo Feng; Mohammad Davoud Heidari; Nathan Pelletier. 2021. "Net zero energy barns for industrial egg production: An effective sustainable intensification strategy?" Journal of Cleaner Production 316, no. : 128014.

Review
Published: 22 December 2020 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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Feed production is a significant contributor to the environmental footprint of livestock products. Feed formulation may therefore provide valuable opportunities to reduce impacts and improve sustainability outcomes in livestock production. Goal programming (GP) is currently the leading multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) tool used in feed formulation, taking into account cost and nutritional considerations only. Environmental goals are not typically included. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a commonly utilized tool used to evaluate the magnitude and distribution of environmental impacts along product supply chains. LCAs of feed inputs can produce information that enables discriminating among feed inputs based on the resource/environmental impacts characteristic of their production, processing, and transportation. The purpose of this review is to identify the necessary elements of a framework for the integration of regionalized life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) results for laying hen feed input supply chains into goal programming-based feed formulation. In this way, the sustainability of specific feed formulations can be evaluated and improved, subject to cost and nutritional constraints. Towards this end, published research addressing three sub-topics were reviewed: LCA of feed inputs, goal programming, and feed formulation. Integration of sustainability considerations into feed formulation must take four essential aspects into account, including: individual feed ingredients (as decision variables); total cost of ingredients; their associated, regionally specific life cycle environmental impacts (as objective functions); and the nutritional requirements of laying hens (as nutrient constraints). A framework for regionalized, life cycle-based sustainable feed formulation using weighted goal programming is proposed. Key improvement opportunities including integration of regionalized feed input supply chain models and impact assessment methods, and development of improved weighting methods to reconcile economic and environmental goals were identified and discussed.

ACS Style

Mohammad Davoud Heidari; Suryo Gandasasmita; Eric Li; Nathan Pelletier. Proposing a framework for sustainable feed formulation for laying hens: A systematic review of recent developments and future directions. Journal of Cleaner Production 2020, 288, 125585 .

AMA Style

Mohammad Davoud Heidari, Suryo Gandasasmita, Eric Li, Nathan Pelletier. Proposing a framework for sustainable feed formulation for laying hens: A systematic review of recent developments and future directions. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020; 288 ():125585.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mohammad Davoud Heidari; Suryo Gandasasmita; Eric Li; Nathan Pelletier. 2020. "Proposing a framework for sustainable feed formulation for laying hens: A systematic review of recent developments and future directions." Journal of Cleaner Production 288, no. : 125585.

Journal article
Published: 14 November 2020 in Resources, Conservation and Recycling
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A non-trivial challenge along egg supply chains is inefficient use of nitrogen, which may have a combination of negative economic, human/animal health, and environmental implications. A variety of technologies and management strategies have been proposed to improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and reduce emissions at key supply chain stages. This study considered seven scenarios representing NUE strategies: (1) biochar addition to the soil and (2) application of the “4Rs” approach to fertilizer management in feed input production; (3) a reduced crude protein supplemented with synthetic amino acids diet; (4) use of acid scrubbers in poultry barns; (5) biochar addition to stored manure; (6) manure incorporation at the time of land application; and (7) joint application of all strategies. ISO 14044 compliant environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) along with NUE calculations were performed to analyze and compare these mitigation options. The functional unit was one tonne of egg production at the farm gate in Canada. The most significant increase in NUE (13%) resulted from the application of the scrubber in the layer barn. The scrubber also significantly lowered acidifying (21%) and eutrophying (16%) emissions compared to the baseline. The combined application of all strategies increased NUE by 15% compared to the baseline scenario and reduced acidification, global warming, and eutrophication potential, but at the cost of a large increase in energy consumption. Each strategy might be more or less suitable depending on the considered environmental impacts, as well as NUE outcomes. Use of LCA is essential to informed decision making in this context.

ACS Style

Shiva Zargar Ershadi; Mohammad Davoud Heidari; Baishali Dutta; Goretty Dias; Nathan Pelletier. Comparative life cycle assessment of technologies and strategies to improve nitrogen use efficiency in egg supply chains. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2020, 166, 105275 .

AMA Style

Shiva Zargar Ershadi, Mohammad Davoud Heidari, Baishali Dutta, Goretty Dias, Nathan Pelletier. Comparative life cycle assessment of technologies and strategies to improve nitrogen use efficiency in egg supply chains. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2020; 166 ():105275.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shiva Zargar Ershadi; Mohammad Davoud Heidari; Baishali Dutta; Goretty Dias; Nathan Pelletier. 2020. "Comparative life cycle assessment of technologies and strategies to improve nitrogen use efficiency in egg supply chains." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 166, no. : 105275.

Journal article
Published: 13 November 2020 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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Wood and bark chip mulch has been shown to reduce net orchard greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on an Okanagan Valley (British Columbia, Canada) apple orchard. However, this benefit was shown to be outweighed by the (attributional) life cycle impacts associated with mulch production. The current study expanded the scope of prior investigations to perform a consequential life cycle assessment of the impacts of increasing wood chip/bark mulch use in the production of apples on Okanagan orchards. This assessment included the impacts of the orchard system as well as other current alternative uses of wood chip/bark mulch which included bioenergy production and paper manufacturing. Many environmental impact categories were examined including human toxicity, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, depletion of abiotic resources (elements, ultimate reserves), photochemical oxidation, ozone layer depletion, terrestrial ecotoxicity, acidification potential, climate change, eutrophication, land use – land competition, and energy use (including non-renewable: fossil, nuclear, primary forest; and renewable: biomass, geothermal, solar, water and wind). One scenario was modelled to represent the case in which no mulch was used on orchards (only used for alternative products). A second model was created to represent the marginal impacts of adding the amount of mulch to an apple orchard necessary to produce 1 kg of apples (0.575 kg bark and 0.144 kg wood chips). These amounts of bark and wood chips were assumed to be taken away from their current alternative uses (co-generation for bark and paper production for wood chips), thereby decreasing the amount of electricity and heat produced by bark by 0.653 kWh electricity and 0.653 MJ heat, and the amount of paper produced by wood chips by 0.144 kg paper. In turn, these amounts of electricity, heat and paper were assumed to be produced by their marginal production technologies – hydro-electric generation for electricity, natural gas for heat, and recycled paper for paper production. Finally, the scenarios were modelled assuming the marginal market for co-generation from bark was in Washington, USA rather than the Okanagan, as a sensitivity analysis. The results did not show a clear environmental benefit to either using or not using mulch on orchards. In the scenario in which bark mulch was assumed to be used either on apple orchards or for co-generation in British Columbia, impacts in 14 categories (including climate change, eutrophication, acidification, all toxicities, land use and some renewable energy use) were lower when mulch was used on the orchard, and results for 5 categories (including some non-renewable and renewable resources/energy use) were higher. When bark mulch was assumed to be used either on orchards or for co-generation in Washington, terrestrial ecotoxicity, land use, biomass and solar energy use were lower when mulch was used on the orchard, and all others (15 categories) were higher. There was a large amount of uncertainty in the model, coming from data variability, data quality and impact assessment uncertainty. Overall, the orchard system played a significant role in the impact assessment results, and was the main contributor to the overall uncertainty. Based on these results, mulch use on orchards cannot be recommended to reduce environmental impacts, but the marginal impacts of using mulch warrant further investigation.

ACS Style

Nicole Bamber; Melanie Jones; Louise Nelson; Kirsten Hannam; Craig Nichol; Nathan Pelletier. Life cycle assessment of mulch use on Okanagan apple orchards: Part 2 - Consequential. Journal of Cleaner Production 2020, 280, 125022 .

AMA Style

Nicole Bamber, Melanie Jones, Louise Nelson, Kirsten Hannam, Craig Nichol, Nathan Pelletier. Life cycle assessment of mulch use on Okanagan apple orchards: Part 2 - Consequential. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020; 280 ():125022.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nicole Bamber; Melanie Jones; Louise Nelson; Kirsten Hannam; Craig Nichol; Nathan Pelletier. 2020. "Life cycle assessment of mulch use on Okanagan apple orchards: Part 2 - Consequential." Journal of Cleaner Production 280, no. : 125022.

Journal article
Published: 14 May 2020 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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Food production contributes substantially to anthropogenic environmental impacts, including 19–29% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Use of wood and bark chip mulch as a soil cover has previously been found to reduce direct N2O emissions and increase soil organic carbon on apple orchards. The current study expanded the scope of this prior investigation to include the “upstream” processes that support production and transportation of the mulch used on orchards using ISO-compliant life cycle assessment. An “attributional” life cycle assessment was conducted to determine the net life cycle environmental impacts of the production of apples on an Okanagan orchard, focusing on the relative contribution of bark and wood chip mulch used as a soil amendment, both compared to other life cycle stages and processes, and to a system producing apples without the use of mulch. This research focused on only the orchard-level GHG reductions benefit associated with mulch use. A variety of environmental impact categories were examined including human toxicity, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, depletion of abiotic resources (elements, ultimate reserves), photochemical oxidation, ozone layer depletion, terrestrial ecotoxicity, acidification potential, climate change, eutrophication, land use – land competition, and energy use (including non-renewable: fossil, nuclear, primary forest; and renewable: biomass, geothermal, solar, water and wind). When the entire life cycle was considered, apples produced using mulch had higher life cycle GHG emissions than those without mulch, as well as higher impacts in all of the other impact categories considered. Due to these higher emissions with mulch, the results do not support the recommendation of mulch application on orchards as a GHG mitigation strategy, nor with respect to the other impact categories considered.

ACS Style

Nicole Bamber; Melanie Jones; Louise Nelson; Kirsten Hannam; Craig Nichol; Nathan Pelletier. Life cycle assessment of mulch use on Okanagan apple orchards: Part 1 - Attributional. Journal of Cleaner Production 2020, 267, 121960 .

AMA Style

Nicole Bamber, Melanie Jones, Louise Nelson, Kirsten Hannam, Craig Nichol, Nathan Pelletier. Life cycle assessment of mulch use on Okanagan apple orchards: Part 1 - Attributional. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020; 267 ():121960.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nicole Bamber; Melanie Jones; Louise Nelson; Kirsten Hannam; Craig Nichol; Nathan Pelletier. 2020. "Life cycle assessment of mulch use on Okanagan apple orchards: Part 1 - Attributional." Journal of Cleaner Production 267, no. : 121960.

Commentary and discussion article
Published: 26 March 2019 in The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment
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Life cycle assessment (LCA) is often described as a sustainability decision support tool. In practice, however, the interpretation and application of most LCA studies are restricted to eco-efficiency considerations, which provide an important but incomplete basis for sustainability decision-making. Recent methodological advances in the field enable assessing LCA results against sustainability boundaries or thresholds at planetary or more finely resolved scales. Weighting, although controversial, facilitates consistent, stakeholder-appropriate decision-making that reflects prioritization among multiple and potentially competing sustainability outcomes. Here, we discuss how the three minimum necessary criteria for sustainability (i.e., sustainable scale relative to biocapacity, distributive justice, and efficient allocation), as proposed by ecological economist Herman Daly, may provide an internally consistent basis for integrating these methodological developments, and for subsequently better positioning LCA as a sustainability decision support framework.

ACS Style

Nathan Pelletier; Nicole Bamber; Miguel Brandão. Interpreting life cycle assessment results for integrated sustainability decision support: can an ecological economic perspective help us to connect the dots? The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2019, 24, 1580 -1586.

AMA Style

Nathan Pelletier, Nicole Bamber, Miguel Brandão. Interpreting life cycle assessment results for integrated sustainability decision support: can an ecological economic perspective help us to connect the dots? The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2019; 24 (9):1580-1586.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nathan Pelletier; Nicole Bamber; Miguel Brandão. 2019. "Interpreting life cycle assessment results for integrated sustainability decision support: can an ecological economic perspective help us to connect the dots?" The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 24, no. 9: 1580-1586.

Journal article
Published: 30 September 2018 in Sustainability
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Like other livestock sectors, the Canadian egg industry has evolved substantially over time and will likely experience similarly significant change looking forward, with many of these changes determining the sustainability implications of and for the industry. Influencing factors include: technological and management changes at farm level and along the value chain resulting in greater production efficiencies and improved life cycle resource efficiency and environmental performance; a changing policy/regulatory environment; and shifts in societal expectations and associated market dynamics, including increased attention to animal welfare outcomes—especially in regard to changes in housing systems for laying hens. In the face of this change, effective decision-making is needed to ensure the sustainability of the Canadian egg industry. Attention both to lessons from the past and to the emerging challenges that will shape its future is required and multi- and interdisciplinary perspectives are needed to understand synergies and potential trade-offs between alternative courses of action across multiple aspects of sustainability. Here, we consider the past, present and potential futures for this industry through the lenses of environmental, institutional (i.e., regulatory), and socio-economic sustainability, with an emphasis on animal welfare as an important emergent social consideration. Our analysis identifies preferred pathways, potential pitfalls, and outstanding cross-disciplinary research questions.

ACS Style

Nathan Pelletier; Maurice Doyon; Bruce Muirhead; Tina Widowski; Jodey Nurse-Gupta; Michelle Hunniford. Sustainability in the Canadian Egg Industry—Learning from the Past, Navigating the Present, Planning for the Future. Sustainability 2018, 10, 3524 .

AMA Style

Nathan Pelletier, Maurice Doyon, Bruce Muirhead, Tina Widowski, Jodey Nurse-Gupta, Michelle Hunniford. Sustainability in the Canadian Egg Industry—Learning from the Past, Navigating the Present, Planning for the Future. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (10):3524.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nathan Pelletier; Maurice Doyon; Bruce Muirhead; Tina Widowski; Jodey Nurse-Gupta; Michelle Hunniford. 2018. "Sustainability in the Canadian Egg Industry—Learning from the Past, Navigating the Present, Planning for the Future." Sustainability 10, no. 10: 3524.

Journal article
Published: 16 May 2018 in Sustainability
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A detailed assessment of the “gate-to-gate” social risks and benefits of Canadian egg production facilities was undertaken based on the United Nations Environment Programme/Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (UNEP/SETAC) Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment. Data were collected via survey from a representative subset of Canadian egg farms, and evaluated against a novel suite of indicators and performance reference points developed for relevance in the Canadian context. The evaluation focused on interactions with four stakeholder groups (Workers; Local Communities; Value Chain Partners; and Society) in eighteen thematic areas. This assessment resulted in a rich and highly nuanced characterization of the potential social risks and benefits attributable to contemporary egg production facilities in Canada. Overall, risks were low and benefits were identified for Local Communities, Value Chain Partners, and Society stakeholder groups, but mixed for the Workers stakeholder group. With respect to the latter, identified areas of higher risk are related, in particular, to a subset of indicators for Working Hours, Equal Opportunities and Fair Salary. As such, the results suggest opportunities and strategies for the Canadian egg industry both to capitalize on its current successes as well as to proactively engage in improving its social sustainability profile. The study also contributes a novel set of social sustainability metrics for use and continued development in the Canadian egg sector as well as other agri-food sectors in Canada and beyond. The inevitable challenge in social life cycle assessment (LCA) of developing non-arbitrary performance reference points for social indicators for which clear norms do not exist, and similarly for establishing non-arbitrary scales and thresholds for differentiating between performance levels, is underscored. A necessary next step with respect to the methods presented herein is for stakeholder groups to carefully consider and refine the performance reference points and characterization thresholds that have been developed, in order to assess their alignment with context-specific social sustainability priorities for this industry, and also to extend the analysis to encompass other value chain stages to enable a full social life cycle assessment.

ACS Style

Nathan Pelletier. Social Sustainability Assessment of Canadian Egg Production Facilities: Methods, Analysis, and Recommendations. Sustainability 2018, 10, 1601 .

AMA Style

Nathan Pelletier. Social Sustainability Assessment of Canadian Egg Production Facilities: Methods, Analysis, and Recommendations. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (5):1601.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nathan Pelletier. 2018. "Social Sustainability Assessment of Canadian Egg Production Facilities: Methods, Analysis, and Recommendations." Sustainability 10, no. 5: 1601.

Review
Published: 10 April 2018 in Environmental Science & Technology
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Aquaculture, a rapidly growing food production sector, is anticipated to play an important role in future global food security as it may represent one of the best opportunities to increase the availability of healthy animal protein in the context of resource and environmental constraints. However, the growth and sustainability of this industry faces important bottlenecks with respect to feed resources, which may be derived from diverse sources. Here, using a small but representative subset of aquafeed inputs (which we selected in order to highlight a range of relevant attributes), we review a core suite of considerations that need necessarily be accommodated in concert in order to overcome these bottlenecks as the aquaculture industry continues to develop and to expand. Specifically, we evaluate their comparative nutritional attributes, substitutability, scalability, and resource/environmental intensity. On this basis, we illustrate a range of potential synergies and trade-offs within and across attributes that are characteristic of ingredient types. We posit that recognition and management of such synergies and trade-offs is imperative to improving decision support in order to sustainably feed future aquaculture production.

ACS Style

Nathan L. Pelletier; Dane H. Klinger; Neil A. Sims; Janice-Renee Yoshioka; John N. Kittinger. Nutritional Attributes, Substitutability, Scalability, and Environmental Intensity of an Illustrative Subset of Current and Future Protein Sources for Aquaculture Feeds: Joint Consideration of Potential Synergies and Trade-offs. Environmental Science & Technology 2018, 52, 5532 -5544.

AMA Style

Nathan L. Pelletier, Dane H. Klinger, Neil A. Sims, Janice-Renee Yoshioka, John N. Kittinger. Nutritional Attributes, Substitutability, Scalability, and Environmental Intensity of an Illustrative Subset of Current and Future Protein Sources for Aquaculture Feeds: Joint Consideration of Potential Synergies and Trade-offs. Environmental Science & Technology. 2018; 52 (10):5532-5544.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nathan L. Pelletier; Dane H. Klinger; Neil A. Sims; Janice-Renee Yoshioka; John N. Kittinger. 2018. "Nutritional Attributes, Substitutability, Scalability, and Environmental Intensity of an Illustrative Subset of Current and Future Protein Sources for Aquaculture Feeds: Joint Consideration of Potential Synergies and Trade-offs." Environmental Science & Technology 52, no. 10: 5532-5544.

Journal article
Published: 14 April 2015 in Environmental Science & Technology
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In salmonid aquaculture, a variety of technologies have been deployed that attempt to limit a range of environmental impacts associated with net-pen culture. One such technology employs a floating, solid-walled enclosure as the primary culture environment, providing greater potential control over negative interactions with surroundings waters while limiting energy use required for water circulation, thermo-regulation and supplemental oxygen provision. Here, we utilize life cycle assessment to model contributions to a suite of global-scale resource depletion and environmental concerns (including global warming potential, acidification potential, marine eutrophication potential, cumulative energy use, and biotic resource use) of such a technology deployed commercially to rear Chinook salmon in coastal British Columbia, Canada. Results indicate that at full grow-out, feed provisioning and on-site energy use dominate contributions across four of five impact categories assessed. For example, per tonne of salmon harvested, feed contributed approximately 72% to global warming potential, 72% to acidification potential, and accounted for 100% of biotic resource use. However, for both feed and on-site energy use, impacts are heavily influenced by specific sources of inputs; therefore efforts to improve the environmental performance of this technology should focus on reducing these in favor of less impactful alternatives.

ACS Style

Keegan P. McGrath; Nathan L. Pelletier; Peter H. Tyedmers. Life Cycle Assessment of a Novel Closed-Containment Salmon Aquaculture Technology. Environmental Science & Technology 2015, 49, 5628 -5636.

AMA Style

Keegan P. McGrath, Nathan L. Pelletier, Peter H. Tyedmers. Life Cycle Assessment of a Novel Closed-Containment Salmon Aquaculture Technology. Environmental Science & Technology. 2015; 49 (9):5628-5636.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Keegan P. McGrath; Nathan L. Pelletier; Peter H. Tyedmers. 2015. "Life Cycle Assessment of a Novel Closed-Containment Salmon Aquaculture Technology." Environmental Science & Technology 49, no. 9: 5628-5636.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2014 in Global Environmental Change
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Fish resources are critical to the food security of many nations. Similar to most contemporary food systems, many fisheries and aquaculture resource supply chains are heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Energy price increases and volatility may hence undermine food security in some contexts. Here, we explore the relationships between energy price changes, fish resource supply chain viability, seafood availability and food security outcomes – both for producers and consumers of fish resources. We begin by characterizing the energy intensities of fish resource supply chains, which are shown to be highly variable. We subsequently assess the comparative magnitude and distribution of potential food security impacts of energy price increases for nation states by scoring and ranking countries against a set of vulnerability criteria including metrics of national exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Considerable variability in the vulnerability of populations and high levels of exposure for already food-insecure populations are apparent. Developed countries are likely to be most exposed to the effects of energy price increases due to their high rates of fleet motorization and preference for energy-intensive seafood products. However, heavy reliance on seafood as a source of food and income, as well as limited national adaptive capacity, translates into greater overall vulnerability in developing countries. At the level of individual producers, a variety of adaptation options are available that may serve to reduce vulnerability to energy price changes and hence contribute to increased food security for producers and consumers, but uptake capacity depends on numerous situational factors.JRC.G.4-Maritime affair

ACS Style

N. Pelletier; J. André; A. Charef; D. Damalas; B. Green; Robert Parker; R. Sumaila; G. Thomas; R. Tobin; Reg Watson. Energy prices and seafood security. Global Environmental Change 2014, 24, 30 -41.

AMA Style

N. Pelletier, J. André, A. Charef, D. Damalas, B. Green, Robert Parker, R. Sumaila, G. Thomas, R. Tobin, Reg Watson. Energy prices and seafood security. Global Environmental Change. 2014; 24 ():30-41.

Chicago/Turabian Style

N. Pelletier; J. André; A. Charef; D. Damalas; B. Green; Robert Parker; R. Sumaila; G. Thomas; R. Tobin; Reg Watson. 2014. "Energy prices and seafood security." Global Environmental Change 24, no. : 30-41.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2014 in Environmental Development
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Sustainability is central to the policy objectives of the European Commission (EC), but a widely accepted integrated sustainability assessment framework in support of policy analysis and development is currently lacking. Here, we describe the conceptual basis for the proposed European Sustainability Footprint (ESF) - an integrated sustainability assessment framework for establishing a baseline and tracking trends with respect to the sustainability of European production and consumption. This includes scenario modelling the potential impacts of EC policy alternatives. Specifically, the European Sustainability Footprint will be comprised of a selection of life-cycle based indicators (environmental, social, and economic) which can be assessed against defined sustainability targets and thresholds.JRC.H.8-Sustainability Assessmen

ACS Style

Nathan Pelletier; Rob Maas; Malgorzata Goralczyk; Marc-Andree Wolf. Conceptual basis for development of the European Sustainability Footprint. Environmental Development 2014, 9, 12 -23.

AMA Style

Nathan Pelletier, Rob Maas, Malgorzata Goralczyk, Marc-Andree Wolf. Conceptual basis for development of the European Sustainability Footprint. Environmental Development. 2014; 9 ():12-23.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nathan Pelletier; Rob Maas; Malgorzata Goralczyk; Marc-Andree Wolf. 2014. "Conceptual basis for development of the European Sustainability Footprint." Environmental Development 9, no. : 12-23.

Journal article
Published: 21 May 2013 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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We conducted a carbon footprint analysis to quantify the scale and distribution of life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in contemporary intensive egg production and processing supply chains (up to the breaker facility gate) in the Midwestern United States. Feed production and use in pullet and layer facilities was found to contribute the largest share of supply chain emissions. Further optimization of feed use efficiencies and sourcing least-environmental cost feed inputs are therefore key leverage points for reducing the GHG intensity of regional egg products. Of particular efficacy will be reducing the fraction of animal-derived materials used as inputs to poultry feeds and/or sourcing least-GHG intensive (i.e. poultry rather than ruminant) animal-derived feed inputs. Managing supply chains for nitrogen (N) use efficiency is also a key consideration – both in terms of sourcing N-efficient crop inputs, and selection of manure management strategies to minimize N losses. Breeding for N use efficiency may also be efficacious in this respect. In contrast, contributions from egg processing and breaking stages to overall emissions were small (1% and 2% of supply chain emissions, respectively). Although making relatively minor contributions to supply chain emissions, the high degree of variability in reported energy and other (non-feed) resources used between facilities for pullet and layer production along with egg processing and breaking stages also indicates opportunities for streamlining towards more efficient industry norms.

ACS Style

Nathan Pelletier; Maro Ibarburu; Hongwei Xin. A carbon footprint analysis of egg production and processing supply chains in the Midwestern United States. Journal of Cleaner Production 2013, 54, 108 -114.

AMA Style

Nathan Pelletier, Maro Ibarburu, Hongwei Xin. A carbon footprint analysis of egg production and processing supply chains in the Midwestern United States. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2013; 54 ():108-114.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nathan Pelletier; Maro Ibarburu; Hongwei Xin. 2013. "A carbon footprint analysis of egg production and processing supply chains in the Midwestern United States." Journal of Cleaner Production 54, no. : 108-114.

Book chapter
Published: 01 January 2013 in Sustainable Food Production
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Aquaculture production has grown three times faster than the livestock sector since the 1970s, becoming a major source of edible seafood and other products. This rapid expansion has, however, had a combination of positive and negative environmental, social, and economic effects. A variety of tools are available to evaluate these impacts in an attempt to identify the most sustainable practices. One of the more recent tools that has been applied to the evaluation of aquaculture production is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), an ISO-standardized biophysical accounting framework that allows for multi-criteria environmental performance assessments. This chapter reviews studies that have applied LCA to studying the environmental dimensions of aquaculture production to date. Methodological differences and alternative approaches are discussed, along with their influence on research outcomes. There is li

ACS Style

Patrik J. G. Henriksson; Nathan L. Pelletier; Max Troell; Peter H. Tyedmers. Life Cycle Assessments and Their Applications to Aquaculture Production Systems life cycle assessment (LCA) aquaculture production systems. Sustainable Food Production 2013, 1050 -1066.

AMA Style

Patrik J. G. Henriksson, Nathan L. Pelletier, Max Troell, Peter H. Tyedmers. Life Cycle Assessments and Their Applications to Aquaculture Production Systems life cycle assessment (LCA) aquaculture production systems. Sustainable Food Production. 2013; ():1050-1066.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Patrik J. G. Henriksson; Nathan L. Pelletier; Max Troell; Peter H. Tyedmers. 2013. "Life Cycle Assessments and Their Applications to Aquaculture Production Systems life cycle assessment (LCA) aquaculture production systems." Sustainable Food Production , no. : 1050-1066.

Journal article
Published: 17 April 2012 in Journal of Industrial Ecology
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ACS Style

Nathan Pelletier; Peter Tyedmers. Response to Weinzettel. Journal of Industrial Ecology 2012, 16, 456 -458.

AMA Style

Nathan Pelletier, Peter Tyedmers. Response to Weinzettel. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 2012; 16 (3):456-458.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nathan Pelletier; Peter Tyedmers. 2012. "Response to Weinzettel." Journal of Industrial Ecology 16, no. 3: 456-458.

Journal article
Published: 23 January 2012 in Journal of Industrial Ecology
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In this study we discuss impact categories and indicators to incorporate local ecological impacts into life cycle assessment (LCA) for aquaculture. We focus on the production stages of salmon farming—freshwater hatcheries used to produce smolts and marine grow‐out sites using open netpens. Specifically, we propose two impact categories: impacts of nutrient release and impacts on biodiversity. Proposed indicators for impacts of nutrient release are (1) the area altered by farm waste, (2) changes in nutrient concentration in the water column, (3) the percent of carrying capacity reached, (4) the percent of total anthropogenic nutrient release, and (5) release of wastes into freshwater. Proposed indicators for impacts on biodiversity are (1) the number of escaped salmon, (2) the number of reported disease outbreaks, (3) parasite abundance on farms, and (4) the percent reduction in wild salmon survival. For each proposed indicator, an example of how the indicator could be estimated is given and the strengths and weaknesses of that indicator are discussed. We propose that including local environmental impacts as well as global‐scale ones in LCA allows us to better identify potential trade‐offs, where actions that are beneficial at one scale are harmful at another, and synchronicities, where actions have desirable or undesirable effects at both spatial scales. We also discuss the potential applicability of meta‐analytic statistical techniques to LCA.

ACS Style

Jennifer S. Ford; Nathan L. Pelletier; Friederike Ziegler; Astrid J. Scholz; Peter Tyedmers; Ulf Sonesson; Sarah A. Kruse; Howard Silverman. Proposed Local Ecological Impact Categories and Indicators for Life Cycle Assessment of Aquaculture. Journal of Industrial Ecology 2012, 16, 254 -265.

AMA Style

Jennifer S. Ford, Nathan L. Pelletier, Friederike Ziegler, Astrid J. Scholz, Peter Tyedmers, Ulf Sonesson, Sarah A. Kruse, Howard Silverman. Proposed Local Ecological Impact Categories and Indicators for Life Cycle Assessment of Aquaculture. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 2012; 16 (2):254-265.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jennifer S. Ford; Nathan L. Pelletier; Friederike Ziegler; Astrid J. Scholz; Peter Tyedmers; Ulf Sonesson; Sarah A. Kruse; Howard Silverman. 2012. "Proposed Local Ecological Impact Categories and Indicators for Life Cycle Assessment of Aquaculture." Journal of Industrial Ecology 16, no. 2: 254-265.

Book chapter
Published: 01 January 2012 in Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology
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Aquaculture production has grown three times faster than the livestock sector since the 1970s, becoming a major source of edible seafood and other products. This rapid expansion has, however, had a combination of positive and negative environmental, social, and economic effects. A variety of tools are available to evaluate these impacts in an attempt to identify the most sustainable practices. One of the more recent tools that has been applied to the evaluation of aquaculture production is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), an ISO-standardized biophysical accounting framework that allows for multi-criteria environmental performance assessments. This chapter reviews studies that have applied LCA to studying the environmental dimensions of aquaculture production to date. Methodological differences and alternative approaches are discussed, along with their influence on research outcomes. There is li

ACS Style

Patrik J. G. Henriksson; Nathan L. Pelletier; Max Troell; Peter H. Tyedmers. Life Cycle Assessments and Their Applications to Aquaculture Production Systems life cycle assessment (LCA) aquaculture production systems. Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology 2012, 5893 -5909.

AMA Style

Patrik J. G. Henriksson, Nathan L. Pelletier, Max Troell, Peter H. Tyedmers. Life Cycle Assessments and Their Applications to Aquaculture Production Systems life cycle assessment (LCA) aquaculture production systems. Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology. 2012; ():5893-5909.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Patrik J. G. Henriksson; Nathan L. Pelletier; Max Troell; Peter H. Tyedmers. 2012. "Life Cycle Assessments and Their Applications to Aquaculture Production Systems life cycle assessment (LCA) aquaculture production systems." Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology , no. : 5893-5909.

Journal article
Published: 21 November 2011 in Annual Review of Environment and Resources
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The relationships between energy use in food systems, food system productivity, and energy resource constraints are complex. Moreover, ongoing changes in food production and consumption norms concurrent with urbanization, globalization, and demographic changes underscore the importance of energy use in food systems as a food security concern. Here, we review the current state of knowledge with respect to the energy intensity of agriculture and food systems. We highlight key drivers and trends in food system energy use along with opportunities for and constraints on improved efficiencies. In particular, we point toward a current dearth of research with respect to the energy performance of food systems in developing countries and provide a cautionary note vis-à-vis increasing food system energy dependencies in the light of energy price volatility and concerns as to long-term fossil energy availabilities.

ACS Style

Nathan Pelletier; Eric Audsley; Sonja Brodt; Tara Garnett; Patrik Jg Henriksson; Alissa Kendall; Klaas Jan Kramer; David Murphy; Thomas Nemecek; Max Troell. Energy Intensity of Agriculture and Food Systems. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 2011, 36, 223 -246.

AMA Style

Nathan Pelletier, Eric Audsley, Sonja Brodt, Tara Garnett, Patrik Jg Henriksson, Alissa Kendall, Klaas Jan Kramer, David Murphy, Thomas Nemecek, Max Troell. Energy Intensity of Agriculture and Food Systems. Annual Review of Environment and Resources. 2011; 36 (1):223-246.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nathan Pelletier; Eric Audsley; Sonja Brodt; Tara Garnett; Patrik Jg Henriksson; Alissa Kendall; Klaas Jan Kramer; David Murphy; Thomas Nemecek; Max Troell. 2011. "Energy Intensity of Agriculture and Food Systems." Annual Review of Environment and Resources 36, no. 1: 223-246.