Life cycle assessment of Calanus finmarchicus products

Abstract Purpose The ambitions for a more sustainable aquaculture sector in Norway demand the need for new ingredients that could be incorporated into feeds. In this context, Calanus finmarchicus products (powder, oil, and hydrolysate) emerge as potential local and scalable sources of oil and protein. Despite this, there are no studies in the literature analyzing the possible environmental impact of these products. The goal of this study is to measure the environmental impacts of Calanus finmarchicus products. Methods We applied an attributional life cycle assessment method to measure the environmental impacts of Calanus finmarchicus products. We consider the supply chain from the processing company CALANUS AS in Norway and data from fishers of Calanus finmarchicus , as inputs for the analysis. The product system boundaries were cradle-to-gate, and sixteen environmental impact categories were considered for the analysis according to the environmental footprint (EF) assessment method. A sensitivity analysis was applied to evaluate the impact of the allocation method considered and the electricity mix used in the production stage. Results The results indicate that considering economic allocation, Calanus oil accounts for the highest impacts on the different categories, especially due to the combustion of fossil fuels needed for harvesting, freezing on board, and transport to the port. Moreover, the scenario analysis showed that the allocation method and electricity mix were considered, impacting drastically on the results of the analysis. In addition, it was found that Calanus finmarchicus products showed better results than other sources of protein and oil in some impact categories. Conclusions The results of the environmental assessment suggest that Calanus products show promising potential to increase the sustainability of aquaculture in Norway. Future research highlights the need for a more holistic sustainability analysis incorporating economic and social aspects. In addition, future studies are needed to account for possible impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems, especially during Calanus harvesting. Graphical Abstract