Carbon Emission Reduction in Highland Chinese Cabbage Production through Life Cycle Assessment: Comparison with the Low-Carbon Agricultural Product Certification System

This study conducted a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and identify mitigation opportunities in Chinese cabbage cultivation in Yongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. Following ISO 14067:2018, the cradle-to-gate system boundary was set, and the functional unit was defined as one head of Chinese cabbage. Primary data were collected through researcher-managed field trials. GHG emissions were calculated as 0.9331 kg CO2-eq per head, 0.432 kg CO2-eq per kilogram, and 0.293 kg CO2-eq per 1,000 KRW of market value. Fertilizer application was identified as the primary emission source (24.6%), with 9.6% originating from direct soil emissions due to nitrogen-based fertilizers. Emissions from irrigation infrastructure and packaging materials were also significant, accounting for 21.7% and 20.4% of total emissions, respectively. Climate-adaptive practices, such as the use of low-temperature mulching films and intensive irrigation, contributed to yield stabilization but also increased carbon emissions due to additional material and energy inputs. These findings highlight that emission hotspots are influenced not only by input quantities but also by the production, disposal, and durability of materials and infrastructure. A comparison with the low-carbon agricultural product certification system revealed the need to incorporate measurement-based data and to update emission coefficients. Furthermore, unit-based comparisons demonstrated that identical emission values could lead to different interpretations depending on calculation methods. Therefore, unit-based emission conversions should be recognized as a critical factor for contextual evaluation in policy development, certification criteria, and consumer communication.