IMPACT OF GEOGRAPHIC DIRECTION ON GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN THE EUROPEAN AGRI-FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY

The research objective of this paper is to investigate the relationship between geographical direction and CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O emissions in food processing, considering the four geographical regions defined by FAO. A one-way ANOVA variance was used to achieve the research objective. However, as all assumptions of the ANOVA model were not met, the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used. The analysis conducted allows us to conclude that western Europe has the highest emissions in all three greenhouse gas categories. The joint analysis indicates that GHG emissions in agri-food processing are strongly regionally dependent. No significant differences were observed in only five cases: eastern and southern region (CO2 and N2O), eastern and western region (CH4), southern and northern region (CH4), southern and western region (N2O). In order to reduce GHG emissions in agri-food processing, it is recommended to implement differentiated policies adapted to the specific characteristics of the regions.