Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the basis for this and allows a holistic and accurate sustainability assessment. An LCA gives insight into the entire life cycle of a product from cradle to grave, and shows where the environmental impacts take place. Recently, internationally recognized standards and guidelines for LCAs for the animal and feed sector have been developed. At the same time, joint efforts have been made leading to the development of a global LCA database that supports these standards. With these two developments, it is now time for the next step: software that generates cross-sector comparable LCA insights. Blonk took on this challenge during the past years, working on a new LCA software for Animal Production Systems. We developed APS-footprint, one of our current flagships, which is now available for the leading companies in the animal production value chain.

While working together with the sector and observing developments in the international animal production industry, we concluded that it would be a great step forward to develop an online tool that gives sound and independent LCA results on the environmental performance of any animal production system. A tool that captures the complete animal value chain, including supporting companies like feed formulators, slaughterhouses and producers of animal housing systems. Over the last two years, we have worked hard to make this happen. The result is APS-footprint, a web-based tool providing a sound and standardised LCA model compliant with the latest calculation standards and linked to high-quality background databases. It enables professionals to easily calculate life cycle impacts for various animal production systems, and to export comprehensible results. APS-footprint allows companies in the animal production value chainto generate consistent and reliable information on the sustainability performance of their product portfolio.

Joining forces to make animal production more sustainable

The core of the APS-footprint tool is built on years of experience in the agri-food LCA field. We are experts in agri-food LCAs, developing international environmental calculation standards and rules, building databases and LCA software tools.

We have high ambitions and want to reach a broad global use of the tool and make animal production more sustainable. Therefore, we are looking for the leaders in the animal production value chain that acknowledge the sustainability challenge, the need for action and the related business opportunity. We believe that to make APS-footprint a success, the software needs to be easily accessible and connected to user needs. Of course, nobody knows better what the market needs than the sector companies themselves. Therefore, we are looking for partners to combine our areas of expertise and create a high-end product following the needs of the industries. We are looking for pioneers; for companies that are ready to lead the way into a sustainable future. If this describes your company, you might be the one with whom we will make APS-footprint the globally leading sustainability software solution for the animal production sector.