Marques Catarina, Güneş Sinem, Vilela Alice, Gomes Reinaldo
CITAB, Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences and Inov4Agro, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Environmental Engineering, Dokuz Eylül University, 35220 Izmir, Turkey.
Foods. 2025 Apr 28;14(9):1553. doi: 10.3390/foods14091553.
Rapid population growth, climate change, and resource depletion pose significant challenges to global food production, demanding sustainable solutions. A Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) provides a structured framework for evaluating the environmental impact of food systems throughout their entire life cycle. This review examines how an LCA can be integrated with circular economy principles to address sustainability challenges, optimize resource use, and minimize waste in food and alcoholic beverage production. A systematic review of LCA applications in the agri-food sector was conducted, analyzing studies published across different regions. The selection criteria included relevance to circular economy strategies, waste valorization approaches, and assessing environmental impacts using LCA methodologies. The analysis explores explicitly the synergy between food and wine production within the broader agri-food system, considering shared sustainability challenges and opportunities for resource optimization. Key methodologies include cradle-to-grave assessments and the evaluation of waste-to-resource technologies. The findings demonstrate that LCA effectively identifies critical environmental hotspots, enabling the implementation of eco-design and resource recovery practices. Circular strategies, such as the use of renewable energy, precision agriculture, and nutrient recovery, significantly enhance sustainability. However, gaps remain in accounting for social and regional variability, as well as in integrating advanced technologies. When combined with circular economy principles, LCA provides actionable insights for policy development and sustainable practices. Advancing LCA methodologies and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration are essential for creating resilient and environmentally responsible agri-food systems.
人口快速增长、气候变化和资源枯竭对全球粮食生产构成了重大挑战，需要可持续的解决方案。生命周期评估（LCA）提供了一个结构化框架，用于评估食品系统在其整个生命周期中的环境影响。本综述探讨了如何将LCA与循环经济原则相结合，以应对可持续发展挑战、优化资源利用并减少食品和酒精饮料生产中的浪费。对农业食品部门LCA应用进行了系统综述，分析了不同地区发表的研究。选择标准包括与循环经济战略的相关性、废物增值方法以及使用LCA方法评估环境影响。该分析明确探讨了更广泛的农业食品系统中食品和葡萄酒生产之间的协同作用，考虑了共同的可持续发展挑战和资源优化机会。关键方法包括从摇篮到坟墓的评估以及对废物转化为资源技术的评估。研究结果表明，LCA有效地识别了关键的环境热点，有助于实施生态设计和资源回收实践。循环战略，如使用可再生能源、精准农业和养分回收，显著提高了可持续性。然而，在考虑社会和区域差异以及整合先进技术方面仍存在差距。当与循环经济原则相结合时，LCA为政策制定和可持续实践提供了可操作的见解。推进LCA方法并促进多利益相关方合作对于创建有弹性和对环境负责的农业食品系统至关重要。
