Objective
1.????? Assess the eco-efficiency of an Australian egg production system using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
2.? Quantify water & energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from an Australian egg production system.
3.??Determine key areas in the egg supply chain where improvements can be made to reduce resource usage and environmental impacts, and identify areas of further research.
4.? Identify the applicability and implications of environmental regulations (particularly the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme ? CPRS) on the egg industry
5.??Develop a basic water and energy usage dataset for benchmarking resource usage performance.
6.???Develop extension materials that will convey the key messages from the research back to the industry.
Background
With increasing focus on resource efficiency and climate change in Australia, industries need a framework to assess their impacts and identify pathways for improvement
Methodology
Life Cycle analysis (LCA). LCA is a powerful tool for assessing environmental impacts and resource usage over the total life of a product or for a service. In particular, LCA is a useful tool for determining greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with a product.
Implication
1.??The water, energy and carbon footprint of an Australian egg production system will be quantified. 2.? Key opportunities for efficiency improvements and targeted research priorities for the industry related to water and energy usage and GHG emissions will be identified and reported to the industry. 3? The applicability and implications of proposed regulations such as the CPRS will identified and communicated to the industry. 4?? The industry will have a basic water and energy usage dataset for performance benchmarking.
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