Life ECO FOOD CHOICE - Harmonizing ecolabelling on food products across Europe
Life ECO FOOD CHOICE was born of the shared ambition of reaserchers to develop and harmonize environmental labelling on a European scale. The project, financed by the LIFE program, brings together 8 European partners from Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, with researchers and companies who are experts in their fields: agricultural production, data, LCA, consumer sciences, etc.
Our report on the state of the art of eco-labelling in Europe has just been published
Ecolabels based on life cycle assessment are rapidly developing in Europe, to help consumers choose sustainable foods by assessing their environmental impact. Our new report, developed by Wageningen University Research, provides a detailed overview of the 16 most relevant ecolabels in Europe, assessed against 40 criteria. Key takeaways: 1) The most advanced ecolabels are able to produce good estimates of the carbon impact of food products. 2) There is an urgent need for a harmonised approach at European level, with a transparent methodology and database, managed by an independent non-profit organisation. 3) The private sector can play a key role in developing operational tools, particularly for data sharing.
Discover the report hereWatch the replay of our webinar presentation on April 18, 2024
The initiative also aims to create a framework for discussion open to all: countries, companies or NGOs wishing to make progress in harmonizing environmental labelling on a European scale.
The ultimate aim is to present the European Commission with a validated environmental display system, recognized by a wide range of stakeholders, by 2028. The work of this project thus offers a crucial opportunity to share French advances and stimulate European collaboration for more sustainable food practices.
The three main components of the Life ECO FOOD CHOICE project
To achieve this ambitious goal, the LIFE project has set itself a number of specific objectives, which can be grouped into three main work streams:
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Construction of European databases: The project will develop a harmonized methodology for life-cycle inventories of food products in Europe, with the aim of creating robust environmental databases for food products.
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Development of methods and tools: Building on French work, the aim is to develop a standardized method for aggregating life cycle inventory scores and translating them into an environmental score that takes into account all the environmental impacts of food products.
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Display format and testing: We plan to test an environmental display in real-life conditions, involving experiments in supermarkets, canteens and online platforms in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. These tests will help assess the impact of labelling on consumer purchasing behaviour and on farmers' practices.