Environmental assessment of the Ecuadorian cocoa value chain with statistics-based LCA

Summary

This study presents a comprehensive statistics-based life cycle assessment of Ecuador's cocoa value chain, integrating primary data from field surveys and secondary data from national statistics. The research models multiple producer types, cocoa varieties (Cacao Fino y de Aroma and CCN-51 clonal varieties), and post-harvest strategies (volume- versus quality-oriented), identifying irrigation and direct field emissions as dominant environmental impact factors. The work provides a differentiated assessment of production sub-chains, enabling comparison of environmental performance across distinct agricultural and processing pathways within the Ecuadorian cocoa sector.

Regional applicability

This study is country-specific to Ecuador and does not directly address United Kingdom conditions; Ecuador is a major cocoa producer with distinct agroecological and socioeconomic contexts. However, the methodological framework—particularly the statistics-based LCA approach and differentiation by producer type and post-harvest strategy—may be transferable to other cocoa-producing regions or UK-relevant supply chain assessment work.

Key measures

Environmental footprint indicators (as per PEF methodology); soil carbon turnover (RothC model); producer typologies (subsistence and entrepreneurial small, medium, large); impact factors by cocoa variety and post-harvest strategy

Outcomes reported

The study quantified environmental impacts across the Ecuadorian cocoa value chain using statistics-based life cycle assessment (LCA), examining multiple producer types, cocoa varieties, and post-harvest strategies. Key impact categories were assessed following the European Commission's Product Environmental Footprint methodology, with soil carbon turnover modelled using RothC.

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