A heavily requested item the Global Feed LCA Institute is reached out for is the inclusion of company branded products into the database. Through this inclusion, a product can be verified for its carbon footprint and other emissions related to its production, which would allow for product distinction. Through a standardized method and data verification, the key element to achieve is a high primary quality of the data. The branded data pilot ran from January 2022 to March 2023.
The current uptake of GFLI data includes regional or sectoral averages with use of some secondary data (based on statistics) due to more lenient requirements in the type of GFLI project and scope. Branded data differentiates from the data currently available in the GFLI database with the principle of it primarily using data sourced directly under the control of the data-in provider, referring to the manufacturing process of the data-in provider (cultivation, processing, production of given ingredient). This is required for transparency and reducing the possibility to calibrate more favourable results by the use of (improved) secondary data.
Pilot phase
The Technical Management Committee (TMC) and GFLI Secretariat have invested significant time in developing a rigorous methodology for collecting branded data in a standardized and transparent manner, which at this phase is tested to achieve consistently robust datasets. Please note that this pilot phase may result in an altered final methodology or the omittance of branded data once finalized if the desired results are not met.
The following ingredient types are currently included into the criteria: cultivated feed ingredients, processed plant based products, processed animal based products, fish and fish based feeds, co-products and manufactured products (e.g., feed additives).
Results
The pilot resulted in an improved branded data methodology and the creation of a procedures document. The current documents are approved by the Board for publication, allowing companies to participate in branded data. It should be acknowledged that the methodology and procedures are living documents that will require updates with new insights and development as GFLI moves forward.