A “global gold standard” was established in 2016 by an international consortium for calculating the life-cycle analysis (LCA) of feed ingredients since animal feed is a critical component in measuring the total environmental footprint of animal nutrition products. The founding partners of the Global Feed LCA Institute (GFLI) are now establishing a legal non-profit institute, under the same name, to expand its work and make the data more widely available to stakeholders throughout the global food value chain.
The institute’s mission will be to make publicly available an expanded regional and sectorial animal nutrition LCA database by consolidating the existing LCA datasets GFLI developed for the European Union, United States and Canada. The initial datasets are based on the environmental standards of the Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance (LEAP) Partnership, a project led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The institute will also develop tools to assist stakeholders in assessing the environmental footprint of animal nutrition products and encourage continuous improvement throughout the global animal nutrition and food industry.
The GFLI Board launched the new institute on September 19 at the American Feed Industry Association’s (AFIA) offices in Arlington, Virginia, USA. The new legal entity will be incorporated in the District of Columbia, USA, and Agribusiness Service B.V., an independent third party based in Europe, will manage its daily operations. The institute is expected to be operational by early 2020.
The founding partners elected the following representatives to serve on the institute’s inaugural Board of Directors:
- American Feed Industry Association – Constance Cullman, AFIA president and CEO-elect, and Greg Downing, member of the GFLI North American Project Group (Board chair)
- European Feed Manufacturers Federation (FEFAC) – Nick Major, FEFAC president, (Board vice chair) and Lina Sofie von Fricken, chair, EU GFLI Group
- Animal Nutrition Association of Canada (ANAC) – Melissa Dumont, ANAC executive director
- International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF) – Sebastian Csaki, IFIF senior advisor
- Norwegian Seafood Federation (NSF) – Henrik Stenwig, NSF director
The institute’s technical management committee chair will also serve as a member of the Board.
For more information on participating in the GFLI project or gaining access to the current datasets, contact info@agribusiness-service.nl.
