Carbon footprint of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) value chain in Misiones Province (Argentina)

Yerba mate (YM) is an important crop derived from the cultivation of the native tree Ilex paraguariensis in northeastern Argentina, used for the preparation of mate infusion, which is widely consumed in South America. This study aimed at assessing the environmental impact, namely of CO2 equivalent...

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Main Authors: Chifarelli, Diego Hernan, Gruber, Lorena, Azzini, Lapo, Nicese, Francesco Paolo, Giordani, Edgardo
Format: info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: MDPI 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/21347
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/22/10127
https://doi.org/10.3390/su162210127
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author Chifarelli, Diego Hernan
Gruber, Lorena
Azzini, Lapo
Nicese, Francesco Paolo
Giordani, Edgardo
author_browse Azzini, Lapo
Chifarelli, Diego Hernan
Giordani, Edgardo
Gruber, Lorena
Nicese, Francesco Paolo
author_facet Chifarelli, Diego Hernan
Gruber, Lorena
Azzini, Lapo
Nicese, Francesco Paolo
Giordani, Edgardo
author_sort Chifarelli, Diego Hernan
collection INTA Digital
description Yerba mate (YM) is an important crop derived from the cultivation of the native tree Ilex paraguariensis in northeastern Argentina, used for the preparation of mate infusion, which is widely consumed in South America. This study aimed at assessing the environmental impact, namely of CO2 equivalent (CO2eq.) emissions, of the YM value chain while identifying environmental hotspots along the production chain, from nursery up to transport. A cradle-to-wholesale approach was carried out, considering as the main functional unit 1 kg of commercial YM produced in Misiones Province and transported to Buenos Aires, the largest YM market in the world. Primary data were gathered from representative nurseries and plantations of the region; processing and packaging data were collected from a local cooperative, while the assessment of the impact due to truck transport was performed considering a distance of 1200 km from Buenos Aires. All the processes were analyzed using LCA methodology following the guidelines outlined in the ISO 14044 regulation (EN ISO 14044); the GaBi software (Sphera Solution, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), updated to version 10.7.21.8, was used for process modeling, while the CML 2001 calculation method, updated as of the latest release in August 2016, was used to calculate the impacts. The results (1.24 kg CO2eq./kg. YM produced in Misiones and transported to Buenos Aires) show that the cultivation phase of YM has very little impact, while most of the emissions are related to the drying phase and the subsequent transportation from the production area to Buenos Aires.
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institution Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina)
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spelling INTA213472025-02-19T12:06:35Z Carbon footprint of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) value chain in Misiones Province (Argentina) Chifarelli, Diego Hernan Gruber, Lorena Azzini, Lapo Nicese, Francesco Paolo Giordani, Edgardo Cultivos Alimenticios Ilex paraguariensis Impacto Ambiental Food Crops Mate Environmental Impact Carbon Footprint Huella de Carbono Misiones Yerba Mate Bebida de Infusión Yerba mate (YM) is an important crop derived from the cultivation of the native tree Ilex paraguariensis in northeastern Argentina, used for the preparation of mate infusion, which is widely consumed in South America. This study aimed at assessing the environmental impact, namely of CO2 equivalent (CO2eq.) emissions, of the YM value chain while identifying environmental hotspots along the production chain, from nursery up to transport. A cradle-to-wholesale approach was carried out, considering as the main functional unit 1 kg of commercial YM produced in Misiones Province and transported to Buenos Aires, the largest YM market in the world. Primary data were gathered from representative nurseries and plantations of the region; processing and packaging data were collected from a local cooperative, while the assessment of the impact due to truck transport was performed considering a distance of 1200 km from Buenos Aires. All the processes were analyzed using LCA methodology following the guidelines outlined in the ISO 14044 regulation (EN ISO 14044); the GaBi software (Sphera Solution, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), updated to version 10.7.21.8, was used for process modeling, while the CML 2001 calculation method, updated as of the latest release in August 2016, was used to calculate the impacts. The results (1.24 kg CO2eq./kg. YM produced in Misiones and transported to Buenos Aires) show that the cultivation phase of YM has very little impact, while most of the emissions are related to the drying phase and the subsequent transportation from the production area to Buenos Aires. EEA Montecarlo Fil: Chifarelli, Diego. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales; Argentina Fil: Chifarelli, Diego. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Montecarlo. Agencia de Extensión Rural Eldorado; Argentina Fil: Gruber, Lorena. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales; Argentina Fil: Azzini, Lapo. University of Florence. Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI); Italia Fil: Nicese, Francesco. University of Florence. Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI); Italia Fil: Giordani, Edgardo. University of Florence. Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI); Italia 2025-02-19T11:49:52Z 2025-02-19T11:49:52Z 2024-11-20 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/21347 https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/22/10127 2071-1050 https://doi.org/10.3390/su162210127 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf MDPI Sustainability 16 (22) : 10127 (2024)
spellingShingle Cultivos Alimenticios
Ilex paraguariensis
Impacto Ambiental
Food Crops
Mate
Environmental Impact
Carbon Footprint
Huella de Carbono
Misiones
Yerba Mate
Bebida de Infusión
Chifarelli, Diego Hernan
Gruber, Lorena
Azzini, Lapo
Nicese, Francesco Paolo
Giordani, Edgardo
Carbon footprint of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) value chain in Misiones Province (Argentina)
title Carbon footprint of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) value chain in Misiones Province (Argentina)
title_full Carbon footprint of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) value chain in Misiones Province (Argentina)
title_fullStr Carbon footprint of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) value chain in Misiones Province (Argentina)
title_full_unstemmed Carbon footprint of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) value chain in Misiones Province (Argentina)
title_short Carbon footprint of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) value chain in Misiones Province (Argentina)
title_sort carbon footprint of yerba mate ilex paraguariensis value chain in misiones province argentina
topic Cultivos Alimenticios
Ilex paraguariensis
Impacto Ambiental
Food Crops
Mate
Environmental Impact
Carbon Footprint
Huella de Carbono
Misiones
Yerba Mate
Bebida de Infusión
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/21347
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/22/10127
https://doi.org/10.3390/su162210127
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