Wageningen
Food & Biobased
Research
The Food Loss and Waste Calculator and how
it can be used to mitigate climate change
ACGE (Agro-Chain Greenhouse gas Emissions) calculator
Jan Broeze (Wageningen Research) 9 July 2019
jan.broeze@wur.nl

Wageningen
Food & Biobased
Research
Motivation
• identify hot-spots
• FLW (Food Loss &
Waste)
• associated GHG
emissions
• assess net benefit of
interventions

Wageningen
Food & Biobased
Research
Using ACGE calculator in CCAFS research
1. Formulate chain configuration for the product:
all operations that cost fuel, energy, packaging material, etc.
2. Estimate FLW along the post-harvest chain
 Storage and handling
 Primary processing and packaging
 Distribution/processing/repackaging
 Food distribution
 Optionally: consumption
Based on secondary data (when available: primary data!!)
3. ACGE calculator estimates GHG emissions due to losses
Intervention:
● How are chain configuration and parameters changed?
(transport, storage durations, packaging, energy use, FLW)
● ACGE calculator estimate GHG emissions due to losses in new configuration

Wageningen
Food & Biobased
Research
Cassava processing Mozambique: GHG Emissions
4
GHG emission of Cassava starch used in a brewery produced at
different scales of industrialization, and compared with maize.
-31%
18%
25%
42% 39%

Wageningen
Food & Biobased
Research
Which factors are taken into consideration?
Chain stage Impacts included
Agricultural production GHG emissions agricultural production
Collection transport Fuel use
Processing Packaging materials (paper/board, plastics, glass, metals)
Refrigerated storage energy use
Other energy use
Transport Fuel use
Processing, cross-docking or
distribution centre
Packaging materials (paper/board, plastics, glass, metals)
Refrigerated storage energy use
Other energy use
Distribution transport Fuel use
Retail (market, shop, ...) Energy use (refrigeration)
All stages along the post-
harvest chain
Percentage of FLW per chain stage
All stages along the post-
harvest chain
Impact of waste processing (landfilling, composting, bio-
fermentation, incineration)
[

Wageningen
Food & Biobased
Research
Default values for parameters in the model
Parameters Defaults basis Remark
GHG emissions agricultural
production
Porter et al. (2016) Differentiated: crop categories
& global regions
Transport EcoInvent & ... Differentiated for truck load
capacities and ship types
Packaging material Various scientific papers +
reports
paper/board, plastics, glass,
metals
Refrigerated & frozen
storage energy use
Evans et al. (2014) Differentiated for large-scale
storage in supply chain & small
scale refrigeration in retail
Processing energy use -- Situation-specific; default = 0
FLW per stage along the
chain
Porter et al. (2016) Differentiated: crop categories
& global regions

Wageningen
Food & Biobased
Research
Level of detail
Global regions Product categories
Europe Barley Fruits: fresh
North America and Ociania Maize Fruits: processed
Industrialized Asia Millet Vegetables: fresh
Sub-Saharan Africa Oats Vegetables: processed
North Africa, West and Central Asia Rice Meat: beef
South and Southeast Asia Rye Meat: pork
Latin America Sorghum Meat: poultry
Wheat Eggs
Roots and Tubers: fresh Milk
Roots and Tubers: processed Fish and seafood: fresh
Cassava Fish and seafood: processed
Oil palm
Oil crops
Pulses

Wageningen
Food & Biobased
Research
jan.broeze@wur.nl