Extra Virgin Olive oil as carbon negative product: Experimental analysis and validation of results

To reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the Kyoto Protocol identifies several activities that are closely related to land use, included into the category called Agriculture, FOrestry and Land Uses (AFOLU). In this framework, a multidisciplinary study has been performed about the carbon footprint of extra virgin olive (EVO) oil in Italy. This study aims to promote process innovation by implementing eco-friendly techniques and technologies along a more sustainable production chain. Life Cycle Assessment approach was used to quantify the environmental impacts during the entire life cycle, starting from olive cultivation up to transformation processes and packaging. Each operation was monitored in terms of energy and material flows; the data were normalized on the basis of 1 L of olive oil, chosen as functional unit. Forest survey methodologies were applied to estimate the biomass and the respective carbon stocked in olive tree permanent (trunk, branches, twigs and root collar, roots). and non-permanent components (prunings and fruits). Added value of this study was coupling the resulting impacts with carbon sequestrations in order to: i) estimate the net balance between the equivalent carbon dioxide (CO2-eq) emissions and absorptions; ii) identify the break-even point, after which the amount of sequestered carbon exceeds the energy investments linked to human activities. Results from the study give important contributions towards the preliminary assessment of potential benefits in terms of avoided CO2-eq from agriculture.