Eco-efficiency improvement of a crop protection product: the perspective of the crop protection industry

The purpose of the underlying research for this paper was to obtain a better understanding of the eco-efficiency improvements of a crop protection product from the perspective of the crop protection industry in the context of sustainable agricultural development. The environmental impacts of an innovated and a traditional fungicide treatment were explored by applying two different product-oriented environmental life cycle analysis methods. One method (product life cycle-oriented energy balance) assessed the use of resources during the whole product life cycle, whereas the other method focused on the potential damage of the active ingredients for the environment and for humans. The functional unit and basis for comparison was defined as 'treating 1 ha of citrus crop for foot- and root rot and trunk cankers' during one crop season. Treatment with the innovated product resulted in relatively higher impacts per tonnage within the crop protection industry itself. However, outside the crop protection industry relatively fewer resources are needed and there are fewer potential releases into the environment. The innovated product fulfills its function more eco-efficiently or more sustainable than the traditional product. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.