Carbon Footprint of Flour Production in Poland

Abstract

The importance of carbon footprint (CF) analysis in the agricultural and food industries as a fundamental element of the means to achieve sustainable food production is emphasized here. In this study, flour production in Poland and the technological processes were characterized. This study’s aim was to determine and compare flour production CF for different companies. The production stages were examined, and aspects related to transportation and storage were analyzed. The obtained data made it possible to identify areas of potential improvement to increase the efficiency of production and logistics processes and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The results showed that flour production CFav ranges from 0.042 to 0.080 kg CO2eq/kg of product (in different companies). The results obtained for individual plants did not differ. One method of reducing CF was through the use of renewable energy sources. Photovoltaics (share of 17–20%) has significantly reduced flour production CF by 13–15%. The decrease was significant from March to October due to the country’s climatic conditions. The work highlights CF’s importance as a tool to reduce environmental impacts and optimize production costs while pointing out the need to customize the calculation methodology to the specifics of the product and process.