Written by Dan Langager, Northwest Horticultural Council, November 1, 2023
As demand for agriculture to reduce its climate impacts continues to build from regulators, retailers, and consumers, the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission funded a life cycle assessment, or LCA, to develop a scientifically defensible benchmark of apple production. This is a grassroots effort by industry for industry, ensuring industry control of the data.
Now the research team is asking for growers’ input to build the LCA’s confidential apple production and storage data, with the ultimate goal of providing a tool for producers to calculate sustainability metrics, such as a carbon footprint, for their operations.
For more information, check out the column “The ABCs of LCAs” in the Good Fruit Grower magazine.
Contact
Dan Langager
Northwest Horticultural Council
langager@nwhort.org
509-453-3193
Funding and acknowledgements
The Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission funded the LCA study, with consultation provided by the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, Washington State University, Northwest Horticultural Council, and growers.
