Environmental aspects of insect mass production

Abstract

Mass production of insects is calling for environmentally optimised and economically efficient insect value chains. It is a complex task considering a great variety in insect species, production scales, feed formulations, etc. Taking a challenge of environmental impact clarification, a few studies highlight on life cycle assessment (LCA) of insect production. The current study is aimed to systemise 24 selected previous studies to establish a modular framework for the determination of contribution of sustainability assessment factors of insect production chains. Reviewing published studies according to the elements of LCA, the study identified a feasible approach for the modelling of insect production chains, which can be used for the facilitation of comparability of further LCA studies. The approach is based on a modular analysis of insect production through a graphical mapping of value chains (allowed identification of precise system boundaries) supplemented with table analysis considering scale of production, reference (functional) unit, impact assessment methodology and type of LCA. Such an approach allows for consistency in LCA setting and further comparability of results.