Assessing the carbon footprint of cheese production: A study on mass and nutritional indicators

Abstract

Cheese production involves various processes, with milk production contributing over 85% of the overall environmental impact. This study used a simplified life cycle as‑ sessment to estimate the carbon footprint of 13 cheese varieties based on milk quantity (1 L of raw cow milk emits 1 kg CO2e). Results were presented in relation to cheese mass and nutritional values (protein, fat, energy). Related to cheese mass, Parmesan had the highest carbon footprint (16.40 kg CO2e/kg), which correlated to milk quantity. However, when nutritional values were used as functional units, ricotta showed the highest carbon footprint for protein (88.62 kg CO2e/kg), and cottage cheese for fat (157.18 kg CO2e/kg) and energy (1.48 kg CO2e/1000 kJ). Spearman correlation co‑ efficients for carbon footprint confirmed the correlations between the nutritional val‑ ues (p<0.05), but no correlation was found between carbon footprint and cheese mass (p>0.05). Promoting nutritional values as functional units could encourage consumer alignment of dietary choices with sustainability goals.