18 Aug 2025

How does your diet affect biodiversity?

Linking biodiversity loss metric with LCA

Biodiversity loss is one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time, and food systems play a major role in this. However, the widely used Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework currently lacks biodiversity-focused indicators. In a new study with the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), we offer a fresh perspective by integrating a biodiversity indicator into the LCA framework. This method was then applied to Dutch diets to measure the biodiversity footprint.

With this study, we move beyond traditional environmental metrics to reveal how food systems contribute to biodiversity loss.

Quantifying biodiversity loss

We integrated a biodiversity abundance indicator, Mean Species Abundance (MSA), into LCA to directly quantify how foods impact biodiversity. MSA measures how intact nature is compared to pristine conditions with a lower score indicating reduced wildlife and degraded ecosystems. By linking MSA with LCA, we can see not only how food production affects climate or pollution, but also how it contributes to biodiversity loss. This integration provides a more complete picture of food’s environmental footprint.

Measuring biodiversity footprint of Dutch diets

Results: contributors, drivers and where the impact occurs

Using Dutch national consumption surveys, the biodiversity impact of common foods in the Netherlands was assessed. Over 200 food items were analyzed.

Biggest contributors

The results show that the biggest contributors to biodiversity loss are: Beef, Dairy, Pork, Chicken, Coffee and Fats & Oils.

Main drivers

The main drivers are: Land Occupation (44%), Climate Change (35%), Habitat Disturbance (12%), Nitrogen Deposition (6%), Habitat Fragmentation (3%).

Nearly half of the biodiversity loss comes from land use for food production.

Local and global impact

Importantly, the study also maps where these impacts occur. This shows that Dutch diets drive biodiversity loss both locally and globally; in regions where food is produced for export.

12% of biodiversity loss happens within the Netherlands
32% elsewhere in Europe
10% in South America
And 36% at the global scale, largely driven by climate change

Main contributors to biodiversity loss — Biggest contributors to biodiversity loss

Main drivers to biodiversity loss — Main drivers for biodiversity loss

Future applications

This method can be adapted to other countries using national life cycle inventory data and food consumption surveys, supporting global biodiversity goals and informing national strategies to meet commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

This approach aligns with EU and global biodiversity goals, providing a science-based tool to measure and reduce the biodiversity footprint of food systems. It helps policymakers, businesses, and researchers design more sustainable diets and supply chains.

Read the full study

The full publication "Linking a biodiversity abundance metric to life cycle assessment for quantifying the biodiversity footprint of Dutch diets" is now available in the Journal of Cleaner Production.

de Weert, L., van Oorschot, M., Marques, A., Batlle Bayer, L., Westhoek, H., Maaoui, M., & Blonk, H. (2025). Linking a biodiversity abundance metric to life cycle assessment for quantifying the biodiversity footprint of Dutch diets. Journal of Cleaner Production. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.146081

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Questions?

Reach out

Mariem Maaoui

Freelance consultant

Reach out to Mariem if you have questions about this study, or want to know more about measuring a biodiversity footprint.