Whitepaper - Connecting Chain of Custody and LCA

What is the Chain of Custody? 

Chain of Custody is the process of transferring, monitoring and controlling materials or products and their associated information, as they move through the supply chain (Figure 1). It is a key method to track materials or products with specific sustainability characteristics and substantiate claims about materials or products. The CoC and the associated terminology and models are described in the International Standard for Organization (ISO) 22095.

CoC can be an essential instrument for agri-food companies that want to demonstrate sustainability in practice, not just on paper. By tracking raw materials from farm, or point of origin, to finished product, the CoC can verify where ingredients come from and how they are produced. This can, for instance, ensure that agricultural products originate from responsibly managed land, do not contribute to deforestation or are produced with a lower environmental footprint. ISO 22095 identifies 5 different types of CoC models: Identity preserved, Segregated, Controlled Blending, Mass Balance, Book & Claim.

Connecting Chain of Custody to LCA and footprint calculations

While the CoC concept is not explicitly defined yet in ISO standards for LCA and carbon footprinting (ISO 14040, 14044, and 14067), these standards strictly require that specified characteristics be physically present in the final product. Consequently, certain CoC models don't fully to align with ISO requirements:

• Book & Claim: not aligned. This model decouples administrative credits from the physical material flow. 

• Mass Balance: alignment is contested, because physical characteristics can't be guaranteed. 

A pragmatic first step: Mass Balance, under controlled conditions

In supply chains where strict models like Identity Preserved or Segregation are not yet feasible, we recommend Mass Balance (under controlled conditions) as a pragmatic starting point. While it may not be the final goal, it serves as a bridge toward more sustainable supply chains. It has the power to initiate change, provided it is managed correctly.

In our whitepaper, we specify how to define these controlled conditions to ensure Mass Balance remains meaningful and credible within an LCA context. 

Looking ahead: ISO 14077

The upcoming ISO 14077 will finally bridge this gap by providing formal requirements for applying CoC models within LCA. Our experts serve on the Technical Committee for this standard.

Until this standard is officially published, our whitepaper offers expert guidance to implement CoC models in a way that aligns (as close as possible) with LCA methodology. 

Chain of Custody and LCA in practice

Soybeans in Albert Heijn’s chicken supply chain

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Get in touch with our experts

Do you want more information on our whitepaper on LCA and Chain of Custody? Or are you curious how to establish a Chain of Custody in your supply chain? Get in touch with Naomi Buijs or Meike Hopman.