APS-footprint
Measure, manage, and improve the impact of animal production systems
The challenge of making the global production of environmentally intensive products such as meat, milk and eggs more sustainable is becoming increasingly urgent. The growing world population and the even faster growing demand for environmentally intensive products lead to the destruction of local and global natural capital. Natural areas are being reclaimed, agricultural land and water resources are degrading, and the climate is changing. The animal production value chain has a vast sustainability challenge and urgent action is needed.
Blonk developed the Animal Production System footprinting platform (APS-footprint) to help stakeholders in the animal production value chain tackle the sector’s environmental challenges. It enables organizations to develop, apply and monitor proven solutions to reduce the environmental impact and create more sustainable products.
Key features of APS-footprint
Intuitive
software platform
Premium
data included
Science-based methodology
International standards compliancy
Why use APS-footprint?
The APS-footprint platform is built on years of experience in the field of agri-food Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). As experts and leaders in agri-food LCA, we have conducted more than 500 LCA studies over the past 20+ years. We have developed international standards and rules for environmental calculation and built databases and LCA software tools. We put great effort into making APS-footprint accessible and tailored to your organization's needs to turn it into a success.
Environmental footprinting
Substantiate environmental claims about your innovative solutions.
Research and Development
Analyze or evaluate the environmental footprint of your innovative solution.
Scenario analysis
Compare environmental performance of your solutions in different scenarios.
Monitoring innovation outcomes
Analyze and track the environmental performance of your solutions over time.
Additional services
Our multidisciplinary team of LCA experts, data scientists and software engineers can implement APS-footprint into your company's data management systems and create customized functionality to better serve your company's needs.
How it works
Choose your species
Input your data
See your results
With APS-footprint you can easily develop and substantiate environmental footprint claims of your solution or innovation by comparing a benchmark reference system with an intervened system.
Alternatively, you can input your collected data into the APS-footprint platform where it will be compared and analyzed against an existing reference system based on international data.
APS-footprint has a global scope and allows you to model feed mills, dairy farms, broiler and laying hen farms, pig fattening and breeding farms. Other modules such as aquaculture and beef are currently under development.
User requirements
- Data which fits the format of the reference system. This can be from trials, tests or monitored results
- Knowledge of basic LCA concepts, familiarity with methodology
- Need for research on a specific solution or intervention (not whole-farm monitoring)
- Basic knowledge of animal production systems
Science-based methodology
Scientific credibility and sound results, which are internationally recognized, are the core of APS-footprint. Therefore, we follow the most relevant and up-to-date, internationally recognized guidelines in the calculation methodology of our tool. We highly value transparency and have created an APS-footprint methodology report, which is publicly available. It contains the generic principles and setup of the APS-footprint platform, such as the methodological framework. Additionally we have separate methodology reports for each animal production system.
Licensing options
We offer various licensing options for APS-footprint, including Business and Consultancy licenses.
Please reach out to us for more information.
Related to APS-footprint
APS-footprint as core engine for Sustell™ – an intelligent sustainability service by DSM and Blonk
At Blonk, we are very proud of our cooperation with innovative companies that bring sustainable business into practice. DSM is for us a strategic partner in developing our flagship APS-footprint tool. For DSM the APS-footprint became the core engine of Sustell™, a recently launched holistic animal protein sustainability service.
Related to APS-footprint
Methodological exploration by Blonk and DSM
Together with DSM we set up a methodological study, by way of road testing, to explore the applicability of sector Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) guidelines, such as FAO LEAP and European Commission Product Environmental Footprint (EC PEF). In APS-footprint we modeled nutritional interventions, specifically the use of feed additives, and explored the effects. The study was externally reviewed by experts, according to the ISO 14044 LCA guidelines.
Related to APS-footprint
APS-footprint update
We are delighted to share the latest APS-footprint developments with you. This time we'd like to give you an update about the recent launch of Sustell™ together with DSM, the release of a methodological study we performed on feed additives and LCA and the addition of the Annual Crops Module, which is a new feature of the APS-footprint tool. Lastly, we are very happy to introduce another APS-footprint team member to you!
Related to APS-footprint
APS-footprint update - towards more sustainable animal production
We are happy to share the latest APS-footprint developments with you. After our launch webinar on September 30th we received a lot of positive reactions from companies, that are recognizing the importance of making their business future-proof by incorporating sustainability. This update informs you about the latest APS-footprint developments. Also, we are giving you a sneak peek behind the scenes and introducing one of the developers to you!
Get in touch
Megan Jasson
Please contact Megan if you want more information on APS-footprint and its uses, or if you are interested in a license.