GFLI - Global Feed LCA database
Global metrics for sustainable feed
The GFLI - the Global Feed LCA Institute - is an independent animal nutrition and food industry institute with the purpose of developing a publicly available Animal Nutrition Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) database. One of the institute’s projects is to develop a freely available LCA feed database. This free database contains high quality datasets for feed ingredients. The database has been developed by Blonk in conjunction with the Agri-footprint database 6.2.1 (LCA food database) and in accordance with the GFLI methodology. The GFLI database is the main international source of LCA information on animal feed production and contribute to making the sector more sustainable.
The GFLI database contains environmental impact data of raw feed materials, available from different geographical areas. Included are regional, sectoral and branded data. Regional data is primarily based on our LCA database Agri-footprint. Sectoral and branded data are being added at every update, continuously improving and expanding the database to stimulate continuous improvement of the environmental performance in the feed industry.
Specific for the animal (feed) industry
The GFLI wants to support meaningful environmental assessment of animal nutrition products, and stimulate continuous improvement of the environmental performance in the animal nutrition and food industry.
Free of charge
To allow all actors to get insight in the environmental impact of animal (feed) products, the database is available free of charge for individual users.
The specifics
Cradle to farm gate
Included are the environmental impacts from the start of the lifecycle until they leave the farm.
Aligned to global standards
The methodology is based on:
• LEAP feed guidelines 2015
• Feed PEFCR 2018
• Feed PEF database methodology 2017
• IPCC ‘Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories’ (2019)
Regional, sectoral and branded data
A total of 1.511 main feed ingredients is included, from regional, sectoral as well as branded sources.
What's inside the GFLI database?
The database of October 2022 (the most recent version) contains environmental impact information of 1.511 main feed ingredients. The list of deliverables is condensed by excluding the start materials, co-products, intermediate products and materials that are not relevant for feed application. In addition to this, the list of deliverables was expanded, these now include:
- Updated feed from fish products and marine ingredients
- Update and revision of market mixes and totals
- Data on US processed feed products (among other countries)
- Brazilian cultivation data of feed products
- Nutritional properties
- Peat oxidation
Different allocation options are available for the 1.511 deliverables, these are:
- Economic allocation
- Gross energy allocation
- Mass allocation
For the next update of the database, including data on amongst others US processed feed products and Brazilian cultivation data of feed products is scheduled.
LCIA results of Brazilian higher tier data
The GFLI-Brazil project produced more precise, higher quality (“higher tier”) data on three Brazilian crops (corn, soybean, sugarcane) and three processed products (soybean meal, crude soybean oil, sugarcane molasses). These datasets are presented in a separate document to avoid confusion with Brazil data calculated using the baseline GFLI methodology. It is calculated based on the collection of more precise data and using an improved (region-specific) methodology, resulting in datasets of higher quality than the Brazil datasets calculated using the baseline GFLI methodology.
Given the use of different methodologies, the higher tier GFLI-Brazil and baseline Brazil baseline datasets cannot be easily compared and an oversimplified attempt to do so would lead to confusion/misinterpretations. The download file includes a document with details on its alternative modelling compared to the GFLI methodology.
Access to the GFLI database
The GFLI database is available in three formats: the LCA impact data in Excel and the LCI system process data in CSV. All products are available as SimaPro/OpenLCA.csv files as system processes for LCA Software users.
LCA Impact data
LCI impact results (Excel format): environmental impact results of all 1.511 deliverables for all three allocations according to the ReCiPe Midpoint (H) version 1.07 method. This method includes 19 different environmental impact indicators. Click here to see an overview of these indicators.
LCI System Process data
The Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) system process data is available in CSV format. LCI system process data are (aggregated) system process data that can be imported into SimaPro or other LCA software for further analysis.
Which use types are covered under the free version
The database is free for individual users. However, if you are using the database in a commercial way, for example when you integrate the data into a tool or data platform, other licensing conditions apply. Please read the End User License Agreement below to find out if your intended use is covered for free access. If this is not the case, or if you are in doubt, please contact us.
Questions?
Get in touch
Megan Jasson
Please get in touch with Megan if you would like to learn more about the GFLI database and its applications.