Canadian beef social life cycle assessment

This social life cycle assessment (SLCA) is part of a larger project commissioned by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) that also includes an environmental life cycle assessment and an economic assessment of... [ view full abstract ]

This social life cycle assessment (SLCA) is part of a larger project commissioned by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) that also includes an environmental life cycle assessment and an economic assessment of Canadian beef production.

The goals of this sustainability assessment were three-fold and aligned with CRSB’s mission: first, to identify existing sustainability efforts within the industry and through a multi-stakeholder lens; second, to implement a monitoring framework to identify opportunities for continuous improvement of the industry; and third, to enhance transparency and demonstrate the industry’s commitment to sustainability to a broad range of stakeholders. More specifically, the objective of the SLCA was to identify the social hotspots throughout the Canadian beef production value chain by identifying risks of negative impacts and highlighting good practices.

The methodology used to conduct the social life cycle assessment follows the UNEP/SETAC guidelines. It relies on a risk approach with semi-quantitative, scale-based indicators developed using international, national, or industry standards, and completed with an expert evaluation. In total, 76 farms and meatpacking plants representing 86% of the national meat packing industry were surveyed. In addition, 16 companies representing six sectors at the farm suppliers’ level, seven companies representing two sectors at the distribution level, and 11 industry associations were also reviewed using generic data.

This SLCA provides documented insights as to where the Canadian beef industry could target their sustainability efforts. Results are presented through an innovative color-coded risk map presenting very low, low, medium and high risk indicators. Building on existing SLCA approaches and adapting it to the sector, this assessment provides a case-study on the application of SLCA at an industry level and offers lessons learned for other SLCA practitioners.