Driving Sustainability Forward with Product Life Cycle Assessments
At Denis Asia Pacific, we are deeply committed to understanding of the environmental footprint associated with our products. We initiated the practice of conducting Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) on our core product range several years ago. This meticulous process serves a dual purpose: enhancing our comprehension of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the product level and providing a holistic view of the broader environmental impact beyond climate change alone. LCAs encompass a wider array of environmental impacts than climate changes, including impacts on biodiversity, water availability, resource utilization, eutrophication, acidification, ozone depletion, land use, and ecotoxicity, among others.
Examining all these impacts at each stage of our products, from the cultivation of ingredients to the usage and disposal of packaging by the end consumer (referred to as ?Cradle to Grave? in LCA terminology), yields invaluable insights directing our focused actions.
To date, we have completed this comprehensive analysis for three of our flagship products:
The findings from these studies have provided intriguing information. For instance, in our sardine and mackerel products, the packaging in cans constitutes the majority of our climate change impact.
In the case of coconut products, the farming stage of the coconut itself emerges as the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Conversely, for baked beans, the manufacturing stage exerts the most significant impact on climate change, attributed to our use of fossil fuels in production.
In an effort to simplify and benchmark the complex results of our LCAs, we are translating all environmental impacts into a Single Score, adhering to the European Commission’s definition and guidelines. The outcome is unequivocal: our products rank among the food items with the lowest environmental impact.
To underscore this commitment, we participated in the French Green-Score initiative, which aims to showcase the environmental impact of food products on their packaging. On this scale, the majority of our products secure A or B ratings (the best scores), with only a select few receiving a C rating (the lowest rating being E).
Our dedication to this ongoing initiative continues, as we remain committed to assessing more of our products along the way. We firmly believe that reducing our impact begins with a thorough understanding that will then contribute to a more sustainable food supply future.
About Maison Denis
In 1954, Denis took over the A. Clouet company in Malaya with its main food business: Ayam Brand. Ayam Brand, founded in 1892 in Singapore by Mr Alfred Clouet, became an international brand distributed in more than 30 markets on three continents and is ranked 520th consumer brand in Asia (Asia’s Top 1000 Brands 2021, Nielsen).