CSQA certifies the carbon footprint of the 1st GRANA PADANO DOP
As part of TuttoFood, CSQA, the leading national certification body in the agri-food sector, delivered the Carbon Footprint certification to Santangiolina Latte Fattorie Lombarde for the production of Grana Padano DOP, the first to obtain the important European recognition.
The calculation project of the first Carbon Footprint of the Grana Padano produced in the Santangiolina company's Volta Mantovana dairy is promoted and co-financed by the Ministry of the Environment and the Protection of the Territory and the Sea and was carried out by the Milan Polytechnic (Departments of Energy and Design) in collaboration with the Lombardy Milk District . The project is part of the "Call for the calculation of the carbon footprint of consumer products".
CSQA was responsible for certifying that the product complied with the recent and specific ISO/TS 14067:2013 standard - Greenhouse gases - Product carbon footprint. The certificate was delivered today, May 4, at 10.30 on the occasion of Tuttofood, at the CSQA Certificazioni stand (Pav.6 Multi-product – Stand E01F02), by the President of CSQA Luigino Draws and by the General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of CSQA Pietro Bonato to Antonio Baietta, President of Santangiolina Latte.
The initiative provides for the calculation of the Carbon Footprint , i.e. the sum of greenhouse gas emissions and removals expressed in CO 2 , of 1 kg of Grana Padano DOP aged 9 months relating to the entire production chain over the course of a year (2013 is the reference period). The carbon footprint assessment was carried out by CSQA following the Life Cycle Assessment methodology which allows for the identification of the various impacts in relation to the phases of the entire life cycle of Grana Padano DOP: stable (pre-production), dairy (production), distribution and packaging, use (including services), disposal (End of Life) and waste generated by the user, in this case the consumed crust of Grana.
The analyzes carried out showed that most of the climate-altering emissions come from enteric fermentations (Biogenic Methane) produced during the digestive processes and management of animal manure, followed by purchased feed and waste storage (Methane and Nitrous Oxide). The industrial processing phase in the dairy, on the other hand, has a very limited incidence, just under 10%, while the waste derived from the rind has a discrete significance (about 7%). The transport processes, both for the transfer of the milk from the stables to the dairy and for the delivery of the Grana Padano DOP to the factory outlets, have a marginal impact, while the management of the end of life of the packaging has an almost irrelevant impact.
“ The Grana Padano DOP of the Santangiolina company – explained Pietro Bonato , General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of CSQA – is the first to receive the Carbon Footprint certification. We have been called, as a third party, to ensure that the data relating to climate-changing gases, or greenhouse gases (GHG), are in line with the relevant international and national standards on quantification, monitoring and reporting. We hope that other businesses can take a cue from the experience of this company and want to take the same virtuous path ” .
“ Always attentive to the environmental sustainability of our production - said Antonio Baietta , President of Santangiolina Latte - we wanted to calculate the Carbon Footprint of Grana Padano DOP to then extend this certification to two other DOPs: Taleggio and Quartirolo Lombardo. Since 2002 we can boast a quality system certified UNI EN ISO 9001:2000 by CSQA for the collection of raw milk and technical assistance to our Members, as well as for the production of DOP Grana Padano, Taleggio, Quartirolo Lombardo and other fresh cheeses and dairy products in our dairies in Volta Mantovana and Pandino. To date we collect, control and manage around 230 million liters of milk a year, collected daily from 300 farms between Lombardy and Piedmont ”.
