Kemin Industries, a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services, is the first feed additive producer to launch a qualifying life cycle assessment (LCA) that meets the standards of the Global Feed LCA Institute (GFLI).
The LCA methodology evaluates environmental impacts associated with all life cycle stages of a commercial product, process, or service. LCAs are essential tools for making the animal feed industry more environmentally sustainable, as they help manufacturers, suppliers, customers, and others understand how using additives affects the environment. This, in turn, guides the industry toward how to best achieve its sustainability goals.
The Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health – EMENA (Europe, Middle East, North Africa) business unit conducted LCAs for a suite of products for the feed industry, including:
- KESSENT® MF Liquid
- KESSENT® MF Dry
- KESSENT® ME
- LysiGEM™
- KEM WET™ AMP Liquid
- Sal CURB® BR Liquid
- SAL CURB® BR Dry
- Myco CURB® ES Liquid
Kemin aims to offer verified LCAs for all its major products, as these assist customers with their sustainability journeys by helping them make decisions that can lead to a lower impact on the environment.
“As a provider of key ingredients, we dedicate our time to exploring ways to make safer, more sustainable products that serve the changing needs of our world,” said Dr. Stefaan Van Dyck, Group President – Animal Nutrition and Health, Kemin Industries, and Chairman of the Board for GFLI. “At Kemin, our curiosity motivates us to play a role in solving current challenges, and our commitment to sustainability helps us transform today into a better tomorrow.”
Determining the lifecycle impact of Kemin products to meet the highest standards is a key action to guarantee that customers are receiving accurate information. Kemin’s branded, validated LCAs allow the company to analyze and communicate the environmental impact of its specific products through the most accurate assessment of its products based on primary data, directly sourced from the manufacturing process rather than approximation.
“The GFLI-branded data pilot was launched to consider a harmonized methodology for inclusion of company-specific LCA values for key feed ingredients and cater to the upcoming regulations and needs of feed companies for high-quality, primary-sourced data,” said Laura Nobel, Manager, GFLI. “The challenge seems to be determining what types of ingredients are in scope.
“Feed additives have quite some challenges, which makes Kemin’s efforts to comply with our rigorous methodology essential for test casing and further discussions on how to improve. Kemin’s commitment is also evident in the company’s participation in the GFLI working groups and contribution to discussions within the Institute to set GFLI as the world’s reference in feed ingredients’ LCAs.”
“Branded, feed-additive LCAs are a significant achievement for Kemin and GFLI. As an active member of the organization, Kemin contributes to a global database, which ensures stakeholders can make sustainable decisions,” said Dr. Van Dyck. “The GFLI database, comprised of specific, branded LCAs, marks a new stage of validated knowledge on feed additives’ sustainability so the industry can progress with validated assessments of the environmental impact of improved feed formulations.”
The branded LCAs that Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health – EMENA executed in partnership with GFLI are the first in a series of many that demonstrate the company’s commitment to sustainability. GFLI provides the methodology and database of more than 1,800 LCA datasets for major feed ingredients from around the world. The organization’s branded pilot—for which Kemin was the first-ever participant—introduced the use of branded data which, in turn, will increase the use of primary data.
Compelled to make the planet a safe, healthy, and sustainable place to live, Kemin actively works to reduce its carbon footprint and increase its use of renewable energy. The company strives to safeguard the planet’s natural resources and create a secure future for generations.
