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European Platform on Life Cycle Assessment

The EPLCA is the EU’s knowledge base that responds to business and policy needs towards sustainable production and consumption. It supports the methodological development of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for the analysis of supply chains and end-of-life waste management.

  • Topic / Tool | Last updated: 21 May 2026
Food systems

The transition to a fair, healthy, and environmentally friendly food system is strongly supported by EU policies. We track the food systems' environmental impacts adopting a systemic perspective and a life cycle thinking approach. Our goal is to support the transition towards a more sustainable food system.

European Platform Life Cycle Assessment (EPLCA)

Brief me

basket of healthy food
  • We use life cycle assessment (LCA) to uncover the environmental impacts hidden across Europe’s food systems, from climate change and biodiversity loss to land and resource use
  • Our models track the journey of food from production to consumption and waste, revealing the impacts embedded throughout global supply chains
  • We provide science-based evidence that supports EU policies shaping the future of food, helping build systems that are more sustainable, resilient, and resource-efficient

Explore further

Preventing food waste

The JRC drives EU action on food waste by developing harmonised accounting models, prevention frameworks, and the Food Waste Prevention Calculator. It supports policy, tracks…

Modelling land footprint

The EU Land Footprint Model, developed by EPLCA with Eurostat, estimates the land needed to meet EU consumption. Covering over 500 bio-based products, it distinguishes…

Sustainable Public Procurement

Sustainable public food procurement is a policy tool providing a set of criteria, best practices and tools that can be used by contracting authorities and implemented by procurers in Europe…

Bioeconomy and environmental impacts

Find out how Life Cycle Assessment helps to assess and monitor potential future environmental impacts of the Bioeconomy.

Latest knowledge

PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES | 21 May 2026
Modelling land footprint
The EU Land Footprint Model, developed by EPLCA with Eurostat, estimates the land needed to meet EU consumption. Covering over 500 bio-based products, it distinguishes...
PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES | 21 May 2026
Sustainable Public Procurement
Sustainable public food procurement is a policy tool providing a set of criteria, best practices and tools that can be used by contracting authorities and implemented by procurers in Europe...