How to apply sustainability assessment to reduce potential environmental impacts in the cheese sector

The course is aimed at staff in the dairy and cheese sector and will seek to strengthen the capacity of small and medium-sized cheese dairies to understand and manage their potential environmental impacts.

To reduce the environmental impact in the dairy sector, training in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is crucial, focusing on on-farm production (GHG emissions from feed and manure), optimization of packaging and logistics, and waste management, using LCA as a tool to identify critical points (livestock, transport, industry) and make data-driven decisions to improve efficiency, reduce carbon footprint and meet market demands.

- If you connect after France, please send an e-mail to fpegestion3@hazi.eus indicating your coordination in order to finalize your registration -

PROGRAM

Taught by Nancy Peña and Silvia Fernández (BETA-UVic)

• 1. Current context of the sector
  • Growing importance of sustainability in the dairy sector.
  • Main pressures: regulatory, economic and market.
  • Risks and opportunities for cheese factories.
• 2. Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
  • Basic concepts of stroke.
  • What does it measure and how is it applied in the cheese context?
  • Identification of areas with the greatest environmental impact.
  • Phases of a stroke. (Required data)
  • Practical example applied to the cheese sector.
• 3. Critical points in the environmental assessment of cheese production
  • Energy consumption, water use, animal feed, waste management and whey, packaging, among others.
• 4. Measures for reducing environmental impact
  • Examples of short-term measures.
  • Examples of structural measures.
  • Steps to start a roadmap towards more sustainable production.
• 5. European framework: regulations and certifications
  • Main applicable regulations.
  • Implications for micro-SMEs.
  • Relevant certifications and their advantages.
• 6. Conclusions and final reflections

REGISTRATION (registration deadline 04/06/2026)

The training is co-financed by the INTERREG POCTEFA program within the European project KNOW N CHEESE.
The training is included within the INTERREG POCTEFA KNOW N CHEESE project.