I perhaps implementation of organic fertilizer. On the


I chose to look at the Life Cycle Analysis
on bread done by the NPR in 2017. The article can be found at https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/02/27/517531611/whats-the-environmental-footprint-of-a-loaf-of-bread-now-we-know
. They chose to analyze the entire life cycle of the production of bread from a
farm in Lincoln in the UK as well as a specific mill and bakery. For this LCA,
this would be its functional unit. The analysis decided to collect data from
every step of the process including growing, fertilizing, harvesting, transportation,
grinding, baking, and packaging. This study focused specifically on the impact
that bread production has on energy usage, water pollution, and the release of emissions
into the atmosphere. This LCA discovered that during the entire process of
producing bread, over half of the emissions can be attributed to the physical
growing of the wheat. In fact, 66 percent of emissions comes from the growing
of the wheat, 40 percent of which is due to the use of ammonium nitrate
fertilizers. These fertilizers were also identified as a large cause of water
pollution due to their run off into streams and rivers creating a multidimensional
source of pollution. The study then went on to discuss how big of an impact
agriculture has on the carbon footprint. It estimated that internationally, agriculture
contributes to roughly one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions. It is
essential that not only producers of agriculture are conscious of the
consequences of emissions but also the consumer. It suggests ideas by both
parties to shrink the carbon footprint left behind by the agriculture industry.

For example, producers may request the use of less fertilizer or perhaps implementation
of organic fertilizer. On the other hand, consumers, holding buying power, may
choose to purchase these “climate-smart” breads instead of their typical brand.

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