Life Cycle Assessment
3–6x lower global warming impact than conventional fatty acids
To understand and quantify the environmental benefits of our fermentation technology, ChainCraft conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) in collaboration with EcoMatters in 2024. The study followed ISO 14040/14044 guidelines and focused on our upcoming full-scale factory in Ter Apelkanaal, The Netherlands, using potato juice as a fermentation feedstock.
The LCA was performed to:
- Quantify the carbon footprint of our fatty acid products
- Identify the main contributors to their environmental impact
- Benchmark our performance against conventional fatty acid production (palm kernel, coconut, and fossil-based)
What is an LCA?
An LCA is an internationally recognized analytical framework for calculating the environmental impacts of a service or a product along its life cycle. It is a widely accepted and used approach for compiling a data inventory of energy and raw materials inputs as well as product outputs and emissions, evaluating potential environmental impacts and interpreting results to assist corporate decision making.
The products we evaluated
The LCA assessed the impact of the following ChainCraft products:
Fractionated purified acids (of C4, C5, C6, C7 & C8 chains), marketed as SensiCraft®, X-Craft®, C-Craft® or AgriCraft®
C-Craft® Liquid (50% dm), which is a wet product produced by fermentation of organic waste and residues, purification and concentration
Why is our impact lower?
ChainCraft’s fatty acids show a 3 to 6 times lower Global Warming Impact (GWI) compared to conventional alternatives. This performance is enabled by:
- Use of local, food-grade residues such as potato juice
- Minimal upstream resource requirements
- Production powered by green electricity
- An efficient, non-GMO fermentation and purification process
