Ecotone relies on the robustness of the LCA to ensure transparent environmental communication
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Ecotone is a French agri-food company specializing in the production of organic agricultural products; it owns the Bjorg, Clipper Tea, Bonneterre, and Alter Eco brands.
Respect for biodiversity is at the heart of the company’s approach, which promotes plant-based beverages as a means of moving toward a more environmentally friendly diet. By 2025, the Group aims to inform consumers about the environmental impact of a plant-based beverage compared to that of cow's milk.
Consequently, Ecotone commissioned Carbone 4 to conduct a comparative Life Cycle Assessment of the Bjorg oat beverage versus cow’s milk. From the outset of the scoping phase, Carbone 4 recommended that Conduct an LCA in ISO format, subject to independent peer review, which is an essential requirement for communicating the results to the general public.
The project was carried out on a tight five-month schedule and covered every stage, from establishing the methodological framework to presenting the results.
1. Multi-criteria Comparative Life Cycle Assessment
The first step was to assess the material and energy flows extracted from or released into the environment by the two types of beverages throughout their life cycle (raw material cultivation, processing, packaging, and transportation to the store).
Carbone 4 then assessed the impacts associated with these flows on the 16 indicators from the European Environmental Footprint (EF 3.1) method : climate change, water consumption, land use, ecotoxicity, ozone layer depletion, etc.
2. Compliance with international standards
Carbone 4 has drafted a first version of a Comprehensive report in accordance with ISO 14040/14044 standards that transparently documents all of the study's data, assumptions, and limitations.
3. Peer review by a panel of experts
Based on this first draft of the ISO report, A panel of three independent experts conducted a critical review of the Carbone 4 study to ensure that the claims were scientifically sound and ready for public release. Discussions between Carbone 4 and peer reviewers led to a final, validated version of the report.
A Detailed Analysis of the Impact of Oat-Based Beverages
One liter of Bjorg oat milk emits 0.377 kg CO2e, which is more than three times less than one liter of cow's milk. The difference stems primarily from the ingredients: milk’s carbon footprint is closely linked to the cows’ diet and the methane produced by their digestion, which is significantly higher than that of oat cultivation. For the oat beverage, the remaining emissions are divided among production energy, transportation, and packaging.
Its impact is also lower on other selected environmental indicators, including water consumption (-40%) and ecotoxicity (-91%).
Ways to Reduce the Impact
By identifying the main sources of emissions associated with oat-based beverages, the LCA also helped identify opportunities for reduction in four key areas:
- Energy : Improve energy efficiency and choose low-carbon energy sources;
- Transportation : Optimize distances, improve load factors, and choose low-emission modes of transportation;
- Packaging : Reduce the weight of packaging and choose recycled materials;
- Ingredients : Adopt agroecological practices and improve yields.
A certified, science-based communication tool
Ecotone now has a report that has been deemed compliant with ISO 14040 and 14044 standards by a panel of three independent experts. This report provides a solid and transparent foundation for communicating the environmental benefits of Bjorg oat milk.
The impact of this work is now being felt in concrete terms on the ground. The oat milk cartons include an educational insert explaining the differences in emissions compared to cow’s milk, as well as a QR code that links directly to the full report, allowing consumers to view the details of the LCA.
Finally, this first comparative LCA helped strengthen the methodological expertise of Ecotone’s CSR team and enhanced the marketing teams’ skills regarding best practices in environmental communication.
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