Carbon Footprint Assessment of Dairy Milk and Grana Padano PDO Cheese and Improvement Scenarios: A Case Study in the Po Valley (Italy).

ABSTRACT: The significance of agriculture, particularly dairy farming, in the global food production landscape has been ascertained. Farm efficiency affects how much the agri-food sector, and the dairy industry in particular, contributes to economic and environmental sustainability. This study employs an LCA approach to evaluate the carbon footprint (CF) of Grana Padano PDO cheese production in a dairy plant, analyzing 19 farms supplying milk to the cheese factory. The results showed that milk production is the primary contributor to CF, with enteric methane emissions (34%), feed production and purchases (36%), and manure management (24%) as the main drivers. The CF of milk ranged from 0.95 to 2.14 kg CO₂eq/kg Fat and Protein Corrected Milk, while Grana Padano PDO cheese (9 months ripenin

SUBMITTER: Ferronato G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11939476 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature