Agri-footprint 8 for SimaPro | Agricultural LCA Database
The Leading Agricultural LCA Database for Reliable Sustainability Assessments
Agri-footprint 8 is the latest generation of one of the world’s most comprehensive Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) databases for agriculture, food, feed, and biomass. Developed specifically for environmental sustainability assessments, the database enables practitioners to perform robust Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), Product Carbon Footprints (PCF), Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), and Scope 3 greenhouse gas calculations with confidence.
Available as an add-on database for SimaPro, Agri-footprint 8 delivers unprecedented geographical coverage, enhanced scientific methodologies, and significantly expanded agricultural datasets.
Why Choose Agri-footprint 8?
As sustainability reporting requirements continue to grow, organizations need accurate and transparent environmental data for agricultural supply chains. Agri-footprint 8 helps companies, consultants, researchers, and public institutions meet the demands of modern sustainability assessment and reporting.
The database supports:
- Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) compliant with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044
- Product Carbon Footprints (PCF)
- Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
- Scope 3 emissions accounting under the GHG Protocol
- Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) studies
- Sustainability assessments of food, feed, agricultural products, and bio-based materials
Over 10,000 Agricultural LCA Datasets
Agri-footprint 8 represents the largest update in the database’s history. The number of datasets has increased from approximately 4,800 to more than 10,000 Life Cycle Inventory datasets, significantly expanding coverage across global agricultural supply chains.
Expanded Geographic Coverage
- Increased from 74 to 184 countries and regions
- Improved regional specificity for global supply chains
- More accurate country-specific agricultural modeling
Extensive Fruit and Vegetable Coverage
- More than 2,600 new fruit and vegetable datasets
- Coverage of major global production regions
- Better representation of international food supply chains
Improved Regional Resolution
- Separate datasets for 26 U.S. states
- Regionalized datasets for 6 Australian states
- Enhanced accuracy for location-specific LCAs
Updated Livestock Systems
- New European beef production datasets
- Updated models for dairy, beef, pig, and poultry systems
- Improved representation of modern animal production systems
PEF-Aligned Market Mixes
- New pre-calculated production mixes
- Alignment with Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR)
- Faster implementation in environmental footprint studies
Major Methodological Improvements
Agri-footprint 8 introduces eight major methodological updates designed to improve scientific quality, consistency, and compliance with international standards.
Livestock System Overhaul
All animal production models have been redesigned to align with the latest IPCC 2019 guidelines, improving consistency and transparency across dairy, beef, pig, and poultry systems.
Refined Peatland Emissions
New peatland emission models improve the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural production on peat soils.
Improved Fertilizer Modelling
High-resolution global datasets have been incorporated to calculate crop-specific and country-specific applications of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers.
Enhanced Land Occupation Modelling
The previous Crop System Efficiency Index (CSEI) has been replaced by a spatially explicit land occupation approach using GIS-based agricultural data.
Updated Water Footprint Assessment
Improved blue water consumption modelling enables more realistic assessments of water scarcity and regional water stress impacts.
Updated Rice Methane Emissions
Methane emission factors for rice cultivation have been revised to align with the latest IPCC guidance and PEF requirements.
Improved Crop Property Data
Dry matter content and energy values have been reviewed for 58 crops using multiple scientific sources, improving allocation and impact calculations.
More Realistic N₂O Emissions
Country-specific climate parameters enable more accurate quantification of indirect nitrous oxide emissions, particularly in dry regions.
Updated and Harmonized Data Sources
Agri-footprint 8 incorporates updated statistical data covering the period 2019 to 2023, including:
- Crop yields
- Fertilizer consumption
- Pesticide use
- Livestock production data
- Trade statistics
- Land Use Change (LUC) calculations
- Agricultural energy consumption
In addition, background processes have been aligned with ecoinvent 3.12, ensuring consistency with current LCA practice.
Independent Critical Review
To ensure scientific robustness and data quality, Agri-footprint 8 is undergoing an independent critical review according to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 requirements.
The review is led by Dr. Tomas Nemecek of Agroscope, one of the world’s leading experts in agricultural life cycle assessment.
This independent review provides additional confidence in the database’s transparency, methodological consistency, and scientific credibility.
Designed for Agricultural Sustainability Assessments
Agri-footprint is dedicated entirely to agriculture, food, feed, and biomass systems. It contains detailed inventories for:
- Crop cultivation
- Crop processing
- Animal production systems
- Animal product processing
- Feed ingredients and feed mixtures
- Food products
- Fertilizers and pesticides
- Agricultural energy and transport processes
The database is particularly valuable for organizations working in:
- Agriculture and farming
- Food and beverage industries
- Animal feed production
- Bio-based chemicals
- Renewable fuels and bioenergy
- Sustainability consulting
- Environmental research
Three Allocation Methods Available
Agri-footprint is available in three allocation versions:
- Mass allocation
- Energy allocation
- Economic allocation
These options allow practitioners to meet different methodological requirements and perform sensitivity analyses efficiently.
Fully Integrated with SimaPro
Agri-footprint 8 is available as an add-on database for all current SimaPro licenses. Integration with SimaPro enables users to combine high-quality agricultural foreground data with industry-leading life cycle assessment capabilities.
Organizations using SimaPro and Agri-footprint gain access to one of the most comprehensive and scientifically advanced agricultural LCA solutions available today.
Request Agri-footprint 8 for SimaPro
Looking for more accurate agricultural sustainability data for your LCA, EPD, Carbon Footprint, or Scope 3 assessments?
Contact ESU-services to learn more about licensing options, pricing, implementation support, and how Agri-footprint 8 can strengthen your environmental assessments.
Expert Support from ESU-services
ESU-services supports SimaPro users in selecting, implementing, and applying Agri-footprint for sustainability assessments.
Our services include:
- Agri-footprint licensing and procurement
- SimaPro implementation support
- LCA and Carbon Footprint studies
- Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
- Methodological consulting
- Training and expert workshops
About Mérieux NutriSciences | Blonk
Mérieux NutriSciences | Blonk has over two decades of experience in food system sustainability. The company was established to raise understanding of environmental issues pertaining to agriculture, and to help organizations in the agri-food value chain to put sustainability into practice.
