The footprint of animal feed – Laura Nobel, Global Feed LCA Institute (GFLI)

In this episode of The Sustainable Commodities Podcast, hosts Barnaby Patchett and Judith Murdoch sit down with Laura Nobel, Project Manager at the Global Feed LCA Institute (GFLI).

Animal feed accounts for between 50% and 80% of all livestock supply chain emissions (not to mention all the water and land use). But measuring the true footprint of feed formulations, where ingredients, sourcing regions, and price points shift constantly, remains one of the toughest challenges in agri-food accounting.

Laura explains how GFLI helps the feed industry overcome this challenge. The conversation cuts through the technical jargon to explore how environmental footprints are calculated in practice, why corporate "waste" carries a carbon cost if it has commercial value, and how life cycle assessments (LCAs) are fast becoming an essential licence to operate.

Key discussion points:

• Feed's Heavy Footprint: Why what animals eat often generates more emissions than on-farm rearing, and how primary sectoral data is replacing conservative default averages.
• The Mechanics of Allocation: How emissions are divided between main products and co-products—such as bakery waste, sugar beet pulp, and palm kernel expeller—and how shifting commodity prices change the landscape over time.
• Policy Drivers: How the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), CSRD, and SBTi FLAG targets are forcing feed manufacturers, brands, and retailers to audit their Scope 3 emissions right back to the farm gate.
• Looking Beyond Carbon: Why water use, eutrophication, human and environmental toxicity, and biodiversity metrics are essential for a complete environmental assessment.
• Auditing and Verification: The role of third-party verification and digital tools in moving from high-level corporate claims to day-to-day batch credibility on commercial paperwork.

Useful Links:

• Global Feed LCA Institute (GFLI)
• Visit Murdoch Associates and 199 Agency