Environmental Impacts of Mussel Production: An LCA Case Study in Emilia-Romagna

In recent years, aquaculture has grown to sustain the needs of growing population all around the world. In particular, marine aquaculture of mussels seems to meet the requirements to satisfy the increasing food request keeping a low environmental impact and for that reason, mussel farming is considered a sustainable activity with prospects of growth in the coming years. In this study a comprehensive examination of several aspects of mussels and mussel farming was performed, to highlight the influence that bivalves have on the environment. Furthermore, an LCA was conducted focusing on the production phase of a mussel farming off the coast of Emilia-Romagna, assessing the impact with the use of EF 3.1 methodology developed by the European commission. This methodology is able to provide a reliable assessment of environmental impacts, allowing future enhancement in the sector and possible comparisons with other meat production. Results showed that even if mussel farming presents a low environmental impact through the production phase, section related to fuel and polypropylene socks use could be further improved. In addition, the role of mussels in the ecosystem should be included in the impact assessment, since the use of a holistic approach able to consider both anthropic activities and ecosystemic services provided by mussels could be crucial in significantly reducing the impacts associated with this expanding activity, which has the potential for low environmental impact.