Environmental Impacts of a Pet Dog: An LCA Case Study

dc.contributor.authorYavor, Kim Maya
dc.contributor.authorLehmann, Annekatrin
dc.contributor.authorFinkbeiner, Matthias
dc.date.accessioned2020-06-18T14:44:53Z
dc.date.available2020-06-18T14:44:53Z
dc.date.issued2020-04-22
dc.date.updated2020-05-06T02:58:05Z
dc.description.abstractThe number of pet animals in the European Union is increasing over the last decades. Few studies with a limited focus in terms of impacts and life cycle stages exist that assess the environmental impacts of dogs. This paper addresses the entire life cycle of a dog. An LCA study on an average dog was conducted considering the pet food and dog excrements, i.e., urine and feces. Fifteen impact categories were analyzed. An average dog has a climate change and freshwater eutrophication potential of around 8200 kg CO2eq and 5.0 kg Peq., respectively. The main contribution to most impact categories over the dog’s life is caused by pet food. Freshwater eutrophication is mainly determined by the dog´s urine and feces. Feces also have a significant contribution to the category of freshwater ecotoxicity. Impacts increase significantly with increasing weight and a longer lifetime of the dog as well as low collection rates of the feces. This LCA study reveals that pet dogs can have a significant environmental impact, e.g., around 7% of the annual climate change impact of an average EU citizen. Optimizing pet food and increasing the feces´ collection rate can reduce the impacts.en
dc.description.sponsorshipDFG, 414044773, Open Access Publizieren 2019 - 2020 / Technische Universität Berlinen
dc.identifier.eissn2071-1050
dc.identifier.urihttps://depositonce.tu-berlin.de/handle/11303/11439
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-10320
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subject.ddc333 Boden- und Energiewirtschaftde
dc.subject.otherlife cycle assessmenten
dc.subject.otherpetsen
dc.subject.otherdogen
dc.subject.otherproduct environmental footprinten
dc.subject.otherexcrementsen
dc.subject.otherfecesen
dc.subject.otherurineen
dc.titleEnvironmental Impacts of a Pet Dog: An LCA Case Studyen
dc.typeArticleen
dc.type.versionpublishedVersionen
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.articlenumber3394en
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.doi10.3390/su12083394en
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.issue8en
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.journaltitleSustainabilityen
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.originalpublishernameMDPIen
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.originalpublisherplaceBaselen
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.volume12en
tub.accessrights.dnbfreeen
tub.affiliationFak. 3 Prozesswissenschaften::Inst. Technischen Umweltschutz::FG Technischer Umweltschutz / Sustainable Engineeringde
tub.affiliation.facultyFak. 3 Prozesswissenschaftende
tub.affiliation.groupFG Technischer Umweltschutz / Sustainable Engineeringde
tub.affiliation.instituteInst. Technischen Umweltschutzde
tub.publisher.universityorinstitutionTechnische Universität Berlinen

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