The basic principle of sustainable agriculture is the maintenance of a balance between the demands for food production and the preservation of our natural environment. Sustainable agriculture therefore is a type of farming that focuses on producing sustainable agricultural products without compromising the ability of current or future generations to meet their needs.

Since 1950, the world has produced 8 billion tons of plastic, and recycled only 9% of it. About 12% has been incinerated, while the rest — around 79% — has accumulated in landfills, dumps or the natural environment. As it stands, just 2% of the world’s plastic packaging comes from recycled sources. Statistics like these are shocking, but they don’t mean we’ve reached the point of no return.

Climate change is considered the number one threat for the future of our planet. To take concrete steps in the direction of mitigating climate change, we need sound standards and methodologies to quantify the impacts of our actions. There are a number of different standards to quantify the carbon footprint of products, each best suited for specific applications and target audiences despite efforts to harmonize them. In this article, we take you through the most important standards and methodologies and give you some step-by-step guidance for choosing the right one for your application.