Life Cycle Assessment of Soy Protein Concentrate: A Case Study in Argentina

The purpose of this paper is to assess the environmental impacts associated with the production and commercialization of concentrated soy protein manufactured by PORTA Hnos. S.A. in Córdoba, Argentina. The study was conducted to support the verification of an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) under the International EPD® System, following ISO 14025, ISO 14040 and ISO 14067 standards. A cradle-to-gate with options approach was applied, encompassing upstream agricultural production, industrial processing of soybean meal, core manufacturing of soy protein, and downstream packaging disposal. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed using primary data from the 2022/2023 soybean crop season and industrial operations in 2023. Seven impact categories were evaluated, including global warming potential, ozone depletion, acidification, eutrophication (freshwater, marine, terrestrial), photochemical ozone formation, abiotic resource depletion, and water scarcity. The declared unit is one kilogram of packaged, concentrated soy protein. Results indicate that the industrial phase, particularly natural gas consumption, is the main contributor to most impact categories. Agricultural production significantly affects eutrophication and water scarcity. The findings provide actionable insights for improving environmental performance and guiding responsible sourcing and process optimization.