Life-Cycle Assessment in Hydrangea Cultivation in Colombia and Their Cleaner Production Strategies

In the subregion of La Paz Province in eastern Antioquia, Colombia, hydrangea floriculture has boosted economic and social development, generating high value in the territory; however, there are still environmental gaps to be resolved to make it a sustainable activity. This study analyzed some environmental aspects of cultivation based on life-cycle assessment under ISO 14040/14044 standards. The functional unit defined was 1 kg of hydrangea stems grown on a small farm of 0.45 ha, and the limits selected were gate-to-gate. The environmental impacts were evaluated using the CML methodology, Umberto LCA + 10.0.03 software, and the Ecoinvent 3.8 database. The most significant contributors to these impacts were ozone depletion, terrestrial ecotoxicity, and photochemical oxidant formation, which come from the application and pretreatment of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, plant residue generation, and fossil resource materials, such as polymers and fuels. In addition, two cleaner production initiatives were considered: composting plant residues for fertilizer (the use of 100% and 50% composting) and integrated pest management with biological control and natural agents to reduce pesticide use (30% and 50% of chemical pesticides). And the integration of both actions, with 50% composting and 30% substitution of chemical pesticides, was considered. The environmental impacts were reduced by 19.63% and 9.97%, respectively, for composting, 6.62% and 11.03%, respectively, for biological control, and 16.59% for the integration of actions. The two alternatives allowed for improving the crop, contributing to the minimization of environmental impacts, optimizing the use of inputs and fertilizers, and contributing to the sustainable development of floriculture.