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The battery electric vehicle (BEV) industry, commanding over half of the global market share in China, has garnered significant attention in response to escalating concerns about climate change. NCM (LiNi x Co y Mn z O 2) batteries, prized for their high energy density, are pivotal in this industry. However, their production relies on critical metals, posing environmental challenges. Recycling processes aim to address this issue by recovering critical metals from end-of-life batteries. The industry is updating from NCM 111 to NCM 811 batteries to enhance energy density and reduce costs, but the key factors influencing the material flows and environmental impacts remain uncertain. This paper aims to identify the key factors contributing to the potential differences in material flows and environmental impacts introduced by the NCM battery upgrading in China. Following the new energy vehicle sales projections in China until 2035, a dynamic material flow analysis was employed to calculate material demands, recovered amounts, and substitution rates for various upgrading scenarios. The study reveals that the majority of retired batteries until 2035 were sold between 2022 and 2029. Material substitution rates prove to be more sensitive to the upgrading scenario than the lifetime and growth rate of BEVs. Faster NCM 811 penetration results in over 2.5 times more saved cobalt demand compared to additional nickel demand. A life cycle assessment of NCM batteries reveals a 39% lower global warming impact for NCM 811 compared to NCM 111, highlighting environmental benefits from increased energy density and reduced cobalt consumption. The energy density improvement contributed 85%, while the alteration in material composition contributed 15% to the global warming reduction in NCM 811. Recycling emerges as a crucial strategy in mitigating environmental impacts across all categories, particularly addressing eutrophication, previously deemed challenging due to the difficulty in recovering Li 2 CO 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two economic activities have been integrated in southern Brazil: olive cultivation and sheep farming. The favorable edaphoclimatic conditions in the southern region for cultivating olive trees and cultural preferences for the consumption of sheep meat make this integration a valuable strategy. Considering that every activity causes environmental impact and the exploitation of natural resources, new systems that promote sustainable development and the efficient use of these resources become necessary. This paper presents the first study of the carbon footprint of the life cycle of integrating of sheep and olive farming, with the objective to build an inventory based on primary data collected on olive and sheep farms in Brazil, determine the carbon footprint of the conventional and integrated system and estimate the potential for mitigating GHG emissions. The evaluation was performed using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The study focuses on the detailed analysis of the processes and activities that are responsible for GHG emissions, including enteric methane emissions, methane emissions from manure management, emissions from nitrogen fertilizer use and limestone application and energy consumption. For this, two major scenarios were considered, the first centered around on the traditional olive cultivation and sheep farming systems individually, and the second involved their synergistic integration. The findings indicate that the conventional system is associated with a global warming impact of 6.8 kg CO 2 eq per liter olive oil and kg live weight. In contrast, the integrated system demonstrates a significant mitigation potential of 27.7%, resulting in a reduced global warming impact of 4.92 kg CO 2 eq. This advantage is a consequence of the synergy between the systems, as they now occupy the same area, which allows the sharing of agricultural activities and agrochemical inputs, in addition to optimizing nutrient recycling and complementing each other. Additionally, the results of a sensitivity analysis showed that enteric methane from sheep and the application of limestone to the soil are the most influential parameters on the carbon footprint, indicating that they are key parameters for the development of GHG mitigation strategies, some of which were discussed in the article. • First life cycle assessment of integration between olive and sheep farming in Brazil. • The inventory was constructed with primary data collected in situ. • The study assesses the carbon footprint of the olive and sheep farming system. • The results show environmental advantages of the integration of olive and sheep farming systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential sector has been one key sector for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions due to its significant contribution to global warming. Researchers in different countries have studied household energy consumption patterns and greenhouse gas emissions in order to promote low-carbon lifestyles. However, few review papers have been published in this regard, leading to a lack of systematic understanding on the related research achievements. Hence, by using a bibliometric approach, this paper aims to review the existing literature and examine the evolution of such a field so that the research trends can be uncovered, including popular research methods. Citation analysis is performed to assess the influence of most productive journals, countries/territories, and authors. Network analysis is also conducted to evaluate the relationship among different countries/territories, authors, and keywords. Research outcomes of this paper present a comprehensive research picture on residential energy consumption and corresponding greenhouse gas emissions (REE) related papers published from 1997 to 2016. The most productive journals, countries/territories, authors are also analyzed based on citation analysis and network analysis. In addition, results also revealed that behavioral analysis, input-output analysis, life cycle assessment, and cost-benefit analysis are the most commonly used methods in this field. Results obtained from this study can provide valuable information for researchers interested in the REE-related field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser cladding is one of the principal means of equipment remanufacturing and the environmental profiles of this technology has become a research focus. This paper examines the environmental impacts of cast iron cylinder head block remanufacturing through laser cladding using life cycle assessment (LCA), and compares it with the new cylinder head block manufacturing. Resource and energy consumptions of each manufacturing and remanufacturing processes are collected along the production line and then the results of six selected environmental impact categories are calculated. Consistency and sensitivity analysis is also conducted after life cycle impact assessment. The results reveal that cylinder head remanufacturing by laser cladding will achieve large environmental benefits, which can cut environment impact over the entire life cycle by 63.8% on average. This paper also discusses the trend of changes in environmental impacts using scenario analysis over different remanufacturing levels. By taking characterized global warming potential (GWP) as the assessment index, the result shows that remanufacturing will no longer be the preferred option if it needs to repair more than 16 cracks by laser cladding for the cylinder head. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing contribution of refrigeration systems to global warming has led to widespread demand for low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants as alternatives. This paper proposed a comprehensive environmental assessment method for evaluating the carbon footprint of units charged with low-GWP refrigeration. Experimental and numerical studies were used to investigate the carbon footprint impact of using alternative refrigerants at different ambient temperatures in China. Initially, the model was validated through experimental case studies on the use stage of cold storage units. Subsequently, a comparison was made between the cooling capacity (CC) and energy efficiency ratio (EER) of cold storage units charged with different refrigerants. Additionally, the impact of alternative refrigerants in the use stage was analyzed by numerical calculations, and the adaptability of the cold storage unit to the ambient temperature and the national energy structure was also studied. The results indicate that among the four stages of the cold storage unit, the use stage is the hotspot of carbon footprint due to the large amount of energy consumption and the existence of refrigerant leakage and other behaviors. Utilizing low-GWP alternative refrigerants could significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the cold storage units' use stage by 10.56%–16.39%, thereby lowering the whole stage carbon footprint. Furthermore, the ambient temperature and national energy structure could also effectively reduce the carbon footprint of cold storage units' whole stage by 1%–27.17%. Furthermore, after adopting low GWP refrigerants, the life-cycle cost (LCC) of the units have also decreased by 6.1%–12%. Taking into account both environmental impact and economic considerations, it is recommended to directly replace R404A with R448A in the units in regions where the average ambient temperature is above 15 °C. • A carbon footprint evaluation model for the units was established. • Influencing factors of carbon footprint are studied numerically and experimentally. • By GHG assessments, the optimal refrigerant and external conditions were determined. • Alternative refrigerants reduce carbon emissions for cold storage units by 8.8%–24.92%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming combined with low carbon transition plans is threatening the future of high energy consumption industry sectors in the European Union (EU). The need to respond to environmental challenges is demonstrated by support for international level energy policies and legal requirements, such as the Kyoto Protocol which the EU supports, and increased EU-level environmental legislation and energy policies. The effect of these initiatives is gradually transforming industrial activities in the EU. However, since not all countries have adopted these policies, evaluation of their net effect needs to take account also of side-effects such as delocalization of industry activity and the legal environmental frameworks in the countries where companies have chosen to relocate. This paper analyses EU energy policy and its impact on a particular energy intensive industry, the European ceramic tile sector. The discussion in this paper is not about the purpose of EU legislation, but about its effects on a specific industry. The effect of policy on industry is not a new topic, but the question of the unwanted effects of environmental and energy policy on European industry is becoming more relevant as the struggle to achieve a post-carbon Europe increases. In focussing on a specific set of EU legislation on a particular industry this article adds to the debate by showing the negative effects of policy mechanisms. The need for a scientific evaluation of the systemic changes required for a transition to a resource-efficient, green and competitive low-carbon economy outlined in the 7th Environment Action Programme is highlighted. It is suggested that the EU should periodically re-evaluate its Emissions Trading Scheme legislation to include specific actions and a follow up system which would prevent the best performing environmental companies from delocalizing or shutting down. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from food transportation include emissions from energy consumption and refrigerant leakage into the environment. The hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and perflourocarbons (PFCs) generated by refrigerant leakage markedly increase global warming (GW). The issue of emissions from temperature-controlled food delivery is important for carriers. This paper aims to estimate GHG emissions from the Traditional Multi-Vehicle Distribution (TMVD) and Multi-Temperature Joint Distribution (MTJD) systems by formulating mathematical models that consider delivery scheduling for time-dependent demand of multi-temperature foods. Furthermore, this paper analyzes and compares the emissions from each source in the two systems to explore the influence of delivery scheduling on emissions. The results indicate that, as compared to the TMVD system, the MTJD system yields less total emissions by lowering fuel consumption even when it generates more GHG due to refrigerant leakage and electric power consumption for freezers, which accounts for an extremely low percentage of total emissions. This paper suggests carriers should use the MTJD system to reduce routing distances and emissions simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Cleaner production is the continuous application of an integrated preventive environmental strategy which stressed the importance of environment and human beings. Although the application of cleaner production is becoming more and more mature in different industries, since the complexity of the mining operation itself and its extensive and complex impacts on the ecological environment, the application of cleaner production in the mining industry encounters great challenges. For this purpose, the paper presents some developments and new insights of environmental problems and deep mining strategy for cleaner production in mines. Firstly, the general impacts on the ecological environment of mining industry and the current corresponding solutions as well as future prospects are presented. Secondly, the ecological environment pollution induced by tailings dam and its elimination approaches are reviewed. For the accelerating volume of tailings dam waiting to be processed, the exploration and research of the comprehensive utilization and treatment of tailings is expected to be more effective with larger consumption and wider range of application. The development direction is the establishment of mine without tailings. With the development of modern technology, some intelligent monitoring and warning technologies have helped the mining engineers to keep a vigilant eye on tailings dam continually. Finally, to convert the "harm" of four highs and one disturbance induced by the complex mechanical environment in deep mines into "benefit", various specific measures with relatively high novelty and sustainability are recommended. Moreover, the conception map of safer and more efficient exploitation of resources in deep mines is depicted for industrial best practice and future research directions to enhance cleaner production work in mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Ice cream is consumed daily worldwide and yet its environmental impacts are scarcely known. This paper presents a first comprehensive life cycle assessment of market-leading vanilla and chocolate ice creams, considering both regular and premium products. The results suggest that their impacts are broadly similar across the 18 impact categories considered. For the majority of the impacts, chocolate regular ice cream is a slightly better option than the other varieties. Overall, the regular versions of the product have lower environmental impacts than the premium. Raw materials contribute most to the majority of impacts (>70%). The exception is ozone depletion, which is mainly due to refrigerated storage at the retailer (95%). The impacts are highly sensitive to the duration of storage and the type of refrigerant. Furthermore, the global warming potential of chocolate ice cream is very sensitive to land use change associated with cocoa beans cultivation, increasing the impact by 60%. Considering annual consumption of ice cream in the UK, the total primary energy demand contributes to 3.8% of energy consumption in the whole food sector while greenhouse emissions contribute 1.8%. Future improvements in the supply chain should focus on milk and cocoa production, reduced storage time and types of refrigerant used. Product reformulation to reduce the amount of milk (fat) and sugar should also be considered, in line with the emerging health-driven market trends. In addition to industry and policy makers, the findings of this study will be of interest to consumers, enabling them to make better choices with respect to environmental impacts of most popular ice creams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reduce the environmental hazards from non-renewable energy consumption and promote sustainable social development, renewable electric energy has been developed vigorously in countries around the world as the best strategical choice of cleaner energy development. Especially in transportation sector, large quantities of electric vehicles (EVs) are considered the most promising alternative to alleviate the problems of energy crisis, environment pollution and climate warming. However, with the rapid growth of EVs, much more small-scale fast charging stations (FCSs) have limited distribution capacity to satisfy every charging demand simultaneously and are under big pressure to ensure good service capability. Based on current conditions, this paper proposes a hierarchical power control strategy (HPCS) that considers EVs demand, FCS service capability, and FCS daily load fluctuation as a whole with weighted dynamic priority (WDP) and fluctuation smoothing index (FSI). The assumed system model is based on each EV's unique demand and FCS constraints. The simulation results show that the optimal WDP is sufficiently elastic to satisfy EV's demand urgency and fast charging station operator (FCSO)'s income simultaneously. Moreover, FSI is illustrated concretely to decrease daily load fluctuation and peak load value, which is useful to reduce overall power loss. As a result, the HPCS can be realized on a 32-bit processor platform in a FCS to gain an optimal balance between EVs demands and FCSO's profits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming, climate change, and resource depletion have forced us to reconsider energy usage and efficiencies over the last few decades. Residential and commercial buildings are both large energy consumers, so improving energy and material usage efficiency in this sector is a common research topic. According to a recent study, the Building Sector (BS) accounts for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions. The primary objective of this paper is to examine and assess the potential of Renewable Energy Systems (RES) and their combinations for enhancing energy efficiency in the BS. Specifically, the focus will be on converting low energy-efficient buildings into highly efficient ones. The potential of the RES and their combinations for the BS is evaluated based on payback durations, energy generation, and reduction of CO 2 emissions. The optimization flow charts for the RES, feasibility studies, commercialization road maps of energy storage systems and the necessity of control mechanisms for enhancing RES efficiency were discussed. Additionally, the technology drawbacks are discussed, along with various innovative techniques recommended to direct future study in this area. Finally, this article assists the audience clear idea in the selection of the right combination of potential RES based on different conditions to achieve deep decarbonization in BSs. • Buildings sector (BS) responsible for 40% of GHG emissions. • Study assesses potential of Renewable Energy System (RES) in BS. • RES evaluated on payback, energy generation, and CO 2 reduction. • Optimization, feasibility and commercialization studies were discussed. • Article recommends right RES combinations for deep decarbonization in BS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surge in energy consumption and CO 2 (carbon dioxide) emissions is exacerbating global warming. The Chinese government has promised to reduce CO 2 emission by 60%–65% per unit of GDP over the 2005 level by around 2030. Analyzing the factors influencing CO 2 emissions is one of the key aspects involved in effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In this paper, we add climatic factors based on socio-economic factors, and adopt the extended STIRPAT model to investigate the mechanism driving emissions by the co-action of natural and socio-economic factors. The results show that the 1995–2014 emissions in China's Zhejiang province had an upward trend with growth rates varying between intermediate periods. The order of the factors' elasticity coefficients is urbanization rate (0.181) > GDP per capita (0.180) > population (0.177) > energy intensity (0.170) > trade openness (0.170) > cooling degree days (0.127) > mean temperature anomaly (0.116). Economic development and urbanization were the main factors promoting CO 2 emissions in 1996–1999, while economic development and foreign trade were the main factors in 2000–2014. Policy makers should pay more attention to keeping a healthy pace of economic development, introducing more low energy consumption and low pollution enterprises and encouraging technological innovation. Improving the quality of urbanization, guiding a sustainable lifestyle, adjusting the structure of foreign trade and curbing energy intensity are also expected to reduce emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, comprehensive attention has been attracted to global warming. Meanwhile, China is a country with huge energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission. Therefore, it is urgent for China to reduce the air pollutants embodied in each unit of a good for a less greenhouse gas earth. In this paper, air pollutants embodied in goods consumption as well as import-export trade in China was accounted in 1995–2009. Besides, we checked the structural decomposition analysis of emissions' variation. The results showed: (1) in 1995–2009, air pollutants embodied in goods for consumption and import-export trade in China displayed a rising trend. Emission of carbon dioxide was the largest and methane, carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides, non-methane volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, ammonia, nitrous oxide were in proper sequence based at the average level. (2) Air pollutants embodied in goods exported were larger than those in imported and difference among nations existed. (3) The percentages of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, carbon monoxide, non-methane volatile organic compounds embodied in Construction were larger than in other departments on the consumption side, while percentages of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, carbon monoxide, non-methane volatile organic compounds embodied in Electrical and Optical Equipment was bigger on the trade side. (4) Emission reduction techniques reduced air pollutants embodied in goods consumption and import and export trade in China. Consequently, China ought to pay attention to emission reduction of carbon dioxide and raise awareness of air pollutants controlling, especially in Construction, Electrical and Optical Equipment and other departments. More importantly, China ought to strengthen cooperation with other nations in emission reduction and developing technologies so as to cut down air pollutants, not only for China but also for the earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming is a serious problem presently faced by human society, and CO 2 is a major concern as a greenhouse gas (GHG), especially as the amount of atmospheric CO 2 has been steadily increasing in recent years. Multi-depot model of vehicle routing has sparked widespread interest among researchers as an effective means of reducing cost comprising carbon emissions, fuel consumption, vehicles rental, and driver salaries. In this paper, we developed an improved adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) algorithm to efficiently solve large-scale instances of the multi-depot green vehicle routing problem with time windows (MDGVRPTW), based on the characteristics of the multi-depot model, and the formulation of carbon emissions from customers. For the destroy operation, three problem-specific destroy operators that took advantage of the structure of the multi-depot model and the calculation formula of carbon emissions, were deliberately tailored for the MDGVRPTW. The operators could rapidly remove customers causing significant carbon emissions, which enabled these customers to be better positioned in future repair operations. For the repair operation, a noise-greedy repair operator was proposed to enhance the diversification capabilities of the ALNS. Additionally, two methods for speeding up the repair process were proposed to improve computational time. Computational experiments revealed that the proposed ALNS algorithm exhibited a significant improvement in calculation speed and accuracy compared with existing algorithms. • Multi-depot green VRPTW (MDGVRPTW) to reduce emissions and economic cost is studied. • Improved adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) is devised for larger-scale MDGVRPTW. • Three novel destroy operators and two speeding-up repair methods are developed. • Accuracy is improved by 17.94% on average compared to classic ALNS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low carbon manufacturing is of growing importance due to the severity of energy shortage and increasing energy costs, as well as a series of environmental problems, i.e., climate change and global warming. This paper investigates the potential of process parameter optimization to minimize carbon emissions during machine processing. A process model of CNC machining is first presented to scope the system boundaries for energy footprint and process efficiency. A multi-objective optimization model is then proposed to explore the impact of cutting speed and feed rate on carbon emissions and processing time. The benefit of the approach is illustrated through a case study of a CNC cylindrical turning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimated the environmental performance and primary energy consumption of a newly installed large-scale solar photovoltaic system of 37.57 MW dc in Bidor, Malaysia using the process-based life-cycle assessment approach. The mid-point and end-point impact categories were evaluated, and seven relevant indicators related to energy and global warming were determined. The global warming impact and energy payback time obtained were 30.95 g CO 2 -eq/kWh and 3.43 years, respectively. Furthermore, the global warming impact mitigation potential attained was 811 kilo metric tonne (ktonne) CO 2 -eq throughout the system lifetime. Analyses of contribution, sensitivity and uncertainty were performed to i) identify photovoltaic system components that substantially consumed primary energy and impacted the environment, ii) evaluate the effect of four key parameters, namely irradiation, performance ratio, system lifetime and electricity mix on the energy and global warming-related indicators, and iii) estimate the uncertainty range of the evaluated indicators. The results highlighted that the main contributor to the indicators is the photovoltaic module. Other significant contributors are the civil work and operational and maintenance but the contribution from these components is much lower than the photovoltaic module. Besides that, the cumulative energy demand, energy return on investment, global warming impact and global warming impact mitigation potential showed an improvement when extending system lifetime from 15 to 40 years, i.e. from 0.8136 to 0.3677 MJ, 4.61 to 11.25, 55.37 to 24.99 g CO 2 -eq/kWh and 407.36 to 1055.78 g CO 2 -eq respectively, except for energy payback time and global warming payback time, i.e. from 3.26 to 3.55 years and 1.42 to 1.71 years respectively. • A life-cycle assessment of a real large-scale solar photovoltaic system is performed. • Extending lifetime of the system marginally increases the energy payback time. • The GW impact is about 19 times smaller than the Malaysian grid emission factor. • PV module is the major contributor to total primary energy consumption and GW impact. • BOS and O&M have a moderate share for primary energy consumption and GW impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To mitigate global warming, CO 2 emission reduction has become an urgent issue in the energy sector. In China, coal-to-gas, carbon capture and renewable energy utilization are important measures available among various low-carbon plans. However, inadequate gas supply, unclear utilization methods of captured CO 2 , and curtailment of excessive wind and solar power have hampered the effective implementation of the above measures. To solve this issue, this paper presents a coupling model considering power to gas (P2G) technology and carbon capture power plants (CCPP), and extends it into an integrated energy system (IES) including electricity, thermal and gas, then proposes an economic and environment-friendly scheduling model at a high wind power penetration level. Through the coupling of CCPP and P2G in IES, most of CO 2 emitted by the system can be captured and sent to the P2G facility to produce synthesized gas, which provides a new idea of utilizing CO 2 rather than storage. The synthetic gas can be provided to the system to reduce the external gas dependency. In addition, the simulation results also show that the ability of the system to absorb renewable energy is significantly enhanced with the presence of CCPP and P2G. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One important opportunity to reduce energy waste and global warming is renovation, retrofit, and refurbishment of existing buildings. Adding a multi-layer internal insulation is an efficient way to upgrade an existing housing into a nearly zero-energy buildings, NZEB. There is a vast variety of products and solutions for the building envelope with different environmental impacts. In this paper a methodology is presented to establish a two-criteria framework to rank thermal insulation materials to be used in the envelope. The objective was to design an optimal insulation system based on a multi-objective approach to maximize the energy saving and minimize the environmental impact. Using twelve typical insulation materials with different thicknesses, a four-layer insulation system was developed and applied to a Case study, a typical multi-story apartment building located in a hot summer and cold winter zone. Results revealed there are several optimum solutions to significantly reduce the building energy consumption, with important differences in their environmental impacts. For the case study, eight Pareto-optimal solutions were derived using the two-objective optimization offering more than 70% reduction in the energy demand, and a global warming potential range of 192–1500 kgCo2 eq. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While strong focus has been recently given to the environmental burdens of diets, more research is needed at the daily eating patterns, specifically, at the meal level. In this regard, this study attempts to enlarge this knowledge by evaluating the environmental performance of meals eaten away from home. In particular, this paper focuses on the case of shared dishes, known as tapas, eaten in a Spanish restaurant. To do so, the life cycle assessments (LCA) of 15 tapas meals are performed, and a functional unit based on the caloric energy intake and the nutritional quality of the meals is applied. This novelty, at the meal level, allows the integration of both environmental and the nutritional aspects, and, therefore, the comparison between meals differing in energy and nutrient content. Additionally, to better assess and compare the performance of the meals, this study estimates the benchmarks for the three evaluated environmental impacts - Global Warming Potential (GWP), Blue Water Footprint (BWF) and Land Use (LU) – based on the Planetary Health Diet. The results suggest that shifting towards a planetary health tapas meal, a more plant-based one, can significantly reduce GWP, BWF and LU. The restaurant stage, followed by the primary production, largely contributes to GWP, and food losses and waste (FLW) plays an important role, contributing significantly to all three impacts. Strategies towards energy efficiency at the restaurant, innovation in the menus, and reducing FLW are required, as well as further engagement between the HORECA sector and the academia to work in line towards sustainable eating patterns. Image 1 • An energy- and nutrient-based FU is used to assess the LCA of tapas meals. • Meals can only be environmentally compared if they have the same nutritional function. • Primary production and the restaurant stages contribute the most to GWP. • Large environmental benefits when shifting to a more plant-based tapas meal. • Reducing food losses and waste can bring large environmental benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]