Purpose Food systems are key drivers of environmental impacts, which may be assessed using life cycle assessment (LCA). Canadian agri-food LCA research has been limited by the unavailability of common life cycle inventory (LCI) data resources characterizing processes in Canadian-specific supply chains. We address this issue through identification and evaluation of publicly available Canadian agri-food LCI data for possible inclusion in the forthcoming Canadian Agri-food Life-Cycle Data Centre (CALDC). Methods A data-reporting template was developed based on comparison of the ILCD and ecoSpold2 data-reporting formats, which contains all fields required for minimum compliance with both formats. Canadian agri-food-related practitioners at academic, government and industry organizations were then identified via web and literature searches, along with associated, publicly available resources containing Canadian agri-food LCI data tables. These data sets were classified by process type and geography, and then screened on the basis of their reported metadata against the identified reporting template to determine which data sets are currently reported in sufficient detail to warrant inclusion in the CALDC. This screening focused, in particular on metadata, and the identification of potential areas of improvement in metadata reporting. Results and discussion The identified data-reporting template contained 65 mandatory fields for LCI data, 58 of which related to metadata. Identification of available Canadian agri-food LCI data sets indicated a high degree of coverage in the field crop sector, and the need for significant further development with respect to data in the livestock, poultry, dairy, and agricultural support sectors. Screening of the data sets against the reporting template indicated that none of the identified data sets are currently reported in sufficient detail to warrant inclusion in the CALDC. In order to enable their inclusion, metadata reporting needs to improve in several areas—in particular, with respect to reporting of the percentage of supply represented by the data sets, and information regarding critical review of the data sets. Conclusions Comparison of ILCD and ecoSpold2 reporting formats yielded a data-reporting template, the use of which ensures compliance with both formats. Provision of this template will help facilitate interoperability between LCI databases and LCA software across all sectors. Application to publicly available Canadian agri-food sector data indicated that the scope of available LCI data sets in Canada must increase in coverage, quantity, and metadata reporting completeness in order to adequately support agri-food LCA modelling activities and associated sustainability initiatives.

中文翻译：

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构建适用于加拿大农业食品 LCI 数据的符合 ILCD/EcoSPOLD2 的数据报告模板

目的 食品系统是环境影响的关键驱动因素，可以使用生命周期评估 (LCA) 进行评估。加拿大农业食品 LCA 研究一直受限于描述加拿大特定供应链流程的通用生命周期清单 (LCI) 数据资源的不可用性。我们通过识别和评估公开可用的加拿大农业食品 LCI 数据来解决这个问题，以便可能将其纳入即将推出的加拿大农业食品生命周期数据中心 (CALDC)。方法 基于对 ILCD 和 ecoSpold2 数据报告格式的比较开发了数据报告模板，其中包含对两种格式的最低合规性所需的所有字段。然后通过网络和文献搜索确定了学术、政府和行业组织中与加拿大农业食品相关的从业人员，以及包含加拿大农业食品 LCI 数据表的相关公开资源。这些数据集按流程类型和地理位置进行分类，然后根据它们报告的元数据对照确定的报告模板进行筛选，以确定当前报告的哪些数据集足够详细以保证包含在 CALDC 中。此次筛选尤其侧重于元数据，并确定了元数据报告的潜在改进领域。结果与讨论 确定的数据报告模板包含 65 个 LCI 数据的必填字段，其中 58 个与元数据相关。确定可用的加拿大农业食品 LCI 数据集表明大田作物部门的覆盖度很高，并且需要进一步开发畜禽、家禽、乳制品和农业支持部门。根据报告模板筛选数据集表明，目前没有一个已识别的数据集报告的详细程度足以保证包含在 CALDC 中。为了能够将其纳入，元数据报告需要在多个领域进行改进——特别是在报告数据集所代表的供应百分比以及有关数据集严格审查的信息方面。结论 ILCD 和ecoSpold2 报告格式的比较产生了一个数据报告模板，使用该模板可确保符合这两种格式。该模板的提供将有助于促进所有部门的 LCI 数据库和 LCA 软件之间的互操作性。