Life Cycle Assessment of Palm Oil Production in the South South Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria

Life cycle assessment provides a systematic framework for evaluating the environmental impacts of food production systems from raw material acquisition through processing to product distribution. This study applies life cycle assessment to quantify the environmental impacts of palm oil production in the South South geopolitical zone, focusing on small and medium-scale mills operating in Rivers and Cross River States. The system boundary encompasses land preparation, nursery and field management, fresh fruit bunch harvesting, transportation to mill, and crude palm oil processing. Primary data were collected from 10 mills representing a combined production of 12,000 tonnes of crude palm oil annually. Life cycle inventory data were compiled using GaBi and SimaPro databases supplemented by primary Nigerian data. Impact categories assessed include global warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, land use, and water consumption. Results showed that fresh fruit bunch production accounted for 68 percent of global warming potential, driven by fertiliser use and land management practices. Mill processing contributed significantly to eutrophication through palm oil mill effluent discharge. The study draws on recent life cycle assessment literature for tropical vegetable oil production systems and provides the first publicly available life cycle assessment dataset for Nigerian palm oil. Findings are intended for environmental policy makers, palm oil certification bodies, and sustainability-focused investors. Keywords: life cycle assessment, palm oil, environmental impact, South South Nigeria, sustainability