Life Cycle Assessment of Palm Oil Production Systems in South South Nigeria

This study conducts a life cycle assessment of palm oil production systems in South South Nigeria, quantifying the environmental impact of small-scale, medium-scale, and large-scale plantation-mill configurations from field establishment through oil processing and packaging. Palm oil production is Nigeria's most important edible oil industry, with South South states including Rivers, Bayelsa, and Edo hosting both traditional smallholder production and commercial plantation operations. Understanding the environmental footprint of different production systems is increasingly important for market access, investment decisions, and sustainability certification. This study applies ISO 14040 and 14044 LCA methodology using the functional unit of one tonne of crude palm oil. Life cycle inventory data are collected from 8 smallholder groups, 5 medium-scale mills, and 2 large plantation-mill complexes in Ondo, Edo, and Rivers States. Environmental impact categories assessed include global warming potential, eutrophication potential, freshwater use, land use, and primary energy demand, using SimaPro software. Findings reveal that smallholder palm oil production has a lower carbon footprint per tonne of CPO than large plantations due to lower machinery energy use, but higher water use intensity from less efficient processing. Palm oil mill effluent contributes the largest share of eutrophication impact across all production scales. Land use change associated with plantation expansion carries the highest global warming potential. The study recommends closed-loop effluent treatment and legume cover crop adoption as priority mitigation actions.

Keywords: life cycle assessment, palm oil production, environmental impact, South South Nigeria, sustainability.