A systemic C balance as a tool to evaluate the environmental role of complex and integrated productive systems

The most frequently used environmental assessment methods are often applied, through a product-based approach, to analyse a single productive process, but such methods neglect the interactions that characterise complex and integrated biological systems (CIS), and often only consider the negative impacts. In order to overcome these gaps and since a material balance can highlight the relationships and interactions of a CIS, a systemic carbon (C) balance is here proposed as a complementary analysis tool to highlight the relationships that exist between different productive processes carried out by the same production unit and to characterise its environmental role. The method was applied to a beef farm consortium to its validation. Conducting a mass balance involves considering the input and output material flows and their accumulation within a system. The systemic C balance applied to the consortium was found to result in the removal of 96,100 t C from the atmosphere over a period of one year, thereby leading to different conclusions from those obtained with other assessment methods. Based on these results, it appears that here presented method can describe a CIS and to highlight the relationship that exists between rearing and agricultural activities in order to characterise their environmental roles.•A new approach to CIS evaluation is presented.•C fluxes were used to evaluate the relationships among integrated productive processes.•A mass balance can be used to evaluate resource depletion or the enrichment of a system.