The BETTED project is pleased to announce the publication of a new scientific article by project partners University of Brescia (UNIBS) and Riga Technical University (RTU), entitled “Boosting Energy Transition of the Dairy Value Chain: a LIFE Project”.
The article has been published by Riga Technical University in partnership with Paradigm Publishing Services and presents key insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with the energy transition of the European dairy sector.
The dairy industry currently faces a complex combination of economic, environmental, and climate-related challenges. While the sector plays a vital role in food production, it also contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly through dairy farming activities and energy-intensive processing operations. At the same time, dairy producers are increasingly exposed to the impacts of climate change, including heat stress affecting livestock, reduced water availability, and declining soil fertility.
To address these challenges and support the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals, the article highlights the importance of improving resource efficiency, reducing production costs, adopting renewable energy sources, and implementing energy-efficient technologies throughout the dairy value chain.
The publication presents the work carried out within the BETTED project, a LIFE-CET-2022-funded initiative designed to accelerate the energy transition of the dairy sector. By targeting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), BETTED promotes the uptake of renewable energy solutions and energy-efficiency measures, such as heat pumps for milk processing and dairy product manufacturing, helping companies reduce their dependence on fossil fuels while improving their economic and environmental performance.
A key contribution of the study is the introduction of a decision-support toolbox developed within the project, alongside the establishment of comparable environmental benchmarks for dairy products. The authors conducted a comprehensive review of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) studies using a consistent cradle-to-grave approach to analyse environmental indicators, including Global Warming Potential. These benchmarks and tools provide stakeholders with more reliable and consistent methods for assessing environmental performance and making informed sustainability decisions.
The publication represents an important milestone in BETTED’s efforts to support a more sustainable, resilient, and energy-efficient dairy sector across Europe.
To access the full article, please visit:
https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/rtuect-2025-0039
Authors: Enrico Bertagna, Silvia Cardini, Beatrice Marchi, Francesco Romagnoli and Simone Zanoni