In late 2011 CE Delft completed a study to calculate the climate and environmental impact of numerous types of meat for ‘SuperWijzer’, a website and smartphone app providing consumer advice on meat and dairy products . On its website NL Agency is publishing a document with the GER values of a wide range of primary and secondary resources and energy carriers. GER stands for Gross Energy Requirement, the total amount of primary energy embodied in the material or product. NL Agency commissioned CE Delft to update the list of GER values for meats – beef, chicken, lamb and pork – and extend it on the basis of the Superwijzer study.
Although the GER values of the meats will not be published as such in NL Agency’s list, the explanation of the GER methodology in the Superwijzer study is referenced. The present report provides an explanation of the use and calculation of GER as well as a brief discussion of the values calculated.
CE Delft emphasizes that for meat products the GER value does not provide a full picture of the environmental footprint. Meat has a complex upstream chain involving numerous different ecological impacts.