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Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a fundamental tool for assessing the ecological footprint of any activity. This analysis can also be applied to bivalve mollusc aquaculture to identify strategies to improve its sustainability.

LCA allows you to assess the environmental impact of a product or process throughout its life cycle, from the production of raw materials to waste disposal. There are different approaches to conducting LCA, and two widely used methods are the "cradle- to- grave" and "cradle- to- gate" models.

• Cradle- to- grave is a comprehensive LCA approach that considers the entire life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials to the end-of-life phase, including transportation and waste disposal. This method is particularly valuable when evaluating the environmental impacts associated with the full cycle of bivalve mollusc aquaculture, from juvenile production, farming, and harvesting to distribution and consumption.
• On the other hand, the cradle- to- gate approach focuses only on the stages before the product leaves the farm, such as juvenile production, farming, and harvesting. This method helps in focusing on direct operational activities and is useful for improving the efficiency and sustainability of the farming process itself.

In both cases, LCA helps to:

• Quantify the carbon footprint by measuring greenhouse gas
• Evaluate resource use, analysing the consumption of water, energy, and raw
• Identify environmental impacts such as eutrophication, ocean acidification, and
• Compare farming practices to identify the most sustainable

The life cycle of bivalve mollusc aquaculture includes several phases, each with a specific contribution to the carbon footprint:

• Juvenile production: In some types of farming, there is a phase in which juveniles are produced in This phase requires energy to operate the hatchery facilities. In many cases, the use of hatcheries is avoided by using juveniles taken directly from the sea breeding areas (nursery areas).
• Farming stage: Farming-related emissions are mainly due to the energy consumption for harvesting and processing bivalve molluscs: harvesting molluscs requires fuel consumption for boats, while processing requires energy for cleaning, packaging and
• Distribution and consumption: The transport of finished products to consumer markets and the disposal of packaging contribute to the overall carbon footprint.