Resource footprint of Vietnamese Pangasius frozen fillets and export to the European market

This study answers the question how resource efficient the production of Vietnamese Pangasius frozen fillets, an important alternative within the low-priced fish class, is. Resource usage was assessed as the Cumulative Exergy Extraction from the Natural Environment (CEENE), using the CEENE method, over a cradle-toretailer life cycle: aquaculture, processing in Vietnam and transport to the Belgian retailers (EU). One tonne of dry matter (DM) of frozen fillets (excluding the water and chemical absorption) extracted 627 GJex, mainly through land occupation (48%, primarily for cultivating crop-based feed ingredients), water usage (33%, primarily for pond water renewal) and fossil fuel use (15%, primarily for energy use in processing and transport). Improvements in aquaculture (81% of the CEENE) were addressed by Huysveld et al. 2015. Processing (14%) should use less electricity and packaging materials.

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