Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Preparation of Environmental Impact Reduction Proposal on Cheddar Cheese Production Process

Abstract

While beneficial for businesses, the increasing number of food industries each year also poses 
environmental challenges such as global warming and ozone depletion. One such developing industry is Jogja Cheese 
House (KEJUGJA), which produces various types of cheese. The energy consumption in each production process 
adversely affects the environment, and improper disposal of whey waste, a by-product of cheese production, adds to 
the problem. This study aims to assess the environmental performance of the production process and propose 
improvement strategies. The research focuses on cheddar cheese production. The method used is Life Cycle 
Assessment (LCA), which involves four main stages: goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, 
and interpretation. The goal and scope define the research objectives, focusing on energy, water, and fuel use in 
cheddar cheese production. Inventory analysis is conducted using the gate-to-gate method to measure mass and energy 
use. Impact assessment identifies emissions and their environmental contributions. Based on LCA results, a fishbone 
diagram is used to identify problems from six aspects: people, methods, machines, materials, environment, and 
leadership. The proposed improvements from the fishbone diagram include conducting training sessions by 
environmental agencies and NGOs, establishing long-term contracts with milk suppliers to ensure quality standards, 
using Material Requirement Planning (MRP) to manage raw material demand fluctuations, considering High
Temperature ShortTime (HTST) pasteurization, and processing whey waste into value-added products like whey 
protein, whey-based drinks, and whey crackers, or using it as an additive in cow feed.