Acai is generally reduced to a tropical fruit that comes from far away. In principle, it is considered polluting because it travels many kilometers from the Amazon. Yet these prejudices are not based on concrete data.
To move beyond preconceived ideas, we chose to rely on a complete and transparent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) carried out on our acai purée.
In this article, we are deliberately focusing on our organic and fair-trade Terraçaí by Nossa! acai purée, packaged in 4 × 100 g sachets and available in organic stores. It is this product, as it arrives on store shelves, that is analyzed here.
Our approach also arose from a very concrete observation. In France, we regularly encounter very strong arguments in favor of local sourcing. We fully support this approach, as it is essential to the food transition.
In response to these positions, one question kept coming up: what is the actual impact of our acai purée? Especially with figures to back it up. Thus, rather than responding with opinions, we chose to respond with measured data.
What is a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?
A Life Cycle Assessment is a standardized scientific method used to evaluate a product’s environmental impacts throughout its entire life cycle.
Unlike partial approaches that focus solely on origin or transport, LCA takes a comprehensive view of the product being examined. Our LCA examines:
- Raw material production,
- Processing stages,
- Successive transport stages,
- Storage,
- Packaging,
- The end of the products’ life.
The objective is clear: to enable reliable comparisons between products, based on sound methodological foundations.
In France, ADEME, the agency for ecological transition, is the reference authority for LCAs. It provides recognized databases, methodologies, and interpretation frameworks used by both public and private organizations. Our LCA was carried out with their support, among other things.
The LCA of acai purée
Nossa!’s LCA was carried out voluntarily, beyond any regulatory obligation. It was entrusted to the ODDS agency, an independent firm specializing in environmental assessments.
The results are considered valid for a period of two years, as production and logistics conditions remain stable.
Although the LCA covers several Nossa! products, here we are explaining only the data concerning our organic and fair-trade acai purée, Terraçaí by Nossa!.
The other products analyzed in our LCA are data that we use internally to improve the environmental impact of some of our products.
The scope studied for our acai purée
For our organic and fair-trade acai purée, the LCA covers all the following stages:
- harvesting acai through agroforestry in Brazil,
- river and road transport to the processing plant,
- processing into purée and quick freezing,
- packaging in 4 × 100 g bags,
- refrigerated transport to the port,
- maritime transport to Le Havre,
- cold storage,
- distribution to organic logistics platforms,
- packaging end of life.
Some stages are deliberately excluded, such as transport from the store to the home or preparation by the consumer, to remain consistent with LCA standards in the food sector.
Harvesting through agroforestry is considered carbon neutral. No fertilizers, irrigation, or deforestation. The palms grow in natural ecosystems in the Amazon.
The carbon footprint of our acai purée
The carbon footprint of our acai purée is 0.76 kg of CO₂ per kilogram of acai purée.
This figure includes all the stages covered by the LCA. It is a measured result based on real data.
The LCA makes it possible to identify the sources of emissions precisely:
- 0% agriculture: 0 kg CO₂e
Harvested in the forest, picked by hand, without machinery or pesticides. - 30% processing: 0.22 kg CO₂e
Pulping, pasteurization, quick freezing. - 55% transport: 0.41 kg CO₂e
Maritime transport, primarily by refrigerated containers. - 10% packaging + 5% end of life: 0.12 kg CO₂e
Plastic bags and cardboard, including the relevant waste treatment processes.
To better interpret and understand this result, it is also essential to put it into perspective by comparing it with other foods.
Acai vs tropical fruits
When comparing acai with other tropical products commonly consumed in Europe, the contrast is striking.
This comparison also addresses a broader question: why are many so-called tropical products now widely integrated into French eating habits, while acai continues to raise concerns solely because of its geographical origin?
Coffee, cocoa, bananas, and avocados are part of everyday life, despite sometimes having very high carbon impacts. Here, the LCA helps place Nossa! acai in this context, based on comparable data.
At 0.76 kg CO₂e, acai is below bananas, imported kiwis, avocados, and undoubtedly coffee and cocoa.
These differences can be explained by several factors: the often-intensive agricultural phase, chemical inputs, food yields, and above all the degree of processing of certain products.
Acai vs local fruit
The local product argument is frequently used as an environmental shortcut. Yet our LCA shows that some local fruits can have a larger carbon footprint than acai.
These comparisons are not intended to pit different types of production against one another. Their primary purpose is to provide an order of magnitude, using fruits that are familiar to French consumers.
Under no circumstances is this intended as a negative judgment on locally grown fruit: its carbon impact remains generally low, and far below that of many other ingredients in our diet.
Blueberries, raspberries, and apricots have higher impacts due to:
- low agricultural yields,
- input requirements,
- high perishability,
- complex cold chain.
Distance is only one factor among others. The production method generally weighs more than the number of kilometers traveled.
What the LCA of acai purée really reveals
Life Cycle Assessment does not boil down to a final figure. It makes it possible to examine, understand, and interpret the actual mechanisms shaping a product’s environmental impact. In the case of our acai purée, several major insights emerge.
The production method is decisive
First key takeaway: the complete absence of intensive agriculture radically changes the picture. Wild harvesting of acai, without fertilizers, irrigation, pesticides, or deforestation, explains why the agricultural phase is considered neutral in the LCA.
By comparison, for many food products, agriculture accounts for the majority of the carbon impact.
For example, for raw chicken, 81% of emissions come from the agricultural phase, for a total footprint of approximately 4.56 kg CO₂e per kilogram. This comparison helps put all fruits into perspective, as their overall impact remains low across the food system.
Transport is not systematically the main factor
The LCA also highlights an often counterintuitive point: long-distance transport does not automatically mean high impact. In the case of Nossa! acai, transport represents the largest share of emissions, but it remains controlled thanks to:
- predominantly maritime transport, one of the least emission-intensive modes per kilogram transported,
- optimized cold-chain logistics,
- the absence of back-and-forth trips or intermediate processing.
This result helps move beyond a simplistic view based solely on the number of kilometers traveled.
Processing and packaging have less impact than we imagine
Another important lesson is that processing and packaging, perceived as having a very significant impact, remain secondary in the overall assessment. In the case of our organic and fair-trade acai purée, these steps are limited to the essentials: pulping, quick-freezing, and simple packaging.
Fewer steps, fewer materials, fewer losses: this industrial efficiency is directly reflected in the LCA results.
A comprehensive reading of our data
Lastly, the LCA highlights an obvious but often overlooked point: no food product can be assessed based on a single criterion. Contrasting local and imported products without a comprehensive analysis leads to biased conclusions.
The value of this approach lies precisely in placing each product within a global food system, taking all of its impacts into account rather than focusing on a single visible factor.
This study confirmed our initial hypothesis that a virtuous agricultural model can offset the carbon emissions from transport.
This experience also drew our attention to certain aspects of our products that we need to improve. We have set ourselves the goal of adapting our product formats to be less polluting and are accelerating our ecological impact initiatives in the Amazon with harvesting communities.
We must point out that this LCA is valid only for our supply chain and does not apply in any way to other brands on the acai market.
To go beyond this article, you can consult the life cycle assessment of acai purée.