Project Details

The GENAU-GV Klima project examines the ecological and climate-related impacts of converting school catering in Bremen to the DGE quality standard and the use of organic products. The aim is a systematic assessment of environmental impacts—particularly greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and land use—as well as the monetized quantification of climate damage costs within the framework of an extended health-economic cost-comparison analysis. Key questions concern the comparison of climate effects at varying levels of compliance with the DGE standard (e.g., 50 % vs. 80 % of the criteria), the comparison between vegetarian and mixed-diet menu lines, and the effects of different shares of organic products used, which are determined in a complementary scenario analysis. Methodologically, the analysis is based on quantitative primary data from the GENAU-GV and GENAU-IMP projects, particularly menus, portion sizes, and food losses. These are combined with process-based life cycle assessment (LCA) data from established LCA databases (e.g., Agribalyse, ecoinvent). By multiplying with current cost rates for climate damage, a climate-extended cost-comparison analysis is enabled, showing whether healthier, more sustainable meals lead to higher costs and whether these can be offset by avoided climate damages. The results support decision-makers in evaluating the efficiency of the school catering conversion in the context of Bremen’s climate targets up to 2038.