Table 1 Conventional vs. this study.

From: Medicinal and aromatic plants as climate-smart crops: case studies on Pelargonium graveolens and Viola odorata under Egyptian conditions

Conventional MAP LCA approach

This study approach

System boundary: Cradle-to-gate (emissions only)

System boundary: Cradle-to-gate (emissions AND photosynthetic uptake)

Photosynthetic CO2 uptake: excluded

Photosynthetic CO2 uptake: explicitly quantified and credited

Oxygen production: not quantified

Oxygen production: quantified as co-benefit

Primary metric: gross emissions (kg CO2 -eq)

Primary metric: net GHG balance (emissions minus uptake)

Climate interpretation: all systems are net emitters

Climate interpretation: systems can be sources OR sinks

Literature examples: Moura et al. 2022 (rosemary), Garzon-Santos et al. 2020 (lavender)

Novel contribution: net carbon balance of MAP value chains

  1. Key Innovation: By including biogenic carbon flows in system boundaries, this study enables identification of MAP production systems that function as net carbon sinks (negative footprint) rather than assuming all agricultural systems are net sources. This methodological advancement is essential for evaluating climate-smart agriculture potential and identifying crops suitable for carbon credit generation.
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