Contributions in the social and environmental dimension to floriculture in the hydrangea sector under a life-cycle analysis approach

Aportes en la dimensión social y ambiental a la floricultura en el sector de hortensias bajo un enfoque de análisis de ciclo de vida

The Colombian flower industry has been growing and consolidating itself as one of the main economic activities in the country. This activity generates significant environmental and social impacts throughout its life cycle that must be resolved in order to consolidate itself as a sustainable economic activity, and for this reason the project "Environmental, economic and social life cycle assessment for hydrangea agro-industrial companies as a strategy for sustainable development in the Province of La Paz in eastern Antioquia, Colombia" is being developed for small and medium-sized producers' crops to trigger impacts and externalities in the production process. The methodology used in the project was based on the series of ISO 14040 and 14044 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and UNEP standards, which were evidenced in the production process of hydrangeas for export in a small farm. Some of the significant results of the research allowed identifying that the cultivation stage has grater influence on the categories of environmental impacts and social indicators evaluated, thus achieving the consolidation of relevant actions to improve the performance of the crops from a sustainability perspective.