The Ecotone Foundation, in partnership with the Solagro association, has developed a Pesticide Footprint Calculator for the general public. This "easy-to-use tool aims to make French consumers aware of the impact of their consumption and encourage them to make informed choices, thereby helping to preserve biodiversity and protect our ecosystem. It is designed to enable users to visualize concretely, simply, and quickly the number of square meters preserved or contaminated by pesticides as a function of their food choices."
"Consuming organic produce drastically reduces our pesticide footprint"
Committed to preserving biodiversity, Ecotone claims to be "preserving soil health and protecting water resources and ecosystems by promoting and encouraging production methods that respect nature."
Screenshot from Calculateur d'empreinte pesticides.com
"A pesticide footprint to better understand the environmental impact of our food"
"The launch of this simple, educational tool based on a transparent methodology aggregating official public data is a further step in Ecotone's mission to raise consumer awareness of the impact of their food on the environment," according to the foundation.
Launched this summer, Ecotone recorded nearly 1,000 connections in just one month. This project was very much needed since "over 86% of French people say they are worried about the loss of biodiversity, yet over 53% of them do not make the connection between their food and its impact on the environment," according to a survey by Odoxa for Ecotone in 2022.
An "evolving" tool
For the moment, more than 30 products are referenced, including the 10 most consumed by the French (cereals, potatoes, wine, sugar, apples...). The Calculator is intended to be an "evolving tool that can be updated once additional data has been verified. Ecotone would also like to "duplicate the tool on a European scale and wherever data is available."
The methodology and open-access data are based on the work carried out during the launch of the first French Pesticide Map, unveiled in June 2022, with over 200,000 views within days of its publication. "Nearly 6 months of work were required to set up the tool: compilation of data, creation of the algorithm, testing, development... However, the Calculator also draws on data and methodology already developed by Solagro for the French Pesticide Map, which itself required 18 months of work," according to Ecotone.
Ecotone is convinced that this tool could greatly modify consumer habits. "Measuring carbon footprint has changed transportation habits, and this will do the same for consumer habits. Discussions could soon revolve around the question of our pesticide footprint."
For more information:
Ecotone
ecotone.bio/fr
empreinte-pesticides.com/