Towards a carbon footprint analysis as an extended environmental indicator for roadside maintenance strategies: a multi-scale perspective

Within the framework of the bio economy, a supply chain resulting from the valorization of grass roadside verges maintenance activities is currently emerging. It represents a potential sink of biomass which could be valorised as a source of energy (heat or electricity) or other applications, thanks to the availability of technologies and the growing biomass demand. However, the assessment of these emerging activities could not any longer be made exclusively under technical and economic considerations. As a consequence, there is an urgent need to evaluate these new activities from a more holistic way, especially regarding their environmental impact. The present paper aims to introduce the carbon footprint analysis as an environmental indicator for establishing the relevance of the maintenance strategies with and without biomass recovery. Results show that the carbon footprint of this emerging valorization value chain could be positive, compared to the traditional maintenance strategy when including the valorization activities.