Stewardship to tackle global phosphorus inefficiency: The case of Europe

Abstract

The inefficient use of phosphorus (P) in the food chain is a threat to the global aquatic environment and the health and well-being of citizens, and it is depleting an essential finite natural resource critical for future food security and ecosystem function. We outline a strategic framework of 5R stewardship (Re-align P inputs, Reduce P losses, Recycle P in bioresources, Recover P in wastes, and Redefine P in food systems) to help identify and deliver a range of integrated, cost-effective, and feasible technological innovations to improve P use efficiency in society and reduce Europe's dependence on P imports. Their combined adoption facilitated by interactive policies, co-operation between upstream and downstream stakeholders (researchers, investors, producers, distributors, and consumers), and more harmonized approaches to P accounting would maximize the resource and environmental benefits and help deliver a more competitive, circular, and sustainable European economy. The case of Europe provides a blueprint for global P stewardship.

Fig. 1

Phosphorus flows in the food production–consumption chain of the European Union (EU15) for 2006–2008. Flows are indicated by arrows, and pools and stocks are indicated by boxes. The size of flows, stocks, and pools are presented in Gg P yr⁻¹. The size of the arrows indicates the relative size of the flow; imports are in blue, exports are in purple, losses are in red, sectors are in green, and the hydrosphere is in light blue (adapted from Ott and Rechberger 2012)

Fig. 2

The use of phosphorus (P) fertilizers and the import of P via soybean products in EU-27 between 1961 and 2011. For comparison, results for China have been included (Source FAOSTAT 2014)

Fig. 3

The 5R strategies to reduce Europe’s dependency on phosphate rock-derived P in the likely order of increasing difficulty of implementation

Fig. 4

Tackling the P sustainability challenge in Europe: the eight conclusions from the 1st European Sustainable Phosphorus Conference held in Brussels in 2013 (http://www.phosphorusplatform.org/)

Fig. 5

Defining a research agenda for sustainable P management through the integration of the macro-, meso-, and micro-scales of research and knowledge