Reshaping sustainable food systems through food waste vermicomposting using a life cycle sustainability assessment in India

The growing volume of food waste generated in urban areas has created serious environmental and resource management challenges, particularly in developing countries where sustainable treatment options are still expanding. Vermicomposting has emerged as an effective biological process for converting biodegradable waste into nutrient–rich organic manure; however, its overall sustainability under field operating conditions has not been comprehensively evaluated. This study assessed the sustainability of decentralised food waste vermicomposting in Tamil Nadu, India, by applying a Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) framework to five commercial vermicomposting Industries. The analysis considered a cradle -to-farm-gate system boundary with one tonne of mature vermicompost as the functional unit. Environmental performance was evaluated through carbon footprint assessment using OpenLCA v2.6.2 with the ecoinvent v3.12 APOS database available through OpenLCA Nexus, while economic and social dimensions were examined using Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), respectively. The estimated climate change impact was 108 kg CO 2 eq per tonne −1 of mature vermicompost, indicating low production-stage climate change impacts under the assessed operating conditions. Financial evaluation showed that vermicompost production was economically feasible, with a benefit–cost ratio (BCR) of 1.57, whereas the social assessment produced an overall score of 4.20, reflecting positive outcomes for employment generation, occupational conditions, and community acceptance. The integrated Life Cycle Sustainability Index (LCSI) varied between 3.90 and 4.13 under different weighting scenarios, demonstrating consistent sustainability performance despite changes in stakeholder priorities. These findings suggest that decentralised vermicomposting can support sustainable food waste management by recovering valuable organic resources while maintaining favourable environmental, economic, and social performance. The results provide practical evidence to inform municipal waste management strategies and promote circular economy initiatives in India and other developing countries.