A new standard launched this week by BSI British Standards, the Carbon Trust and the United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will allow companies to measure the carbon footprint of the products and services through their entire lifecycle.
The standard–called PAS 2050–is a consistent way of counting the greenhouse gas emissions embedded in goods and services from the sourcing of raw materials, through manufacturing and distribution, to use and disposal.
The aim of the new standard is to help businesses move beyond managing the emissions their own processes create and to look at the opportunities for reducing emissions in the design, making and supplying of products. This will then help businesses make goods or services which are less carbon intensive and ultimately develop new products with lower carbon footprints.
The Carbon Trust has already piloted PAS 2050 with 75 product ranges across a wide range of companies including: PepsiCo, Boots, Innocent, Marshalls, Tesco, Cadbury, Halifax, Coca Cola, Kimberly Clark, The Co-operative Group, Scottish & Newcastle, Coors Brewers, Müller, British Sugar, ABAgri, Sainsbury’s, Danone, Continental Clothing Company, Colors Fruit, Morphy Richards, Mey Selections and Aggregate Industries.
Some of the results include a redesigned logistics network for Botanics shampoo by Boots, so that products could be delivered direct to stores, reducing road miles and packaging. This alone has reduced the carbon footprint of making the shampoo by 10%, according to a release.
In another example, the company Innocent helped a supplier reduce landfill waste 54% in just six months.
Defra has also carried out research testing of the PAS on up to 100 food products through their production, manufacture and distribution and is studying the greenhouse gas impacts of food preparation and consumption in the home.
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said, “Companies have said they want to be able to count their carbon emissions in a better way, so we have responded. By looking at where the emissions are being created and reducing them, businesses can also save themselves money.
Carbon Trust Chief Executive Tom Delay said, “For the first time, businesses have a robust, consistent standard for measuring the carbon footprint of their goods and services. This exciting development will help businesses to really understand the carbon impact of their products and to follow this up with tangible ways to cut carbon emissions across the supply chain."
Loading...