DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (News Release ref
341/08) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 29 October 2008
Businesses can
from today assess the carbon footprint of their goods and services
and play a greater part in fighting climate change, thanks to a
new standard launched by BSI British Standards, the Carbon Trust
and Defra.
The standard - called PAS 2050 - is a consistent way of counting
the greenhouse gas emissions embedded in goods and services
throughout their entire life cycle - from sourcing raw materials,
through to manufacture, distribution, 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, Muller, British Sugar, ABAgri, Sainsbury's,
Danone, Continental Clothing Company, Colors Fruit, Morphy
Richards, Mey Selections and Aggregate Industries.
Some of the results include:
* For its Botanics shampoo, Boots has redesigned its logistics
network 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 per cent.
* By working with one of its suppliers, Innocent helped identify
an opportunity for the supplier to set up a group of employees to
look at how they could increase the amount of waste materials
being recycled throughout the factory. In the first month, waste
to landfill was reduced 15 per cent, and within six months the
reduction reached 54 per cent. 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.
"You can't see or count emissions when you buy a
product. But consumers want to know that emissions are being cut
by businesses and this standard will help businesses to do that.
"In addition to measuring and reducing the carbon footprint
of their products, from clothing, to cosmetics and cottage pies,
businesses will be able to offer advice to the public about the
most environmentally friendly ways to choose, use and dispose of
their products."
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.
"The Carbon Trust has been part of this work from the outset
and we are delighted that PAS 2050 is now publicly available for
any company to use."
Director of BSI British Standards, Mike Low said:
"PAS 2050 has been developed using BSI's rigorous
consultation process, involving almost a thousand industry experts
from within the UK and internationally. The result is a robust
framework within which businesses and public sector bodies will be
able to assess the greenhouse gas emissions of their goods and
services in a consistent manner.
"Our hope is that it will be used widely by organisations of
all sizes and sectors. PAS 2050 is the latest addition to
BSI's rapidly expanding stable of standards and tools in the
area of sustainability and the environment, which enable
organisations to manage their operations in a more sustainable manner."
PAS 2050 will pave the way for business to provide transparent
and reliable information on the carbon content of their products.
Notes to Editors
1. You can find a full copy of the Publicly Available
Specification (PAS) 2050 at http://www.bsigroup.com/pas2050
2. PAS 2050 Specification for the assessment of the life cycle
greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services is an independent
standard. The Carbon Trust and Defra have co-sponsored the
development of PAS 2050 by BSI British Standards.
3. The development of PAS 2050 has been overseen by an
independent Steering Group, made up of NGOs, academics, business
and government, supported by a number of Working Groups to discuss
technical issues.
4. BSI British Standards is the UK's National Standards
Body, recognized globally for its independence, integrity and
innovation in the production of standards and information products
that promote and share best practice. BSI works with businesses,
consumers and government to represent UK interests and to make
sure that British, European and international standards are
useful, relevant and authoritative. For further information
please visit http://www.bsigroup.com/britishstandards.
5. BSI British Standards is part of BSI Group, a global
independent business services organisation that inspires
confidence and delivers assurance to customers with
standards-based solutions. Originating as the world's first
national standards body, the Group has over 2,300 staff operating
in over 120 countries through more than 50 global offices. For
further information please visit http://www.bsigroup.com.
6. The Group's key offerings are:
* The development and sale of private, national and international
standards and supporting information;
* Second and third-party management systems assessment and certification;
* Product testing and certification of services and products;
* Performance management software solutions; and
* Training services in support of standards implementation and
business best practice.
7. The Carbon Trust is an independent company set up by
government in response to the threat of climate change, to
accelerate the move to a low carbon economy by working with
organisations to reduce carbon emissions and develop commercial
low carbon technologies. The Carbon Trust works with UK business
and the public sector through its work in five complementary
areas: insights, solutions, innovations, enterprises and
investments. Together these help to explain, deliver, develop,
create and finance low carbon enterprise. The Carbon Trust is
funded by government.
8. For more information on the Carbon Trust Carbon Reduction
Label visit http://www.carbon-label.co.uk
or call the Carbon Trust Advice Line on 0800 085 2005.
Public enquiries 08459 335577;
Press notices are available on our website http://www.defra.gov.uk
Defra's aim is sustainable development
End
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