Food processors set to benefit from revised carbon footprint standard - BSI
The BSI told FoodProductionDaily.com that the revised version of its PAS 2050 was "especially relevant to measuring the use of carbon during the food manufacture and supply chain process”.
The free guide - Specification for the assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services – reflects advances made in know-how on both theory and practice in the carbon footprint measuring field.
Significant changes
The body said it had made “significant changes” to make the standard’s methodology more relevant to a wider range of businesses.
These include provision for the development and application of ‘supplementary requirements’ to enable more specific greenhouse gas emissionsassessment within sectors or product groups.
These should be measures that complement rather than conflict with PAS 2050, are broadly recognised both nationally and internationally and inclusive. They should also be harmonized with existing sector rules, publicly available and updated regularly to remain valid.
The inclusion of emissions from biogenic sources (e.g. biomass) and greater clarity on the treatment of recyclable materials have also been added.
Life cycle analyses to measure greenhouse gas emissions and removals for products should be either cradle-to-grave or cradle-to-gate quantification.
The former includes the emissions and removals arising from the full life cycle of the product, while the latter includes emission and removals arising up to the point at which the product leaves the organization undertaking the assessment for transfer to another party, said the BSI.
More relevant
The UK Government-backed standard was developed after “extensive consultation” with industry players and other organisations that have used the guide to gauge their carbon footprint.
BSI said the PAS 2050 provides “a comprehensive and consistent framework for carbon footprinting of goods and services that can be applied to any product, by organisations of all types and regardless of geographic location”.
UK Environment Minister Richard Benyon said: “Many businesses are already seeing the benefits of using the internationally recognised PAS 2050 standard to calculate the carbon footprint of their goods and services, helping them to reduce their emissions, improve their company reputation and identify savings opportunities. These benefits will be invaluable as we move to a green economy where greater appreciation of our environmental impact will be essential for sustained long-term growth.”
To download a copy of the new PAS 2050 standard click HERE
