The scheme has been developed under a partnership formed by NSF International, the food safety and standards accreditation organisation, and Zenith International, the international beverage industry consultancy. The CAP Partnership – a dedicated not-for-profit organisation – is supported by Trucost, the world-leading environmental research company.
Under the program, companies will use an input-output model, based on Trucost’s unique modelling and database of emissions, to identify carbon-heavy sections of their supply chains quickly, enabling managers to act effectively to reduce emissions. The tool harmonises approved carbon footprinting methodologies and defines boundaries for inclusion in calculations to measure emissions.
The tool addresses a gap in measuring the significant greenhouse gas emissions that result from the global beverage industry’s use of energy and packaging materials, set to increase as the worldwide consumption of ready-to-drink beverages approaches one trillion litres a year. Until now, beverage companies and their suppliers have faced considerable difficulty, delay and expense in measuring carbon embedded in their products.
Following a pilot phase, the CAP initiative will be implemented across the bottled water industry, with soft drinks as the next priority. The scheme will then be rolled out to other food and drink sectors.
Companies taking part in the first CAP pilot include leading UK bottled water producer Highland Spring. Highland Spring’s Technical Manager, Bryan McCluskey, said: “It has been an exciting challenge for us. We have been able to assess the environmental impact of suppliers including all our fuel and energy use as well as distribution and waste. As a result we have our total direct and embedded greenhouse gas emissions and can break them down by type and size of bottle. The biggest benefit of the CAP scheme is that we can now identify GHG hot spots in our supply chain; by eliminating them we will reduce our carbon footprint with certainty.”
Simon Thomas, Chief Executive of Trucost, said: “This initiative is a prime example of how important it now is for global industries to rapidly measure and manage the environmental impacts of their businesses. Many beverage companies want to address their carbon footprints and since they often share suppliers it makes sense to share information too, avoiding duplication and bringing down emissions for the industry as a whole.”
NSF Vice President – International Operations Koen Bontinck commented: “The great advantage of our Carbon Action Plan is that it builds on the work that most companies are already doing. NSF’s prime role is to check methodologies of measurement and independently verify company returns and claims.”