Kingsmill are dedicated to fully understanding our carbon footprint so we can identify areas where we can improve and then work towards reducing the effect we have on the environment.
The Carbon Reduction Label
The Carbon Reduction Label shows that the product has had its product carbon footprint calculated and independently certified to an internationally recognised standard and is committed to publically committed to reducing those emissions.
The Carbon Footprint is the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from every stage of the product's lifecycle, including production, transportation, preparation, use and disposal. While it is essential that the footprint calculations take every greenhouse gas into account, the figure is given as their total CO2 equivalent as is consistent with other recognised GHG reporting.
The business case
There are many commercial benefits of product carbon footprinting. It helps companies to understand how products and supply chains are responsible for carbon emissions and helps companies identify the most effective ways of reducing them. It highlights the opportunities for greater energy efficiency, reduced waste, streamlined logistics and other efficiencies. It is critical to help cut costs, manage climate risks and enhance brand reputation.
Product Carbon Footprinting enables companies to:
- Understand the impact of their product on the climate
- Identify the most effective way of reducing
- Reduce costs through greater energy efficiency and waste reduction
- Respond to customer demand for this information and enhance brand reputation
Kingsmill is making these changes as a result of their work with the Carbon Trust.
Actions taken
‘We have started replacing our older, less efficient ovens with new ones, which will reduce our carbon footprint considerably when baking our fresh tasty loaves by over 20%.
We are taking steps to reduce the amount of electricity we use in bakeries, from changing to energy efficient lighting to reducing the amount of compressed air we use.
We are investing in more fuel efficient lorries and using diesel additives which produce fewer emissions We're making more of our loaves locally - over the last two years this change has saved our trucks from driving an extra 900,000 miles.
In the supply chain, Kingsmill has worked with its flour supplier to deliver more flour by rail. We now use rail transport instead of lorries to deliver flour to our bakeries in Glasgow and Cardiff reducing our road travel by 500,000 miles per year!’
Making it happen
The recognised specification for Product carbon Footprinting is the PAS2050. The development of PAS 2050 was overseen by an independent Steering Group, made up of NGOs, academics, business and government representatives including the Carbon Trust, and was supported by a number of Working Groups to discuss technical issues. The Carbon Trust is now working with the World Resources Institute and ISO to support the global harmonisation of product carbon footprinting standards. This will assist projects built on PAS2050 that they are compatible with world standards when they come to fruition.
There are consultants and organisations that can help scope the project and get companies ready for footprinting. They can provide a full service including measurement which will generally be based on a proprietary tool or software. Others can assist in scoping the project, providing the tools to do it and making sure that it is consistent with other company’s footprints that are in the public domain.
There are tools in the market place to help companies calculate their product Carbon Footprint to the level required to meet PAS2050. There is software from companies like Gabi, Simi Pro and the tool Footprint Expert ™ from the Carbon Trust Footprinting Company. These can help you create a footprint that is consistent with others that use the same software. However not all of them may meet the requirements to have the footprint certified.
UKAS is currently undergoing a verification process of 5 pilot companies who are working towards being recognised certifiers for the PAS2050. These are independent and impartial certifiers that are separate from consultants and commercial companies above. Some of these certifiers are also requiring that Footprint Expert™ is used and the resulting footprints will be consistent and comparable which is useful for communicating.
We know that consumers will want clarity when it comes to companies green claims as there is a large amount of green-washing out there. The Carbon Trust’s commercial subsidiary the Carbon Trust Footprinting Company has set up the Carbon Reduction Label to do just that. It assures consumers that a company has measured its products emissions at every stage of its lifecycle and crucially that it has committed to reduce those emissions.
For more information, please see the
Carbon Trust Footprinting Company.
Find out more about carbon certification for your business.