Beverage industry’s global initiative on carbon emissions

The Carbon Action Plan (CAP), a global initiative to provide the beverage industry with a quick, accurate and flexible tool for measuring carbon footprints, was launched at the InnoBev Global Soft Drinks Congress in Moscow.

Beverage companies which take part in the CAP program for the measurement and independent verification of greenhouse gas emissions will, for the first time, have a tool to monitor and manage carbon emissions along their entire supply chains.

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 environmental research company Trucost.

Under the program, companies will use an input-output model, based on Trucost’s 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.

For further information about the Carbon Action Plan or CAP Partnership, visit www.carbon-action-plan.com.