About: carboNZero programme efforts
Our Efforts
The whole idea behind eco.love Wines was to create wines that not only tasted great, but that also set an environmental benchmark in global wine production. We see it as the start of something special, something that will grow and have positive knock-on effects as our company grows – a rebirth within the industry. This ethos is at the heart of every decision we make, here are some of our core practices in the fight against global warming:
- By closely monitoring our daily operations, from production to distribution, we are able to manage our carbon impact by reducing energy consumption in all areas of the winemaking process.
- We employ new energy efficient techniques that allow us to recycle the heat and water from one area of production and reuse it in another area.
- By using our award winning “cold cellar” system, we are able to pull cold air in from the outside to keep the winery cool on the inside, thus further reducing our consumption of electricity.
- We have purchased carbon credits through the Landcare Research Program, thereby mitigating, or offsetting the effects of any carbon emissions generated.
It’s practices like these, in addition to adhering to the standards of Sustainable Wine Growing New Zealand (SWNZ), which sets eco.love apart.
Packaging: Innovation in Design
Instead of using paper labels on our bottles we chose to silk-screen them with organic inks. This process reduces the usage of paper and adhesives, and also allows us to have the funkiest looking bottles known to humanity!
A large contributor to the entire carbon footprint of eco.love Wines is in the production of our glass bottles. The solution? We use a mixture of lightweight glass and a high percentage of recycled glass. This converts into lower emission levels when shipping, reducing our footprint and the amount of carbon that will need to be offset.
carboNZero programme Q & A
3. Are there tax breaks for having carboNZeroCertTM certification?
4. What incentive is there for consumers to purchase products with carboNZeroCertTM certification?
6. What gases are counted as greenhouse gas emissions?
7. How does the carboNZero programme relate to food miles?
9. What offsets or carbon credits does the carboNZero programme use?
11. How much carbon dioxide is sequestered by one tree?
12. Do windfarms produce greenhouse gas emissions?
13. Do hydroelectric power plants produce greenhouse gas emissions?
16. Are waste recycling initiatives included?
18. How are the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for air travel?
19. Is transport/storage of products overseas considered when calculating emissions?
1. Isn’t the carboNZero programme just greenwash or a way for organizations to buy a good emissions profile?
1. The carboNZero programme is based on over a decade of research and we have worked with pilot organizations to ensure that the measure, manage and mitigate steps are based on credible science and checked by independent third-party auditors. Organizations seeking carboNZeroCertTM certification must prepare an emissions inventory compliant with the international standard ISO 14064-1 specifications with guidance at the organizational level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removal. Additionally, they must implement and report on their emissions reduction plan before neutralizing or offsetting their remaining unavoidable emissions. Without overall reductions in emissions, just neutralizing emissions is like ‘buying a Diet Coke to go with your double bacon cheeseburger – and calling it a weight-loss program. Efficiency (and calorie reduction!) comes first.’ (Quotation from Joel Makover, Is Carbon Neutral Good Enough?)
2. What happens once a company has achieved carboNZeroCertTM certification? Does the process continue?
2. carboNZeroCertTM certification is time-limited, and you must continue to monitor and manage your emissions and resubmit the data on an annual basis. The audit process will be less onerous for repeat years.
3. Are there tax breaks for having carboNZeroCertTM certification?
3. The costs for the work undertaken by an organization to reduce its emissions, and the carboNZero certification costs, are treated the same as any other business expenses.
4. What incentive is there for consumers to purchase products with carboNZeroCertTM certification?
4. Personal ethics will drive consumers to purchase products that have carboNZero certification. National campaigns for households to reduce their overall emissions of carbon dioxide, may mean that consumers start considering the emissions associated with the products that they buy. carboNZero certification also provides a positive contribution to overall brand perception.
5. Wouldn’t there be many benefits to a warmer and wetter climate and higher greenhouse gas levels, e.g. increased plant growth resulting in greater greenhouse gas absorption / oxygen production, and bigger yields of food crops?
5. Climate change will cause even more extreme weather events. Even if there are better crops because some areas are warmer and wetter, many will be wiped out by the storm events. While some crops may benefit, so will many weeds, pests and diseases. A warmer climate would mean they could spread to new parts of the country, and many tropical pathogens may be able to establish here.
6. What gases are counted as greenhouse gas emissions?
6. There are six main greenhouse gases:
- carbon dioxide (CO2), mainly from fossil fuel use
- methane (CH4), mainly from animals and waste
- nitrous oxide (N2O), mainly from agriculture
- hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), mainly from refrigerants
- sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), mainly from the electricity industry
- perfluorocarbons (PFCs), mainly from aluminum production.
Usually, all greenhouse gases are expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2-e).
7. How does the carboNZero programme relate to food miles?
7. You may have seen the increasing debate about the impact of distribution of products around the world, commonly referred to as food miles. Countries such as Germany, the UK, Canada and the USA often use New Zealand products as examples of the serious impacts caused by importing goods as part of campaigns to promote local goods. The UK Government has formalized food miles in its recent Sustainable Food Strategy (DEFRA 2005) and has implemented performance indicators based on the carbon dioxide emissions associated with distribution especially for air freight. However, the good news is that a company with environmentally responsible production processes and distribution to the UK by sea often have lower emissions than locally produced goods due to less efficient growing and production processes and the congestion on UK roads. Reducing emissions and offsetting your remaining unavoidable emissions for growing, production and distribution emissions gives you a market advantage and reinforces New Zealand’s clean green image.
DEFRA 2005. The validity of food miles as an indicator of sustainable development. London, Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
8. Is it possible for greenhouse gas emissions to be double-counted by different parts of the supply chain?
8. The greenhouse gas emissions generated by an organization’s activities are detailed as direct emissions (Scope 1), e.g. from fuel use; indirect emissions due to purchased electricity (Scope 2); and indirect emissions not directly under the control of the organization (Scope 3). Scope 3 emissions are counted if they are relevant to stakeholders. For example, the freight of export products to overseas destinations is often the responsibility of the buyer. However, consumers perceive the impacts of this transport as belonging to the manufacturer or seller of the product. Double-counting could take place if both the buyer and the seller accounted for the emissions due to the same activity, e.g. international maritime freight. The emissions can be allocated on the basis of ownership or equity (proportional). As more products and services achieve carboNZero certification, organizations will be able to discount emissions from their offset obligations. The carboNZero programme encourages organizations to disclose the full emissions inventory prior to any discounting or removals to encourage continued resource efficiency.
9. What offsets or carbon credits does the carboNZero programme use?
9. The carboNZero programme focuses on measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use, then offsetting any remaining unavoidable emissions by purchasing carbon credits from verified projects that sink, reduce or avoid emissions, e.g. an afforestation offset program such as EBEX21 and renewable energy generation projects from the Projects to Reduce Emissions (PRE) program.
10. Are any EBEX21 carbon credits used by the carboNZero programme at risk of being double-accounted?
10. No. There was no Kyoto carbon accounting pre-2008. The voluntary EBEX21 credits created and used as offsets in that period were Kyoto-consistent (additional and post-1989) and have only been accounted once – by the carboNZero programme. From 2008 all EBEX21 credits are expected to be Kyoto-compliant and will be tracked through the New Zealand Emission Unit Register (NZEUR) once the regulations for the PFSI/ETS have been finalized.
See www.ebex21.co.nz for more information.
11. How much carbon dioxide is sequestered by one tree?
11. The amount of carbon dioxide sequestered by a single tree varies with geographical location, soil type, rainfall, the species of tree and its age and health. To estimate how much carbon dioxide is sequestered on the basis of the number of trees is an inexact science and requires many assumptions. The Advertising Standards Authority in the UK recently ruled that there was no scientific basis for a claim by a company that the number of trees they had planted would sequester carbon dioxide equivalent to the company’s greenhouse gas emissions.
12. Do windfarms produce greenhouse gas emissions?
12. The activities associated with operating a windfarm will create greenhouse gas emissions if fossil fuel sources are used, e.g. for office-based activities and vehicle use. The construction of the windfarm will have generated emissions and the materials used will have embodied carbon associated with their manufacture.
13. Do hydroelectric power plants produce greenhouse gas emissions?
13. The activities associated with operating a hydroelectric power plant will create greenhouse gas emissions if fossil fuel sources are used, e.g. for office-based activities and vehicle use including boats. The construction of the hydroelectric scheme will have generated emissions and the materials used will have embodied carbon associated with their manufacture. There may have been wider environmental impacts depending on the way that the land was prepared prior to flooding to form the reservoir. If forested land was cleared, there will be losses of forest sink capacity. If forested land was flooded, there may be greenhouse gas emissions due to the decay of the trees. Additionally, there may be methane emissions from the reservoir especially if blooms of aquatic plants or algae develop and decompose under anaerobic conditions. These emissions are much higher in tropical regions than in more temperate regions.
14. Do greenhouse gas emissions need to be continuously measured or are formulas used to work out the emissions?
14. Electricity consumption and fuel volumes are monitored and these are converted to carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by using standard conversion factors. We regularly seek advice from the relevant New Zealand government departments and monitor international best practice to ensure that the conversion factors that we use are kept up-to-date. The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) intends to publish national emissions factors for voluntary corporate reporting of greenhouse gas emissions. The carboNZero programme will adopt these emissions factors for its calculators. However, the list to be published by MfE will not cover all the emissions factors used by the carboNZero programme. We will continue to maintain these additional emissions factors.
15. Calculations for emissions from electricity use appear to be based on a New Zealand wide equation. Is it possible to omit electricity from renewable sources in the calculations?
15. It is difficult to separate the renewable energy from the fossil fuel energy in the distribution system (national grid). As electricity demand goes up to meet peak demand periods during the day, it is generally the fossil fuel generators that produce more electricity to meet that demand. We are aware of this concern and we regularly review the protocols for the carboNZero programme calculations. Where your electricity generator supplies carbon neutral electricity, we still require you to record your electricity usage so that you can see the results of your efforts to be more energy efficient when you compare your monthly or annual data. Using carbon neutral electricity is not a reduction on your part, it is an offset made on your behalf by the electricity provider. The carboNZero programme follows the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for corporate accounting and reporting (World Resources Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development) for preparing the emissions inventory or carbon footprint. We use an electricity factor for calculating the carbon dioxide emissions using data provided by the Ministry for Economic Development and this accounts for the total mix of electricity sources that go on the national grid including electricity from renewable sources. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol rules require full disclosure of all emissions sources for the calculations followed by a listing of any exceptions. It is at this point that any pre-existing offsets can be accounted for to avoid double-offsetting. Reducing emissions and energy efficiency are important principles of the carboNZero programme. Measuring electricity consumption is essential for managing in order to reduce and be more efficient.
16. Are waste recycling initiatives included?
16. Waste and wastewater can be included in the emissions calculation and so recycling and minimizing waste contributes to reduction of your emissions. Carbon credits are issued for adding to carbon sinks or for generating energy without the use of fossil fuels. This means recycling cannot generate carbon credits.
17. Is there a difference in the calculation between using liters of fuel or kilometers traveled for measuring the greenhouse gas emissions for using vehicles?
17. The most accurate way to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with using vehicles is to measure the liters of fuel used. Factors have been developed for estimating the emissions from vehicles using the kilometers traveled; however, these factors do not account for the maintenance of the vehicle or the way the vehicle is driven. Driver behavior can affect fuel consumption by up to 25% and incorrect tyre pressure can increase fuel consumption by up to 8%. By measuring the liters of fuel used, you can see improvements in your fuel efficiency that result from keeping your vehicle well maintained and driving responsibly.
18. How are the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for air travel?
18. Currently the emissions factors used are based on carbon dioxide emissions only. The calculation involves flight distances and specific emissions factors sourced from the UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for domestic and international flights. Many calculators include a multiplier for air travel as airplanes emit oxides of nitrogen and water vapor both of which can have an impact on atmospheric temperature. The multipliers used vary from 1 to 3. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommends a multiplier of 2.7. The science behind this issue continues to be researched. The carboNZero programme uses a multiplier of 1.9 (Sausen et al 2005) to reflect the global warming potential of oxides of nitrogen that are emitted both into the lower and upper atmosphere.
Sausen R, Isaksen I, Grewe V, Hauglustaine D, Lee DS, Myhre G, Köhler MO, Pitari G, Schumann U, Stordal F, Zerefos C 2005. Aviation radiative forcing in 2000: and update on IPCC (1999). Meteorologische Zeitschrift 114: 555-561.
19. Is transport/storage of products overseas considered when calculating emissions?
19. The emissions from international maritime freight are generally classified as Scope 3 indirect emissions. Much freight leaving New Zealand is FOB or Free-On-Board meaning that the customer in the overseas county has organized and paid for the freight and hence is responsible for the emissions. What to account for and not to account for really depends on what retailers, customers, and other stakeholders might expect. Exporters often wish to include these emissions in their greenhouse gas inventory because they are important to consumers and their inclusion helps to counteract concerns about foodmiles.
Q&A PROVIDED BY LANDCARE RESEARCH NEW ZEALAND
For a complete overview of our activities and for more information on carboNZero certification, please view our public disclosure information here:
http://www.carbonzero.co.nz/documents/disclosure_nzwc_0809.pdf
