New Zealand kiwifruit exporter Freshco has become the first company to have its kiwis certified as climate-neutral, through a partnership with Dutch organic specialist Eosta. The kiwifruit is certified by German certification agency TüV Nord, and will be marketed in Europe by Eosta, which already this year has launched apples and pears from South America, vine tomatoes from Holland and citrus fruit from South Africa and Egypt under the climate-neutral label.
New Zealand kiwifruit exporter Freshco has become the first company to have its kiwis certified as climate-neutral, through a partnership with Dutch organic specialist Eosta. The kiwifruit is certified by German certification agency TüV Nord, and will be marketed in Europe by Eosta, which already this year has launched apples and pears from South America, vine tomatoes from Holland and citrus fruit from South Africa and Egypt under the climate-neutral label.
To be certified as climate-neutral, a product has to demonstrate that the CO2 emissions related to it have been compensated for. A full life-cycle analysis includes three levels of emissions: those that stem from the production process; those caused by shipping, storage and cooling; and those that result from the manufacture of fertilisers and other off-farm-inputs, packaging materials, and related business travel. After the total amount of emissions are calculated, they can be offset with carbon credits obtained through composting projects.
There is a lot of controversy surrounding both the ethics and practicalities of carbon offsetting.
The following reports by L. Schneider - "Is the CDM fulfilling its environmental and sustainable development objectives? An evaluation of the CDM and options for improvement (2007)" and "Bad deal for the planet: Why carbon offsets aren't working... and how to create a fair global climate accord (2008)" are attached below.
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