In October 2008 BSI - the British Standards Institute, the Carbon Trust and Defra launched their new standard, the PAS 2050. This sets out a consistent method of measuring the greenhouse gas emissions embedded in goods and services throughout their entire life cycle - from sourcing raw materials, through to manufacture, distribution, use and disposal.
The aim of the standard is to help businesses move beyond managing the emissions their own processes create and to look at the opportunities for reducing emissions in the design, making and supplying of products. The idea is that this will help businesses make goods or services which are less carbon intensive and ultimately develop new products with lower carbon footprints.
The Carbon Trust has already piloted the PAS 2050 with 75 product ranges across a wide range of companies. Defra has also carried out research testing of the PAS on up to 100 food products through their production, manufacture and distribution and is studying the greenhouse gas impacts of food preparation and consumption in the home.
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