The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia is pleased to announce that Version 1.0 of the wine industry carbon footprint protocol and calculation tool is now complete and available for use.
The Greenhouse Gas Accounting Protocol for the International Wine Industry and the related Greenhouse Gas Calculator were delivered by Provisor, in partnership with the Yalumba Wine Company, before the planned deadline on Friday 28 December 2007.
The first carbon footprint calculation tool for the wine industry, this project was developed following the agreement of a Protocol with wine industry organisations in California, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, and is now available free of charge to all wine industry members through the Environment pages of the Winemakers’ Federation website.
“Wineries can use the Excel tool immediately to identify the carbon footprint their operations create, based on data currently available,” said WFA Natural Resource Management Coordinator, Amy Russell. “However this is really just the first step towards the development of a more sophisticated online tool that is expected to be suitable for independent verification should companies choose to take that route.”
The protocol document sets out emission sources to be included in carbon footprint calculations. It also lists data sources and standards used in developing the tool, and provides sufficient detail to enable the methodology to be independently peer reviewed by groups such as the World Resources Institute, which administers the International Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Any emissions that constitute more than 1% of the mass of the finished product, or produce more than 1% of the total greenhouse gas emissions have been included.
Climate change issues are a growing concern in the international marketplace with many retailers citing environmental responsibility as a major factor in choosing new suppliers. “Although debate continues as to whether or not consumers understand and respond to environmental labels, some retailers do use them to edit the choice of products that they put in front of the consumer,” commented Russell.
The protocol and calculation tool are available for use now. However, Provisor will also be continuing trials with selected companies during January 2008.
Visit the Environment pages of the Federation’s website at www.wfa.org.au/environment.htm for further information and to download the protocol and calculation tool.
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