Spring - InsideOutdoor Magazine
Spring - InsideOutdoor Magazine Spring - InsideOutdoor Magazine
Greensheets Carbon Footprint 101 Part II: Preparing for a Life Cycle Assessment by Ernest Shiwanov In the last issue of Inside Outdoor (Winter 2008), we covered the concept of carbon footprint and the tools used to make that assessment (IO archives can be found at www. insideoutdoor.com). Part II will cover what you probably will be looking at in terms of dollars and time for your operation’s life cycle assessment (LCA). The good news is technological advances and recent revisions in process LCAs and Economic Input Output LCAs (EIO-LCAs) have made the process viable for just about any level of business. Your LCA professional will guide you through an evaluation of your business so you will know what level of assessment would be appropriate. What follows is a brief refresher on the LCAs and basic information on some of the companies that are providing this service. Let us begin by reviewing the three basic methods of LCAs: 1. For process LCA or bottom-up LCA, ISO (International Standards Organization) 14040-2006 and 14044-2006 is the methodology. 2. Economic Input Output LCA (EIO-LCA) or top-down LCA is based on the work of W. Leontief. It uses a general equilibrium model that makes a simplified assumption regarding the output of goods in a commodity sector and its proportional relationships to other sectors. More and more, EIO-LCA service providers are incorporating process LCA elements into their analysis, if appropriate, for their clients. 3. Hybrid LCA, like the car that uses both gasoline and electricity, runs on process LCA and EIO-LCA methodologies. Process LCA Five Winds International director John Heckman says that Five Winds has done ISO 14040 conforming studies for under $10,000 and in less than 30 days. He is quick to point out that Five Winds also has undertaken studies that last several years at cost commensurate with the commitment. Every business is unique, so you can assume that your business probably will be somewhere in between those two sets of circumstances. As far as the nuts and bolts go, Heckman explains that the starting point for an ISO 14040 study is the “goal and scope” definition meeting with the client. He suggests if you want to see what you need to prepare for an LCA, read ISO 14040 and 14044. As it turns out, ISO 14040 and 14044 were simplified in 2006 to make the standard more user friendly, cutting the amount of pages nearly in half, resulting in ISO 14040-2006 and 14044-2006. Heckman likens the standards to accounting rules for mapping “all material and energy flows from cradle to end-oflife. It’s very analogous to financial accounting, really.” He goes on to say that the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and ISO 14064.1-3 are on the same page in bringing about carbon dioxide measurements. In fact, a quick check revealed that ISO, WRI and WBCSD elected to jointly promote both the ISO standards 14064 and WRI’s and WBCSD’s GHG Protocol Initiative (GHG = greenhouse gas). Their first promotional event was held at the UN Climate change meeting last year in Bali. On the differences between process LCAs and EIO- LCAs, Heckman uses an analogy of a magnifying glass and a microscope, “both being useful tools to a researcher.” However, if you require the actual environmental impact analysis for the life cycle of materials and their energy flow, and have the money to do a complete study, process LCA is the most appropriate tool. “There is no substitute for actual data,” he says. Conscious Brands’ experience, meanwhile, lies in the organic food and beverage industry. Guayaki (yerba matte tea, etc.) and Manitoba Harvest are just two of Conscious Brands’ clients. Rob Sinclair and Oliver Ferrari are the principle consultants that have partnered with Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol Initiative, see above), Zerofootprint and ISO 14040 in bringing carbon mitigation strategies to their clients. A typical study will take at least six months and cost around $10,000. However, it is worth mentioning that both Sinclair and Ferrari are on steering committees involved in the Carbon Trust-sponsored British Standards Institution Publicly Available Specification 2050 or BSI PAS 2050 standard. According to the Carbon Trust Web site, “The PAS aims to bridge the gap between the existing detailed (process LCAs) and more general approaches (EIO-LCAs) and provide a standardised, consistent method organisations can practically use for measuring the GHG emissions embodied in products and services.” The PAS 2050 standard has an egalitarian “for the people, by the people” foundation, as Sinclair explains. It was developed with the help of many businesses, industries and thousands of individuals. Despite this emerging hybrid LCA standard, Sinclair and Ferrari feel there is a disconnect between the organic foods consumers buy and the way carbon numbers relate to them. For that reason, during the next six to 12 months, they will be working on a method for taking the numbers derived from the various assessment tools to the “next step.” That is a way for consumers to get their hands around the meaning of GHG mitigation. This effort will be represented in a scheme called www.carbonlabels.org, a joint project by Conscious Brand’s Sinclair and Ferrari and Zerofootprint. This initiative goes beyond 42 | InsideOutdoor | Spring 2008
Greensheets the scope of this article but is worth the time to see what is happening right here in North America. Stay tuned. Rebecca Graham of Scientific Certification Systems says her company has various certifications to document environmental performance. Clients can have a “single attribute claim” study performed for just recycled and reclaimed content or can take it a step further and go through an Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) certification. The latter is oriented toward product or products in a company’s range that have environmental advantages over their competitors in the marketplace. For instance, you may have an EPP certification done on day packs from your environmentally friendly product line in order to distinguish them from similar products by your competitors. SCS’s most comprehensive analysis is its full Lifecycle Assessment and Environmental Performance Declaration (EPD), “for companies that want to know the full environmental effects of the processes and products they offer,” say company executives. The cost to start with Phase 1, the scope definition, is $5,000. You actually can initiate the process online and pay with PayPal. SCS will send a representative to your company for a day to train key personnel in life cycle principles and data inventory requirements necessary for Phase 2 of the EPD. Since every company is different, and SCS’s comprehensiveness is based on the complexity of the study, the total cost is determined after the scope definition for Phase 2 is complete. Time to completion of the EPD is based on the intricacies of the study. EIO-LCA and Hybrid LCA Climate Earth’s co-founder Chris Erickson saw a major vacuum in the LCA industry. He believes that most methods require “detailed low-level analysis,” can take many months to accomplish, are expensive and still do not provide a “total enterprise view.” Therefore, he and his team have developed a threepronged approach to obtaining carbon reduction strategies using a hybrid method. The company’s Revenue Based Assessment (RBA) is its most inexpensive carbon footprint assessment that analyzes “the enterprise’s footprint, from cradle to consumer.” The client supplies company product revenue figures and country of origin data. Climate Earth returns, according to its Web site, an executive-level evaluation of the business’s carbon “footprint by product category and major supply chain function.” The RBA provides a baseline for a company’s sources of CO2 emissions and is usually completed in a week for $2,295 for up to five product categories. Additional standard product categories can be added for $200 each. Custom product categories can be added for $400 each. The next step up from Climate Earth is its Expense Based Assessment or EBA. This report can be generated in about 10 days for $5,995. Here, the EBA adds a more thorough Prevention is Better Than a Cure ® worldwide since 1996 Running, Climbing, Rowing, Canoeing, Cycling, Nordic Walking, Hiking, Cross-Country Skiing, Trekking, Skiing, Water-Skiing, Surfing, Diving, Sailing skin protectants for sports & outdoor Out Door Messe Friedrichshafen July 17 - 20 2008 upper body thighs feet © 2008 W STERNOFF LLC, Bellevue, WA USA bodyglide.com Spring 2008 | InsideOutdoor | 43
- Page 1 and 2: www.insideoutdoor.com A CHANGING LA
- Page 3 and 4: where will the trail take us next?
- Page 6: Editor’s Letter Technology and Te
- Page 9 and 10: What do you value MOST in a trade s
- Page 11 and 12: Very likely Somewhat likely Not ver
- Page 13 and 14: ADAPTIVE COMFORT
- Page 15 and 16: get on the go Increase your profita
- Page 17 and 18: CLIMASHIELD GREEN INSULATION, ECOS
- Page 19 and 20: dri-release microblend performance
- Page 21 and 22: many retailers fit the mold of oper
- Page 23 and 24: In most cases, retailers with a T-1
- Page 25 and 26: Americans’ View of POS Video, Adu
- Page 27 and 28: VISIONS FOR YOUR BUSINESS Discover
- Page 29 and 30: POS Software Providers and their Wa
- Page 32 and 33: POS Software Providers and their Wa
- Page 34 and 35: the Use Intelligence Gear Real-Time
- Page 36 and 37: Gear “outdoors,” and “outdoor
- Page 38 and 39: Floor Space Gramicci’s Real Estat
- Page 40 and 41: Back Office On the Records Remainin
- Page 45 and 46: Greensheets representation of the c
- Page 47 and 48: Cradle-to-gate The life cycle of a
- Page 49 and 50: For standards related to organic fo
- Page 51 and 52: Count on Serious Traction. serious
Greensheets<br />
the scope of this article but is worth the time to see what is<br />
happening right here in North America. Stay tuned.<br />
Rebecca Graham of Scientific Certification Systems says her<br />
company has various certifications to document environmental<br />
performance. Clients can have a “single attribute claim” study<br />
performed for just recycled and reclaimed content or can take<br />
it a step further and go through an Environmentally Preferable<br />
Product (EPP) certification. The latter is oriented toward product<br />
or products in a company’s range that have environmental<br />
advantages over their competitors in the marketplace. For<br />
instance, you may have an EPP certification done on day packs<br />
from your environmentally friendly product line in order to<br />
distinguish them from similar products by your competitors.<br />
SCS’s most comprehensive analysis is its full Lifecycle<br />
Assessment and Environmental Performance Declaration<br />
(EPD), “for companies that want to know the full environmental<br />
effects of the processes and products they offer,” say company<br />
executives. The cost to start with Phase 1, the scope definition,<br />
is $5,000. You actually can initiate the process online and pay<br />
with PayPal.<br />
SCS will send a representative to your company for a day<br />
to train key personnel in life cycle principles and data inventory<br />
requirements necessary for Phase 2 of the EPD. Since every<br />
company is different, and SCS’s comprehensiveness is based<br />
on the complexity of the study, the total cost is determined<br />
after the scope definition for Phase 2 is complete. Time to<br />
completion of the EPD is based on the intricacies of the study.<br />
EIO-LCA and Hybrid LCA<br />
Climate Earth’s co-founder Chris Erickson saw a major vacuum<br />
in the LCA industry. He believes that most methods require<br />
“detailed low-level analysis,” can take many months to accomplish,<br />
are expensive and still do not provide a “total enterprise view.”<br />
Therefore, he and his team have developed a threepronged<br />
approach to obtaining carbon reduction strategies<br />
using a hybrid method.<br />
The company’s Revenue Based Assessment (RBA) is its<br />
most inexpensive carbon footprint assessment that analyzes “the<br />
enterprise’s footprint, from cradle to consumer.” The client supplies<br />
company product revenue figures and country of origin data.<br />
Climate Earth returns, according to its Web site, an executive-level<br />
evaluation of the business’s carbon “footprint by product category<br />
and major supply chain function.” The RBA provides a baseline for<br />
a company’s sources of CO2 emissions and is usually completed<br />
in a week for $2,295 for up to five product categories. Additional<br />
standard product categories can be added for $200 each. Custom<br />
product categories can be added for $400 each.<br />
The next step up from Climate Earth is its Expense Based<br />
Assessment or EBA. This report can be generated in about<br />
10 days for $5,995. Here, the EBA adds a more thorough<br />
Prevention is Better Than a Cure <br />
®<br />
worldwide<br />
since 1996<br />
Running, Climbing, Rowing, Canoeing,<br />
Cycling, Nordic Walking, Hiking,<br />
Cross-Country Skiing,<br />
Trekking, Skiing, Water-Skiing,<br />
Surfing, Diving, Sailing<br />
skin protectants<br />
for sports<br />
& outdoor<br />
Out<br />
Door<br />
Messe Friedrichshafen<br />
July 17 - 20<br />
2008<br />
upper<br />
body<br />
thighs<br />
feet<br />
© 2008 W STERNOFF LLC, Bellevue, WA USA<br />
bodyglide.com<br />
<strong>Spring</strong> 2008 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | 43
Change language