Carbon Neutral

Begin environmentally sound products with their design, not their marketing!

Would you recognise a tonne of carbon if it jumped up and bit you? Probably not, but the subject of carbon accounting is becoming increasingly important to everything we do.

For those of us involved in the marketing of services or products, now and into the future it’s going to be worth more than just the purchase price of the product or service. In fact it has an inherent value that will be important in the Australian economy, whether we like it or not!

What does it mean?

Being carbon neutral refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing an amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount offset. For organisations seeking to be carbon neutral it requires reducing and avoiding carbon emissions first, so that only unavoidable emissions are offset.

Carbon offsetting is the practice of paying others to remove from the atmosphere 100% of the carbon dioxide emitted, by planting trees or by funding carbon projects that lead to the prevention of future greenhouse gas emissions, or by buying carbon credits to remove (or 'retire') them through carbon trading. These practices are often used in parallel with energy conservation measures.

Direct and indirect emissions

To be considered carbon neutral, an organisation must reduce its carbon footprint to zero. Determining what to include in the carbon footprint depends upon the organisation and the standards they follow.

In Australia the benchmark for all scientific calculations on emissions is the Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change, National Greenhouse Accounts 2008. The department also runs the Greenhouse Friendly™ program which independently certifies companies, however, the Carbon Offset Guide in Australia is a great place to start when choosing an offset provider. www.carbonoffsetguide.com.au

Generally, direct emissions sources must be reduced and offset completely. Direct emissions include all pollution from the manufacturing process or service, waste, company-owned vehicles, business travel and any other source that is directly controlled by the company.

Indirect emissions include all emissions that result from the use or purchase of raw materials to make a product, including transportation.

When an organisation claims they are carbon neutral an important distinction needs to be made. Based on the two definitions above - is their product or products carbon neutral or is their operation carbon neutral? Both definitions are legitimate, but they must be validated with statements that clarify what they are referring to.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has recently published Carbon Claims and the Trade Practices Act which clearly states how to achieve clarity. Additionally, in early 2009 the Federal Government will release its new policy framework and guidelines for businesses and consumers on claims being made about carbon neutrality. www.accc.gov.au

Clarity begins at home

For marketers to offer customers a carbon neutral product and be credible, I firmly believe the task actually starts in their own backyard.

As I have evangelised in this column before, it is only through transparency and truthfulness that companies can avoid the accusations of greenwashing. You cannot put a lettuce in a butcher’s shop window and declare that you have now become vegetarian. The rhetoric has to match the reality of what a company is doing to address environmental issues, as opposed to tinkering around the edges.

Clearly customers will not respect a company if they just purchase a carbon neutral product or service on an ad hoc basis and make no real headway to reduce their own carbon footprint.

If it were easy!

When Finsbury Green set out to become carbon neutral using the direct emissions approach, we implemented many initiatives internally. Our objective was to do the best we could with the things we could control, first. This meant:

1. establishing measuring and monitoring systems using ISO14001 Environmental Management System methodologies
2. benchmarking against other companies internationally, to set reasonable targets and objectives
3. limiting the use of materials and consumables that generated un necessary CO2 and substituting them with alternative products
4. progressively reducing waste sent to landfill through extensive recycling systems
5. limiting energy usage from buildings, equipment and processes

Once these were in place:

1. continuing to measure and monitor over 120 environmental indicators every month
2. collecting data and having these audited by an independent qualified professional
3. publishing the results to our customers, staff and suppliers in an open and transparent way
4. offsetting the remaining emissions that cannot for the present be avoided, by a responsible and certified Greenhouse Friendly™ company

So it is quite straightforward, to apply this example to your own activities.

Most of us want to help the planet and reduce the damage we’re responsible for, and we certainly don’t want to be among the world’s highest greenhouse gas polluters as is the case with Australian’s.

Companies that can show that they have got their own backyard in order and are also purchasing legitimate ‘green’ products, are well placed for any emerging legislation and the emission trading scheme.

Article by Rodney Wade, Environmental and Technical Manager, Finsbury Green.

Finsbury Green, Australia's acknowledged leader in environmental printing practice, operating in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney and the first carbon neutral printer in the country.
 
Typically, printing is an industry with poor environmental credentials, but since turning legitimately ‘green’ in 2002, Finsbury Green has more than tripled in size, and accumulated more than a little recognition. Finsbury Green has won a staggering 350 international, national and regional print awards, along with seven environment awards.  Click here to subscribe to the Finsbury Greensheet