British Sugar - first sugar manufacturer to certify carbon footprint using new PAS 2050 method

UK manufacturer underlines its ongoing commitment to reducing emissions British Sugar, with its sister company Silver Spoon, today became the first sugar business to certify the carbon footprint of its granulated sugar using the new PAS 2050 method. In February 2008, British Sugar was confirmed as a pilot partner to support the development of PAS 2050, the world’s first method for assessing the lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of goods and services, developed by BSI British Standards and sponsored by the Carbon Trust and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Using the new method, British Sugar’s homegrown granulated white sugar was assessed to produce 0.6 grams of CO2 equivalent per gram of product. The detailed supply chain GHG assessment has taken British Sugar and Silver Spoon over 6 months to complete, and underlines an ongoing commitment by both companies to carbon reduction. To drive greater awareness of the new standard, British Sugar and Silver Spoon will launch new areas of their websites for consumers and customers, explaining the carbon footprinting method, alongside details of their carbon-saving initiatives. Gino De Jaegher, Managing Director of British Sugar UK, commented: “We believe these results place us firmly among the best performing European sugar manufacturers and are testament to the fact that since 2006, British Sugar has reduced the energy required per tonne of sugar by 19% in the UK. The support we received from the other pilot partners was integral to us achieving this standard – a world first for sugar! We are proud of our pioneering work in the development of PAS 2050, and we will continue to seek further reductions in our carbon impact and play a leading role in the creation of an efficient and sustainable sugar industry.” Sarah Arrowsmith, Managing Director of Silver Spoon added: “We are proud to be the first retail sugar brand to have certified its carbon footprint to an international standard. As a responsible supplier, we remain committed to reducing our carbon emissions and we are now looking to assess the PAS 2050 footprint of our cane sugar.” Tom Delay, Chief Executive of the Carbon Trust, commented: “If we are to meet an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050 innovative businesses have a key role to play. The work that British Sugar has done to pilot the PAS 2050 standard has been invaluable in helping to deliver a UK standard for the measurement of the greenhouse gas emissions from goods and services. We hope this work will enable businesses around the world to look beyond their direct operational emissions and make their supply chains more carbon and cost efficient“