10th April, 2008

The Carbon Action Plan (CAP), a global initiative to provide the beverage industry with a quick, accurate and flexible tool for measuring carbon footprints, was launched today at the InnoBev Global Soft Drinks Congress in Moscow.

Beverage companies which take part in the CAP program for the measurement and independent verification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will, for the first time, have a tool to monitor and manage carbon emissions along their entire supply chains.

The scheme has been developed under a partnership formed by NSF International, the food safety and standards accreditation organisation, and Zenith International, the international beverage industry consultancy. The CAP Partnership – a dedicated not-for-profit organisation – is supported by Trucost, the world-leading environmental research company.

Under the program, companies will use an input-output model, based on Trucost’s unique modelling and database of emissions, to identify carbon-heavy sections of their supply chains quickly, enabling managers to act effectively to reduce emissions. The tool harmonises approved carbon footprinting methodologies and defines boundaries for inclusion in calculations to measure emissions.

The tool addresses a gap in measuring the significant greenhouse gas emissions that result from the global beverage industry’s use of energy and packaging materials, set to increase as the worldwide consumption of ready-to-drink beverages approaches one trillion litres a year. Until now, beverage companies and their suppliers have faced considerable difficulty, delay and expense in measuring carbon embedded in their products.

Following a pilot phase, the CAP initiative will be implemented across the bottled water industry, with soft drinks as the next priority. The scheme will then be rolled out to other food and drink sectors.

Companies taking part in the first CAP pilot include leading UK bottled water producer Highland Spring. Highland Spring’s Technical Manager, Bryan McCluskey, said: “It has been an exciting challenge for us. We are assessing the environmental impact of our suppliers, including all our fuel and energy use as well as distribution and waste. As a result we can see our total direct and embedded greenhouse gas emissions and can break them down by type and size of bottle. The biggest benefit of the CAP scheme is that we can now identify GHG hot spots in our supply chain; by managing them, we will reduce our carbon footprint with certainty.”

Simon Thomas, Chief Executive of Trucost, said: “This initiative is a prime example of how important it now is for global industries to rapidly measure and manage the environmental impacts of their businesses. Many beverage companies want to address their carbon footprints and since they often share suppliers it makes sense to share information too, avoiding duplication and bringing down emissions for the industry as a whole.”

NSF Vice President - International Operations Koen Bontinck commented: “The great advantage of our Carbon Action Plan is that it builds on the work that most companies are already doing. NSF’s prime role is to check methodologies of measurement and independently verify company returns and claims.”

About Trucost

Trucost is an environmental research company, which enables clients to understand the environmental impacts of business activities in financial terms. Since 2000, Trucost has analysed the environmental performance of over 4,000 companies worldwide using its unique methodology.

Trucost’s models and tools allow measurement of greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts of companies from the world’s major investible indices (including MSCI World Developed, MSCI Europe, FTSE All Share, Russell 1000 and S&P 500).

Trucost provides data, analysis and advice for companies, institutional investors and governments, helping:

• companies measure, report and manage their direct environmental impacts and also the indirect impacts from their supply chain;
• investors reduce their portfolios’ carbon footprint without reducing returns;
• governments and regulators develop environmental impact metrics and reporting systems relevant to business.

For more information on Trucost please contact:

Theo Moore, Brunswick Group
Matt O’Leary, Brunswick Group
Tel: 0207 404 5959
Email: Theo Moore

For further information about the Carbon Action Plan or CAP Partnership visit http://www.carbon-action-plan.com or contact:

Carbon Action Plan Partnership, Chief Executive, Ian Hall
7 Kingsmead Square, Bath BA1 2AB, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1225 3279; Fax: +44 (0)1225 327901
http://www.CAPPartnership.com

Zenith International Ltd, Chairman, Richard Hall
7 Kingsmead Square, Bath BA1 2AB, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1225 327900; Fax: +44 (0)1225 327901
http://www.zenithinternational.com

NSF International, Vice President - International Operations, Koen Bontinck
Kleine Kloosterestraat 6, B-1932 Zaventern, Belgium
Tel: 00 32 2771 3654; Fax: 00 32 2 763 0013
http://www.nsf.org