New tool makes carbon footprint certification more accessible for small business

Participating in the first pilot project to test the usability of the new NEPCon standard, the Spanish company used the NEPCon CFM Standard to measure the carbon footprint of its 1m3 chestnut board – accounting for emissions from cradle to gate. The carbon footprint was independently verified by NEPCon and measured at 383.8 kg CO2eq, which is less than the emissions from 1 kg of orange juice sold in the UK1.

“We were surprised at how feasible it is to manage our carbon footprint. The real value lies in identifying emission hotspots within our production and along the product value chain, making reductions a realistic option”, says Susana Martínez Prieto, Maderas Siero Deputy Director. “Certification with NEPCon allows us to communicate our carbon footprint results confidently to our clients and investors”.

NEPCon Senior Auditor Mateo Cariño Fraisse says, “We are delighted to award Maderas Siero with the first NEPCon certificate that demonstrates their commitment to accurately monitor and communicate their carbon footprinting results. NEPCon sees a great potential for companies, such as Maderas Siero, that wish to take their climate responsibility seriously”.

Any company can manage their carbon footprint

“Carbon footprint management is no longer restricted to large-scale companies. The Standard was developed with this in mind: a company must be able to get to grips with the Standard and its intent and be enabled to implement this themselves”, explains Mr Cariño Fraisse.

Certification according to NEPCon’s CFM Standard ensures that companies follow internationally recognised best practices for greenhouse gas accounting. Maderas Siero used the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2050, however companies can choose to follow the GHG Protocol standards developed or the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), among others.

“NEPCon’s carbon programme enables small-to-medium sized enterprises to benefit from reduced costs, improved reputation and long-term competitiveness that result from actively managing their carbon footprint”, says Mr Cariño Fraisse.

Companies account for all relevant greenhouse gas emissions resulting from their business conduct – from cradle to gate or grave. In return for this ambitions approach, they are able to identify emission hotspots and work strategically to lower their emissions.

The Forest and Wood Technology Research Center (CETEMAS) provided Maderas Siero with the technical assistance, using a methodology based on internationally recognised tools to calculate product carbon footprints in the forestry sector presented at several international conferences under the LoCaRe project.


For further information, please contact:
Gertrud Kümmel Birk, Climate Programme Manager +45 3155 7539 / gkb@nepcon.net or Susana Martínez Prieto, Business Development Director + 34 609 206 270 / susana@sierolam.com

Notes
1 An example of the carbon footprint of 1 kg of orange juice imported from Brazil to the UK is given in the “PAS 2050:2011 Specification for the assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services”.
2 Maderas Siero achieved certification on 9 July 2013 as a pilot, testing the First Draft of the NEPCon CFM Standard vs 1.0.

About the NEPCon Carbon Footprint Management Standard
NEPCon developed the Carbon Footprint Management (CFM) Standard to provide businesses with a simple, consistent and highly auditable tool to measure their carbon footprint year on year. Applicable to either company or products, it requires companies to measure upstream and downstream emissions.

The CFM Standard builds upon core elements of the GHG Protocol standards developed by the World Resource Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the PAS standards developed by the British Standard Institute (BSI).

Following best practice, the CFM Standard was developed in accordance with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards.


About NEPCon
NEPCon is an international, non-profit organisation that delivers sustainability services and engages in innovation projects to facilitate the transformation of business practices and consumer behaviour to promote the responsible use of natural resources. NEPCon offers tools and services designed to meet the needs of businesses that seek to reduce their carbon footprint.

Learn more at www.nepcon.net.

About Maderas Siero S.A.
Maderas Siero, a family business since 1980, has taken advantages of and enhanced the benefits of chestnut wood.
This raw material has been appreciated throughout the ages for its beauty, durability and nobility in use. Because of its versatility, it is used in carpentry, furniture and construction.

Its activities range from forestry to the sawing and drying of wood, which it complements with import and distribution of other hardwoods.

As a company that cares about environment, Maderas Siero is committed to sustainable forest management. Since early 2009 it holds the PEFC chain of custody certification and since June 2012 FSC®certification.

Thus, chestnut wood has earned its place as a sustainable alternative to tropical timber, due to, among other reasons, its natural durability for outdoor use.

Learn more at www.maderassiero.com