SCIENCE

FUNDAMENTALS OF PRODUCT CARBON ACCOUNTING

The carbon footprint of a consumer product is calculated as the total amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted during the lifecycle of that product. This is expressed as kilograms of CO2 equivalents (CO2e). Using this measurement, REACH EAT enables customers to accurately understand the environmental impact of their food products.

ASSURANCE AND STANDARDS

REACH EAT calculates data using industry-recognised measuring systems. We use life cycle assessment (“LCA”) including the ISO 14040/14044 standards, the GHG Protocol Product Standard, and PAS 2050.

CARBON ACCOUNTING METHODOLOGY

True to our principles of transparency and traceability, REACH EAT provides brands with an in-depth understanding of how they can become more environmentally friendly. We do this by offering a standard that is easily transferred across every element of the supply chain, providing actionable data that is easy to understand and compare across products. We pride ourselves on thorough carbon accounting, measuring emissions from the raw material stage through to product manufacture and factory gate. This is commonly referred to as “cradle-to-processing gate”.


REACH EAT strives to continually update the LCI database and LCA modelling capabilities as new data and methodologies become available.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN REACH EAT EMISSIONS CALCULATIONS?

When assessing a product unit, we take into account the lifecycle of all recipe ingredients, packaging materials and production processes, combining the data with insights from our scientific partners to develop a standardised carbon footprint calculation.


  • Ingredients - Impact of ingredient sourcing process, including energy used in agricultural processes.

  • Transportation - Impact of a food product’s geographical journey.

  • Processing - Impact of the cooking or processing of a food product.

  • Packaging - Impact of producing and transporting packaging materials.

  • Waste - Impact of waste creation and disposal during the sourcing or creation of a food product.


FUNCTIONAL UNIT

This is the product unit that is being assessed, for example, a packaged food product in a supermarket, or a meal at a restaurant. The following reference flow is usually based on the weight or quantity of this product unit.