Peter LEHMANN of the Barossa

Carbon Footprint

Extensive media coverage has heightened awareness of the need for us all to reduce consumption and use alternatives with a lower impact on the environment.

PLW is endeavouring to measure its carbon footprint by using the internationally recognised Greenhouse Gas Protocol defined by the World Resource Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is the basis for reporting emissions under Australia’s National Greenhouse & Energy Reporting Act and PLW falls below the reporting thresholds. Although fermentation of wine is a direct emission source, resultant CO2 is not reported as it is categorised as part of the short term carbon cycle whereby there is a rapid exchange of carbon between plants and animals through respiration and photosynthesis. It is assumed that the emissions from fermentation are in balance with the vineyard sequestration even though the vineyards may be separate enterprises to the winery enterprises.

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol separates the source of greenhouse emissions under three scopes to ensure there is no double counting between enterprises.

Emissions Reporting Scope (World Resources Institute, 2004)

A partnership of wine industry bodies formed by the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia; Wine Institute, California; California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance; New Zealand Wine Growers and Integrated production of Wine in South Africa commissioned an Australian company Provisor Pty Ltd to develop an International Wine Carbon Calculator. To date Provisor has released several versions and updated versions will be released as the calculating tool is developed further.

FIVS, an international trade federation committed to the promotion of a successful global alcohol beverage industry, operating on the principles of corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and focused on consumer interests, in an environment free from trade distorting factors of all kinds, has endorsed the Provisor project.

An analysis of the process inputs, manufacturing, distribution, use and disposal for a winery is given below.

Supply Chain Overview for Winery & Packaging Centre (Provisor, 2008)

PLW is working through the Calculator guidelines with the focus on scope 1 direct emissions and scope 2 indirect emissions. We are assessing requirements for the scope 3 indirect emissions which emanate from the extraction and production of purchased materials, transport and offsite waste disposal.

Standalone Winery Process Boundaries (Provisor, 2008)

Some overseas consumers are expressing concern about the carbon emissions from the transport of wine across vast distances. Provisor provides the following as guidance to calculate transport GHG emissions:

GHG Emissions = Freight Weight (tonnes) x Freight Distance (kms) x Emission Factor (truck/train/ship/air)