New British Standard will measure carbon footprints

From next year we could be seeing a battle for the most carbon-friendly wine brands as a new standard is being drawn up to measure and promote greenhouse gases.

The Carbon Trust and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) are working with the British Standards Institute (BSI) to develop a single standard that will be able to be applied across a wide range of products.

Much has already been written about who is the greenest when it comes to carbon footprints, especially with regards to the New World versus the Old World. New Zealand, in particular, were unhappy with an article in The Times earlier this year which encouraged readers to buy French rather than Kiwi wine to shrink their carbon footprint. At the time New Zealand Winegrowers Philip Gregan said the report was ‘inaccurate and misleading’, claiming that New Zealand wines are exported by sea to the UK, which he said uses less carbon emissions per kilometre than by air or road. A UK-recognised standard that ensures a consistent and comparable argument should settle the debate once and for all.