PureCircle says it has cut the carbon footprint of its products by 15% since 2013 and is now a quarter of the way to its 2020 carbon footprint intensity goal.
“This is the third carbon footprint we’ve completed across our supply chain from farming to extraction and purification,” said Ajay Chandran, PureCircle director of corporate sustainability.
“The footprint reduction shows the rapid progress we’re making towards attaining our 2020 goals of carbon intensity reduction of 20%.”
The company has been able to achieve carbon reduction by continuing non-carbon intensive farming and processing practices, optimizing production scale and developing innovative stevia-based products.
As a result in the most recent fiscal year, PureCircle sold enough stevia to enable the food and beverage industry to eliminate close to 40,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG), which is the annual equivalent of removing 7,000 cars from the road.
“Based on an industry research by Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable industry, natural caloric sweeteners are the second biggest driver of emissions outside of packaging,” said Chandran.
“In a 30% reduced-calorie, naturally sweetened beverage, PureCircle stevia can have a carbon footprint one-fourth or less than benchmark sugar standards.”
Determining carbon footprint
The PureCircle carbon footprint was calculated following the GHG Protocol Product Standard – a methodology for product lifecycle analysis of carbon emissions.
The elements of the GHG protocol through World Business Council on Sustainability Development and World Resource Institute methodologies were also applied to ensure the methodology met the highest standards possible.
The calculations of the carbon footprint were computed by independent company Verco.
The footprint was further peer reviewed by environmental impact expert, Marcelle McManus, Ph.D., from the University of Bath, UK.
PureCircle’s 2020 goals aim to reduce its carbon intensity by 20% from its 2011 baseline and enable a cumulative reduction of the food and beverage industry, which include:
•Carbon emissions by one million metric tons
•Water consumption by two trillion liters
•Calories in global diets by 13 trillion
