Capespan subsidiary FPT has embarked on an exhaustive carbon footprint analysis. The work is part of a wider overall study the company is carrying out within the fruit supply chain from orchard to overseas distribution centre, FPT’s general manager, human resources Kevin McCullough said: “The exercise will include packaging, refrigeration and transport, establishing a carbon footprint on each leg of the supply chain.”

He added that the company views climate change as a global emergency. “Not only does Capespan and its subsidiaries recognise this inconvenient truth, they’re determined to make a difference by slashing their carbon footprint,” FPT said in a statement.

Electricity consumption contributes 98 per cent towards FPT’s total carbon footprint. McCullough confirmed that an industrial engineering consultant had been contracted to perform energy audits at the Addo Cold Store and the terminals in Durban and Port Elizabeth. “With comprehensive information on electrical power consumption at our facilities we’d be able to split the carbon footprint into selected service groups,” said McCullough. “Thus, we have benchmarked electricity consumption and cost to identify improvement opportunities.” In order to set responsible improvement targets, FPT is estimating implementation costs of the improvement areas and potential savings in greenhouse gas emissions.

Meanwhile, the company has also been busy carrying out employee information awareness sessions at all its terminals. McCullough said the 2007 results would be used as a baseline for future reporting on improvement trends. “These measurements will be incorporated into the company’s Balanced Scorecard and will be tracked continuously,” he said.

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