Mar 5 2012
CICS, a leading sustainability assurance provider and certification body, has recently carried out verification of Royal Forest Pennant's stone paving product carbon footprint, allowing the company to receive PAS 2050 certification and enabling it to use CICS' PAS 2050 Assurance Mark on its product marketing literature.
A producer of natural stone paving, Forest Pennant, recognised that potential clients and their stakeholders were becoming increasingly interested in the carbon footprints of products used in their projects and, as such, decided to benchmark the footprint of its natural stone paving. In addition to satisfying customer demand and giving the company a 'green' edge over competitors, the process also allowed Forest Pennant to assess where production efficiencies could be introduced, reducing both carbon emissions and manufacturing costs.
To achieve certification to PAS 2050, the specification for the assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services, Forest Pennant employed CICS to independently verify their claim of conformance. CICS assessed primary and secondary data and also visited the Parkend site to view and understand the processes involved. Although verification body site visits are not mandatory under PAS2050 certification guidance they add significant robustness to the exercise and provide additional credibility to the numbers. Indeed, PAS2050 certification without site visits from assurance providers should raise concerns from stakeholders.
In achieving conformance to PAS 2050, Forest Pennant was awarded CICS' PAS 2050 Assurance Mark. This can be used on any marketing literature to signify that the product's carbon footprint has been independently verified to the PAS 2050 international standard. CICS is one of only four verification bodies in the UK that is accredited to verify against the PAS 2050 Standard and the associated Code of Good Practice by UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service).
Nicholas Horton, Managing Director at Royal Forest Pennant, said:
"In achieving PAS 2050 certification, and gaining CICS' Assurance Mark, we are able to demonstrate the product carbon footprint of our natural stone paving. By setting a benchmark for the industry, one which we believe shows that we have the lowest carbon rated natural stone in the UK, our next step will see us throw down the gauntlet to our competitors; with no comparable data we will be making our 'model' public, and all they will need to do is put in their data. The importance of this verification goes beyond our business, to the stone industry and wider building and construction sector."