How to find a footprint?

3 October 2008


British Coatings Federation CEO Moira McMillan has spoken of the industry’s response to increasing demands for carbon footprinting.

“As consumers and manufacturers, most of us are making ‘greener’ purchasing decisions, but assessing the relative environmental impact of those decisions is far from simple. For our industry, such calculations are extremely complex. For example the carbon footprint of two batches of ink of identical formulations arriving at customer’s plant, manufactured in different countries (even within Europe) may be quite different, due not only to different transportation and energy costs, but also conversion factors which differ between member states.

“We are beginning to see a trend whereby ink manufacturers are asked to provide information on the carbon footprint of their products for use in calculations to determine the carbon footprint of the items to which they are applied. Although the industry is keen to play its part in developing greener products, there remain significant issues with regard to the method of such carbon footprint calculations.

“Given the very small contribution of ink to the final carbon footprint of a product, and in view of the fact that there is no currently standardised calculation methodology, the industry believes that the detailed carbon footprinting of inks should await a wider agreement on principals and fundamentals.”

She concludes: “The BCF and its members are actively involved in work being undertaken to develop an agreed approach, and as this becomes established we will be assessing its value as a basis on which the industry can move forward”.




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