Backsberg Estate Cellars in the Western Cape is bragging about its green credentials after becoming the first wine producers in South Africa to do a full carbon audit of its product. It has subsequently reduced its carbon footprint by off-setting carbon emissions by planting 907 indigenous trees in the nearby Klapmuts community.
Stickers on Blacksberg wines will reflect the estate’s carbon-neutral status. Backsberg says it is the first wine producer in South Africa and one of only three in the world to have this status.
The initiative started a year ago and in January this year the estate completed a year-long carbon audit that assessed emissions by both its farming and winemaking activities over the past financial year. The audit reviewed all activities from overall energy consumption to carbon dioxide emitted during fermentation.
In partnership with Food and Trees for Africa (FTFA), which promotes tree planting as a way of offsetting carbon emissions in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions, Backsberg determined how many trees it needed to plant to offset these emissions.
“We sent a carbon auditor to investigate and calculated the amount of carbon they are emitting through their energy use and transportation, plus calculated how many trees they already had,” says Jeunesse Park, CEO of FTFA.
Michael Back, the proprietor of Backsberg, says there is nothing gimmicky about the new project, but that it is based on the family’s passion for the environment. “The whole issue of climate change is bigger than individuals and we should all contribute to a solution wherever we can,” he says.
“We looked at our use of electricity, fuel and chemicals. These were the main focus, as electricity and fuel are our main source of carbon emission.
“The most important part is that now we know how to reduce carbon emissions. We’re looking at simple things like the type of light fittings we have, to a lot more complex things like how we can produce energy out of waste,” says Back.
Backsberg sees tree planting as part of a package of solutions to climate change and is currently either applying or reviewing a number of these solutions. The package includes converting to biofuel, setting aside land for development of additional biomass, reviewing packaging such as glass weight and introducing methane digester technology. He says he expects other wine producers will follow suit.
Back has previously managed to rescue several plant species from extinction by reserving 10% of  his land for non-development and preservation of the endangered fynbos  biome.
“Internationally, consumers are becoming more conscious about how and where products are produced and organic and fair trade markets are getting bigger,” says Andre Morgenthal, communications manager for Wines of South Africa.
Other wine producers in South Africa are now keen to have their estates carbon audited. Nora Thiel of Delheim Estate in Stellenbosch says they are one of the wine producers keen to have their estate audited and establish what their carbon status now that it has planted more than 150ha of trees.
Norway aims for zero-carbon status
Norway plans to be the first country in the world to become “carbon neutral” and cut its net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, writes John Vidal. The Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, has proposed the move, expected to encourage other rich countries to act further and faster on climate change.
In a speech to the Labour party, Stoltenberg said the greenhouse effect was the world’s most dangerous environmental problem and that Norway had a responsibility to act urgently.
“By 2050 greenhouse gas emissions will have to be reduced drastically. Rich countries should become carbon neutral. This does not mean no emissions from the countries in question. But it does mean that each tonne of greenhouse gases emitted is to be offset by an equivalent reduction elsewhere. This adds up to zero emissions,” he said.
“Norway will be at the forefront of international climate effort. I propose that in the period up to 2050 Norway will undertake to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 100% of our own emissions.”
He said the government would “sharpen” measures to meet its existing obligations under the Kyoto protocol by 10% in the period up to 2012, and had agreed to a 30% cut in emissions by 2030. — Â