PPA Magazine Carbon Footprint Calculator User Guide February 2009

Transcription

1 PPA Magazine Carbon Footprint Calculator User Guide February 2009 PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 1

2 1. Background The PPA has sponsored the development of the Magazine Carbon Footprint Calculator so as to allow its member companies to calculate the carbon footprint of individual magazine titles 1. The calculator is a Membership benefit, only available to PPA member companies. A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact that human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases. Quantifying the carbon footprint of an activity or product allows the sources of the impacts to be understood, investigated and managed. Strategies for managing impact could include changing the nature of some activities to reduce the total carbon emissions and/or off-setting emissions through an off-set scheme. Combustion of fuels (for example, to produce electricity; to generate heat or steam; to power vehicles) is the principal source of global warming emissions. Carbon dioxide is the principal greenhouse gas. Other gases, such as methane, also contribute to different degrees to the global warming effect. So these can be considered in the carbon footprint results, emissions of other greenhouse gases are converted into carbon dioxide equivalents (CO 2e) using internationally agreed conversion factors. Figure 1: Typical sources of global warming gas emissions from a supply chain Production of raw materials Energy carriers Fuels Electricity Conversion of raw materials Retail Consumption Transport Global warming gases CO2, CH4, CO, etc Disposal Source: STFI-Packforsk Edge The calculator has been developed under contract by STFI-Packforsk Edge, a consultancy company providing specialist support to the paper, packaging and publishing supply chains. For more information about the development of the calculator contact either: Rose Benjamin, PPA (Tel: +44 (0) ; ; rose.benjamin@ppa.co.uk), or Michael Sturges, STFI-Packforsk Edge (Tel: +44 (0) ; michael.sturges@stfi-packforsk.eu) PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 2

3 2. Getting started with the calculator The Calculator is a stand-alone, Microsoft Excel based tool. MS Excel 97 or later is required to operate the Calculator. Once the file has been downloaded, it can be saved in any folder on a PC or Network. As with other MS Excel based tools, it is necessary to enable macros whenever opening the Calculator. To do this, when you first open the Calculator, from the Options in Excel select Enable this content. Once this has been done, the Calculator is ready to use. The calculator has a very simple structure. There are just two main worksheets: The Switchboard, which allows the user to enter and edit data about magazines to be studies The Results Page, which allows the results to be viewed for different magazines All the functions of the calculator are accessed from these two worksheets. Figure 2: The Calculator Switchboard PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 3

4 Figure 3: Example of the Calculator Results Page PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 4

5 3 Adding and editing data about a publication This section of the Guide describes the data needed to calculate the carbon footprint of a specific magazine title, and how this data can be added to the calculator. Data about a new publication can be added by selecting the Add Publications Data button. Clicking on the Add Publications Data button takes the user through a series of forms. These forms are used to add data about the User tip 1: Right click on a Switchboard button to display a description of its function in the status bar at the bottom of the screen. publication. Alternatively, selecting the Step by Step button will take the user through the steps necessary to enter and analyse a publication, by highlighting in red the controls to be selected. In this case, the user will first be asked if they wish to check that the Calculator contains the necessary Paper Profiles and Paper data. Choosing to do so takes the user to the Background data forms described in Section 4 of this User Guide. Skipping this option takes the user straight to the forms described in the remainder of this section. Figure 4: Clicking the Step by Step button highlights the controls to be selected Form1: Volumes and dimensions. In this form, the user adds details about the name of the publication, its frequency, and the average print run (see Box 1 for more explanation). The type of magazine should also be defined in the pick list, choose from either consumer magazine, business to business magazine, or customer magazine. Information about the magazine trim size is also added. You can choose from the common, pre-defined sizes in the pick list, or add user-defined dimensions in millimetres. User tip 2: Hover the cursor over fields in forms to display a tip describing the information required PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 5

6 At this stage, it is also possible to add details about the office area dedicated to the production of the magazine. This data is optional an explanation of how to add this information is provided in Section 4 of this User Guide. Once the data has been added, clicking the Next button takes the user to the next form. Box 1: Using the frequency to define the breadth of the analysis The calculator is very versatile. You can use it to quantify the footprint of the magazine at a number of levels for example, one year s worth of production, one issue of the magazine or even one copy. This is done by defining the frequency of the magazine, and ensuring that all other data is added relative to this. For example, consider a monthly title. If we wish to quantify the footprint for one entire year s worth of the magazine, then the frequency would be 12, using the average print run over the 12 month period. Where relevant, other data added to the calculator for the analysis would be for the same 12 month period. For example, if you wish to include details of the office energy consumed, the data entered would cover the same 12 month period. However, if we only wish to consider only 1 issue of the magazine, then we would define the frequency as 1. Most of the calculations are driven by mass and therefore the calculator will adjust for this automatically. However, in this case, the office energy consumption data added would also need to be entered for the same one month period. Form 2: Paper source In this form, the user adds details about the papers used for the publication and the printing methods used. As it is common for the cover pages of a magazine to be printed on a different paper compared to the main bulk of the magazine, data can be added regarding the paper and printing methods used for the cover and for the magazine text separately. Additional paper grades may also be integrated into the text (for example, for pull-outs and special features), so details of a further two papers can be added if required. The Papers are chosen from a dropdown list. Data is available for all magazine grade papers that are currently included in the Paper Profiles scheme this scheme provides details of the environmental impacts of different papers, including the information necessary to calculate the carbon footprint of a paper. Obviously, many publishers will use papers that are not included in this list. In this case, the user has two choices: If available, the user can add their own data regarding the environmental impacts of a paper the process for doing this is explained in Section 4 of this User Guide. Once a new, userdefined paper profile has been added this will be included in the dropdown list The closest possible match for the paper should be selected, considering in particular the country of origin, the production process (chemical or mechanical pulp), and the paper grade. In this case, care should be taken when interpreting the results of the analysis the results should be treated as indicative of the anticipated greenhouse gas emissions rather than as a definitive footprint for the magazine. Once the paper has been chosen it is necessary to define the grammage used and the number of pages printed on this paper. (Note: 1pp is equivalent to one side of paper, so 4pp would be used for the cover). PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 6

7 For printing, the user chooses from a dropdown list. The user can choose from the three common printing processes (Heatset web offset, sheet fed and gravure) and can choose the country in which the printing took place. Average environmental impacts are considered for each process. Again, if available, the user can add their own data for specific printers to improve the accuracy and relevance of the carbon footprint that they calculate - the process for doing this is explained in Section 4 of this User Guide. Once a new, user-defined printing process has been added this will be included in the dropdown list. Once the data has been added, clicking the Next button takes the user to the next form. User tip 3: If you wish to return to an earlier form in the process, the Back button takes you to the previous form. If you wish to begin again, the Restart button wipes the data and takes you back to Form 1. Form 3: Transport In this form, details are added about the transport of the paper from the papermill to the printers, and from the printers to the finishing house (or to a fulfilment house). For each of the papers used, the mode of transport and distance travelled can be considered. Up to four different transport legs can be added. Once the materials have been printed, they may then be transported to another site for finishing. If they are printed at separate sites, then a separate transport journey can be added for each component of the magazine. If the materials (for example text and cover pages) are all printed at the same site but are then transported to a finishing site, then the same transport step should be added for each material. Once the data has been added, clicking the Next button takes the user to the next form. Form 4: Finishing In this form, details are added about the materials used for finishing the magazine, in particular any inserts, covermounts, polybags, polywraps or envelops. For inserts, the number of inserts per copy is added. Of course, regional copies of a magazine may carry different numbers of inserts, so this may need to be a weighted average, or just a typical/indicative number. For covermounts, if the covermount is a DVD or CD, then the number of these attached per copy should be defined. As these are a common feature, an estimate has been made of the carbon footprint of this type of covermount. However, the diversity of covermounts makes it impossible to have a carbon footprint for all possible permutations. For this version of the calculator, data is not available for the carbon footprint of other covermounts. However, if the user has this data, it can be added in the field entitled User Defined Impact. The value added here is the impact per covermount (quantified in as kg CO 2e per covermount). If covermounts are only added to a proportion of the copies produced, the values added may need to be an average across the title being evaluated. Details of the proportion of the magazines that are polybagged, polywrapped, or placed in envelops can be added. As this may vary between subscription magazines and those distributed through retail / other routes, this can be set for each distribution channel. PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 7

8 Once the data has been added, clicking the Next button takes the user to the next form where additional details about the makeup of the inserts, polybags, polywraps and envelops used can be added. Form 5: Finishing assumptions In this form, details are added about the makeup of the inserts, polybags and polywraps, and envelops used. For the inserts, only one average or indicative insert specification can be described. This description will be applied to all the inserts being included in the magazine being evaluated. This is a limitation of the current calculator, as many different insert formats (papers and sizes) may be included in a magazine. However, inserts contribute only a small percentage of the total magazine footprint, and therefore this compromise is acceptable. For polybags and polywraps the material and specification can be defined. For envelops, the user can choose between an indicative white or brown envelop. The grammage of the paper can also be defined. At any time, you can return to the default finishing assumptions by clicking the Default button. Once the data has been added, clicking the Next button takes the user to the next form. Form 6: Supply and sales In this form, information is added regarding the different sales channels. The proportion of the produced magazines which will be exported from the UK for sale abroad is defined, compared to the proportion of production destined for the UK market. Further information can then be added regarding the transport of magazines to export markets. For magazines destined for the UK market, it is necessary to define the proportion sold through the newsstand distribution system and the proportion sold through subscription or subscription-type distribution Once the data has been added, clicking the Next button takes the user to the next form. Form 7: Key parameters This form allows the following key parameters to be set, in relation to the specific magazine being considered: Unsolds this applies only to magazines distributed through the newsstand. The default setting is 37.1% Post-consumer waste recycling rate applies to all magazines. The default setting is 70% Printer wastes waste paper arising at the printers due to offcuts, errors, etc. The default setting is 7% Pre-postal allowance made for pre-postal surplus for magazines distributed through subscription-type channels. The default setting is 2% Mailovers the allowance made for mailover surplus for magazines distributed through subscription-type channels. The default setting is 2% Postal impacts this is the impact per 1000 items distributed through subscription-type channels. The default setting is 18kg CO 2e per This value is calculated annually by Royal Mail. PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 8

9 If specific details of these parameters for the magazine in question are not known, the user can use the default settings, which are average values across the UK magazines industry. If changes are made, but the user wishes to return to the default settings, this can be done simply by clicking the Default button. This form completes the process of adding publications data. Click the Done button to proceed. Editing publications data Details of a publication can be edited at any time using the Edit Publications Data button and selecting the appropriate publication from the dropdown list. Clear publications This button clears all publications data added by the user, and is only likely to be required if there is a desire to completely refresh the Calculator. If this button is clicked the user will be given a warning and will be asked if they are sure they wish to proceed. PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 9

10 4. Adding and editing background data This section of the Guide describes how additional background data can be added. This part of the Calculator is used where the user can provide their own additional data on the environmental impact of the paper used or the printers used, or if they wish to include the environmental impact of their offices as part of the analysis. Editing printer data Clicking the Printer button takes the user to the underlying data about the print processes. An existing printing process can be viewed by selecting a process from the dropdown pick-list at the bottom of the form. The impact per m2 of printed material is identified in Impact field towards the bottom of the form. It is stressed that this value is only an average, calculated from data provided by some of the leading UK magazine printers (note: the data has also been reworked to calculate average printing impacts of non-uk printers, considering specific national electricity mixes). The impact is dependent on the electricity and fuels consumed by the printer in comparison to the m2 of material printed, and this can vary considerably from one UK printer to another, depending on the technology available to them and the efficiency of operation. This data should therefore only be used to calculate the relative impact of printing operations within the context of the magazine being evaluated. It is not appropriate to use the data to compare different print processes. In order to protect the confidential nature of the data provided by printers, the additional information fields covering the equipment available at the sites, the specific fuels and energy consumed and the production volumes is protected and is therefore not visible to the Calculator user. If the user has additional or site specific printer data, this can be added. To do this, click the New button. Give the new printer entry a name and a unique ID code (any numeric value is appropriate for the code). You can then add details of the printer s gas and electricity consumption against a known production volume, entered as m2 of product. You can also add supporting information about the facilities available to the printer that are included within the energy consumption value of the printer. This supporting information is not required for the calculations but if available it can be used to improve transparency of the data (i.e. what processes and equipment the data covers). Once the required information and data is added, click the save button and you will see that the Impact is calculated in kg CO2e per m2 of production. Editing paper data Clicking the Paper Profiles button takes the user to the underlying data about the environmental impacts of different magazine papers. The form is set out in a similar structure to the Paper Profiles environmental declarations. Selecting a paper from the dropdown list at the bottom of the form presents the Profile of that paper. Clicking the New button allows the user to add a new paper to the list. The data must be collected using the same protocols and system boundaries as described by the Paper Profiles guidance documentation, otherwise it is possible that inconsistent datasets will be compared. If the new data is a variation on an existing Paper Profile, then to save adding all of the information from scratch a copy of the appropriate profile can be made for editing by clicking the Edit button. Once information is added, you may need to return to the Calculator Switchboard and then revisit the Paper Profiles in order to view your new paper data entry and other Paper Profiles in the databases. PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 10

11 Adding data about the environmental impact of the office premises Clicking the Office button allows the user to create a profile of the electricity and fuel used for an office building. This can then be included in the carbon footprint of a magazine. To create new office data click the New button at the bottom of the form (any existing office data can also be accessed from the dropdown list at the bottom of the form). The office should be given a name (or ID) and the country that the office is located in is chosen from the dropdown menu. Now details can be added about the floor space and energy consumption of the building: Building firstly, define the total floorspace for the building, and the proportion of the floorspace that is used for public areas Tennant secondly, if you are a tenant in the building, define the area that you rent and the proportion of this that is public areas (i.e. shared by teams from various publications and cost centres, for example your reception area) (Note: if the whole building is utilised by your company then the Building and Tennant data will be the same). Building Energy Consumption data is now added for the total electricity, gas and oil consumption for the building (Note: this should be considered over the same time period as is considered for the magazine carbon footprint. If the magazine carbon footprint that you are calculating is for a year s worth of issues, then the building energy consumption should be relevant to one year. If on the other hand the magazine carbon footprint relates to one monthly edition of the magazine, the building energy consumption should also be relevant for one month.) Once this information has been added, click the Save button to store the details of this office. For publishers with multiple sites, or wishing to undertake a number of different evaluations over different time frames, any number of different office sites can be defined. Once details of an office have been defined, these can be included in the carbon footprint of a magazine. This is done in the Volumes and dimensions form, either when defining a new publication or when editing an existing publication. In the Office Impacts section of the form, use the dropdown list to select the appropriate office/site, and then define the office area dedicated specifically to the publication under consideration. It should be remembered that this only considers the impacts associated with heating and lighting the office. It does not include any other production-related impacts, such as business travel, photo shoots, etc. PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 11

12 5. Generating and understanding results Results are generated and viewed by clicking the Calculate Impacts button at the bottom of the switchboard. From the subsequent information box the user chooses the publication that they wish to view from the dropdown menu. The results are presented as both a table and graphically. The table gives the quantified results for each stage of the product supply chain, measured in kg of CO 2 equivalents. Results are given on a cradle-to-grave basis, i.e. from the production of the pulp and paper, transport of paper from the mill to the printers, printing, finishing, supply of magazines to final consumers, and final waste management of the product after its use. The percentage contribution of the various supply chain stages is identified. This is presented both with and without a credit for the recycling of wastes (both process wastes, such as unsolds which are collected and reprocessed, and the proportion of post-consumer wastes that are recycled). Information is also presented back to the user regarding the number of copies produced and sold, and the impact per copy produced and sold via different supply chains is calculated. The results are presented graphically in a number of different ways. Some of these graphs present the results in comparison to a typical high or low impact magazine in the category being considered. These typical publications are not averages or absolutes, but are fictional magazines that are likely to be representative of conditions that could lead to a high or low carbon impact publication. The assumptions behind these indicative publications are presented in Annex 1 of this User Guide. Different graphs are selected using the buttons in the Chart options field. The results for a different publication can be viewed by clicking on the Select publication button, then selecting from the dropdown list. The Return to Switchboard button takes the user back to the Calculator Switchboard. The Understanding the results information button provides an explanation of what the results include. General points The main greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and sulphur hexafluoride) have been considered wherever possible in the analysis. As these greenhouse gases have different global warming potential they are converted into a common unit and presented as kgco 2 equivalent (kgco 2e). For example, methane is 25 times more potent that carbon dioxide (CO 2) in terms of global warming potential. Therefore, and emission of methane is multiplied by 25 in order to convert it into kgco 2e. Nonetheless, CO2 is by far the most common greenhouse gas emission and accounts for the majority of global warming. A zero result for any life cycle stage does not necessarily mean that the life cycle stage makes no contribution to global warming. Almost all activities have a global warming impact. Therefore, it is more likely that a zero result is returned because the user has not entered any data for this life cycle stage or has entered incomplete data. Office This result refers to the contribution to the carbon footprint of the office based activities of the magazine production staff. It is a relatively simple measure, based on the square metres of office space allocated to the magazine compared to the overall office space available. This allows a proportion of the office heating and lighting energy consumption to be allocated to the magazine. Typically, this value will be small in comparison to other life cycle stages, and therefore if the data is not readily available then it is okay to omit this from the analysis. It should be noted that the results in this stage to not include impacts associated with business travel, journalist activities and photoshoots, freelancers or employee travel to/from work. PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 12

13 Paper and pulp This result refers to the contribution to the carbon footprint from the production of the pulp and paper used to make the magazine. It includes the impact from producing paper that subsequently becomes waste in the supply chain (for example printer wastes and unsolds) as well as the paper (magazines) that reaches the final consumer. Included in the impact arising from pulp and paper is: Onsite emissions of CO2 (arising from onsite combustion of fuels) (including any emissions associated with the production of third party pulp) Site electricity consumption, which can be converted into a CO2 value using a conversion factor dependent on the electricity mix available in the country where the paper is being made (including any electricity consumption associated with the production of third party pulp) An estimate of the impact of forest operations for example, emissions associated with fuels used during planting, thinning, felling, movement of logs in forest, transport of wood within forest and to pulp mill etc. An estimate of the emissions associated with the production of pigments, fillers and binders used in the papers Not included in the impact arising from pulp and paper is: Emissions associated with the production of coating used in the papers Emissions from mill wastes sent to landfill Any carbon sequestration effects associated with forestry has been treated as neutral (zero), as available scientific data on this is currently inconclusive. This approach is consistent with the recommendations of methodology guideline documents such as PAS2050 and the CEPI ten toes approach. The results presented are for all papers used in the magazine being evaluated, including cover pages. An exception to this are papers used for inserts or envelops (these are included in the Finishing values). M-P This result refers to the impact associated with the transport of the paper from the papermill to the printers. The impacts arise as a result of road, rail or sea journeys. Multiple legs of the journey are added together to give the total mill to printing transport impact. Printer This result refers to the impact associated with the printing of the magazine. It includes the impact from printing paper that subsequently becomes waste in the supply chain (for example printer wastes and unsolds) as well as the printed paper (magazines) that reaches the final consumer. Included in the impact arising from printing is: Emissions from the gas and electricity consumed by the printer for the existing background data available in the Calculator, this includes all gas and electricity consumed (i.e. for operating printing presses, for operating finishing equipment such as binding equipment, for space heating and lighting) Not included in the impact arising from printing is: Emissions arising from the production of consumables, such as inks, fount, etc Any fugitive emissions to air from the drying of inks, etc It should be noted that the existing background data available in the Calculator is only an average value, derived from data supplied by some of the leading UK magazine printers (note: the data has PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 13

14 also been reworked to calculate average printing impacts of non-uk printers, considering specific national electricity mixes). The impact is dependent on the electricity and fuels consumed by the printer in comparison to the m2 of material printed, and this can vary considerably from one UK printer to another, depending on the technology available to them and the efficiency of operation. The variation of results for different printers operating the same print process can be greater than the variation in results between different printing processes. Therefore, the result should only be considered as providing an indication of the relative impact of printing operations within the context of the magazine being evaluated. It is not appropriate to use the data to compare different print processes. Finishing This result refers to the impact associated with the materials used to finish the magazines ready for distribution. Included in the impact arising from finishing is: The carbon footprint associated with the production of any inserts, covermounts, polybags, polywrap or envelops defined as being part of the magazine The emissions associated with transporting materials from printers to finishing houses and/or fulfillment houses Not included in the impact arising from finishing is: Emissions associated with finishing equipment, such as binding equipment (this will be included within the data and results relating to printing) Supply This result refers to the impact associated with activities required to transport and distribute the magazines from the printers to the final consumer. Included in the impact arising from supply is: Emissions from the transport of magazines from printers to distributors, Emissions associated with distributor activities, including gas and electricity consumed at warehouses and emissions from transporting magazines Emissions associated with wholesaler activities, including gas and electricity consumed at warehouses and emissions from transporting magazines (internal transfers, delivery rounds including consideration of the collection of unsolds) Emissions associated with the supply of magazines through subscription-type channels, including gas and electricity consumed at warehouses and emissions from transporting/delivering magazines Emissions from any user defined transport distribution operations The data for newsstand supply has been calculated using a top-down approach. i.e. primary data has been collected from Distributors and Wholesalers for the handling of all magazines. The Calculator then apportions a percentage of this impact to the magazine being considered on the basis of the weight of this magazine compared to the total mass of magazines handled by this supply route. EOL (End-of-lide) This result refers to the impacts associated with the final disposal of magazines and supply chain wastes. Included in the impact arising from end-of-life is: Emissions arising from landfilling the proportion of post-consumer magazines that is not sent for recycling PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 14

15 Not included in the impact arising from end-of-life is: Emissions associated with collecting and recycling printer wastes, unsolds, other supply chain wastes and the proportion of post-consumer magazines that is recovered and recycled Credits This result refers to the benefit generated from the recycling of process waste paper and the proportion of post-consumer magazines that is recovered and recycled. When materials are recycled, it avoids the need to produce certain virgin materials. Some analysts argue that the system producing the recyclate should be given a credit for these avoided emissions associated with the avoided virgin production. Other analysts argue that the credit should be given to the system that incorporates the material as recycled content. The Calculator generates results without a credit for recycling the process wastes (printer wastes, unsolds, other process and supply wastes) and the post-consumer material that is sent for landfill. However, the potential credit is quantified in the separate Credits table, so users can understand what impact this methodological decision may have on the results. The credit that is calculated is based on the substitution of virgin newsprint with recycled-content newsprint. PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 15

16 6. Export and Import Data The buttons Export Data and Import Data are only required when a new version of the calculator becomes available. These buttons allow the User s existing evaluations to be saved safely while the new version of the Calculator is loaded. Clicking the Export Data button takes the user to the Save session as form. This allows the user to give the data file to be saved a name and then to select a folder in which to save the file. Clicking the Import Data button takes the user to the Open form. This allows the user to call the data back into the new version of the Calculator. Data is accessed from the dropdown lists in the appropriate forms, as before. PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 16

17 7. PAS 2050 and other carbon footprinting methodologies The data used to develop the Calculator is based on the results of an extensive analysis of the resources, fuels and electricity used by the UK magazine publishing industry 2. Carbon footprinting is an emerging technique, and at the time of collecting the data, developing the underlying methodology and the subsequent development of the calculator (mostly undertaken during the first three quarters of 2008), no standard methodology for carbon footprinting had been produced and published. However, a draft Publically Available Specification was available, PAS2050:2008 Specification for the assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services 3. Although the calculator itself has not been externally reviewed, the underlying data and methodology was reviewed under contract by the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management (ECCM) against this draft. The ECCM reviewed covered: Review of the methodology employed by Edge A sense check of the results Review of the boundaries of the assessment Review of the emissions factor sources used The feedback from the ECCM review of this study was positive: ECCM believes that the study undertaken by Edge is relatively comprehensive, and provides a high level analysis of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the UK magazine supply chain. The review process found no significant problems with the methodology or data, but two aspects of the methodology employed should be highlighted in light of the subsequent publication of the finalised PAS2050 document: The critical review specifically highlighted an ongoing methodology debate in the LCA and carbon footprinting community relating to the inclusion of credits for recycling. Some practitioners choose to give a credit for recycling, other practitioners choose to provide no credit (on the basis that the credit should be given to the system product using the recyclate, rather than the system providing the recycled material). In light of this ongoing debate, the Calculator presents the results both with and without the credit for recycling. PAS2050 requires that the data used is supply chain specific whenever possible. Wholesaling is a shared activity publications are consolidated and distributed together. The impacts of wholesaling are therefore shared by all titles (both magazine and newspaper titles) distributed through the newsstand supply chain. This introduces a methodological question how to apportion part of the wholesale impact to an individual title? In the underlying Phase 1 study and the subsequent calculator, a top down approach has been applied. The total wholesaler impact has been quantified (based on total miles travelled, fuel used, electricity consumed, etc) and then this is apportioned to individual titles based on the weight of copies handled for that title versus the total weight of copies of all magazines handled by the wholesalers. This obviously introduces some potential for error, as not all publications will have the same unit weight or the same geographical distribution profile (although this will have minimal effect on the overall carbon footprint results as this stage of the product supply chain accounts for only around 2-3% of the total impact). This top down approach is therefore a practical solution to the problem. In contrast, some carbon footprint practitioners argue that to comply with PAS2050 a bottom up approach should be used, collecting data on the individual weights and geographical distribution 2 Balanced Reading II, Mass balance and carbon footprint of the UK Magazine Publishing Sector, 2008, Confidential report prepared by STFI-Packforsk Edge for the PPA 3 The finalised version of the specification was published at the end of October 2009 PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 17

18 profiles for a specific magazine and then apportioning a share of the mileage to that title based on the share of the space used in the vehicle by that title. The ECCM review adds credibility to the underlying data and methodology on which the Calculator is based. However, this should not be taken as ECCM endorsement of the Calculator, which would require additional review work. PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 18

19 8. Data sources, system boundaries and assumptions This section details the key assumptions, boundaries and other parameters considered in the Calculator. Carbon equivalency factors used in this calculator All emissions of greenhouse gases associated with the life cycle stages of the magazines are converted into CO 2 equivalents using recognised equivalency factors published by the IPCC. GHG Name PAS2050 (IPCC2007, 100Year GWP) CO2 Carbon dioxide 1 CH4 Methane 25 N2O Nitrous Oxide 298 SF6 Sulfur Hexafluoride Source: Working Group I Report The Physical Science Basis, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007 Pulp and paper Emissions data contained in Paper Profiles are used to convert the mass of paper used into a CO2 value. Paper profiles are an environmental product declaration designed to provide information to paper procurement professionals. A significant proportion of the major magazine grade paper manufacturers participate in the Paper Profiles scheme. These include M-Real, Norske Skog, Sappi International Paper, Stora Enso, and UPM Kymmene. In addition, although they do not formally participate in the Paper Profiles scheme, SCA also provided data for their magazine grade paper in the same format as the Paper Profiles for specific use in this project. Paper Profiles include basic information for specific grades/ranges of paper which allows the footprint of that paper to be calculated: Onsite emissions of CO2 (from onsite combustion of fuels) (including any emissions associated with the production of third party pulp) Site electricity consumption, which can be converted into a CO2 value using a conversion factor dependent on the electricity mix available in the country where the paper is being made (including any electricity consumption associated with the production of third party pulp). Data caveats and assumptions The following caveats and assumptions are highlighted: Paper Profiles boundaries Paper Profile information providers were surveyed to ensure consistency of system boundaries and therefore comparability between data sets. The Paper Profiles do not include the following parameters in their boundaries: o Forest operations for example, emissions associated with fuels used during planting, thinning, felling, movement of logs in forest, transport of wood within forest and to pulp mill etc, are not included in the paper profiles data. This element of the footprint has therefore been estimated from available life cycle data. Data has been sourced from the EcoInvent LCI database, for the production of Scandinavian softwood, left at the forest road. The impact per m3 of softwood is taken as 21.5kg CO2e. This is converted to an impact per mass PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 19

20 o o o o assuming a typical wood density of 430kg/m3. The yield for mechanical pulp is estimated at 90% and for chemical pulp this is estimated at 45%. Emissions associated with the production of pigments, fillers and binders in some cases, these elements can contribute a significant proportion of the mass of the paper. However, it would not be feasible within the scope of this project to work right up the supply chain to gather data on the direct and indirect emissions associated with the production of specific pigments, fillers and binders. Therefore, an estimate has been made for the carbon impact of this element of each of the papers, assuming a carbon impact of kgCO2e per kg of pigment, fillers or binders. This figure is based on data sourced from the EcoInvent life cycle inventory database, and relates to the production of kaolin, calcium carbonate and talcum, typical components of fillers and binders. Emissions associated with the production of coatings although these can make up a significant proportion of the final product, no emissions factor has been included for coatings as no information is available regarding the quantities used on individual papers. However, considering that the influence of pigments, coatings and fillers on the footprint of individual papers is low, then this omission is unlikely to be significant in the overall analysis. Transport of finished product this is not taken into account in the Paper Profiles data. However, allowance has been made for this. For imported paper, it has been assumed that the paper is transported by road-sea-road. For paper manufactured in the UK, only road transport has been considered. For each paper used, transport distances have been estimated for each country of origin. These distances have then been converted into emissions data using the standard emissions for a container ship and for 27t trucks Emissions from mill wastes the Paper Profiles identify the quantity of solid wastes sent from the mill operations to landfill. Any subsequent emissions associated with this landfilling activity are not included in this study, as the composition of the landfilled waste is not known. Carbon sequestration and biotic CO2 Some specialists argue that managed forests act as a net carbon sink, absorbing and storing more CO2 than is subsequently released during the thinning, harvesting and use processes. In the baseline analysis for this project, carbon sequestration associated with forestry has been treated as neutral (zero), as available scientific data on this is currently inconclusive. This approach is consistent with the recommendations of methodology guideline documents such as PAS2050 and the CEPI ten toes approach. Printing and finishing Data was collected from printers detailing the quantity of gas and electricity used at each of their printing sites during the calendar year Printers also provided details of the output (in m2) from each site, allowing gas and electricity use per m2 to be calculated. Details of the specific printing and finishing equipment at each site were provided. In addition, BPIF provided data on the expected range for the impact per m2 for different printing processes. This data served as a useful proof for the data collected directly from printers. Gas and electricity use per m2 was converted into kg CO2e per m2 using the standard emissions factors for UK gas and electricity as published by Defra in April Data caveats and assumptions The following caveats and assumptions are highlighted: 4 Guidelines to Defra's GHG Conversion Factors, April 2008 PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 20

21 Site-wide data Printers will operate numerous presses and finishing equipment on a single site. It was not possible for printers to determine how much energy each piece of equipment consumes. Therefore, the data for printers has been collected on a site-wide basis only, and then an average impact per m2 of production is calculated. Multi-products Each site will not only print and finish magazines but will also produce non-magazine products, such as catolgues, direct mail, etc. No differentiation has been made between the impacts per m2 for magazines compared to other products. Inks, founts and other consumables The carbon contribution of consumables has not been included in the analysis, as neither data for the quantities of these used or conversion factors for calculating their carbon impact were available. However, discussions with leading printers suggests that these will contribute less than 10% of the total printing impact, and therefore the omission is not deemed significant. Emissions from drying, fugitive emissions, etc Data on emissions of gases to air from the drying of inks, etc have not been measured for this project, and no data is currently publically available. However, given the very small mass of ink on the product (compared to the mass of paper) printers contacted during the project believe this omission is unlikely to be significant, especially as many modern printing facilities have solvent recovery equipment. Process wastes Primary data on printer process wastes was not collected. However, based on the experiences of the PPA s Carbon Footprint Working Group, a qualified estimate of 7% has been assumed. No separate data on finishing processes It is common for finishing activities to be undertaken on separate sites by specialist finishers. However, in this analysis no separate data has been collected for finishing processes undertaken on sites other than those of the printers surveyed, and no allowance has been made for transporting product from printers to finishers. Therefore, the printing and finishing impacts presented in this study are likely to be an underestimate of the actual figure. Inserts, covermounts, polybags, envelops Paper Profiles data was used to estimate the CO2 emissions associated with the production of inserts. For CDs/DVDs, conversion factors for polycarbonate were sourced from the European Reference Life Cycle Data System (ELCD). For Polybags and Polywraps, conversion factors for LDPE were sourced from the European Reference Life Cycle Data System (ELCD). Paper Profiles data was used to estimate the CO2 emissions associated with the production of paper envelopes Data caveats and assumptions The following caveats and assumptions are highlighted: With the exception of CDs and DVDs, no values for the carbon emissions associated with the production of covermounts has been calculated. The diversity of covermounts and lack of information regarding their material make-up, manufacturing process and country of origin makes this difficult. However, if considered in mass terms, these items are of limited importance compared to the mass of paper consumed, and the consultant s experience suggests that this omission will not be significant PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 21

22 For CDs and DVDs, these were assumed to be polycarbonate, weighing 16g per item. The emission factor used for these items relates only to the material used, and does not include processing into CDs/DVDs or subsequent transport steps. Magazine distribution A top-down approach is applied for calculating the distribution and wholesale impact of a title. The total UK distributor and wholesaler impacts are quantified. This is then apportioned to an individual title on the basis of the number of copies associated with the title compared to the total number of copies handled by the distributors and wholesalers. For transport fuels, electricity, oil, and gas, quantities consumed by distributors and wholesalers were converted using the standard emissions factors for UK gas and electricity as published by Defra For magazines distributed by subscription, the official Royal Mail value 18kg CO2e per 1000 items mailed is applied. Data caveats and assumptions All unspecified transport fuels were assumed to be diesel Based on wholesaler data, an estimate of the packaging materials used during the distribution of magazines through the supply chain to retailers was made. This mass was then converted into CO2e using life cycle data sourced from European Reference Life Cycle Data System (ELCD) and the EcoInvent life cycle database The operations of wholesalers combine supply and handling of both magazines and newspapers. An allocation of impacts associated with wholesaler activities has to be made between the two products. As in previous studies, 67% of the wholesaler activity has been allocated to news, 33% to magazines. For wholesaler delivery rounds, 90% of the impact has been allocated to the delivery of product to retailers and 10% has been allocated to the collection of unsolds. From the questionnaire data provided by wholesalers, unsolds were calculated at 37% by weight this is used as the default unsolds value Detailed data on the exact make-up of materials used by distributors and wholesalers for secondary and tertiary packaging and the make-up of packaging waste arising was not collected. In order to provide an indication of the possible magnitude of impacts arising from these materials an assumption has been made that these materials consist of 50% virgin paper and 50% PE For subscription magazines, all magazines are assumed to be distributed through a system similar to Royal Mail For magazines distributed by controlled circulation, it was assumed that these were distributed through a Royal Mail-type system. No allowance for mail-overs was made for controlled circulation It was assumed that all unsolds are recycled into newsprint in UK reprocessing facilities. Results are presented both with and without a credit for recycling. The credit for recycling magazine grade papers has been calculated assuming that they are recycled into newsprint. The recycled newsprint replaces virgin newsprint. The difference in emissions between the production of virgin and recycled newsprint (sourced from the EcoInvent life cycle inventory database) provides the emission factors for the recycling credit. The credit assumes that every tonne of magazine grade fibre sent for recycling delivers a tonne of recycled newsprint after processing, with no significant manufacturing losses. PPA Magazine Carbon Calculator User Guide Page 22