-
Related
The world's biggest kiwifruit exporter, Zespri International, says each 1kg of its New Zealand-grown green crop eaten in Europe generates the equivalent of 1.74kg of carbon dioxide in greenhouse gases.
The gold variety that makes up about 20% of its crop creates a little less, because of higher yields and shorter storage times.
The estimate for the total life cycle of kiwifruit was calculated during Zespri's efforts to develop a robust methodology for measuring the carbon "footprint" of kiwifruit exported to Europe.
The Zespri study measuring the "life cycle" of exported New Zealand kiwifruit showed 41% of the greenhouse gas emissions from supplying European consumers arose from shipping the fruit 20,765km.
Just over half - 53% - of New Zealands exports are sent to Europe, and half of that goes to Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, through the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.
If the fruit were instead sent 9141km to Yokohama, for the industry's second-largest market in Japan (17% of the export crop), its carbon footprint over its total lifecycle would be 22% less than fruit eaten in Europe.
Orchard operations created 17% of total emissions for EU exports, with another 11% from packhouses and coolstores, 9% from repacking and retailers, and 22% from consumer consumption and disposal.
The study was undertaken to refine carbon accounting methods capable of being used for other New Zealand commodities, and for carbon labels in European supermarket chains.
A robust format was seen as necessary to combat not only grassroots movements to "eat local", but protectionist efforts to used "food miles" as non-tariff trade barrier.
A former British cabinet minister, Stephen Byers, at one point stated that 1kg of New Zealand kiwifruit flown to Europe would generate greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 5kg of carbon dioxide - despite the fact that kiwifruit exports go by ship.
Zespri said it was the first kiwifruit marketer globally to use a measurement system which aligned with Britain's PAS 2050 standard, created to rate the carbon footprint of every product in British shops.
British supermarkets are preparing to demand their suppliers provide greenhouse gas emissions data for their products, so they can provide a carbon footprint label, much as the number of calories is currently shown on food.
Zespri has said it was improving the sustainability of supply chain.
On orchards it was adapting and improving grower practices, and in packhouses and coolstores, it would turn kiwifruit waste into bio-plastics, and it would streamline processes, reduce waste, and increase efficiency.
No comparison for the carbon footprint of kiwifruit grown in other countries and shipped to Europe were reported.
