William Stanley Jevons (left) was a leading 19th Century economist, as well as being a chemist, botanist, urban geographer and pioneering photographer. Jevons was central to the marginalist revolution in economic theory and perhaps his most important contribution was the eponymous paradox. In 1865 Jevons described how, in relation to coal, increased efficiencies of use lead to an increase rather than decrease in the use of that resource. At the time this was very much contrary to the prevailing wisdom, but it has since been identified in many situations – particularly in relation to fossil fuels and energy use but also, as we have seen, in the case of water use.

The Paradox has been used to argue that resource use efficiency – particularly energy conservation, is a waste of time. But this is to miss the point: Jevons was writing very specifically about technological improvements that improve efficiency. If those improvements are coupled with institutional changes – for example progressive taxation to increase fuel cost (this canceling the economic benefits associated with greater use efficiency), effective policies (that encourage the adoption of more efficient technologies) and campaigns to effect behavioral change then the Jevons Paradox will not manifest itself. In addition it’s important to consider where marginal utility in any goods or services reside. For example, in the case of low energy light bulbs it is the light emitted not the energy required that is ultimately of interest to consumers so their adoption is unlikely to lead to increased energy demands.

At Provenance, when we’re devising sustainability plans for clients, we endeavour to consider the perverse consequences that arise when too much emphasis is placed on any one aspect or outcome of a business or organisation’s activities. This isn’t always easy, particularly as the evidence base is continually growing and shifting, but we’ve got no intention of slipping into the trap of becoming too attached to a single indicator, such as carbon, or a single methodological approach, such as life cycle analysis (LCA) rather a suite of indicators and measures.

Earlier this year an excellent and timely book about the Jevons Paradox and its implications was published by EarthScan. Called Jevons’ Paradox and the Myth of Resource Efficiency Improvements and written by John Polimeni, Kozo Mayumi, Mario Giampietro and Blake Alcott it’s well worth a look (though it isn’t cheap!).

PAS 2050 is a publicly available specification for assessing product life cycle GHG emissions, prepared by BSI British Standards and co-sponsored by the Carbon Trust and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). PAS 2050 is an independent standard, developed with significant input from international stakeholders and experts across academia, business, government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) through two formal consultations and multiple technical working groups.

Carbon Trust: Guide to PAS 2050

PAS 2050 is a free and publicly available methodology but implementation can be fiddly and time-consuming. Provenance offers support to businesses interested in using PAS 2050; we can either manage the whole process for a given product or range of products or work with you to train staff and set up your own assessment systems.

‘Carbon footprint’ is an increasingly common term used to describe the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by a particular activity or entity. Understanding these emissions, and where they come from, is necessary in order to reduce them. Until recently, businesses wanting to measure their carbon footprints have focused on their own emissions, but now they and their customers are increasingly concerned with emissions across their entire supply chain.

What are the benifits of PAS 2050?

As outlined in the PAS 2050 Guide, measuring the carbon footprint of products across their full life cycle is a powerful way for companies to collect the information they need to:

• Reduce GHG emissions
• Identify cost savings opportunities
• Incorporate emissions impact into decision making on suppliers, materials, product design, manufacturing processes, etc.
• Demonstrate environmental/corporate responsibility leadership
• Meet customer demands for information on product carbon footprints
• Differentiate and meet demands from ‘green’ consumers

More specifically PAS2050 can provide companies with:

• Internal assessment of product life cycle GHG emissions
• Evaluation of alternative product configurations, operational and sourcing options, etc. on the basis of their impact on product GHG emissions
• A benchmark for measuring and communicating emission reductions
• Support for comparison of product GHG emissions using a common, recognised and standardised approach
• Support for corporate responsibility reporting their products and to identify emission reductionopportunities

For customers (if companies choose to communicate their product footprints), it provides:

• Confidence that the life cycle GHG emissions being reported for products are based on a standardised, robust method
• Greater understanding of how their purchasing decisions impact GHG emissions

Further information and detail about PAS 2050 is available from the BSI website.

By committing to cut your emissions by 10% in 2010, you will join thousands of individuals, schools, hospitals, businesses and organisations all actively helping to combat climate change by making simple changes to their lifestyles, homes and workplaces. More importantly, your voice will help to put pressure on the politicians to cut Britain’s emissions as quickly as the science demands. If we in the UK can prove that fast, deep cuts can be made at a national level, then we may just inspire all the other big polluting countries to follow suit.