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.

The UK will need to change the way food is produced and processed so that we continue to enjoy healthy affordable food in the decades ahead
Hilary Benn, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary

As Defra launches the Food 2030 open discussion on the future of food, Provenance, a new London and East Anglia based partnership, is offering a range of services to independent food businesses across the supply chain, with an emphasis on supporting, promoting and developing more sustainable and local supply chains.

Demanding more sustainable food

Government policy and consumer demand are changing, creating new opportunities for independent food producers to supply both public and private sector outlets. Producers that work transparently to produce and supply food more sustainably will be best placed to benefit from these opportunities. Provenance aims to help food and farming businesses to work more sustainably and win new business.

Helping independent businesses access public sector markets

Amongst Provenance’s services is support for independent food suppliers in winning contracts to supply public sector markets. The public sector catering market in England is worth £2 billion annually (according to the National Audit Office’s report, Smarter food procurement in the public sector). Provenance recognises that many small and local suppliers can supply quality local food to schools, hospitals and other outlets, but face obstacles that favour larger businesses with more experience and resources.

These obstacles have been highlighted this week by the launch of Sustain’s new Good Food for our Money campaign, demanding “mandatory standards for 100% procurement of healthy and sustainable food in the public sector”.

A free alert email alert service for public sector food supply contracts

Food suppliers are often simply not aware of opportunities to supply the public sector. While all public sector contracts above specified thresholds are advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and subscription services provide alerts of opportunities, accessing this information is often expensive or difficult.

Provenance has launched the first entirely free alert service to notify businesses of every upcoming public sector food supply contract advertised in the OJEU. Businesses can subscribe to receive daily or weekly emails with details of every contract. Provenance can provide further support in meeting the requirements of public sector purchasers and tendering for contracts.

More from Provenance

Provenance can also help manage supply chains, bringing professional standards and systems to independent food supply chains of every scale; audit supply chains to demonstrate and improve sustainability; and provide affordable but effective advice on marketing and communication, from support for direct marketing initiatives to development of web sites and services.