The wine trade has agreed on an international system for calculating carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions.

The International Organisation of Vine & Wine has drawn up the Greenhouse Gas Accounting Protocol, which aims to make sure all businesses around the world which produce, supply, transport or sell wine will be able to rate their environmental performance according to a standard methodology.

The system has two main elements – an Enterprise Protocol, which is a tool that lets companies measure the greenhouse gases their activities produce, and a Product Protocol, which is general guidance on emissions produced from vine and wine products, and allows companies to collate information against an agreed benchmark about carbon footprint.

The WSTA has been working with the Department for Food and Rural Affairs and the global trade to try and promote a harmonised system. It has also created a carbon calculator for logistics companies, which can be used as part of the new system.

WSTA wine policy director John Corbet-Milward said: “The increasing focus of policy makers on the impact of greenhouse gases means it is vital we are able to accurately calculate the contribution the wine sector makes. The harmonised system will ensure that businesses and governments have a common approach to enable performance measurement. The wine sector is one of the first trade sectors worldwide to develop such a system.”