Carbon and Water Footprint (CWF) Tool
FAO supports countries and companies’ efforts to enhance monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems for climate change mitigation. These M&E systems allow stakeholders to make effective, evidence-based decisions, reduce environmental impacts and unlock investments for climate change mitigation in the agricultural sector.
Under this framework, The World Banana Forum has developed the Carbon and Water Footprint Tool, an automatic and user-friendly instrument designed to support banana producing organizations and value chain actors in measuring, reducing and reporting their environmental footprint.
Scope
Based on the latest updates, the CWF tool now covers emissions from farm operations, as well as from input manufacturing (fertilizers, pesticides, plastic and cardboard boxes), maritime transport, storage, ripening operations and terrestrial transport in destination countries. The tool also enables precise calculation of GHG emissions and/or removals induced from land-use change, including soil carbon sequestration. Depending on the user’s accountability and reporting needs, an organizational or product footprint analysis can be generated.
Value Chain Scope of the CWF Tool
Regarding the water footprint, the tool estimates water consumption and water degradation impacts, including eutrophication, human toxicity, and ecotoxicity. At the consumption level, it calculates water scarcity as well as green and blue water footprints associated with field and packing house operations.
International Standards
The CWF tool was designed in alignment with internationally recognized methodologies, including the guidelines from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and its recent Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) Guidance, as well as ISO 14064 and ISO 14046.
Moreover, emission factors are regularly updated and sourced from the latest IPPC reports, country-level databases, national plant protection organizations from banana producing countries, global life cycle databases and different international organizations.
Structure
The CWF tool operates under a hierarchical user structure with four levels: General Administrator and Country Administrator (managed by FAO), Company Administrator, and Farm Administrator, each with specific functions and responsibilities.
Modules
The CWF tool calculates CO₂-equivalent emissions (or removals) across dedicated modules representing the main emission sources along the global banana value chain.
At the farm level, the tool covers direct emissions from electricity, stationery and equipment combustion, mobile combustion, land use changes, maintenance products, refrigeration, fertilizers and amendments, waste, and animal traction.
The Scope 3 related modules account for emissions from input manufacturing, including commercial fertilizers, amendments and pesticides products, cardboard boxes, and agri-plastics.
The tool also includes modules for international transport, covering both maritime transport and terrestrial transport in destination countries.
Finally, four additional modules under storage and ripening analyze emissions generated in destination countries, specifically related to temperature control, electricity, maintenance products, and waste management.
Modules covering different operations across the value chain (Scopes 1, 2, and 3)
Example of the Fertilizers and Amendments module
Customization
The tool is designed to be user-friendly and highly customizable, facilitating its uptake by users and automating processes without the need for manual calculations or extensive data entry.
In addition to the extensive databases integrated into the tool, users can also add their own fertilizer formulations, pesticides, maintenance products, and equipment used in both field and packing house operations. Upon request, FAO can integrate additional ports into the existing databases as needed.
Confidentiality
All the information inserted in the tool is treated as strictly confidential and is subject to the data protection regulations of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The data remains the exclusive property of the Users.
Results
Pie chart showing a company’s CO2e emissions per value chain stage and emission sources
The CWF tool provides dynamic, interactive results that can be easily exported to support informed decision-making, as well as compliance with corporate sustainability reporting, certification, and auditing processes.
Bar charts showing a company’s CO2e emissions and removals associated with different activities
The tool also serves as a permanent repository for historical records and supporting documentation related to farm and company operations, providing robust eviden
Example of Water Footprint Results
Access to the tool
The World Banana Forum Secretariat operates the FAO and Country Administrator levels and is responsible for creating credentials that grant access to the tool for banana-producing organizations. Company Administrators are then responsible for assigning Farm Administrators, who in turn enter data across the different modules and update the configuration tables as needed.
To request credentials and gain access to the tool, please contact the WBF Secretariat at [email protected].