LONDON, Jan. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Truvia^® business announced today that its Truvia^® calorie-free sweetener is the first stevia-based sweetener to be awarded product carbon footprint certification. The certification arm of the UK-based Carbon Trust has certified the total greenhouse gas emissions at every stage of the supply chain, including cultivation, processing, packaging, transport and use and disposal.

The makers of Truvia^® sweetener worked with the Carbon Trust to certify its carbon footprint and verify its waste and water footprints throughout its supply chain. The certified metrics are part of an action plan to manage the carbon footprint of the Truvia^® stevia leaf extract, in order to become carbon neutral by 2020.

Since the baseline assessment was conducted in 2011, the business has already reduced the CO₂-equivalent per metric ton of "sweet" by 35% during the second recorded period ending December 2012, resulting primarily from improvements made to the leaf extraction process. These findings indicate the business is on track to deliver on its interim 2015 milestone goals. 

"We're delighted to be taking this major step with the Carbon Trust," commented Mark Brooks, Global Consumer Products Director for the Truvia^® brand. "The certification is a visible reflection of the Truvia^® brand's commitment to meeting our ambitious sustainability goals."

Darran Messem, Managing Director of Certification, the Carbon Trust, said: "We are excited to work with the Truvia^® business to help them to understand and reduce the carbon impacts of their sweetener product.  The Truvia^® brand's commitment to certify its product's carbon footprint and reduce the carbon footprint is an important milestone. The Carbon Trust also recognized that carbon emissions are closely linked to water use and waste, so we are also working together to improve these areas."

Under the certification, the Truvia^® business has signed up to use the carbon reduction label in the future. By displaying this label, which in this case covers UK, USA, Mexico, Spain, France, Italy, the Truvia^® brand is committed to reducing the carbon footprint of its sweetener over a two year period.  

In 2010, the Truvia^® business made a number of sustainability pledges. Commitments include:

• To reduce its carbon footprint by 50% in 2015 from a 2010 baseline to become carbon neutral in 2020
• To ensure all processed water is returned to the same quality in which it was taken and reduce net depletion by 25% by 2020
• To reduce waste by 50% across the supply chain in 2015 in efforts to become zero waste by 2020

For further information visit www.carbontrust.com.

About the Truvia^® business
Truvia^® sweetener is a great tasting, zero-calorie sweetener made with the best tasting part of the stevia leaf. Truvia^® sweetener is #1 in its category of zero-calorie natural sweeteners in the U.S. and is also available to consumers in Europe and Latin America. Truvia^® stevia leaf extract is also a versatile sweetening ingredient used to reduce calories and sugar in foods and beverages. The Truvia^® business uniquely manages its stevia supply chain from Field to Table having established a global agricultural standard for stevia.

For more information, visit www.truvia.co.uk.

About Cargill
Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 142,000 people in 65 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business. Through its longtime, $14 million partnership with World Food Programme, Cargill is working to improve the health and nutrition of people in need around the world.  For more information, visit http://www.cargill.com/corporate-responsibility/food-security/index.jsp

About Carbon Trust Certification
Carbon Trust Certification offers a full range of services to allow organisations to certify and verify their product carbon footprints. Carbon Trust Certification provides independent verification of the carbon footprints of products and services to the PAS 2050 and WRI global standards for product carbon footprinting, the Carbon Trust's Footprint Expert^TM and the Carbon Trust Code of Good Practice for Product Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reduction Claims. Carbon Trust Certification is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to ISO 14065:2007 to provide greenhouse gas verification against PAS 2050 and the Code of Good Practice. 

About the Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust is an independent company with a mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low carbon economy. The Carbon Trust:

• advises businesses, governments and the public sector on opportunities in a sustainable, low carbon world.
• measures and certifies the environmental footprint of organisations, products and services.
• helps develop and deploy low carbon technologies and solutions, from energy efficiency to renewable power.

For further information or interviews with the Carbon Trust, please contact the Carbon Trust press office on 020 7170 7050 or press@carbontrust.com. Alternatively visit www.carbontrust.com.

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SOURCE Truvia

• SCJP Certification or OCPJP Certification