Reducing carbon emissions across each step of the supply chain, including use of forklifts, is becoming an imperative for Australian businesses, says David Bignold, CEO of Mtech Australia.

Speaking at the Australian Carbon Trading Expo in Melbourne last week, Bignold said it was imperative that Australian businesses focused on measuring the complete carbon footprint of a product, incorporating every stage of its life.

"Measuring a product's carbon footprint from cradle to grave certainly is not simple. There are tens and, in some cases, hundreds of products and services used to bring a product to market. It's easy to see why the supply chain is the source of the majority of a product's emissions.

"Consider one small part of the process, warehousing. Drilling down even further, simply consider forklift emissions," Bignold says.

"Imagine how many forklifts whiz around warehouses just in the grocery sector and you can begin to appreciate the impact a 23% reduction in each forklift's emissions could make on a single packet of biscuits."

Bignold says one solution to reducing engine emissions is the Mtech Fuel Saver. The product has three clip-in modules, which are easily installed in less than an hour. He says it maximises an engine's fuel efficiency and decreases greenhouse gas emissions. Specific models have been created for petrol, diesel and LPG engines.

According to Bignold, laboratory testing of the product, conducted by the Orbital Corporation, in Perth, showed a 23% reduction in greenhouse gases.