Environment
Companies to reveal products' carbon footprint
Major companies such as
Walkers and
Boots are trialling a
new Carbon Trust scheme
that will see their products sporting a carbon reduction label displaying an
item’s carbon content from source to store.
The first product to exhibit this label will be Walkers’
cheese and onion crisps - the company’s best selling flavour. Following this,
Boots will introduce point of sale material with the carbon label and give
advice to its customers on how to reduce their personal carbon footprint.
The label is based on an experimental methodology developed
by the Carbon Trust, and as part of the scheme’s initial period
will be reviewed by a specially-created technical advisory group.
Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust, said the
standard will allow customers to make informed decisions as well as prompting
companies to invest in reducing their products’ carbon footprints.
Chris Huhne,
Liberal Democrat shadow environment
secretary, was effusive about the initiative, arguing that the scheme should be
taken up across Europe in order to allow all products manufactured for the EU
market to have clear carbon labelling.
Links
Walkers
Boots
Carbon Trust
Liberal Democrats
April, 2007 |
