Eco-labelling stamps its foot

The Footprint shows a brand has commitment... what's important is being on the journey of reduction Hot on the heels of products featuring the Fair Trade and Soil Association stamps of approval, new research has suggested that eco-labelling is also reaching consumers, as nine out of ten UK households are now buying products featuring the Carbon Trust’s Footprint label.

The Footprint shows a brand has commitment... what's important is being on the journey of reduction

Hot on the heels of products featuring the Fair Trade and Soil Association stamps of approval, new research has suggested that eco-labelling is also reaching consumers, as nine out of ten UK households are now buying products featuring the Carbon Trust’s Footprint label.

From next month, after Tesco adds its own brand pasta to the list of products qualifying for the Carbon Reduction Label scheme, UK consumers are set to spend a record £2bn a year on goods bearing the footprint - double that of last year.

Euan Murray, head of footprinting at the Carbon Trust, says the label is aimed at providing consumers with information on the volume of greenhouse gases produced in the manufacturing, distribution, use and disposal of a product. Launched in 2007, it also shows shoppers which brands are actively working with the Trust to reduce the carbon footprint of their products.

He says that for brands this offers a number of opportunities. To qualify, a company has to complete an assessment of the product's carbon footprint and make a commitment to reduce it within two years. This can help it find ways to cut energy costs, reduce waste and improve efficiency.

"All these things translate into direct cost savings," Murray says.

Walker's Crisps, the first brand to adopt the scheme, had an emissions reduction target of 3%, but achieved closer to 7%. "They managed to save around £400,000 in the bargain," he says. Walker's also reported an increase in sales after adding the label, although Murray acknowledges that it's difficult to attribute this directly to the move.

Nevertheless, independent research by the Centre for Retail Research, sponsored by the Carbon Trust, indicates that the Footprint can enhance a brand's image. "People are saying they really value this and want to reward brands that carry the label," Murray says.

Murray accepts that simply having the Footprint on a product does not necessarily mean that it has a low carbon footprint. It does, however, show that the brand has made a commitment.

He claims that if the carbon footprint of our groceries alone were reduced by just 1%, more than 1m tonnes of carbon would be saved, the equivalent of taking 350,000 cars off the roads.

"What's important is being on the journey of reduction. Any kind of reduction is valuable," he says.

Source: Carbon Trust