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While the issue of environmental impact has been making headlines for some time, CO2 labelling on products is still in its infancy. But, says Jill Park, under new government plans, this is set to change

Environment minister Hilary Benn called for the development of clearer carbon labelling when he launched the Food 2030 report on the future of food security last month. But use of the labels is still scarce within the industry. Tesco first dipped its toe in the water by labelling 30 products, including orange juice, light bulbs, laundry, potatoes and tomatoes, in 2008, while Walkers has labelled its crisps. But how close are we to a label for all products and would consumers actually understand what it means?

Nearly three quarters of consumers want carbon labels on food products, according to new research by Newcastle Business School of Northumbria University. Its survey of 432 supermarket shoppers revealed 72% would like to see the labels on the food they buy. Almost three quarters of those surveyed said that clearer carbon labelling would help them think ‘green'.

But in a recession, just how important is being ‘green'? Of those surveyed, 63% thought carbon labels were a useful indicator for comparing environmental standards, but 76% still prioritised quality and taste.

Countering confusion
Newcastle Business School logistics and supply chain management researcher Zaina Gadema, who conducted the study, says that there is a lot of confusion among consumers. But she's sure that once the consumer has more information about carbon footprinting "they will be able to compare them".

The Food and Drink Federation's director of sustainability and competitiveness Andrew Kuyk agrees carbon footprinting is very much still in its infancy. "The important thing is if we are going to give consumers this information, it has to make sense, help them make an informed choice and demand more of manufacturers," he says.

In 2008, the British Standards Institute launched PAS 2050, a consistent method for assessing greenhouse gas emissions across the lifecycle of a product. This information is then conveyed on the label.

One early adopter of carbon footprinting is Tesco. Since launching its own label in stores in 2008, it has already labelled 120 own-brand products and hopes to have footprinted 500 products by the end of the year - at which point it will have to decide whether to label them or not. The supermarket has worked with the Carbon Trust and Environmental Resource Management to develop the labels.

Tesco's carbon labels provide tips on how to reduce a product's carbon footprint when you cook it, use it or dispose of it. For some products, the label will also tell you how the carbon footprint compares with similar products. The fear in the industry, however, is that no label will accurately take into account of the whole life-cycle of a product. This could especially be a problem for products where large amounts of energy are consumed in the use of the product.

However, there are still concerns over the consistency of the calculation process between brands and retailers. The Global CEO Forum, now part of the Consumer Goods Forum, has worked to address the issue of standardisation of carbon footprint metrics. Unilever chief executive Paul Polman started the project in November 2008 in Paris when he called for unity on the issue of carbon footprinting: "The development of the standardised industry criteria would ensure greater benefit to consumers and higher recycling and recovery rates," he said.

At the group's meeting in November last year in New York, it was agreed that a Sustainability Steering Group should be formed to address the issues outlined in a report from the Sustainable Consumption Institute in Manchester titled Business, Consumers and Climate Change. The report focuses on the role of business in helping consumers tackle climate change, for instance through carbon footprinting.

Big-name support
The chief executives of Tesco and  Unilever are sponsoring the group, which is co-chaired by Tesco head of packaging Sonia Raja, but, while the two companies will take a leading role, they are far from the only names involved. A total of 18 organisations have joined the group, including Coca-Cola, Kraft, P&G, Ahold and Waitrose. The group is expected to meet in the coming months to agree a programme of work.

Further emphasis on carbon footprinting is likely if Wrap changes its focus from packaging reduction to packaging optimisation as is widely expected in Courtauld Two this year. Of course, that means the industry would need to establish the exact information needed to measure a carbon footprint. But if Courtauld Two is as successful as the current version - which has 42 signatories - it would lead to carbon footprint labels on many more products.

Benn's call for clarity on labels, therefore, appears to be reflected by the industry. There has been a push towards defining the calculation process of carbon labelling and steps are being taken to expand the number of products with the labels. Further education is needed for consumers to fully understand what they mean, although there does seem to be a desire for them. It is clear carbon labels are on the horizon, but how useful they will be will depend on the industry coming together and adopting a single process.