How does carbon Labelling work?

Blog

January 26, 2023

What are carbon labels?

Similar to a nutritional label, a carbon label helps consumers understand the impact of the item they are purchasing or consuming. In the case of a carbon label, the label contains the carbon footprint of the product (a number, ex. 1.18 kg CO2) and helps consumers understand the impact of the product on the environment. The carbon footprint of the item is calculated by a consultant that is familiar with product carbon footprint quantification standards.

What is carbon footprint?

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that is emitted when we burn fossil fuels like coal or natural gas. Carbon dioxide traps heat on our planet, much like how a greenhouse traps heat, thereby causing global temperatures to rise (among other side effects). Carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide released when fossil fuels are burned, and has long been used as a measure of environmental impact. The lower the carbon footprint, the better.

Why do consumers want carbon labels?

When consumers make purchasing decisions, they use many inputs from quality, price, style, and taste and nutritional information when it comes to food. As consumers increasingly understand the impacts of consumption on our planet, the trend is for consumers to find ways to better understand and ultimately lower their impact. Carbon footprint labels help consumers quantify the environmental impact of their purchase decisions.

Examples of carbon labels

We’ve highlighted brands that already carbon label today! Note that we have identified 3 major types of labels:

Graded: label includes some form of grade such as A, B, or C, or low, medium, high
Footprint: label includes the numerical footprint value of the product
Footprint with Details: label includes the numerical footprint value of the product with the breakdown of the footprint in the lifecycle (materials, production, transport, packaging, use, end of life, etc)

admin