Food giants such as Nestle, the Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer, and Costa Coffee have collaborated with non-profit Foundation Earth to create new eco-labels for food items. These labels will grade the environmental impact of each item based upon their carbon footprint, water used, water pollution generated and biodiversity loss. This grade will be communicated to customers as a letter and a traffic light system.
So what?
Food production is a major contributor to carbon emissions and biodiversity loss. The IPCC says the industry is responsible for up to 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Consumers are increasingly willing to make environmentally friendly purchases, but without adequate information they may struggle to do this. These labels should enable consumers to make more informed purchases in the future. Could this signal a shift towards a future where consumers are spending more money on environmentally friendly products?
Sources
-
Traffic-light system of ‘eco-scores’ to be piloted on British food labels http://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jun/27/traffic-light-system-of-eco-scores-to-be-piloted-on-british-food-labels -
Food giants to trial traffic light 'eco-labels' this year https://www.edie.net/news/7/Food-giants-to-trial-traffic-light--eco-labels--this-year/
Join discussion