Carbon emission label

An environmental label or CO2 label is an eco-label that hints at the problems caused by a product, carbon dioxide emissions are. It is designed to help consumers to make as soon as possible a picture of which products the climate burden as strong. In various countries, the introduction of such label is checked and there are some pilot projects.

Air label initiatives

Great Britain

The world's first CO2 - label, indicating the so-called carbon footprint of a product ( Product Carbon Footprint, PCF), was developed in 2006 in the UK by the Carbon Trust. Examples of products which have already been provided with the label, are chips from Walkers, innocent smoothies and Boots plc shampoos. Since 2008 Products of the British supermarket Tesco will be added, which could be distinguished 20 -house products such as detergents and orange juice in a pilot phase. In addition, HBOS had their online bank accounts excel. The Carbon Trust label also requires that the CO2 emissions of the winning products will be further reduced by the label continue to keep. An independent panel reviewed the process together with the British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Defra and the British Standards Institution BSI. End of 2008, a standard for the calculation of such product-related carbon Fußsabdrücke was introduced, the PAS2050.

Switzerland

Also, the independent association climatop from Switzerland distinguishes products with an environmental label from. Here, however, not the product-specific footprint is indicated, but it shall be given to products and services, the label that a significantly better CO2 - balance than those of a relevant comparison group. There are excellent products which are significant and relevant reduction in CO2 cause in the course of their life cycle than the competition. For this purpose, an LCA is created by an independent body and checked by another instance in the context of a review. In addition to the demands on the climate compatibility of the product, the product must also comply with other environmental and social standards. The validity of two years. At the moment climatop products by Dyson, the retailer Migros, Ricoter Erdaufbereitung AG, Dirk Rossmann GmbH, Saline de Bex and other producers has excellent. Licensed products of various kinds are - for example, the Dyson Airblade ™ hand dryer, organic sugar from Paraguay ( Max Havelaar Foundation ), balcony earth without peat, household paper from waste paper, detergent, diapers, reusable bags, vacuum salt, among others

Germany

In Germany, the PCF Pilot Project under the leadership of the WWF, Öko-Institut, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Think Tank was started THEMA1 in February 2008. Here, a CO2 footprint of 15 products and services was created. At the end of the project was, however, found that the introduction of a corresponding label does not make sense, because for the end customer without universal standards no objective comparisons are given .. Since late 2011 consumers the CO2 footprint of over 200,000 products may in Germany on the Mobile App of Get-neutral learn through the scanning of the barcode.

A study commissioned by the consumer centers and published in 2012, the study tries to capture the state of climate labels on foods in Germany. She comes to the conclusion that there are few air- label in Germany. Unlike in other countries, they do not provide any absolute greenhouse gas emissions. Only one of the identified designations will not be forgiven by the product manufacturer or trader itself but by an independent certification organization, namely the Stop Climate Change Eco-label. Only this label and own label of the company Frosta publish according to the study sufficient background information.

France

The French supermarket chain Casino and E. Leclerc have two different projects started. While casino on proprietary products the CO2 content indicates, based similar to the British label on a product-specific LCA, at E. Leclerc all products with a generic value for each product category are distinguished. When zweiteren method therefore can not compare individual products in the same product category, however, consumers can make an informed choice against all product groups, which are harmful to our climate.

United States of America

In the U.S., which also has two different approaches. The Carbon Fund calculates the carbon footprint of a product, the product is not written with this value. Instead, the producer undertakes to compensate the corresponding amounts of CO2, and receives a label with the words "carbon free ". Another label that Climate Conscious label the non-profit organization, The Climate Conservancy, is in the development phase. The plan is a rating of the products, and a corresponding award (bronze, silver, gold ).

Canada

The non-profit organization CarbonCounted has developed a web application that allows businesses to calculate their product- specific carbon footprints online.