HOW MUCH GLOBAL WARMING IN YOUR SHOPPING TROLLEY?
July 14, 2007 12:00 AM
From a loaf of bread to a tin of baked beans, North East shoppers should soon be able to check the global warming impact their purchases.
Products will display labels showing the greenhouse gas emissions created by
the production, transport and eventual disposal. The labels will be similar to the calorie or salt content figures on food packaging.
The Government has announced that it is working with The Carbon Trust and BSI British Standards to develop a benchmark for measurements of carbon dioxide over the next 18 months.
The scheme's aim is to allow companies to measure the ecological impact of everything from food to flights and cut the greenhouse gas emissions generated.
Local Liberal Democrat MEP Fiona Hall who is the energy spokesperson in the European Parliament has welcomed the plans, and has called on the European
Commission to develop an EU-wide labelling scheme.
Ms Hall said: "If every time we open a packet of cornflakes of book a
flight we are confronted with the carbon emissions figures then this makes us more aware how our daily activities impact on the environment.
"It is important for companies to measure their carbon emissions in order that they have a benchmark against which to take steps for reduction."
The average Briton has a carbon footprint of 10.92 tonnes per year.
For more information http://www.carbon-label.co.uk/
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