Carbon Counters Can Read the Label

Companies looking to show off their adherence to green business ideals are introducing labes that show how much carbon was created while making the product. From sneakers to snacks to shampoo, companies are disclosing how much carbon and greenhouse gases were produced, according to BusinessWeek.

This is taking a page directly from the food industry which started labeling the  fat, calories and carbohydrates in their products several years ago. It has made for good marketing (enabling fat free products to be sold for a premium), but anyone who walks a public square sees that there are many people who aren't counting calories.

One disadvantage for the first companies who volunteer this information don't have a basis of comparison to sway customers. Is 3 grams of carbon for this box of cookies better or worse than an unlabeled box?

In this early phase there are also no standards for reporting and no certificaction process for verifying the carbon estimates.

However, if nothing else it will provide additional information to the minority of people who today would bother with such data, and will create more awareness. Factors that contribute to the carbon count include pesticides sprayed on crops, plus the miles that your Chinese-made dishware traveled to get to your door.

California (who else?) legislators are considering creating carbon labeling standards for products made in their state to count the carbon. Assemby bill 2538 is a voluntary program that provides guidelines for labeling greenhouse gas emissions. Maybe someday these types of program can become manditory, but the political climate isn't there today.