Eco-Labeling

As brands continue to fight for ‘green dollars,’ it’s becoming more and more important for companies who pride themselves on their environmental consciousness to distinguish themselves from competitors. This need to prove their ‘greeness’ has inspired companies such as Stonyfield Farm, Tesco, and Timberland to begin labeling products to reflect their carbon footprints. This is great. But often times, despite all the positive environmental practices a company may take, much of the energy used in production occurs way down at the bottom of the supply chain.

Tim Manners of Reveries writes:

Indeed, “more than half of the energy used (and greenhouse gases generated) in making a pair of shoes comes from processing and producing the raw materials. The next-biggest energy drain is the retail environment … followed by factory operations and, finally, transportation” Timberland actually makes “hundreds of calculations” of its “footprint” and has developed “green index tags” that evaluate each item across “a range of issues.” Consumers do say that they’d sooner buy “socially responsible products,” but questions remains whether eco-labels will change consumer behavior “any more than nutrition labels stop people from eating junk food.”

Reveries: Carbon Labels