Save pounds and the planet with Tesco carbon labelled products
The UK could save £2.2bn a year and the average household could cut their annual utility bills by 8%, just by following the advice on carbon labelled products from Tesco.
To mark its headline partnership of Climate Week (21-27 March), Tesco is announcing that hundreds of its everyday products, available in stores and online at Tesco.com – such as potatoes, pasta, detergents and toilet tissue – now carry the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Reduction Label.
And by following the energy-saving tips displayed on a number of the carbon labels, an average UK household could save £90 on their electricity and gas costs per year.
The label shows how much carbon is emitted during the product's lifecycle, and demonstrates a commitment for the product’s carbon footprint to be reduced. Many also show a comparison with a lower or higher carbon product, and give advice on how customers can reduce its carbon footprint even further – for example, by reducing washing temperature for detergents, and keeping the lid on saucepans whilst boiling pasta and vegetables.
David North, UK Corporate Affairs Director, Tesco, commented: "We know that customers are looking for ways to make their budgets stretch further. Our carbon labels give simple advice on hassle-free ways to cut carbon and save money, and are just one of the ways we're helping customers make greener choices every day. If every Tesco customer takes one small extra step to reduce their carbon footprint – putting a lid on a saucepan, washing clothes at a lower temperature or recycling packaging – we can make a huge difference."
Harry Morrison, Director, Certification and Accreditation Services, the Carbon Trust, said: "Tesco has taken a lead by working with us in certifying the lifecycle emissions of hundreds of products, and is providing consumers with important information that they need to make informed, lower-carbon choices."
Tesco, which has committed to finding ways to help its customers halve their carbon footprints by 2020, first introduced carbon labelling on 20 of its own-label products in April 2008. Following the success of this trial, the retailer set itself a target of carbon labelling 500 products.
Tesco has carbon labelled 525 products since January 2008. These products accounted for £1.3 billion of sales at Tesco last year – and, in January 2011, 59% of all Tesco customers bought at least one carbon labelled product.
Awareness of carbon labels is growing amongst UK shoppers. Tesco’s customer research shows that a quarter of their shoppers have seen the carbon label on a product at Tesco, rising to over 30% among 16-24 year olds. This awareness will grow as Tesco continues to footprint and label more own brand products, and works with suppliers who are keen to label their products as well.
Tesco has calculated the carbon footprint of over 1,000 products, and is using the results to help them identify carbon ‘hotspots’ in their supply chain. The retailer is working with its biggest suppliers to identify practical areas for collaborative projects to reduce carbon.
More information about carbon labelling at Tesco can be found on the Tesco Greener Living website tesco.com/greenerliving.