Shoppers have long been able to use nutrition labels to choose low-salt meals or reduced-sugar cereal. Now some companies want to use labels to help them pick everything from shampoo to milk, based on products’ carbon emissions.
The growing use of so-called carbon labels comes as consumers, investors and regulators are increasingly interested in emissions amid rising concern about global warming. But similar labeling efforts have flopped before, while some environmentalists and executives question how accurate—and useful—they can be.
Dove soap maker Unilever PLC says it wants to introduce carbon-footprint details for all 70,000 of its products, and is exploring how best to gather and present the information. The company says sales of brands perceived as sustainable have grown faster than those of brands that aren’t.
A string of companies have recently adopted carbon labels. Last year, meat-substitute brand Quorn, owned by Monde Nissin Corp., started displaying on-pack carbon footprints—an assessment of carbon emissions from farm to shelf—for some products. The figures reflect all greenhouse-gas emissions, showing them as carbon-dioxide equivalents per kilogram.
Swedish oat-drink maker Oatly AB, Country Crock spread owner Upfield Holdings BV and restaurant chain Just Salad also put carbon figures on packs or menus, as do some nonfood companies such as computer keyboard maker Logitech International SA .
