Japan To Label Goods With Carbon Footprint Information

As previously mentioned here at Huffington Post Green, the Japanese are ahead of the game when it comes to carbon footprint awareness.

A little while back, Japanese beer Sapporo was to start displaying the carbon footprint of each beer on the packaging, similarly to the way nutrition facts are displayed. Now, Agence France-Press reports that Japan is adopting a standardized carbon footprint labeling system for more products:

Under the plan, a select range of products from beverages to detergent will carry markings on the carbon footprint -- or how much gas responsible for global warming has been emitted through production and delivery.

Similar labels have been introduced in other developed countries such as Britain and France.

The British take, which appears to be a private venture of supermarket Tesco, stirred some organic vs. non-organic debate by suggesting that they have the same carbon footprint. That was seen as a victory for the organic folks, who are often fighting allegations that organic foods are far less efficient.

In any case, it's pretty easy for Japan to stay ahead of the game when the game is pretty slow-moving. Not many people are even thinking about labeling products' carbon footprints, so even if the Japanese program is pretty flimsy, it's gonna look good. From the same story:

The ministry's research shows one example of carbon footprint using potato crisps.

A bag of crisps emits 75 grams (2.63 ounces) of carbon dioxide. Forty-four percent of the C02 comes from growing potatoes and another 30 percent from production of the processed food.

Another 15 percent comes from the packaging, nine percent from delivery and two percent from disposal of the bag.

Er, OK. Who's measuring this stuff? And how? And how do you know that nine percent of the footprint comes from the delivery of the chips when you don't yet know where it'll be delivered?

You don't. And I don't mean to be too nitpicky, because it's a cool program, but it's just another step in a long line of steps toward actual awareness. My first question about the program when Sapporo got involved, for example, was: Will they be labeling the beers to reflect the carbon footprint of exporting it to, say, a bodega in Brooklyn?

Yikes. That's a beer with a big foot.

Comments

[rwe]

there is an article out that shows the Toyota Prius with all it's batteries, manufacturing and recycling procedures has a bigger carbon footprint than a Hummer....­.what kind of carbon footprint is being left by printing out the carbon footprints ... With that being said a crop of corn and Al Gores Plane have bigger carbon footprints than a small town..... This is Huffing goofy

[KillTheMessenger]

That article has been shown over and over again to be full of it.

Please inform yourself before you troll.

[rwe]

Shown in typical deflection of libnation when facts cloud the agendas... As when Pres Bush only had to lift the moratorium on drilling and prices plummeted and Nancy and Barack had to follow

[artemisvictrix]

I wonder when China will start doing THE SAME!?

[KillTheMessenger]

About fifteen years before the US...

[leduck]

the japanese and europeans are becoming light years ahead of us in general

we are fast becoming a global power in decline

[UnbiasView]

I am all for it, then people can make a choice so the greenies can look at the label and the normal people can just go about their business without a massive tax increase.

[KillTheMessenger]

There you go. We can already assume the US will be the last country on Earth to implement something similar.

[NC4Obama]

The program might not be perfect but if it gets more people to buy local food then it will help overall.

[mergina]

Dear Japan. When you head for other planets BEFORE ANYONE ELSE ON THIS PLANET, please take me with you.