Carbon footprint labels will appear on food packaging and other products in Japan under a voluntary scheme to persuade companies and consumers to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The labels, due to be introduced in April next year, will be carried on dozens of items, including food, drink, detergents and electrical appliances, and will go further than similar labelling already in use elsewhere.
They will show how much carbon dioxide is emitted during manufacture, distribution and disposal. The calculations will be made under a government-approved scheme now being discussed by the trade ministry and about 30 companies.
Government officials decided to establish a uniform method of labelling emissions because some companies feared their competitors would use in-house calculations to produce low emissions data.
To promote the scheme, the trade ministry has shown that a packet of crisps ‘emits’ 75 grams of carbon dioxide, 44 per cent of which comes from growing potatoes, 30 per cent from production, 15 per cent from packaging, nine per cent from delivery and two per cent from disposal.
The Japanese brewery Sapporo has already said the information on its Black Label beer cans will show how much carbon dioxide is emitted by the machinery used for planting barley and hops, and by production, transporting and recycling.
So far the companies agreeing to participate include the supermarket group Aeon, the convenience store chains Lawson and Seven-Eleven and the electronics manufacturer Matsushita.
However, fears have been raised over the potential effectiveness of the labelling scheme. A survey showed that nearly 80 per cent of shoppers would spend only 2000 yen ($18.50, £10) extra a month on energy-saving methods and ecologically desirable products.
The government believes Japan’s emissions can be lowered by 14 per cent by 2020 and aims to cut them by up to 80 per cent by 2050. United Nations scientists say 40 per cent cuts will be needed by 2020 to avoid environmental catastrophe.