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Nearly three-quarters of shoppers want carbon labels on food products, new research shows.

A total of 432 shoppers across the UK's major supermarkets were questioned about their views on carbon labelling by Newcastle Business School. The most eye-catching result was 72 per cent of those surveyed wanted carbon labels on food.

While 83 percent did not know their own personal carbon footprint, almost three quarters of respondents said clearer carbon labelling on food products would help them to think `green'.

Although 63 percent thought carbon labels were a useful indicator for comparing environmental standards, quality and taste (76 percent) were still deemed more important when buying food than environmental issues such as carbon (44 percent) and food miles (42 per cent).

Just over two-thirds claimed their purchasing behaviour had changed significantly in the past ten years. In particular, spending habits had shifted towards buying more free range (46 percent), more fair trade (42 percent), more locally sourced food (32 percent), and more organic and less processed foods (32 percent).

Zaina Gadema, who led the research, said: "Overall, the dominant theme arising from this research is that consumers would generally like carbon labels on their food products.

"However, because there is little understanding or knowledge surrounding such information, as well as little in terms of availability of products with carbon footprints, it is difficult for consumers to compare environmental standards via carbon labels even though most respondents think labels would help to do so."

Organic Monitor Comment
The research findings are not surprising considering consumer awareness of climate change has heightened. The challenge for the food industry is to satisfy consumer demand for carbon labelling. With a plethora of existing eco-labels for food products, should food manufacturers & retailers incorporate carbon labelling into existing eco-labelling schemes or adopt new schemes?

Carbon labelling and eco-labels for food products will be covered in the upcoming Sustainable Foods Summit. The second edition of this summit will take place in Amsterdam, 10-11th June 2010. More details are on the website

Source: Farmers Guardian / Organic Monitor
 

Bentley Organic has bought ecological household products brand Natural House, as part of a diversification strategy to broaden the Bentley consumer offering.

Bentley believes that adding Natural House to its portfolio will not only add width to its range, but also strengthen its offer in target markets such as the USA and South East Asia.

Both Bentley Organic and Natural House hold Soil Association certification, highlighting its reputation as a manufacturer of completely organic products. The new brand will be called, Natural House by Bentley Organic, and will incorporate Bentley’s existing household products range to differentiate from its personal care brand.

Natural House, which was established in Nottingham in 2005, had previously retailed its products in stores including Waitrose, as well as in various niche markets throughout the EU. Under Bentley ownership, the Natural House range will be supported by “major developments” in product formulation and gain from more competitive pricing. Bentley Organic is certified to BSEN1276, which demonstrates that its organic household products effectively kill germs and bacteria without the use of man-made chemicals.

Commenting on the acquisition, Jamie Bentley, founder of Bentley Organic, said: “Natural House from Bentley Organic will offer consumers a real alternative to non-organic mass market cleaning products at the right price point and with a proven track record in killing germs.”

Organic Monitor Comment
It is considered a natural progression for Bentley Organic to move into the ecological household cleaning products market. The drivers of this market and the natural personal care products market are the same: consumer concerns about synthetic chemicals. Furthermore, the 'green technology' is very similar, enabling manufacturers to utilise existing technical expertise.

Indeed, many companies have moved between these two sectors. Ecover, the largest manufacturer of ecological household cleaning products in Europe, bought a leading brand of natural personal care products in 2005. It also launched its own range of natural skin care products under the Ecover brand in 2007. Likewise, many natural personal care product companies have developed ecological household cleaning product lines.

Upcoming Report: The European Market for Ecological Household Cleaning Products

Source: Natural Products Europe / Organic Monitor

Fairtrade grew more than any other sector of ethical goods in the past decade, according to an audit of ethical shopping in the Noughties.

From a few shipments of bananas and coffee 10 years ago, the London-based Fairtrade Foundation now licenses hundreds of products, sending its sales shooting from £22m in 1999 to £635m in 2008, a 30-fold increase.

The rise has been greater than for other "ethical products" such as organics, sustainable fish, or cosmetics not tested on animals.

During the past decade, ethical spending has risen almost three-fold from £13.5bn in 1999 to £36bn in 2008, five times quicker than general consumer spending, which rose by 58 percent, according to the report Ten Years of Ethical Consumerism: 1999-2008, published by the Co-op Bank.

It showed that the average household now spends £735 a year on ethical products and services. Ethical investment and banking remain the biggest areas of spending, roughly trebling over the period from £5bn to £14.3bn.

The next biggest, organic food and clothing, rose from £390m to £1.9bn, followed by domestic appliances rated A for energy, which increased from £136m to £1.8bn. Spending on sustainable timber and paper, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, climbed from £351m to £1.3bn. Charitable donations, however, rose more slowly, from £2.5bn a year to £2.9bn a year.

Neville Richardson, chief executive of Co-operative Financial Services, said: " It is clear that UK shoppers have grown accustomed to supporting growers in developing countries by buying Fairtrade, an initiative pioneered by the Co-operative. Although the report shows that the idea of ethical purchasing is now well established amongst many consumers there is still a long way to go if we are all going to adopt the low-carbon lifestyle needed to avoid cataclysmic climate change."

According to the report, sales of energy-efficient boilers have risen from £212m to £1.9bn and sales of energy-efficient lightbulbs have risen from £10m to £43m. The Government included a scrappage scheme for old boilers in the pre-Budget report this month and is phasing out traditional incandescent lightbulbs.

"The growth in energy-efficient products such as boilers, white goods, and more recently lightbulbs, has been underpinned by government intervention," said Mr Richardson.

"For the UK to reduce its carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2020 there will need to be a step-change in take-up of low-carbon technologies, and this will need a new contract between business, government and the consumer."

Sustainable Foods Summit
Fairtrade, organic and other eco-labels for foods will be featured in the upcoming Sustainable Foods Summit, taking place in Amsterdam on 10-11th June 2010. More details

Source: The Independent