Snapshot on: Eco-labelling
2022:
GMA reported on a study which suggested future policy should include eco-labelling on menus to reduce meat consumption in order to meet global climate change targets.
In the UK, the Institute of Grocery Distributors (IGD) are leading work around the development of an environment label, in consultation with stakeholders and industry in order to discuss collective concerns, particularly around emissions measurement and how this will be reported.
January 2023:
A new study also reports that including climate labels on sample fast food menus had strong effects on food selection. They suggest that climate impact menu labels may be an effective strategy to promote more sustainable restaurant food choices and that labels highlighting high–climate impact items may be most effective.
Meanwhile in the UK, IGD’s environmental label development framework so far outlines recommendations to introduce a single sustainability score, comprised of weighted scores on four indicators: Climate Change (Emissions), Land Use, Water Use and Water Quality. The recommendation is for the final score to be presented on a per product weight basis, via a traffic-light colour system based on consumption within the ‘daily planetary limit’. IGD recommend “a hard-hitting campaign that encourages positive change, helping shoppers to nudge their behaviour” with the primary goal being “to engage, educate and influence consumers”.
March 2023: Calls for ‘Carbon Neutral’ Labels on food to be banned as ‘misleading’
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) are calling for ‘carbon neutral’ claims on food and beverage to be banned as they are "false and misleading to customers". BEUC say companies are relying on long-term carbon offsets - such as planting trees - to justify their claims of ‘carbon neutral’ despite being no evidence that GHG are 'actually' being reduced.
They are at odds with organisations like The Carbon Trust, who hold the only internationally recognised standard for carbon neutrality to help organisations globally certify these types of claims.
Consumers don’t understand the context of ‘carbon neutral’. BEUC state customers say they understand the ‘climate neutral’ claim yet, the vast majority didn’t understand that brands asserting this claim did not in fact directly reduce their gas emissions.
Customers are already frustrated when they seek to better understand the meaning behind carbon neutrality. Consumers felt “misled” when they understood that companies claiming carbon neutral products weren’t in fact directly reducing their carbon emissions.
What does this mean for industry?
Transparency is the only way forward with sustainability
Consumers are becoming increasingly savvy about greenwashing and companies who are associated with this should expect to fare badly around trust.
Our industry shouldn't hesitate to storytell how we are making strides in improving sustainability practices. However, transparency should be our northern star when it comes to developing and communicating about these strides.
We need to have a voice in the room
The emergence of ‘eco-labelling’ continues to increase, with Oxford University most recently announcing their own eco score that could be used across thousands of products - including meat. Based on consumer demand, it’s highly likely that eco labelling/scores could be mandated by governments in future. If this type of labelling is developed generically without consideration for the nuance of the meat industry it's likely we will fare poorly in the eyes of consumers. It’s vital that we’re a part of the conversation and the development of claims and labelling that is fair, robust and transparent.
There are huge gains to be made
It’s no surprise consumers are still calling for companies to be more sustainably-led and this continues to be proven correct with various studies revealing consumers are willing to pay more for ‘greener’ products. However, these claims must be bundled with radical transparency.
This is a space GMA will continue to monitor and provide insight into.