Environmental information services - Ecolabelling

Title

The use and usefulness of carbon labelling food: A policy perspective from a survey of UK supermarket shoppers

Reference

Food Policy
Volume 36, Issue 6, December 2011, Pages 815–822

Author(s)

Zaina Gadema, David Oglethorpe

Study type

Peer Review Journal   

Abstract

Both the process of carbon footprinting and carbon labelling of food products are currently voluntary in the UK. Both processes derive from the UK's policy for sustainable development and in particular, the UK's Framework for Environmental Behaviours that strongly advocates a social marketing approach towards behavioural change. This paper examines whether carbon footprinting and labelling food products, borne from an overarching policy imperative to decarbonise food systems, is a tool that will actively facilitate consumers to make 'greener' purchasing decisions and whether this is a sensible way of trying to achieve to a low carbon future. We do so by drawing from a survey exploring purchasing habits and perceptions in relation to various sustainability credentials of food products and particularly 'carbon', using a combination of descriptive and cluster analysis. The data, from 428 UK supermarket shoppers, reveals that whilst consumer demand is relatively strong for carbon labels with a stated preference rate of 72%, confusion in interpreting and understanding labels is correspondingly high at a total of 89%, primarily as a result of poor communication and market proliferation. Three statistically distinct clusters were produced from the cluster analysis, representing taxonomies of consumers with quite different attitudes to carbon and other wider sustainability issues. Whilst the majority of consumers are likely to react positively to further carbon labelling of food products, this in itself is unlikely to drive much change in food systems. As such, the data imply that a concerted policy drive to decarbonise food systems via voluntary carbon footprinting and labelling policy initiatives is limited by a fragmented and haphazard market approach where retailers are being careful not to disaffect certain products by labelling others within the same category. Consumers may want to make choices based on the carbon footprint of products but do not feel empowered to do so and relying on consumer guilt is inappropriate. The paper concludes that the establishment of effective linkages between food policy and food market actors to drive a targeted and coherent carbon labelling policy is needed. This would provide consumers with the opportunity to make informed choices, especially within food product categories and negate the need for retailers to depend on the demand side of the supply chain to achieve carbon reduction targets.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Ecolabelling
Sustainable consumption and production >> Sustainable consumption >> Consumption behaviour
Sustainable consumption and production >> Sustainable consumption >> Ecolabelling

Keywords

Carbon footprint; Carbon label; Food policy: sustainable development; Behavioural change; Consumer demand

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919211001096
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Contact the study author at:

david.oglethorpe@northumbria.ac.uk

Title

Reference

Journal of Consumer Policy
Volume 34, Number 1, 153-160, DOI: 10.1007/s10603-010-9140-7

Author(s)

Jerome K. Vanclay, John Shortiss, Scott Aulsebrook, Angus M. Gillespie, Ben C. Howell, Rhoda Johanni, Michael J. Maher, Kelly M. Mitchell, Mark D. Stewart and Jim Yates

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Thirty-seven products were labelled to indicate embodied carbon emissions, and
sales were recorded over a 3-month period. Green (below average), yellow (near average),and black (above average) footprints indicated carbon emissions embodied in groceries.The overall change in purchasing pattern was small, with black-labelled sales decreasing6% and green-labelled sales increasing 4% after labelling. However, when green-labelled products were also the cheapest, the shift was more substantial, with a 20% switch fromblack- to green-label sales. These findings illustrate the potential for labelling to stimulate reductions in carbon emissions.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Ecolabelling
Sustainable consumption and production >> Sustainable consumption >> Consumption behaviour
Sustainable consumption and production >> Sustainable consumption >> Ecolabelling

Keywords

Carbon label, Ecological footprint, Emissions reduction, Green consumers,
Consumer environmental purchasing behaviour

Entry Source:

N/A

Referred to in EC doc:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/1lw15301384j31u2/
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Contact the study author at:

jvanclay@scu.edu.au

Title

Reference

Journal of Consumer Policy
Volume 34, Number 1, 127-151, DOI: 10.1007/s10603-010-9153-2

Author(s)

Sebastian Koos

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

The purchase of environmental-labelled goods is an important dimension of sustainable consumption. Existing research on environmental labels and sustainable consumption has a rather individualistic bias. Organizational and structural determinants have only recently sparked attention. In this paper, a comparative framework is used to analyse the impact of organizational varieties of environmental labelling and market supply characteristics on purchases of environmental-labelled goods in 18 European countries. Focusing on labels for organic food and ecological durables, the plurality of existing labels as well as state involvement into labelling are used as the central dimensions constituting the organizational varieties. Market structures refer to the supply of labelled goods and the dominant retailing channels that make up the infrastructure for this dimension of sustainable consumption. After giving an overview on the underlying theoretical mechanisms of the main determinants, country differences in the organization of environmental labelling as well as the market structures are outlined. To analyse the effect of these differences, individual level data of a 2007 Eurobarometer survey on purchases of environmental-labelled goods is combined with organizational and market structural indicators. Using random intercept regression models and controlling for individual socio-economic and aggregate market demand-side factors, like average per capita income, share of post-materialists, and level of generalized trust, only the market supply and retailing structure reveal a robust effect on individual purchases of environmental friendly labelled goods.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental information services>>Environmental communication>>Ecolabelling
Sustainable consumption and production>>Sustainable consumption>>Consumption behaviour
Sustainable consumption and production>>Sustainable consumption>>Ecolabelling

Keywords

Sustainable consumption; Organic food; Eco-label; Labelling; Europe

Entry Source:

N/A

Referred to in EC doc:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/v12u8u847p2mk221/
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Contact the study author at:

skoos@sowi.uni-mannheim.de

Title

Reference

Author(s)

Christina Tobler, Vivianne H. M. Visschers, Michael Siegrist

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

The assessment of a food product's environmental friendliness is highly challenging for consumers because such an assessment requires the consideration of various product characteristics. Furthermore, products often show conflicting features. This study uses a choice task and a questionnaire to examine how consumers judge the environmental friendliness of several vegetables. The consumers' assessment is compared with life cycle assessment (LCA) results, which represent the overall environmental impact of a product throughout its lifespan. In contrast to the LCA, consumers consider transportation distance rather than transportation mode and perceive organic production as very relevant for the environmental friendliness. Furthermore, consumers assess the environmental impact of packaging and conservation as more important than the LCA results show. Findings also suggest the current product information for vegetables is insufficient for judging their environmental friendliness. Implications for information campaigns and ecological food labeling are discussed.

Policy theme(s)

Agriculture >> Agricultural management >> Organic farming
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Ecolabelling
Sustainable consumption and production >> Sustainable consumption >> Consumption behaviour
Sustainable consumption and production >> Sustainable consumption >> Ecolabelling

Keywords

food choice, ecological labeling, environmental assessment, sustainable consumption,consumers' beliefs, life cycle assessment

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://eab.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/01/07/0013916510372865.abstract
There is a fee to view this study in full

Contact the study author at:

chtobler@ethz.ch