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UK Moves to Measure Products' Eco-Impact

Labels will allow consumers to compare

By Colleen Barry,  Newser Staff

Posted May 31, 2007 11:58 AM CDT

(Newser) – Calories, fat, sodium ... carbon footprint? The new measurement may soon appear on British product packaging. Under a plan proposed yesterday, the government will develop standards to measure a product's environmental impact from manufacture through shipment and disposal, allowing companies to list the information as they do nutrition facts. Consumers can then decide how green they want their goods.

Displaying the statistics would be voluntary, but major retailers, some of which have been listing the information on labels piecemeal, are already on board. One expert says consumers who worry more about transporting goods than about manufacturing may be surprised: "In some cases bringing in a product from overseas could well be better than producing it in the UK.'

A photo provided by the Greenpeace organization showing Greenpeace activists hold a banner next to a modern-day copy of the legendary Noah's Ark, built by Greenpeace volunteers from Germany and Turkey on Mount Ararat near Dogubayazit in eastern Turkey, Thursday, May 31, 2007, hours before an inauguration ceremony to send...
A photo provided by the Greenpeace organization showing Greenpeace activists hold a banner next to a modern-day copy of the legendary Noah's Ark, built by Greenpeace volunteers from Germany and Turkey...   (Associated Press)
 of its contribution to global warming. But what comes next? Compact fluorescent bulbs are the only real alternative right now, but bulbs that use light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are quickly emerging as a challenger. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
of its contribution to global warming. But what comes next? Compact fluorescent bulbs are the only real alternative right now, but "bulbs" that use light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are quickly emerging...   (Associated Press)
A cloud of smoke billow up as local villagers burn the dry stalks...
A cloud of smoke billow up as local villagers burn the dry stalks...   (Getty Images)
Visitors walk past wind turbines generating electricity on the...
Visitors walk past wind turbines generating electricity on the...   (Getty Images)
Wind turbines generate electricity on the Nunobiki highlands...
Wind turbines generate electricity on the Nunobiki highlands...   (Getty Images)
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