Frequenly Asked Questions

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Q: What is the Carbon Trust label?
A: Simply put, the Carbon Trust Reduction Label (or "carbon reduction label", "carbon label" or "label") is a public display of the carbon footprint* (or "carbon content") of a product (reference to "product" includes goods and services), from source to store and product disposal. The label also asserts a commitment on the part of the producer to a 'reduce or lose' policy whereby if they fail to reduce the carbon footprint of the product over a two-year period they will have the label withdrawn by the Carbon Trust.

*Or the embodied greenhouse gases (GHGs) from products, or the "carbon content"

Q: Why did you launch the label?
A: There is increasing demand from consumers and companies for action and information on carbon emissions. We want to show consumers that carbon emissions are generated to produce everything that they buy. The carbon label will eventually allow consumers to factor carbon into their purchasing decisions, providing a simple and effective way of promoting behaviour change to reduce carbon emissions amongst businesses and consumers.

* The Publicly Available Specification (PAS 2050)

Q: How can I trust the information on this label?
A: The carbon reduction label will be based on a rigorous specification, consulted on by a wide range of stakeholders and developed by the Carbon Trust, Defra and BSI British Standards. The initial method used for the trial labels was developed by the Carbon Trust using accepted principles of lifecycle analysis and based on a series of pilot projects completed over the last two years.

In May 2007, the Carbon Trust and Defra announced that we would be working with BSI British Standards to co-sponsor the development of a Publicly Available Specification (this is the "standard") for the measurement of the embodied greenhouse gases (GHG) in products and services.

The aim of the work is to develop an agreed method for measuring embodied emissions, which can be applied across a wide range of product and service categories and their supply chains. This will create a single standard to ensure a consistent and comparable approach to supply chain measurement of embodied GHGs across markets.

To qualify for a label, products will have to go through this rigorous, agreed methodology and be independently verified. They will also have to sign up to a 'reduce or lose' clause whereby if they fail to reduce the carbon footprint of the labelled product over a two year period the label will be withdrawn by the Carbon Trust.

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