Press Releases :: September 11, 2009

Baldwin Proposes Product Carbon Disclosure

Lets Consumers Make Smart Choices

Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) has proposed legislation (H.R. 3543) that would allow for product carbon disclosure to help consumers make informed choices when shopping.

“Nutrition labels have changed the way we think about food – giving us the measurements we need to make fully-informed, healthy choices,” said Congresswoman Baldwin. “Carbon disclosure will tell us how much energy is used to bring a product to market – allowing us to make smart, energy-saving, and environmentally-friendly choices,” Baldwin explained.

Baldwin’s bill first requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct a study into the feasibility of establishing a national program for measuring, reporting, and labeling products or material in the U.S. for their carbon content. The agency would examine existing programs globally and identify their strengths and weaknesses; recommend products, processes, or sectors whose inclusion could have a substantial carbon impact (prioritizing industrial products such as iron and steel, aluminum, cement, chemicals, and paper products, and also including food, beverage, hygiene, cleaning, household cleaners, construction, metals, clothing, semiconductor, and consumer electronics).

Upon conclusion of the study, EPA would be required to set up a national product carbon disclosure program, which may involve a product label. Participation in this program would be voluntary and the program would be based, in part, on the information and conclusions from the study.

A carbon label, in particular, will spur the reduction of carbon emissions by giving us the “carbon footprint” of consumer goods. For example, a panel on a water bottle label would tell shoppers how much energy was required to extract the water from the ground, light and heat the production facility, produce the plastic bottle, and transport the finished product to the store.

Not only can individual behavior be influenced by carbon disclosure and labeling, but such practices can influence manufacturers in other countries, e.g. China and India, to monitor their own emissions output so as to stay competitive in the global marketplace. 

The product carbon disclosure and labeling concept is not new. The Carbon Trust in the UK has taken the lead in establishing an international standard for carbon measurement. Many well-known companies are partnering with the Carbon Trust, including Tropicana Orange, Walkers Brand Potato Chips, Huggies, and Cadbury Chocolates.

Japan, too, is placing carbon footprint labels on food packaging and other products. Consumers of Sapporo Black Label beer will know how much CO2 is emitted by the machinery used to plant barley and hops, during the beer’s production and transportation, and up until the empty can is recycled. In the U.S., the California legislature is considering a voluntary carbon labeling bill. Also, Baldwin included the provisions of H.R. 3543 in the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454) which passed the House on June 26, 2009.