BIG FOOT

For shoppers, the black footprint logo shows that brands are working behind the scenes with the Carbon Trust to identify and reduce carbon emissions that cause global warming.
In some cases, the labels also display the amount of CO2 generated by each product, giving consumers a greater insight into how much unseen pollution is caused by their purchases – sometimes with surprising results. The amount of CO2 emitted generally weighs more than the product.

However, some products may not be included, possibly because shoppers would be put off by how much pollution they generate. Meat has "astronomical" emissions. A study by Japan's National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science that 1kg of beef released the equivalent of 36kg of CO2.

Consumers can, however, slash the impact of their purchases by using the same products differently – washing clothes at 30C rather than 40C saves 160 grams of CO2.

Euan Murray, the Carbon Trust's head of foot printing, said he did not know if all products would eventually be carbon labelled, but added: "We are increasingly seeing people recognise that things have a carbon footprint, and they want to do something about it."

Golf Refugees carbon neutral apparel reduces CO2 emissions by 90% compared with other popular sport apparel brands. Golf Refugees large size t-shirt saves 7kg CO2, where a large size golf polo shirt saves 15kg CO2.

The 90% reduction has been achieved by a combination of low-impact organic farming, efficiency in manufacturing and the use of renewable energy instead of the fossil fuel based grid electricity.
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