Greenwashing is a new term for misleading labelling and identifying environmentally friendly products. The parameters of labelling a product as such are flexible, making it difficult for consumers to discern which products genuinely are more sustainable than others.
Recent findings reveal that consumers need help deciphering the carbon and environmental impact of the products they buy under current guidelines. Fifty-three percent stated that clearer labelling would help them make more informed sustainable food choices, and an unfortunate 24 percent felt that their choices would impact their carbon footprint.
Currently, there is no regulated or mandatory system in place that companies must adhere to when labelling their products, resulting in a vagueness regarding products' carbon footprints that leaves consumers wanting to eat greener in no better shape of understanding than before the sustainability took off.
Kantar collates statistics on behalf of the healthy fast food company Picadeli. The latest findings dissect why we’re not eating greener regarding general individual welfare and the planet.
The report revealed that consumers must understand how their meal choices affect the planet's rising temperatures. These choices will remain difficult to make without clear guidelines on their food products.
However, it’s not surprising considering 82 percent didn’t know what the United Nations Paris Agreement targeted in addressing a meal’s carbon emissions, even if those participating knew about the agreement itself.
In the UK, 86 percent of recipients identified the targets incorrectly or needed help to answer.
Furthermore, in the UK, only 4 percent of responders chose the environment as the primary consideration when choosing a meal. However, on a global scale, food choice accounts for 30 percent of the worldwide carbon footprint. However, in a good turn, 57 percent stated they wanted clearer labelling around their food choice's carbon emissions.
Picadeli has launched Climate Footprint as a result of these findings. The aim is to close the rift between intention and understanding. Consumers will be able to make informed decisions, to reduce their carbon footprint.
Based on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and science-based method to make a field-to-fork estimate of the total climate impact of a product, Picadeli has developed the Climate Foodprint label to encourage consumers towards conscious, sustainable food choices. In addition, the company has also launched Nutri-Score. This front-of-pack label details easy-to-read information about the nutritional values of their food, and it is the most widely accepted label across Europe.
The company believes that consumers can only make informed decisions with mandatory labelling. Picadeli’s new carbon footprint and nutritional labelling exemplify the company's effort to close the gap between knowledge, accessibility and impact around healthy and sustainable eating choices.
