The analysis, primarily based on a survey of almost 10,000 shoppers from 18 European nations, discovered that 67% mentioned they’d use such a label, whereas simply 13% felt they’d be unlikely to take action.
Whereas there are at the moment no internationally agreed requirements for environmental sustainability labelling and no settlement on what sustainable manufacturing ought to measure, authorities are discussing the event of a standard eco-label that may inform shoppers in regards to the affect that meals merchandise have on the local weather and society.
The analysis discovered that nearly two-thirds of Europeans – 63% – imagine meals manufacturers fake their merchandise are extra sustainable than they are surely, whereas solely a 3rd of Europeans, 33%, imagine their authorities is clear about regulating sustainability labels on meals.
“In a world the place there are over 450 sustainability logos in operation, many corporations use inexperienced claims and eco-labels to assist market their merchandise,” Klaus Grunert, Professor at Denmark’s Aarhus College, and Director of the EIT Meals Shopper Observatory, mentioned: “However at the moment, there is no such thing as a common commonplace for these labels, leaving many shoppers confused by all of the completely different symbols and logos in the marketplace.”
“It’s clear from our analysis that customers wish to be higher knowledgeable in regards to the environmental footprint of their meals and that there’s widespread assist for a common, impartial and factually substantiated label for sustainable meals merchandise. Introducing such a label – and guaranteeing that each one eco-labels embrace clear and concise info – could possibly be one of the simplest ways to empower shoppers to make knowledgeable decisions about how what they eat impacts the planet.”
Among the many 18 nations surveyed, Italy, Spain and Poland had been these with the best ranges of assist for such a label, with 81%, 79% and 78% of shoppers respectively saying they’d use it, whereas Czech shoppers are the least supportive (45%). In Turkey, 40% of shoppers mentioned they’d be “very probably” to make use of it.
The recyclability of the packaging, animal welfare, and air pollution and the usage of chemical compounds and fertilisers had been the areas that customers most wished to see lined by an eco-label, with 90%, 89% and 88% of shoppers saying they wish to see these respective parts.
The analysis additionally discovered that:
• Shoppers within the Czech Republic, Portugal, and Romania are significantly distrustful of their governments, with simply 21%, 24% and 27% respectively saying they imagine they’re clear about regulating ecolabels on meals.
• Girls are extra sceptical of presidency than males: simply 31% felt they had been clear when regulating eco-labels in comparison with 36% of male respondents.
• The Netherlands, Germany and Eire are the nations the place individuals have the least belief in meals manufacturers’ inexperienced claims, with 73%, 69% and 69% of shoppers respectively saying they imagine they fake their merchandise are extra sustainable than they’re.
A wide range of proposals
The European Fee has in latest months thought-about a wide range of proposals to stamp out deceptive environmental claims, together with a way to drive corporations to validate their claims by way of a “Product Environmental Footprint” – a strategy for calculating the environmental affect of a product over its lifetime – and a ban on the introduction of recent public labelling schemes until developed on the EU stage, and personal schemes which don’t present larger environmental ambition than these at the moment in the marketplace.
The analysis has been launched to mark the launch of the brand new Shopper Observatory. A part of EIT Meals, the Shopper Observatory goals to convey collectively the breadth of shopper insights and information from the world’s largest meals innovation neighborhood.
Commenting on the launch, Sofia Kuhn, Director of Public Engagement at EIT Meals, mentioned: “We’re at a essential juncture: the meals system should be remodeled if we’re to reach guaranteeing it could actually ship wholesome, sustainable meals for all. Within the Shopper Observatory, a vital discussion board now exists to assist realise this intention inside Europe, placing shopper insights on the forefront. The information the Shopper Observatory gathers into shopper behaviours will likely be out there to meals methods actors to assist attain the shared aim of driving ahead a more healthy and extra sustainable meals system.”
Oatly requires carbon labels on all foods and drinks offered in UK
It follows comparable analysis carried out by Swedish oat drink firm Oatly within the UK. Its survey of two,000 British adults revealed 62% are in favour of a coverage to introduce carbon labelling on foods and drinks merchandise, and 55% assume corporations ought to be obliged to publish that info. Some 59% would scale back or cease totally consumption of excessive carbon-footprint foods and drinks merchandise, if supplied with correct emissions knowledge. Younger individuals (18-34) are significantly engaged: they’re considerably extra than different age teams in realizing the carbon footprint of their foods and drinks; extra in settlement in regards to the want for carbon labelling; and extra more likely to change their consumption habits.
Bryan Carroll, UK Common Supervisor, Oatly, mentioned: “The foods and drinks we eat is accountable for a 3rd of whole UK emissions. Scientists, together with the UK Authorities’s personal Local weather Change Committee, are clear that these emissions should urgently come down and that shopper behaviour change is a needed a part of that. Our view is that it’s unreasonable to count on this to occur when shoppers usually are not being given the knowledge they should make knowledgeable decisions. Given the urgency of our local weather problem, we imagine it ought to be as simple for buyers to search out the local weather affect of what they’re shopping for, as it’s to search out its price ticket.”
