Behind the signs: those ethical labels explained

Wander down any supermarket aisle in the UK today and you'll find your conscience assaulted by a plethora of environmental and ethical claims. There are sustainable-sourced goods endorsed by bodies including the Marine Stewardship Council, and products officially designated organic or Fairtrade. Then there are products labelled with their country of origin and products marked "locally produced", products marked "in season" and products with a sticker to show they've been flown in. And that's not to mention a new range of labels currently under discussion as food manufacturers and retailers attempt to clarify the situation with talk of "fair range", "air miles", "as ethical as possible" and even "not bad".

From this month, the carbon footprint of selected grocery products will be displayed on product packaging as part of a pioneering scheme backed by The Carbon Trust, a Government-funded company that works with businesses to reduce carbon emissions. It's the latest in a growing array of eco-labels designed to help us make greener shopping choices, but it comes at a time of growing concern that even the seemingly straightforward labels - such as information about recycling - is leaving consumers confused.

The organisations developing green labels are increasingly stressing the importance of giving consumers choice. "It's very important. The big risk for all of us - and, of course, the environment - is that over time people react badly to being told what to do," says Tom Delay, chief executive of The Carbon Trust. "By giving consumers more information on product labelling, you are giving them choices about how to be green rather than using legislation to force them to be so."

Walkers cheese and onion crisps, Innocent smoothies and Boots Botanics and Ingredients shampoos will be the first products to display The Carbon Trust's new logo - a downward-pointing arrow above a CO2 symbol accompanied by the grams of carbon the production of that product generated. The labelling is a pilot scheme, but one underpinned by rigorous academic research and detailed analysis of each company's manufacturing process and supply chain. "It's too early to yet label a product as 'low carbon' because we've not yet tested everything else in the market," he explains. "But the aim is to develop one labelling system for all products so direct comparisons can be made."

The Carbon Trust initiative is being supported by a number of leading retailers, including Marks & Spencer and Tesco, which earlier this year pledged to introduce carbon labelling across all of its products. Tesco, however, does not rule out developing its own labels. "We welcome what The Carbon Trust is doing, but they are just one of many organisations we are talking to develop our scheme," a spokesman said.

M&S, meanwhile, is pressing ahead with the development of new green labelling, including a picture of an aeroplane to show that a product has been flown into the UK. This initiative is part of the company's five-year "Plan A", which will cost £200m. The scheme includes reducing carbon emissions, banning waste from landfill dumps, and using unsold out-of-date food as a source of recyclable energy. "Research shows that 80 per cent of the 15 million people visiting our stores each week want sustainable products," Mike Barry, M&S's head of corporate social responsibility, explains. "A clear majority, however, want this process to be simplified. We've made a commitment to Forestry Stewardship Council and Marine Stewardship Council-endorsed products, Fairtrade and organic, but we are now working to make sure the M&S brand is seen as an endorsement that any product we stock is OK to buy."

The air-freight label is all about being transparent and giving consumers choice, Barry says. However, Sally Uren, a director of sustainable development charity Forum for the Future, is not so sure. "There is scope for enormous confusion with the wealth of green labelling now being put on products," she believes. "I have some reservations about the idea of putting grams of carbon per pack because it is a complex issue to explain. And the idea of labelling air freight, although useful to a point, is a clear example of how looking at one single issue can be quite dangerous."

Take a bunch of fresh flowers grown in Africa, then flown into Britain. Labelling it with an air-freight sticker associates it with the form of transport with the highest level of carbon emissions, without giving any indication of the economic lifeline buying that product might give to African growers. A bunch of flowers grown over winter in a heated greenhouse in the UK, she adds, is not necessarily the more sustainable option.

Barry takes the point, but stresses M&S's air-freight label is not about carbon. "The UK hot-house versus African import point is interesting, but our view is that there is a simple solution to the hot-house: put a wind turbine next to it. But there is no technology yet conceived that can make an aeroplane green," he says. "This, then, is why we want to give our consumers the choice."

He may be right, but the nuances of his argument underline how hard it can be to make the right choice. According to Lucy Yates, senior policy adviser at the National Consumer Council: "In their rush to be seen to be green, manufacturers and retailers have leapt in without thinking about whether even their simplest labels are meaningful to consumers."

Take the familiar recycle sign. A piece of packaging is either recyclable or not, right? Wrong. Some is recyclable. Some is made from recycled product - produced within a so-called closed loop system in which a company collects its own packaging waste, recycles it then re-makes it into more packaging. Some packaging is marked as biodegradable while others simply detail what packaging is made from without saying why. Containers labelled, "Made from 100 per cent corn starch", an alternative to oil, for example, are compostable.

"There needs to be a lot more communication of even the most basic labels before getting on to new ones," Yates says. "While we are supportive of anything informing consumers about the green credentials of products, we have to avoid ending up with the situation we now find ourselves in with nutritional labelling on foods - where rival schemes make similar claims that are hard to compare. This is in the best interests of no one."

Ethical labels uncovered

* ORGANIC Products grown using environmentally friendly methods: the use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides is severely restricted and animals are reared without the routine use of drugs.

* SOIL ASSOCIATION The word organic is defined by law and food labelled organic must meet strict standards, the best known of which are monitored by the Soil Association, which certifies more than 70 per cent of all UK organic produce. A dozen or so other organic labelling systems also operate, however.

* FAIRTRADE Products produced by farmers accredited by the Fairtrade Foundation to ensure they are committed to improving conditions for workers and their families. Consumers pay a premium guaranteed to go to disadvantaged farmers.

* FREE RANGE Conveys a positive image of animals living outdoors, as nature intended. Recent reports, however, suggest traders may be incorrectly labelling more than one million imported battery-produced eggs as free range each week. The situation is currently being investigated by Defra, which sets marketing standards for free-range farming.

* LEAF The Leaf marque stands for Linking Environment and Farming and denotes food produced by farmers committed to improving the environment.

* RECYCLE The recycle sign means a product or component can be recycled where recycling facilities allow.

* FSC Forestry Stewardship Council labelling means wood has come from a forest managed according to strict environmental, social and economic standards.

* CARBON FOOTPRINT The Carbon Trust's new label (a downwards arrow above a C02 symbol, accompanied by a number) shows the weight of carbon produced in the manufacture of a product.

* AEROPLANE Shows a product has been flown into the UK.

* RAINFOREST ALLIANCE Products produced in compliance with Rainforest Alliance guidelines, protecting the environment, wildlife, workers and local communities.

* UTZ CERTIFIED Coffee products produced according to standards set by Utz Kapeh, a global coffee certification programme, relating to socially and environmentally responsible farming practices.

* VEGETARIAN SOCIETY APPROVED The seedling symbol shows food, drinks and household products that are free of animal products; that eggs are free range, products are GMO-free and that items have not been tested on animals.

* EUROPEAN ENERGY LABEL This labelling system rates electrical products' energy efficiency from A to G.

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