The analysis, primarily based on a survey of practically 10,000 shoppers from 18 European international locations, discovered that 67% mentioned they might use such a label, whereas simply 13% felt they might 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 might inform shoppers concerning the influence that meals merchandise have on the local weather and society.
The analysis discovered that just about 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 Client Observatory, mentioned: “However at the moment, there isn’t any 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 concerning the environmental footprint of their meals and that there’s widespread help for a common, unbiased and factually substantiated label for sustainable meals merchandise. Introducing such a label – and making certain that every one eco-labels embrace clear and concise info – might be one of the simplest ways to empower shoppers to make knowledgeable selections about how what they eat impacts the planet.”
Among the many 18 international locations surveyed, Italy, Spain and Poland had been these with the very best ranges of help for such a label, with 81%, 79% and 78% of shoppers respectively saying they might use it, whereas Czech shoppers are the least supportive (45%). In Turkey, 40% of shoppers mentioned they might be “very seemingly” to make use of it.
The recyclability of the packaging, animal welfare, and air pollution and using chemical substances 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 notably distrustful of their governments, with simply 21%, 24% and 27% respectively saying they imagine they’re clear about regulating ecolabels on meals.
• Ladies 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 international locations 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.
Quite a lot 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 power corporations to validate their claims by a “Product Environmental Footprint” – a technique for calculating the environmental influence of a product over its lifetime – and a ban on the introduction of recent public labelling schemes until developed on the EU degree, and personal schemes which don’t present increased environmental ambition than these at the moment in the marketplace.
The analysis has been launched to mark the launch of the brand new Client Observatory. A part of EIT Meals, the Client Observatory goals to deliver collectively the breadth of client insights and data from the world’s largest meals innovation group.
Commenting on the launch, Sofia Kuhn, Director of Public Engagement at EIT Meals, mentioned: “We’re at a vital juncture: the meals system should be reworked if we’re to achieve making certain it could actually ship wholesome, sustainable meals for all. Within the Client Observatory, an important discussion board now exists to assist realise this purpose inside Europe, placing client insights on the forefront. The data the Client Observatory gathers into client behaviours will probably be accessible 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 bought 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 information. Younger individuals (18-34) are notably engaged: they’re considerably extra than different age teams in figuring out the carbon footprint of their foods and drinks; extra in settlement concerning 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 devour is liable for a 3rd of complete 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 client behaviour change is a obligatory a part of that. Our view is that it’s unreasonable to anticipate this to occur when shoppers aren’t being given the data they should make knowledgeable selections. Given the urgency of our local weather problem, we imagine it ought to be as simple for buyers to search out the local weather influence of what they’re shopping for, as it’s to search out its price ticket.”
