Labeling your carbon footprint

In a bid to raise public awareness about global warming, Japan is planning to label a range of consumer goods with their carbon footprints – or how much gas responsible for global warming has been emitted through production and delivery, reports AFP. The ministry plans to launch the project during the next fiscal year, which starts in April 2009. Although the exact number of products that will carry the labels is yet to be decided, more than 30 companies are part of the initiative. Such labels have been introduced in other developed countries such as Britain and France, and it’s likely you will see some U.S. companies are considering the idea. A bag of potato chips, for example, emits 75 grams of carbon dioxide (44 percent from growing potatoes, 30 percent from production of the processed food, 15 percent from the packaging, nine percent from delivery and two percent from disposal of the bag).