UK Startup Launches World First Carbon Labelling Platform

Posted by : Mercury Labels Ltd on Saturday, September 4, 2021 in Choosing Your Labels.

An ambitious UK start-up claims to have launched the world’s first ever service that enables businesses to measure, reduce and clearly indicate their environmental impact of their food items on product labels.

The company known as Foodsteps will be offering its services to caterers, restaurants and general food businesses across the UK simplifying carbon tracking for both vendors and customers.

Created by Cambridge University graduate Anya Doherty, the company said its goal is to assist as many food businesses as possible with the challenges they face in their efforts to reach net zero carbon emissions.

“Historically, food companies have lacked access to a standard database where they can easily find out the environmental impact of their recipes and ingredients,” read a statement released by Foodsteps.

“This was one reason why Tesco’s ambition to introduce carbon labelling across the food sector failed in 2012.”

As a solution to the issue, Foodsteps has created a food database aimed specifically at British businesses; it currently includes more than 1000 different ingredients and provides detailed information on land use, water use, pollution and the carbon footprint. The company believes that its database is exactly what the industry needs to provide the “breakthrough knowledge” needed to enable widespread carbon labelling.

Championing Sustainability

Foodsteps said that businesses will be able to upload their recipes to the platform and access detailed information on the environmental impact and sustainability of each ingredient. After which, they will have the opportunity to print their own labels to communicate this information to their customers.

A traffic light rating system will be used for a clear indication of the environmental impact of the product as a whole, ranging from A (the lowest environmental impact) to E (the highest environmental impact).

Asked about the specific information indicated on the labels, the company confirmed that it will be the overall carbon footprint of the product that will be communicated.

“While the platform contains details about emissions, water etc, the labels themselves only relate to carbon footprint because it’s the metric with the most robust data,” read a statement from Foodsteps.

“We are actively considering plans to bring out other metrics amalgamated into one score later, but we think there’s a lot more testing to do to make sure the other scores can be as accurate as carbon.”

A Simple Solution for the Sector

Along with helping businesses take decisive action to reduce their carbon footprint, Foodsteps also said that those in the food sector would “no longer need to pay expensive one-off consultancy fees, traditionally required with carbon assessment and certification projects.”

“Restaurants, caterers and food providers are increasingly looking for ways to review, improve and demonstrate their action on sustainability,” said the company.

“Foodsteps allows them to do that by giving them access to the latest technology and data, without the commitment and fees associated with traditional carbon assessments. With our platform, our consumer tools and carbon labelling capabilities, brands can differentiate themselves in the market and communicate with customers in ways they never have before.”