Japan to Launch Carbon Footprint Labeling Scheme

Japanese consumers take environmental protection into account while choosing products, even suggesting in surveys that they don’t mind spending extra to purchase environmentally-friendly products. So the Japanese government has devised an intricate system to calculate and inform consumers on labels the level of carbon emissions associated with each product. Companies quickly supported the plan to prevent competitors from devising their own in-house schemes that would manipulate data. “Although the labeling scheme is voluntary, few firms want to be seen to be lagging behind rivals in the rush to corner the growing market in eco-friendly products,” reports Justin McCurry for the Guardian. Japan’s prime minister has taken a leadership role in combating global climate change and has urged his constituents to lead a global "CO2 reduction revolution." – YaleGlobal