2010-2011: Effective
approaches to environmental labelling of food products (Ref. FO0419
(FFG0911))
The environmental impacts of
food production are complex and accumulate throughout a production
chain from primary production, processing, packing, distribution,
retail to end use (consumption). The potential environmental effects
are numerous and can have a range of direct and indirect impacts, both
positive and negative, including, for example, greenhouse gas emissions
and climate change, damage to wildlife habitats and biodiversity
populations, pollution of water, soil and air and the consumption of
non-renewable or scarce resources. There are numerous drivers that can
help reduce these impacts including legislative instruments, marketing
and consumer choices and demand. One driver that has received attention
in recent years is the use of product labels, whereby the environmental
'credentials' of a product are communicated to the consumer. However,
the science and practice of using labels to drive changes in consumer
and industry behaviour is complex. There are many issues to resolve
including their scientific credibility and robustness, and consumer
perception of what such labels mean and how they are used. This Defra
funded research project explored the practicality and effectiveness of
environmental labelling of food as a mechanism to promote behavioural
change to reduce the negative environmental impacts of food production
and consumption. It also compared the pros and cons of different
labelling formats and investigate the potential burden and in
particular the costs, that introducing such a label would have on
industry including food producers and exporters. This project was
conducted in collaboration with the Food Ethics Council and the Policy
Studies Institute, and the final report can be downloaded from the Defra website.
Publications
- Tzilivakis, J., Green, A.,
Warner, D.J.,
McGeever,K. & Lewis, K.A. (2012). A framework for practical and
effective eco-labelling of food products. Sustainability
Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, 3(1):
50-73. DOI. [Outstanding Paper Award Winner at the
Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2013]
- Tzilivakis, J., Lewis,
K.A., Green, A., Warner, D.J., MacMillan, T & McGeevor, K. (2011). Effective
approaches to environmental labelling of food products. Final
Report for Defra Project FO0419. January 2011.
Contact
Dr John
Tzilivakis
Links
|
