Next, consider what it takes to pack and deliver the product to your store — or your door. Does it need to be transported a long distance (shipping accounts for about 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions)? Even companies struggle to assess carbon emissions that come from the whole life cycle of their products, she said. “There’s a pretty long history behind different retailers attempting to drive their suppliers to label their products,” Bateman said. Many emissions reductions will need to come from larger scale policy decisions such as decarbonizing the electric grid.

Source: Washington Post November 20, 2020 19:30 UTC