The Carbon Trust claims it's not ripping-off businesses but some medium-sized business claim the carbon label is a rip-off. SMEs can't afford the licence fees.  The question asked is the carbon labelling scheme just an elite club for greenwashing multi-nationals...? Or is this about making industry more sustainable or cashing in before an international standard comes out? Using the carbon label with the Carbon Trust cost a minimum charge of £5000 per year to use after you have paid a consultant to work it out. As far as I can see, this is a payment for ‘rights to use’ and nothing else, i.e. the Carbon Trust do nothing to actually earn this money! More on this story

A new survey from Mintel shows that seeking out organic food is slipping down consumers’ ethical agenda as the credit crunch begins to bite. According to the survey, nearly half of the UK’s organic shoppers – 48%– will consider reducing or giving up buying organic food altogether in the year ahead. As consumers tighten their purse-strings, other ethical choices such as animal welfare and fair trade are also putting pressure on the organic market. Buying locally-sourced food has become the most important ethical consideration for grocery shoppers, with 33% of survey respondents saying that they seek out local produce. This compares to 21% who look for organic food, while 26% said that fair trade was their top priority. The UK organic market has grown by an average of 16% every year for the past five years and Mintel’s latest prediction says: “In the coming years sales are forecast to dramatically slow and growth is unlikely to hit previous levels any time soon.” However, although growth in the sector looks set to slow down, there is still growth.
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