Japan unveils eco-labels

According to the trade ministry, new labels will provide consumers with a breakdown of the levels of carbon dioxide emitted in various stages of a product’s life cycle including manufacture, distribution, disposal and recycling.

While the initiative will not be actively enforced, many firms are expected to agree to the terms, which will require strict adherence to the agreed calculation method.

In addition to Sapporo, electronics firm Matsushita, convenience store chains  7-Eleven and Lawson, and supermarket Aeon are understood to have agreed to participate.

But even if widely adopted, observers within the advertising industry are generally sceptical about the impact of the programme on consumers in a market with minimal understanding of the carbon footprint concept.

“I don’t think it will make any difference whatsoever,” said John Goodman, the president of Ogilvy Japan, who dismissed the programme as a gimmick. “I can’t believe the carbon footprint of one type of beer is going to be any different from the next.”

Takeshi Takeda, president and chief executive of DDB Japan, agreed that consumers “do not care much” about the issue of carbon dioxide emissions and are unlikely to be affected by the information on the labels themselves.
But he added that, while the introduction of carbon footprint labels may not directly affect daily purchase decisions in a supermarket, it may present a significant opportunity for brands to step up their green marketing efforts.
Despite a Government commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, environmental issues have not traditionally featured prominently among the concerns of average members of the Japanese public.
In a recent regional study by Grey Group examining attitudes towards green consumerism, Japanese participants were among the least likely to sacrifice convenience of products and services in order to preserve the environment.
The Japanese were also among the least willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products.