The Carbon Trust has been selected to develop an environmental labelling scheme for products and services in Mexico. The scheme will be designed to promote sustainable purchasing and procurement for consumers, companies and the public sector.
The objective of this project is to drive the international competitiveness and economic efficiency of Mexican industry through more sustainable production. It will also provide a commonly recognised set of criteria to ensure that environmental claims about products and services are properly substantiated.
To deliver the labelling scheme the Carbon Trust will be working with SEMARNAT, the Mexican government’s secretariat of the environment and natural resources, as well as representatives from small, medium and large Mexican businesses, NGOs and the public sector. The project is funded through the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Prosperity Fund, as administered through the British Embassy in Mexico City.
This project helps to meet certain obligations in the Mexican government’s Law for Ecological Equilibrium and Environmental Protection, in which there is a requirement to ensure the sustainability of economic activities. SEMARNAT have been given responsibility for developing a labelling scheme to promote the sustainable production and consumption of products.
In the delivery of the project the Carbon Trust will develop a methodological framework to quantify the carbon footprint of Mexican products and services, along with a mechanism for certification and labelling which meets the needs of Mexico.
Once this has been completed SEMARNAT and Carbon Trust have committed to seek funding for subsequent phases of this project. This will involve a pilot phase of the scheme to evaluate how it works in practice, which will be followed by a wider roll out.
We are very pleased to see Mexico’s appetite to grapple with the critical area of footprinting and labelling as part of its wider commitment to taking action on climate change. But we need to be realistic, and remain aware that we need to make this work against a backdrop that many companies and individuals do not see this as a priority right now. For this scheme to succeed it will need to work for businesses right now, by providing value through footprinting as well as labelling. Footprinting allows businesses to reduce costs, improve efficiency, remove waste, minimise risks, and meet the needs of customers more efficiently, whilst labelling can have a big impact beyond just engaging consumers, especially in supporting sales to businesses and governments. We plan to build a scheme where the business value exceeds the cost of participating for as many companies and as many products as possible. So that smaller companies can benefit we will look into the provision of a simpler common infrastructure tailored to individual sectors.
- Martin Barrow, Head of Footprinting at the Carbon Trust
We are glad to be working with the Carbon Trust to develop a footprinting and labelling scheme adapted to the needs and conditions of Mexico. We have been impressed with the Carbon Trust’s unrivalled experience in the successful design and implementation of eco-labelling projects. The green growth that this project will unlock has the potential to address economic and environmental challenges, and to strengthen new sources of growth through productivity, innovation, and open new markets.
- Mr. Cuauhtémoc Ochoa Fernandez, Mexico’s Undersecretary of Development and Environmental Regulation
We are delighted to be working with the Carbon Trust to help ensure Mexico has a scheme in line with international best practice in sustainable procurement. When it comes to product carbon footprinting and labelling then the UK really has been a world leader, with the Carbon Trust developing the first international standards and labels for this back in 2007. The British Government is committed to helping developing countries like Mexico achieve the transition to becoming a high growth economy with low carbon emissions. This includes embracing ideas such as energy efficiency, sustainable production and consumption, and promoting the creation of green jobs in the new technologies and markets of the future.
- Richard Shackleton, First Secretary for Climate Change, Energy and Low Carbon Growth at the British Embassy in Mexico
Notes to Editors
About the Carbon Trust:
The Carbon Trust is an independent company with a mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low carbon economy. The Carbon Trust:
- Advises businesses, governments and the public sector on opportunities in a sustainable, low carbon world.
- Measures and certifies the environmental footprint of organisations, products and services.
- Helps develop and deploy low carbon technologies and solutions, from energy efficiency to renewable power.
For further information please contact the Carbon Trust press office on 020 7170 7050 or press@carbontrust.com. Alternatively visit www.carbontrust.com.
