UK companies to have carbon footprints measured

A raft of companies in the UK will have their products’ carbon footprints measured as part of a drive to cut emissions.

Cadbury Dairy Milk bars, Coca-Cola drinks, a Halifax online bank account and Andrex toilet tissue will be assessed.

BSI British Standards and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are currently developing the carbon footprint measure.

Walkers crisps already carry an early version of a carbon footprint label, developed by the Government-funded Carbon Trust.

A group of nine firms have agreed to have one or two of their products assessed by the draft carbon footprint measure.

Climate change Minister Joan Ruddock said: “We are working with the Carbon Trust and others on a clear, standard way to measure the full carbon impacts of products.”

The aim of the project is to help the firms reduce their carbon emissions.

Those firms are: Aggregate Industries; Cadbury Schweppes; Coca-Cola; The Co-operative Group; Halifax; Kimberly-Clark; Marshalls; Muller Dairy Limited and Scottish & Newcastle.