Press Releases

TESCO CARBON LABELS TOILET PAPER

01 May 2009

Flushed with the success to date of its carbon labelling project Tesco will today announce that own-brand toilet and kitchen roll are the next products to join the 100 strong list in the major on-going programme to carbon label every Tesco product. The labels are expected to start appearing on the products in-store from late summer.

In the same way as the existing products in the programme, the toilet and kitchen roll carbon labels will tell customers the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases produced during the lifetime of the product including use and disposal. 

Research undertaken by the UK’s most popular retailer in conjunction with the Carbon Trust shows that the carbon footprint of its own-brand recycled toilet paper is over a third lower than that of the Tesco standard product. Each sheet of Tesco recycled toilet roll produces around 1.1g of carbon compared to around 1.8g for Tesco standard toilet roll.

The significant reduction in carbon footprint in the recycled own-brand products is partly due to the environmentally friendly production process of using an integrated tissue mill. The transformation from waste paper to tissue paper is all done on one site meaning higher energy efficiencies can be achieved.

The carbon footprint of Tesco recycled kitchen roll is 15% less than Tesco standard kitchen roll.

And customers will not just be helping save the environment by switching to Tesco recycled toilet roll as they can also save money:

• Tesco Recycled Toilet Tissue 4 roll £1.71 vs Tesco Luxury Soft Toilet Tissue White 4 roll £1.94

The news that toilet and kitchen roll is the next product to be carbon labelled will be announced this afternoon by Executive Director for Corporate and Legal Affairs, Lucy Neville-Rolfe in a speech at the Institute of Biology.

Lucy Neville-Rolfe comments: “Last year Tesco started on an exciting journey of carbon labelling everyday products to help consumers understand the environmental impact of the things they buy, and I’m delighted to say that the early feedback from customers is very encouraging.

“Today I am announcing a further step towards our goal of labelling all Tesco products with the addition of toilet paper and kitchen towel – both top selling items which most of us buy every week.”

The carbon labelling of toilet paper and kitchen roll are just the first of more products to be announced in the coming weeks.

The carbon labelling pilot kicked off in April last year on 20 Tesco products in four different categories: laundry detergent, orange juice, potatoes and light bulbs and is now on 100 Tesco lines across the four categories.

Customer feedback on the labels has told Tesco that customers welcome the new labelling. They like the design and clear information as well as receiving hints and tips on the simple steps they can take to tackle climate change (for example washing clothes at a lower temperature)

Customers also told Tesco their views on carbon labelling in a survey undertaken after the start of the trial:

• Over two-thirds have a clear understanding of the term “carbon footprint”
• Over 60% will actively seek out a product with a low carbon footprint if it’s convenient and just as cheap to buy
• 95% of customers have taken specific actions to reduce their carbon footprint
• 85% of shoppers now think about the environmental impact of the products they buy

Euan Murray, general manager carbon footprinting, Carbon Trust adds: “Tesco’s move to introduce Carbon Reduction Labels on Tesco toilet and kitchen paper marks our acceleration towards universal product carbon footprinting.

“Using the Carbon Reduction Label to communicate environmental impacts to Tesco consumers demonstrates a serious commitment to reducing the carbon emissions of their products and services on a long-term basis. Our research shows that consumers want business to help them make greener choices, given that low carbon products are often cheaper products this saves them cash as well as carbon.”

Tesco’s announcement to carbon label toilet and kitchen roll comes a week after its Annual Results revealed that its carbon footprint for the year 2008/2009 was 9.4% lower per square foot of net sales compared to the previous year.

Further enquiries: Tesco Press Office. 01992 644 645.

Tesco Corporate & Legal Affairs, New Tesco House, Delamare Road, Cheshunt, Herts, EN8 9SL
Telephone: 01992 644645   Fax: 01992 644525  http://www.tesco.com/corporate