UK Moves to Measure Products' Eco-Impact

Calories, fat, sodium ... carbon footprint? The new measurement may soon appear on British product packaging. Under a plan proposed yesterday, the government will develop standards to measure a product's environmental impact from manufacture through shipment and disposal, allowing companies to list the information as they do nutrition facts. Consumers can then decide how green they want their goods.

Displaying the statistics would be voluntary, but major retailers, some of which have been listing the information on labels piecemeal, are already on board. One expert says consumers who worry more about transporting goods than about manufacturing may be surprised: "In some cases bringing in a product from overseas could well be better than producing it in the UK.' (More global warming stories.)