The foot label has been around since 2012, but since 2023 Carbon Trust has moved away from 'carbon neutral' towards claims focussed on carbon reduction and carbon comparison. This feels like a more realistic and useful approach rather than seeing corporates 'forgive' themselves their emissions through offsetting.

The scheme takes into account the wider cradle-to-grave (raw material through to recycling / disposal) carbon impact rather than the more short-sighted cradle-to-gate assessments which only take into account raw material to retail distribution).

Assessment appears reasonably rigorous with 24 months of data required for 'reduction' status, 12 months for a new verification. Products need to show how they switching to lower emission power, reducing waste or changing suppliers to those with lower impacts. The Carbon Trust (through a process created in conjunction with the BSI and Defra) then verifies the data before awarding the marque.

Entirely focused on carbon inputs and outputs (as you would expect) so from Label Mouse's perspective a very narrow lens to view environmental and societal responsibility - so no rating for animals or humans.