Fears that suppliers would have to come up with

specific carbon labels for

different customers receded this week after the Carbon Trust joined forces with

BSI British Standards and

Defra to come up with a

single standard.

The prospect of several rival schemes was raised in April when the Carbon Trust began trialling a carbon footprint labelling scheme with Walkers, Innocent and Boots just weeks after Tesco had separately committed to putting carbon labels on its products.

However, Carbon Trust strategy manager Euan Murray said the new Technical Advisory Group (TAG) would use the methodology behind its current label as a starting point to develop commonly accepted standards.

"We now have 12 to 18 months to test the methodology, which will involve a major body of work in which we hope to learn and further the debate," said Murray.

He admitted that the current Carbon Trust label could change. "There is a huge amount of work going on and if the feedback we get is that everyone likes the current model, then great," he said. "But this has all yet to be decided."

He said 120 companies had approached the Carbon Trust about the label, half of which were from the food and drink sector.

TAG's goal was a single standard ensuring a consistent approach to supply chain measurement of greenhouse gases across all markets, he said. The standard would help companies understand and reduce the environmental impact of their products and services.

A Tesco spokesman said the retailer backed the project. "The work of this group will demonstrate that Tesco's pledge to carbon label all of its products is realistic and achievable and we look forward to supporting TAG with this project. Once the methodology is established we'll be able to get on with turning this into a universal label that will help customers make informed choices for greener consumption."

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